NATURE BASED TOURISM: NATURAL BALANCE, IMPACTS AND MANAGEMENT

The steady growth of national and international tourist flows led, within the political and scientific debate, the role of tourism as a factor for achieving economic and social development. However, the disillusion that in many cases it occurred towards the so-called mass tourism has led to criticism of this form of tourism, offering others models most compatible with the natural, social and cultural values of territory and capable of allowing both to the host communities and to the visitors to benefit from interaction generated by the visit. In this segment, an increased role is occupied by ecotourism, a form of tourism which focuses on contributing to the preservation of natural and cultural resources while promoting the economic contribution to local communities. The aim of this paper is to identify, after a careful assessment about the definition of the concept and relevance of ecotourism, how it affects the local development in its broadest sense, and the sustainability of the site. A framework is showed, where is illustrated that if the ecotourism is implemented through appropriate management, can help to achieve a balance between conservation and development through the promotion of synergistic relationships among natural areas, local populations and tourism.