**1. Introduction**

Ecotourism is an abbreviation of ecological tourism, which refers to understanding and protecting the freedom of tourism in nature. According to the International Nature Conserva‐ tion Union (IUCN), the definition of ecotourism includes having fun while supporting the

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protection of the natural and cultural resources. This involves maintaining a low visitor impact and providing the local community with socioeconomic benefits. Furthermore, ecotourism refers to traveling in environmental-responsible ways to limit the impact to the areas visited. AccordingtotheInternationalEcotourismSociety,whichprotectstheenvironmentandoversees thewelfareofthe localpeople inthe tourist area,travelisdefinedas a sensitive activityinnatural areas. It is recognized that ecotourism involves the preservation of both natural and cultural values, and keeping that responsibility in mind, the areas should remain open to tourism. The concept of ecotourism bears a strong connection to both natural and social responsibility. Ecotourism, which links tourism activities with the natural environment, refers to a tourist activity based on the incentive to act with responsibility, considering the potentially negative effects of tourism on the environment. Additionally, ecotourism involves ensuring the sustainability of the earth's natural resource areas while supporting the economic develop‐ ment of local communities, an approach aiming toward preserving their social and cultural integrity [1–5].

Ecotourism contributes to the conservation of biological diversity and protecting local people's welfare, and such tourism helps raise awareness of local people's needs, ensuring the move‐ ment responsible for tourism, providing services to small-scale enterprises by groups of tourists, and consuming a low level of nonrecyclable resources. Tourism management business provides opportunities to local residents in favor of development. Actions that directly affect ecotourism activities include the area's natural resources, increased capacity of ecotourism areas, and ensuring social and environmental development in order to contribute to the livelihood of the local people [5–9].

Rapid economic and political changes and technological developments in today's world are parallel to the increasing size of the tourism industry. This makes tourism an increasingly important component of a nation's economy. Tourism spending in all sectors serves toward stimulating the economy. New concepts such as sustainable tourism are developed because of both, the tourist profile in a nation as well as the natural changes that occur in consumption patterns, which in this case involve protecting the natural and cultural features and maintain‐ ing a balance while engaging in tourism [1, 9–11].

The concept of ecotourism and the importance of sustainability within tourism have become popular and are being implemented frequently. As an alternative to mass tourism, ecotourism was developed in the 1990s. This form of tourism contains elements of rural and cultural tourism and is referred to as the most appropriate type of tourism that can be developed in sensitive natural and cultural areas. Developing environmental tourism and ecotourism in today's world, where massive destruction of nature is common, is significant to the society and seen as an important tool in achieving sustainable development and avoiding uncontrolled movement of tourists. Ecotourism and sustainable tourism are used interchangeably, although the difference between them is noteworthy, as sustainable tourism is a subtype of ecotourism. Ecotourism protects the environment and oversees the welfare of local people during tourist trips to sensitive natural and cultural areas. It exists through sustainable tourism policies. In today's world, ecology and economy are treated in combination; both the economic and ecological efficiency of activities that are undertaken are tied to one another [1, 11–13].

In particular, central governments need to accurately guide the land use and infrastructure decisions within local tourism regions. Constraints in infrastructure bring along the danger of destroying the natural environment. When taking decisions, the most important task to consider related to tourism other than generating more revenue is understanding the necessity of preserving the natural, cultural, and historical values of the sites in question.
