Tour operators gain access to local villages or remote areas. Local people derive income from hosting visitors while elders pass on cultural knowledge. The benefits of ecotourism for rural or indigenous communities include preservation of cultural traditions, conservation of the natural environment and maintenance of social, cultural and religious values. In remote areas with limited development, ecotourism ventures can improve the quality of life, self esteem and well being of local and indigenous communities. To ensure these benefits are equitable, ecotourism ventures should involve community elders and also consider the needs of women and young people.
Ecotourism can assist with sustaining traditional cultures in natural settings .
The arrival and presence of tourists in small villages and remote areas can also affect local residents at the individual, family and community level. The social and cultural impacts of ecotourism include changes in local value systems, individual behaviour, kinship and family relations, beliefs, collective lifestyle, community organisation and structures, traditional ceremonies and way of life. Social impacts cause more immediate changes in a local community's social structure and way of life while cultural impacts cause longer-term changes in community norms and standards, social relationships and cultural practices. This includes the presentation of traditional ceremonies once performed only for the local community and production of artefacts for tourists. More remote rural and indigenous communities are most affected by the impacts of tourism, with limited exposure to foreign tourists, consumer goods and a cash economy.