Whether people are interested in culture, relaxation, adventure or health, in the end the motivation is to break out of a routine and achieve some sense of bettering oneself. And it's hard to ignore the opportunities tourism presents for economic development in rural communities. Whether the primary impact is positive or negative largely depends on how this sector is managed. Management structures must be strengthened in order to sustain both environmental quality and a lively tourism industry. S ensitive natural sites are in limited supply and disappearing at lighting speed.
Many experts believe the use of the natural environment is at a critical stage.
The challenge today is to promote tourism activities in natural areas, while minimizing the negative impacts on them. A challenge which is being taken up worldwide. A number of initiatives have been introduced by international organizations and the tourism industry. Respectively, the organizations represent government, business and NGO interests in tourism and the environment. The Agenda 21 action plan sets out a systematic framework to make the tourism industry more environmentally responsible.