Ecotourism, cuatro

As we have been discussing and experiencing ecotourism for the past month what always comes to my mind is visiting exotic places and countries that I have never been to or always wanted to visit. Perhaps that is because the most ecotourism I have ever been exposed to is right here in Costa Rica, far away from home and more adventurous and exotic then I could have imagined. However, I came across some interesting statistics about ecotourism in the United States. US citizens make up a huge amount of the market for ecotourism across the globe. Americans are becoming increasingly concerned about the environment and are more eager than ever to learn about other cultures. In fact one survey says that Americans are willing to pay significantly more for a vacation experience regarding ecotourism. Ecotourism within the US is one of the fastest growing travel trends in the country. Recreational visits to US national parks is around the 300 million mark every year and an estimated 900 million visits are made to US federal land alone every year. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, West Virginia, and Virginia all have their own ecotourism societies. There are many unique places to visit within our own country that many of us probably don't think about much or take for granted. We can have incredible ecotourism experiences that people travel the world for right in our own back yard.