The words ecotourism, eco hotel, eco friendly hotel, and ecolodges can confuse many. The reality is that all these words are essentially synonymous with what is known as ecotourism. And Ecotourism is, in short, concerned with how businesses operate in terms of the environmental impact it has on the nature around the business and on the local community.
If a business is successfully implementing the principles and ethos of ecotourism, then the business is not only striving to create to function with a reduced and sometimes close to zero impact in the souring nature. It is also making serious efforts to allow economic and social benefits to remain in the local community by hiring local workers and offering fair wages. It’s a completely different mindset for the hotel and tourism industry that helps and supports the environment and local community in myriad micro and macro ways.
Ecolodges and eco-hotels are a form of accommodation and loading business that embody the ecotourism principles of reduced impact and support of the local community. How do they do it? By providing a hotel-like stay for the guests that is designed to be eco-friendly and respectful to both the natural surrounding and the local population and community.
Salkantay Sky Camp ecolodge in Cusco
This way, by staying at an eco lodges, tourists can contribute positively to the area they are visiting. Not only will choosing an eco lodge makes you feel good because you are supporting the natural environment you are visiting, but also, in return you are visiting an amazingly beautiful location and are given the opportunity to immerse into the local community by visiting nearby villages and interacting with the locals and surroundings through tours and excursions.
From the tropical rainforests of Thailand to the Gobi Desert, to the peace and quiet of Two Seasons resort in Coron island in the Philippines, to the rice fields of north Vietnam and the wilderness of Western Australia, our planet offers a vast number of ecolodge options of different shapes and sizes, each one offering and experience and stays like no other accommodation experience on earth.
If a business is successfully implementing the principles and ethos of ecotourism, then the business is not only striving to create to function with a reduced and sometimes close to zero impact in the souring nature. It is also making serious efforts to allow economic and social benefits to remain in the local community by hiring local workers and offering fair wages. It’s a completely different mindset for the hotel and tourism industry that helps and supports the environment and local community in myriad micro and macro ways.
Ecolodges and eco-hotels are a form of accommodation and loading business that embody the ecotourism principles of reduced impact and support of the local community. How do they do it? By providing a hotel-like stay for the guests that is designed to be eco-friendly and respectful to both the natural surrounding and the local population and community.
Salkantay Sky Camp ecolodge in Cusco
This way, by staying at an eco lodges, tourists can contribute positively to the area they are visiting. Not only will choosing an eco lodge makes you feel good because you are supporting the natural environment you are visiting, but also, in return you are visiting an amazingly beautiful location and are given the opportunity to immerse into the local community by visiting nearby villages and interacting with the locals and surroundings through tours and excursions.
From the tropical rainforests of Thailand to the Gobi Desert, to the peace and quiet of Two Seasons resort in Coron island in the Philippines, to the rice fields of north Vietnam and the wilderness of Western Australia, our planet offers a vast number of ecolodge options of different shapes and sizes, each one offering and experience and stays like no other accommodation experience on earth.
So you must be wondering…what should I stay in an ecolodge and not my typical hotel? The answer is actually pretty simple, as staying in an ecolodge or eco hotel offers several advantages over typical lodging options, as it gives you the opportunity to not only visit a destination. It essentially provides a truly immersive experience in the culture and environment you are staying in through guided tours and excursions.
Ecolodges enable you to mingle with the locals, experience firsthand local life, learn about the local flora and wildlife from local guests, and even explore how you may adopt more sustainable habits in your everyday life.
If you also love decors with locally sourced materials, you will appreciate the interior and exterior designs of your ecolodges.
Eco lodges also enable you to explore more isolated locations that might be very hard to get to if you were to stay in a typical hotel in a more touristy area. You can head deep into the Borneo rainforest or the rice fields of Topas eco resort in Vietnam. You’ll almost certainly feel a sense of environmental obligation by visiting those ecolodges and their magnificent natural surroundings.
When visitors consider all their vacation alternatives, there’s one question that comes up more often than others: “Is an ecolodge for me?”. Should I stay at a typical hotel instead?
Eco-friedly lodging is a no-brainer if you care about the environment and want to give sustainable tourism a try. However, if you are new to ecotourism and ecolodges, you may want some help with your decision. Perhaps when you think of eco-friendly hotels, you envision mosquito net-covered mattresses, bucket showers, and a hippie vegan breakfast. At the same time, some ecolodges are just that, most ecolodges are unique luxurious experiences for the guests. They can still deliver a very high degree of comfort because they are implementing environmental measures to ensure a low to no carbon impact.
Staying at an eco lodge is a good choice if you want to get close to nature, have an immersive experience, learn about the natural environment by being part of it, and interact with your hosts and locals.
If, after reading this, you are still interested in experiencing what ecolodges our about, then go ahead and read our list of the best ecolodges around the world.
Are you interested in owning an ecolodge? We have created a detailed ecolodge owner’s guide to help you get started.
© SmartXpat All Rights Reserved 2022
