What Is Ecotourism?

I just read the article"What Is Ecotourism?" I first heard this word from Jeonyeon. To be honest, I have never heard about this thing before.

According to this article, the experts define it as "responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people". They gave us a example that a rafting trip is only eco-tourism if it raises awareness and funds to help protect the watershed.

According to this definition, I am really interesting in this kind of trips. However, I also have some doubt about how could this trip benefit the local people and the difference between this trip and traditional trip. The traditional trips also focus on the protection of environment and the improvement of the local economy.