The Sikkim Ecotourism Policy - A Review

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE POLICY:

The term 'ecotourism' was coined by Hector Ceballos- Lascurain, a Mexican architect and environmentalist, nearly two decades ago and the preliminary definition by him was 'Ecotourism is environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features - both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low negative visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations.'