Eco-tourism is travel to pristine and environmentally-protected destinations that are maintained because of their biodiversity and unique natural resources. These natural resource sites serve as assets of the country where they are from and can serve as economy boosters to the nation. Due to the global consciousness of saving the earth's natural resources, ecotourism efforts and activities have become even more popular amongst conservation groups, government agencies and tourists alike. Below are two examples of established ecotourism programs.

Nature Conservancy- The Nature Conservancy Program is said to be the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. It is said to have protected over 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide. It has operated more than 100 marine conservation projects globally. The organization also addresses threats to conservation involving climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems. The organization has also developed a strategic, science-based planning process, called Conservation by Design, which helps us identify the highest-priority places'landscapes and seascapes that, if conserved, promise to ensure biodiversity over the long term.

Eco Friendly Hotels Programs- Rues Hotel Selection (RHS) EcoFriendly Hotels Worldwide, the first "environmentally oriented referral hotel group," was launched in Bolivia in 1994.  RHS is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the development of independent, small, midsized, ecofriendly hotel and tourism businesses around the globe, in order to meet their primary objectives of Conservation Education Sustainable Development. RHS follows the environmental guidelines of UNEP such as "Renewable Energy Opportunities in the Tourism Industry" and promotes UNESCO's World Heritage Sites as well as other nature and cultural destinations.

Promoting such conservation efforts may prove to be challenging on a large scale. A direct, affordable and effective marketing alternative is the use of printed materials distributed locally such as flyers, brochures, booklets, posters or catalogs. It's now easy and convenient to print such materials with the use of online printing services. These online printers are also easily accessible due to their presence in popular social networking sites. Uprinting for example, is an online printing company with pages on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter.

About the Author:

Nikki Sabato is a writer with a background in landscape architecture and design. She currently works in the field of marketing and design communication.