Nobody is going to deny that accountability and transparency in ecotourism will lead to economic development and also promote growth that are features that can readily be seen in a capitalist and also a democratic society and which is indicative of good governance. However, not every ecotourism country is a democratic or capitalist country and there are different political ideologies prevailing which mean that some of these countries may be politically neutral or they may be conforming to government interests.

Economic Benefits Are The Primary Motivating Force

Thus, it has been found that in almost all cases, economic benefits are the primary motivating force for such ecotourism countries and accountability and transparency in ecotourism may be a concept that most of these countries may not be familiar with, and which has some way to go before they get incorporated in the scheme of things. The force of economic prosperity is such that other concerns such as poverty alleviation, conservation as well as cultural heritage may have to take a back seat.

The reason for such a state of affairs can be attributed to understanding that without economic activity, there would probably be no real tourism and thus there is a need to mix the factors involved and come up with a correct balance so that no one particular factor dominates the others and this is where accountability and transparency in ecotourism comes into play.

It is also a fact that all tourism development programmes will be used to advance government interests because they need the approval of the government before anything can be done, it can often result in government interference in the running of ecotourism projects and thus there may be little or no accountability and transparency in ecotourism.

There is also no denying the fact that there must be a fit of cultural values that are essential if the host country does not want to have disruptive or counterproductive influences in the development of ecotourism. It means formulating policies and planning ahead and ensuring that the culture of the place and also its politics are well understood without which the project may not get off the ground and accountability and transparency in ecotourism is another major factor that must be incorporated in the scheme of things if there is to be sustainable ecotourism.

Thus, if there is accountability and transparency in ecotourism there should be a proper mechanism and a philosophy of long-term returns in place; instead of myopic means being used to get short-term gains.