Mahreen Riaz, Abdur Rehman Riaz & Samrena Jabeen
Ecotourism as a concept has been analyzed with divergent views and theories. On one hand, there is criticism that ecotourism still consists of cosmetic changes as it involves elements of mass tourism. This school of thought considers ecotourism to be a misleading statement since travelers still uses conventional means of travelling which can increase the problems related to environment deterioration and climate change. In contrast, an opposing viewpoint is that the concept continues to evolve and develop with different organizations and countries striving to respond to challenges efficiently and effectively. Germany is one of the most advanced and developed countries in the world. It is an economic powerhouse that has a rapid industrial base and export oriented economy. Moreover, tourism is an important part of the services industry. The German government has promoted tourism as a means of enhancing and developing local communities. The demand for ecotourism has increased because of concerns that conventional tourism poses on the ecosystem and local communities. The study seeks to analyze the evaluation of ecotourism as a concept and its impact on Germany. Furthermore, the study seeks to identify the ways that the government is promoting sustainable and ecotourism as an alternative to mainstream tourism.