The primary aim of ecotourism is to educate the traveller and bring him or her closer to nature. Participants are given the chance to visit parts of the world (25) ______ are untouched by human intervention and to engage in conservation work and various other kinds of environmental projects.

Visitors benefit by gaining an appreciation of natural habitats and an (26) ______ into the impact of human beings on the environment. Local communities gain financially but also in (27) ______ ways, since not only monuments but other buildings as well, such as bridges or windmills, are restored in order to attract more visitors.

(28) ______, there are also disadvantages to this type of tourism. There have been cases in which tourism has been allowed to develop with no control or limits. As a result, (29) ______ cultures have been affected or even threatened by foreign lifestyles. Many people today support that our approach to the development of ecotourism has to be reconsidered. It is essential that this type of tourism be environmentally, socially, and culturally friendly.