Imagine vacationing in a place of stunning, natural beauty. Picture yourself relaxing on a pristine beach in Belize, exploring the desert on a camel in Riyadh, or following lions and zebras in Kenya. Now imagine that while enjoying these experiences, you are also helping to preserve the environment, protect wildlife, and support local communities. Sound too good to be true? It isn't! Such vacations are part of the fastest-growing trend in the travel industry. The trend is called ecotourism. While ecotourism was almost unheard of before the 1990s, it has quickly become a multi-billion dollar industry. But what exactly is ecotourism? These are some of its characteristics: It involves travel to natural, often remote, destinations. These are often protected areas where development is limited. Ecotourism destinations focus on recycling, water conservation, and using renewable energy sources. It builds environmental awareness. As visitors explore an area, they also learn about it. It provides an economic incentive to preserve the environment and raises money to help protect it. It creates financial opportunities and jobs for the local population. Costa Rica was one of the first ecotourism success stories. At one time, Costa Rica had the highest rate of deforestation in all of Latin America. However, since ecotourism, there has been a dramatic reduction in deforestation. Now, more than a quarter of Costa Rica's land is protected from development. Costa Rica is now the world's top ecotourism destination. Amazingly, this small country of five million people has about three million visitors per year.