In this paper I will demonstrate that ethical tourism is the better option that guarantees a stable economic growth while keeping cultural integrity and environmental protection. Even though mass tourism accounts for the rise in employment and gross national product, its economic benefits become marginal as social and environmental costs increase. I will show that ecotourism and pro-poor tourism, as forms of ethical and responsible tourism, contribute to the conservation of the wildlife heritage and to the development of a sustainable growth.
Mass tourism concerns all those activities that include shifting of large groups of tourists, high volume of sales, utilization of holiday packages and development of infrastructure and transportation systems. After the second World War, mass tourism increased substantially. Its first real boom, mainly experienced by the western countries, was related to the economic development of society and to the increase in number of tourism services and recreational opportunities. Throughout the years, tourism has impacted positively on the world economy and on the countries’ national balance of payments. As estimated in Francisco Vellas’ economic analysis, today world tourism represents over 45% of tourism 's total contribution to GDP (Vellas 6). In addition, the tourism industry accounts for the creation of new jobs, especially for young people. The International Labor Organization (ILO) has estimated that tourism generated 253 million jobs