'Auss'ome Eco-Tourism

Eco-Tourism Australia was born in 1991 as a non-profit organization, "To be leaders in assisting ecotourism and other committed tourism operations to become environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially and culturally responsible." The organization is made up of ecotourism accommodations, tour and attraction operators, tourism planners, protected area managers, academics and students, tourism, environmental, interpretation and training consultants, local and regional tourism associations and travelers.

Their focus is about growing and promoting eco-tourism and other involved tourism operations to become more sustainable. Some of the steps they have in place to work towards their mission are to develop and incorporate standards for sustainability, marketing the ideas of sustainability to increase awareness, improve finanacial viability for companies that use sustainable practices, and increasing professionalism of those in the industry.

They have two programs in place, one for certifying the product, and another for certifying guides. The Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program provides assurance to businesses and travelers alike that an accredited product is backed by a committment to practice ecological sustainability, natural area management and the provision of quality ecotourism experiences. This program is now being used as the International Eco-Tourism Standard. The second program, The EcoGuide Certification Program, is an industry driven certification program for nature and ecotour guides that is designed to enhance Guides competencies, and assess a Guide's skills, knowledge, personal attributes and actions.