Ecotourism in Times of Covid-19: A Systematic Review from the Five Continents on How This Activity is Being Carried Out and What Proposals They Have for the Near Future

Abstract

The emergence of the covid-19 virus has prompted governments in several countries to close their international borders, close transportation routes and decree quarantines as a public health measure to prevent the spread of the virus among the population. Globally, essential businesses have continued to operate, while others such as tourism must wait. Ecotourism is a sustainable activity that attracts tourists concerned about the environment and local culture, which generates income for the locals. In order to have a broader picture of how the ecotourism sector is dealing with covid-19, a systematic review was conducted to identify Scopus records detailing such evidence disclosed from 2020 to the first quarter of 2021. As results, records were identified in the five continents, which agree that the pandemic has negatively affected the income of local people, who have been forced to close their businesses and even perform illegal acts; however, there are also encouraging proposals of economic reactivation plans presented by villagers, who expect the opening of this activity to operate keeping all the health safety measures decreed by their governments.

Received: 6 May 2021 / Accepted: 27 September 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021