Eco-tourism is defined as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of local people, and involves interpretation and education". Main principles of eco-tourism include building environmental and cultural awareness, supporting local businesses, providing financial benefits for conservation, and generally minimizing your impact. 

Based on these principles, I made a list of things every tourist can do to preserve the local environment. Some of them are pretty simple and obvious but I believe they are still important to mention.

#1. Choose environmentally friendly transport. Ships, trains, buses, and cars are known to be less harmful than airplanes. However, if you have to fly to your destination, try choosing non-stop flights because takeoffs and landings create a lot of carbon emission.

#2. Choose locally owned hotels. If the hotel has local staff, uses local supplies it means it is investing in the local economy.

Moreover, some hotels now use natural power sources and participate in recycling programmes so try to support them too. You can call in advance and find out this information from the receptionist.

#3. Take any leftover cosmetics with you, i.e. shampoo, toothpaste, etc. Otherwise, they will be thrown away by the staff.

#4. Do not litter. Take a bag with you and put all your litter in there so you can throw it in a bin later. Moreover, you can collect litter which is already on the ground because most probably no one's going to do it besides you.

#5. Do not feed or touch the wildlife. The animals will get used to it and will stay too close to the hiking trails which could be dangerous. Besides, not all human food is good for animals. 

#6. Again, support local businesses and buy goods from local shops and markets. Do not forget to use your eco-bags!

These tips seem pretty easy to me but if we all do them, our impact will be enormous. And for once, it will be enormously good.

Source: https://ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism/