Ecotourism as a form of luxury consumption

The growing availability of luxury ecotourism experiences requires closer scientific scrutiny and understanding of the phenomenon. This small but lucrative market segment is often questioned as a suitable form of ecotourism. Recent literature is presented with respect to the general concept of luxury in tourism and hospitality and then several aspects of luxury consumption in ecotourism are discussed. This chapter offers an initial contribution to the understanding of the consumption of ecotourism luxury experiences. The soft and hard forms of ecotourism consumption are discussed in light of luxury experiences, sustainable and ethical issues in luxury ecotourism are presented, and the role of ecotourists and ecotourism providers outlined. The evidence presented can be a starting point for systematic conceptual frameworks and highlights the controversies on the nature of luxury consumption in ecotourism.