She remembers waking in her tent in the Serengeti to the sound of lions roaring in the night.

She remembers learning of the migration patterns of millions of wildebeest and watching in wonder as two male impalas fought.

But as her trip to Tanzania came to an end, Marcia Blacklin’s memories of exotic wildlife had intermingled with the memories of visiting a humble fishing village, dancing with members of a Maasai tribe and watching children kick around a makeshift soccer ball of bunched up plastic bags and string.

Blacklin was one of the participants on a program entitled Tanzania and the Great East African Migration offered through Road Scholar, a not-for-profit organization that specializes in educational travel.  As one organization following the trend of social responsibility in the tourism industry, Road Scholar gives its participants a chance to learn about more than the environment, wildlife and people of the communities they are traveling to. They also take a hands-on approach to giving back.

Eco-tourism, geotourism, responsible travel, sustainable tourism.  The concept goes by many names with slightly different variations but all with the same goal in mind: tourism should leave a lasting positive impact on destination countries.

The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as responsible travel to natural areas that conserve the environment and improve the well-being of local people.  Similarly, National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Development defines geotourism as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical personality and character of a place, including its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and well-being of its residents.

In 1992, the United Nations created Agenda 21, a document that recognized sustainable travel as travel that meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future of the travel and tourism industry.

“Everything at the end points to the issue of the balance on earth between humans and nature,” said Pelin Karaca, vice-president of product development at Holbrook Travel in Gainesville, Fla. Holbrook Travel specializes in sustainable and educational travel and coordinates Road Scholar programs.

Tourism is becoming an increasingly prominent industry in more and more developing countries, Karaca said, and if travel is to be sustainable, it needs to benefit the country as a whole and not only businesses directly in the travel industry such as hotels and airports.

To promote this idea, Holbrook Travel tries to choose locally owned businesses, organizations and tour operators in its destination countries to give participants the most authentic experience possible. It also chooses businesses and organizations according to their community involvement and if they have an ethical reputation.

One of the main goals of ecotourism, Karaca said, is to increase the participants’ awareness of human rights issues, socio-economic challenges and conflict facing destination countries. When participants see people’s efforts in response to these issues, they will gain a better understanding of the countries.

Reality presented itself to Blacklin in the form of a primitive fishing village on Lake Victoria. It had no electricity or amenities, but the residents made do with what they had. She and her tour group arrived just as the fishermen were coming back in with their catches. The women got to work sorting the thousands of little fish into piles while the boats glided out on the water. Women walked with buckets on their heads past mud houses and little markets selling fruits while children amused themselves with whatever they could find to play with. All the while, the villagers were friendly and welcoming to the foreigners observing them.

“People are people whether it’s in a fishing village or downtown Manhattan,” Blacklin said.

(This story will be posted in a series. This is the first of three posts.)