It is true that the wonders of the sea hold many attractions for travelers. After all, who does not enjoy being able to swim around in the calm waters or relax by the beach? However, Malaysia definitely has a lot more to offer to tourists than just marine parks. Its wide abundance of nature can also be greatly admired and appreciated in the various national parks that are dotted around Peninsular and East Malaysia. Unfortunately, lack of awareness and lack of conscientiousness make it very difficult for conservationists to keep up. Tour operators also do not help with some following indiscriminate practices just to keep profits up. Luckily, there are now a group of people who are more discerning and caring to the environment while traveling. This is the reason why responsible tourism or ecotourism is steadily on the rise.

One of the main challenges of national parks is the fact that most people do not see them as viable tourist destinations. As mentioned earlier, most people would greatly prefer chilling out on the beach or other such places rather than trekking amidst wild flora and fauna and staying within the lush greenery itself. It is thus imperative that consciousness is heightened to the fact that these national parks do have a lot to offer to tourists as well. You normally see grand resorts and chalets being built alongside marine parks. However, one thing really special about the choices of accommodation in national parks is the fact that most - if not all - of them have been designed according to ecological practices.

National parks offer tourists a vastly different experience. To really enjoy and immerse yourself into the true experience, you will have to be careful as to which ecotour you join. While there has definitely been a rise of tour operators who offer ecotourism packages, one can never be too careful. Just by the mere fact that it is increasing in popularity is enough to see a vast jump in the number of tour operators who spout words such as €nature€, €eco-friendly€ and €conservation€ in their packages. Dig a little deeper though and you will note that most of these packages merely skim the surface. It is a sad fact that these operators do not really understand the true nature of responsible ecotourism and environmental friendly practices.

Those who really want to avail themselves of green tourism in national parks will then have to be a little more discerning. There have been many areas in Malaysia which are abundant with national parks. In fact, Mulu National Park in Sarawak and Kinabalu Park in Sabah are actually listed as UNESCO's World Heritage Site. Add to the fact that Langkawi Island is actually a recognized geopark and you will understand why it is so important to conserve this living heritage for future generations. It is great that people are more into green tourism but one should also be careful that it is done in the proper manner. It would only be too easy to mask such efforts behind other agenda.

However, it is heartening to note that there continues to be much progress in the efforts made to ensure that our national parks continue to be a preferred ecological tourist destination. Coordination is the key because you need teamwork and cooperation from all parties to ensure that we are able to share the spoils while at the same time giving Mother Nature a breather. Profits or gains should not be the main reason one wants to get into ecotourism. Travelers should also be more discerning in order to find out whether tour operators are really able to deliver responsible traveling experience. At the end of the day, everyone involved are responsible to ensure that national parks can be conserved and enjoyed by all for many more years in the future.