Ecotourism: Is it a good thing, or a bad thing?

Recently, my husband, daughter, our friend Dan and I visited Grand Riviere, Trinidad, to watch the nesting of the giant leatherback turtles. We stayed at Acajou, an "eco-chic" resort -- and indeed, it was simple, but lovely.

On the way back from Grand Riviere (a three-hour drive home), Dan mentioned he had mixed feelings about the whole "eco-tourism" thing -- questioning how good for the environment eco-tourism could possibly be, since in theory, the environment is impacted by the presence of a resort in the first place. Besides, he continued, the resort would probably attract people who don't necessarily care about the environment -- they'd just visit because it is the "cool" thing to do.

I assured Dan that this wasn't the case at Grand Riviere -- the little village had made great strides in protecting the nesting grounds of the endangered giant leatherbacks, by restricting the beach at night to only those who are accompanied by a licensed guide (the services of which can be had via a modest fee to the conservation society). As a result, the population of nesting turtles at Grand Riviere is one of the only such ones experiencing a growth, rather than a decline. Furthermore, the hotel itself was very concerned with sustainable development, hiring only people from the local village and training them in the hospitality industry, using foods in their restaurant that were found locally, and were mindful of the footprint they left on the area.Still, I think Dan probably has a point: I'd love to take my daughter on far more eco-tourist-type vacations and stay in "green" hotels, but I find myself wondering if at most places, I'd actually be doing more harm than good. Looks like I have a lot of research ahead of me. But let me ask: have you ever been to an eco-hotel? What, in your mind, made it more earth friendly/healthy than staying at a regular hotel?