Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2014 in the subject Tourism, Aalborg University, course: Development and International Relations, language: English, abstract: Tourism provides a powerful development vehicle to many of the poorest countries. With the new discussion about the need for sustainable industries eco tourism became more and more popular in those countries who are fortunate enough to have a high biodiversity and beautiful nature in general. This paper examines which framework conditions influence the development process of the eco tourism industry. The destination of Ecuador has been selected as case study. Costa Rica served as a benchmark country as it is the current market leader in the global eco tourism industry. The paper came to the conclusion that Ecuador is lacking behind Costa Rica even though it has better preconditions. The reason for the minor performance was found in the lacking support of the political forces in Ecuador. This hints for the importance of effective governance in developing national industries.