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Abstract
Ecotourism is a growing international tourism trend with unique demands on natural, cultural, and human resources. To ensure that operations are managed sustainably across environmental, socio-cultural, and economic dimensions, operating standards are implemented through ecotourism certification programmes. This study examined international ecotourism operators’ internet promotion of educational offerings, viewed as interpretive products, and interpretive sustainability practices. The primary focus was to understand differences in internet promotion of educational offerings between certified and non-certified operators. Stratified systematic sampling techniques rendered sampling of 29.9% (227/759) of the population. Data were analysed using domain analysis and logistic regression. The results revealed that certified and non-certified operators promote and practice education in the delivery of their ecotourism services; however, divergences existed between certified and non-certified operators with non-certified operators portraying clearer messages of education in their internet promotion. These findings led to question of why differences exist between these groups’ internet promotion of education as well as what are the merits of ecotourism certification agencies’ requirements for marketing standards of education. Understanding the role of education in certification marketing is critical to ensuring sustainability of ecotourism operators as well as in establishing a shared philosophy between operators, visitors, and residents.