Primate ecotourism can fund conservation but poses welfare risks through disease transmission, habituation to humans, and stress from tourist proximity.
Responsible primate ecotourism requires careful welfare safeguards including strict group size limits, minimum distance rules, mandatory mask wearing, and prohibition of sick tourists. Revenue from tourism must demonstrably benefit both conservation and local communities to be sustainable. Where welfare risks are too high — particularly for Critically Endangered species — photo tourism using remote camera systems may be preferable to direct human-primate contact.