Research ecotourism is a relatively new component of activities within the ecotourism industry, providing research opportunities for visitors focusing on aspects of the natural environment which are principally located in developing countries. This paper is directed towards identifying the nature and causes of socio-cultural impacts of this strand of ecotourism using a case study from Indonesia. The positive nature of socio-cultural impacts perceived by host communities alongside the irregular nature of economic benefits to host communities is analogous with the altruistic surplus theory of individual recognition of communal benefits. Certain characteristics of research ecotourists are identified as contributing towards host reactions towards visitors which reinforce the contention that this is a desirable form of ecotourism in similar locations.

As the COVID-19 crisis virtually halts tourism operations globally, questions arise as to what makes tourism operations and the socio-ecological systems they operate within resilient to such disruptions. This period also presents a moment of critical self-reflection and reinvention for tourism operators that hope to not only be resilient themselves, but to foster resilience in the communities and ecosystems upon which they depend. These issues are explored in the context of different forms of tourism in a marine national park in eastern Indonesia. This paper uses an agency-based livelihood resilience framework to examine the social structures, agency, and livelihood capital of the surrounding socio-ecological systems as driven by these operations. The findings suggest that the dominant development discourse in Indonesia and among tourism planners focusing on the growth of ‘high-end’ exclusive forms of tourism has neglected livelihood capital and made communities more vulnerable to ruptures like COVID-19. Emerging from this crisis, this research urges academics, practitioners, and business owners to ‘reimagine’ the potential of tourism to first and foremost empower more resilient socio-ecological systems in the face of an increasingly uncertain future.