As a result of a study conducted on the public awareness of the primeval forests prior to and after the visit of The Prince of Wales to the Badinsky Primeval Forests in Slovakia, and the experience gathered from the guided excursions with groups with different background and interests, we recommend drawing a clear line between tourism in a broader sense, ecotourism and scientific tourism. The results of this research imply that different expectations are found in at least two groups - the tourists on the one hand, and ecotourists and scientists on the other hand. Furthermore, the goals of these two groups are different. Both factors, i.e. tile expectations of the various groups and the goals, to be achieved have been investigated in the light of the optimal utilization of natural and semi-natural forests for scientific, educational and recreational purposes in order to assess future developments and possible ways of influencing them in a positive way.