We identified and mapped ecotourism areas in the First Meander of the Yellow River (FMYR) by incorporating tourist preferences, and regional division was also conducted. Considering wetland protection and local natural worship, we identified available ecotourism areas and used GIS to overlay six layers of the criteria to generate a suitability map of available areas. This process incorporated the opinions of 158 tourists to weight each criterion. Available areas were classified into five levels of suitability, with class I being the least suitable for ecotourism and class V being the most suitable. Distance from water area was found to be the most important criterion, and presence of forest to be the least important. The results show that a majority of the FMYR is class II, III or IV. FMYR was further divided into five sub-regions, and it is clear that the particular ecological characteristics and service functions of each sub-region warrant particular development. This study provides useful insights for tourism planners, local managers and visitors.