All depends on how its done.
If it remains in static environments that the game uses a plot device to force retracing your steps, like a mission update where you have to go back to the exact same setting for no more than arbirary plot reasons, it's weak game design.
If it is done through evolving envioronments, revisiting an area that has changed conditions which mixes up the gameplay, as well as showing a progression of the world, then it's compelling.
The Metroid series (not to mention Castelvania SOTN) is a great example of backtracking, where acquiring new powers encourages revisting areas that the player can explore in new ways and uncover hidden or previously blocked paths they didn't have access to before, offering a new perspective on the given region and discovering some possible easter eggs.
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