Sustainable tourism ensures that the forest, mountain town or beach you visit will still thrive for generations to come, while protecting local culture from being exploited for tourist dollars. Experiences such as these help travelers and people from other locations to have positive travel memories and explore destinations more fully.
1. Don’t litter
Maintaining sustainability while travelling is key, particularly if visiting natural or cultural sites. Deliberately leaving the environment as you found it is crucial for sustainable tourism; leaving rubbish where it lies or even better picking it up yourself are both imperative for sustainable tourism. Litter not only detracts from its appearance, but it can cause environmental harm too – such as plastic polluting water supplies or soil contamination, harming wildlife such as seabirds or marine turtles as well as creating economic repercussions such as beach closures or loss of income due to tourism activities.
Plastic pollution threatens oceans and seas already facing severe contamination issues, with over 8 million tonnes entering every year – estimated to kill 100,000 sea birds and thousands of marine mammals, plus remain for an indeterminate length of time before finally dissipating into our waterways. Plastic being a non-biodegradable material will just keep piling up unless recycled appropriately or biodegrades over time.
Tourists are a key contributor to this issue as they produce more waste than locals do and lack adequate systems in place for managing it. Furthermore, they tend to consume significant amounts of energy and water which strains local infrastructures and resources.
If you want to travel responsibly, avoid littering and choose accommodations and tours with sustainability at the forefront of their business model. Search for hotels that adopt RRR principles (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), plant trees to mitigate their carbon impact or offer carbon offsets – this way, you’ll know your trip is having a positive effect.
2. Don’t pollute
At the core of tourism lies its impact on global climate change through greenhouse gases (GHGs) production, particularly given that producing, transporting and operating tourist activities generate considerable amounts of GHGs. Therefore, sustainable tourism should aim to minimize its environmental footprint.
Unsustainable tourism impacts not only the environment, but can have devastating repercussions for local people and communities as well. Unsustainble tourism may contribute to land or soil erosion, degrade natural habitats or lead to species loss; additionally if tourists become dependent on an essential natural resource like water for tourism purposes then local residents may struggle with managing disruption to their livelihoods as a result of unsustainable tourism practices.
Tourism businesses should aim to reduce their environmental footprint by using local resources whenever possible; limiting energy consumption; and avoiding pollution – including using less plastics and non-renewable materials; in addition, it must ensure waste is recycled or disposed of appropriately.
Unfortunately, much work remains to be done in this regard. Tourism businesses should eliminate plastic items they no longer require; innovate to safely reuse, recycle or compost all plastic waste; and circulate any items used within the economy and away from the environment.
With more and more people becoming aware of the significance of sustainable tourism practices, it is imperative that tourism businesses keep pace. Otherwise, they risk alienating customers who want assurances their holiday plans will be conducted in an eco-friendly fashion while they enjoy safe, authentic experiences in destinations around the globe.
3. Don’t exploit animals
But while riding an elephant or cuddling with a tiger cub may sound like the ideal vacation, these types of tourism often exploit animals. Most wildlife interaction attractions are unregulated and don’t adhere to high standards of animal welfare or conservation; enclosures may be cramped and dirty while animals may be sedated or even abused to make them comply with tourists’ requests – not forgetting that wild animals prefer living free within groups rather than captivity!
As well, it is vitally important that attractions that rely on selling animal-derived elements, such as ivory or coral, as a source of income are avoided as this contributes to illegal trafficking of animals and is unsustainable.
An essential aspect of sustainable travel is supporting local communities that protect wildlife and nature by purchasing services (hotels or tours), eating their food, and making donations. Doing this helps relieve pressure on natural resources from local people who cannot afford to use them themselves.
Avoid destinations experiencing heavy mass tourism during peak seasons, which can overload infrastructure and have environmental repercussions such as overuse of water and energy resources. Also, buying locally produced products supports small businesses while helping reduce single-use plastics like cutlery and bags from being wasteful. Finally, if any tourism activity doesn’t adhere to sustainability principles speak out: contact either the embassy or tourist board of the country you’re visiting and voice your concerns directly.
4. Don’t exploit local people
One of the pillars of sustainable tourism is local control, meaning that businesses and tourists should be able to see how their actions impact on the environment. Furthermore, local people living near tourist spots should reap as many advantages from tourism as possible by making sure that local economies benefit and avoiding exploiting local people during tours or other activities.
At times, sustainable tours and travel companies slip up. Aiming to be sustainable requires prioritizing environmental protection, protecting natural resources and encouraging cultural diversity – such as using locally sourced ingredients in meals as well as opting for paper straws instead of plastic ones. Also avoid visiting popular tourist spots during peak seasons to reduce pollution levels and ensure there is enough space for all visitors.
Sustainable tourism means supporting local economies, so staying in locally owned hotels and booking tours through trusted guides are two great ways to do just that. Doing this keeps money in the local economy and allows it to expand. Furthermore, try not purchasing products made abroad as this may have adverse environmental consequences.
Extortion has also been identified as an issue when it comes to sustainable tourism, specifically when it comes to children or exploitation of volunteer opportunities. There have been horror stories of children being taken from their families to become “orphans”, all for the purposes of “orphanage tourism”. Therefore it is crucial that tourists do their research beforehand and discover if a tourist attraction truly ethical before visiting it.
5. Don’t destroy the environment
One of the primary goals of sustainable tourism is enabling travelers to experience other parts of the world while at the same time helping ensure that forests, mountain towns or beaches they spent time visiting remain vibrant in years to come. Sustainable tourism doesn’t involve “rich white saviors” going into foreign countries and “rescuing” native people or their land – that would simply be bad tourism!
Sustainable tourism brings many advantages to local communities and protects the environment. When people in tourist spots earn income by drawing tourists in, there is an incentive for them to maintain healthy landscapes and wildlife populations so that visitors return. This safeguards against poaching or environmental degradation.
Additionally, sustainable tourism requires taking measures to avoid damaging the natural environment by following footpaths rather than trampling unspoiled habitat and disposing of litter responsibly (rather than geotagging pristine landscapes on social media). Furthermore, using biodegradable sunblock is preferable over chemicals which damage marine flora.
Help the environment on your travels by selecting hotels that combine comfort and sustainability. All Iberostar hotels, for example, are free from single-use plastics and promote circular economy through waste art – an artistic movement which reuses materials in new expressions. One hotel, Paraiso Lindo in Riviera Maya uses objects previously considered waste – recycled toys or plastic collected from beaches – as decorations to decorate its spaces; an excellent example of sustainable tourism!
