The UK Prime Minister announced that international travel could be allowed from 17th May. The announcement was made on the 22nd February and within a couple of hours the travel industry saw their busiest day for bookings this year. I get it, everyone is absolutely fed up with lockdown now and wants to go on holiday, but we’re still in the middle of a climate crisis (and a pandemic) and all need to consider travelling sustainably. I’ve called this article the ultimate guide to sustainable tourism, however I will also cover responsible tourism and ecotourism.
Definitions
There is quite a lot of crossover between these three different types of travelling, but they do have slightly different definitions.
What is Sustainable Tourism?
“Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities”. – World Tourism Organisation
What is Responsible Tourism?
“Responsible Tourism is about “making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.” Responsible Tourism requires that operators, hoteliers, governments, local people and tourists take responsibility, take action to make tourism more sustainable.” – Responsible Tourism Partnership
“Responsible Tourism was defined in Cape Town in 2002 alongside the World Summit on Sustainable Development. This definition, the Cape Town Declaration is now widely accepted and was been adopted by the World Travel Market in 2007 for World Responsible Tourism Day.”
What is Ecotourism?
“Ecotourism is now defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (TIES, 2015). Education is meant to be inclusive of both staff and guests.” – ecotourism.org
In this article I’ll be taking into account sustainable, responsible and ecotourism in equal measure, as I believe all are as important as each other. Therefore although I might use the term ‘sustainable tourism’ more often, please bear in mind that I’m also talking about travelling responsibly and tourism that takes conservation into account as well.
You’ll also notice that I use the terms travel and tourism interchangeably in this article. Again, the terms are often used to refer to the same thing, however their definitions are different.
Tourism is “the activity or practice of touring, especially for pleasure.” And “the business or industry of providing information, accommodations, transportation, and other services to tourists.”
Travel is “to go from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; take a trip; journey: to travel for pleasure.” – dictionary.com
Why Is There So Much Talk of Sustainable Tourism?
Unfortunately tourism has had a negative impact on many communities, on rare ecosystems, on wildlife and on the planet as a whole by increasing carbon emissions.
Some of the negative impacts of tourism include:
- Increased litter and waste
- Increased cost of living for local communities who may be forced to move
- Importing of food to cater to ‘foreign’ tastes, local food producers may not be used
- Importing of cheap tourist souvenirs
- Wildlife is often exploited
However sustainable tourism can have a really positive impact. Some of the main benefits of sustainable tourism are:
- Local people are the main beneficiaries financially
- The local environment is protected
- The local way of life is embraced and local customs and crafts are encouraged
- Wildlife is protected
- Local communities will be improved rather than potentially destroyed by your visit
Guide to Sustainable Tourism
Click on the menu item to be taken to that section of the guide.
- Where To Travel
- Where in the world should you visit
- How To Travel
- How to be a responsible traveller
- Transport
- What to do, and not to do
- Tours
- Wildlife activities
- What to take with you
- Travel essentials and non-essentials
- Volunteering
- Carbon Offsetting
Where To Travel
There are so many places in the world that are stunningly beautiful and that I would really love to visit. There are also quite a few places that I would never visit as I struggle with the human and animal rights positions of those countries. That’s just a personal thing for me and on the flip side it’s important to note that tourism can shine a light on the bad aspects of a country and encourage positive change. (Although boycotting somewhere and preventing all those tourist dollars from enriching them would encourage change more swiftly, especially if we refused to buy any of their products as well – but that’s a topic for another article).
During a climate crisis, minimising how far we travel seems prudent. There’s also the potential need to quarantine when you return from your holiday to consider as well.
The UK has some really beautiful areas to explore. Check out the most eco-friendly hotels in the UK for some ideas of places to stay. Alternatively going camping is a fantastic way to explore but only if you have an eco-friendly camping trip.
If you are travelling further afield there are certain tours that you can take that are focussed on sustainable and responsible travel. I’ve curated some of the best eco-friendly tours in the world in the travel section of this website.
My best advice is to do your research before you book a trip anywhere. Look into the accommodation you plan to stay at to see if they care about the local community or the environment before you pay any money.
How To Travel
How To Be a Responsible Traveller
The most important thing to be aware of, when you do anything at all to be fair, is that anything you do has a consequence. Your aim is to minimise any negative consequences of your actions at all times. In summary you can be a more responsible traveller if you…
- Buy Local – buy locally made souvenirs, eat at locally owned cafe’s and restaurants, stay in locally owned accommodation.
- Respect the local laws, customs and culture – take your shoes off or cover your hair and shoulders when visiting a religious building when requested to do so.
- Minimise your litter – always dispose of your litter carefully and avoid using single use items.
- Look into wildlife activities carefully – if you’re planning on doing an activity that involves wildlife make sure it doesn’t involve holding or riding animals and try to avoid aquariums and zoos. Visit wildlife sanctuaries wherever possible.
- Ask permission before taking photos – it’s tempting to take photos of local people wearing colourful traditional clothing and carrying out their day to day business; but unless they are specifically there for a show or cultural performance you should always ask for permission before taking photos.
- Always be polite – enough said.
- Learn a few local words and phrases – hello, goodbye and thank you are all valuable words to learn wherever you are in the world.
- Respect the environment – there’s a trend to build ‘cairns’ which are piles of stones. Or you might be tempted to build a little dam in a river. Any stone or twig you disturb or shell or pebble you steal from a beach could disturb local wildlife and damage the environment.
- Reduce your carbon footprint – can you take a local bus instead of a taxi? Are you able to walk or hire bikes instead of using tuk tuks or taxis?
- Pay what’s fair – we all love to barter for a good price, but think about how much it’s actually costing you compared to how much the extra few pounds could mean to the person you’re bartering with.
Transport
Bus or Train
If it’s possible to get to your destination by bus or train then this is far more eco-friendly than travelling by car. Travelling by train can also be a great way to enjoy the scenery depending on the route you take. Similarly bus or coach trips give you the opportunity to enjoy the scenery and you might even have a tour guide to point things out on the way.
Car
If you are travelling by car make sure you travel in only as big a car as you need. Smaller cars tend to mean lower emissions. If you do have an electric car or can hire an electric car this is also a bonus.
Bike or Walk
When you can walk or cycle to visit the local area. As a teenager I went on a train with my bike to Norfolk and then went on a camping and cycling holiday. (I chose Norfolk because it’s flat!) There are no carbon emissions when you walk or cycle.
Plane
The more direct your route, i.e. the fewer stops you take, the better your plane journey is for the planet. Limit your plane journeys as much as possible.
Boat
I always used to think that a cruise would be an eco-friendly way to travel… then I heard about the amount of waste they just dump into the sea. If you travel by sailing boat this is a far better option than by speedboat.
Read more about eco-friendly transport options.
What To Do And Not To Do
Tours
These days you’ll find many tours or activities with the word ‘eco’ attached. This could be a case of greenwashing or it could be an actual eco-friendly trip. Look for eco-certification from a recognised body and always look for information that explains why the tour is being described as being eco-friendly. What do they do to minimise their impact? What do they avoid doing because it could cause harm?
Wildlife Activities
Seeing the local wildlife is always a thrill, however it’s much better to see wildlife in the wild rather than in captivity. A dolphin jumping out of the water in the ocean is a far superior experience to seeing one perform tricks in a small pool at an aquarium.
Avoid wildlife experiences like riding elephants or cuddling animals for photos. Elephant riding is rarely good for the elephants. If you want to see elephants up close visit a sanctuary! Cuddling animals for a photo can seem like a great souvenir, but being passed from one tourist to another can be very stressful for the animals.
There are so many experiences you can take part in that are beneficial to wildlife. Always think before booking any trip that involves wildlife and ensure they have measures in place to protect the animals you’re going to see. For example if you go on a dolphin watching tour make sure the company explicitly states that they keep their distance from pods of dolphins. If the dolphins approach the boat that’s fine, but chasing wildlife is not a good thing.
What To Take With You
It’s tempting to buy lots of travel sized health and beauty products and quick drying towels when you’re going on holiday. But it’s often a lot more eco-friendly to just take stuff that you already own. There are plenty of travel essentials worth considering, but you’ll find that most of them can be used at all times and not just when you’re on holiday. Items that have only one use are never going to be the most eco-friendly option.
Volunteering
There are numerous volunteering programmes available all over the world. You could help build schools, volunteer at an animal sanctuary, teach… Not all of these volunteer programmes will offset your carbon footprint but they will help to improve the community you’ve chosen to visit and it’s up to you whether you feel that justifies your means of travel. Helping to educate the next generation is never a bad thing though and we have some pretty spectacular young people who are making more of a difference to the planet than I could ever hope to achieve who help to prove that point
Read more about offsetting your guilt about travelling during a climate crisis.
Carbon Offsetting
I believe that taking part in a tree-planting programme is probably a better way to offset your carbon footprint than paying an airline an additional fee. I suppose I’m a bit cynical about where that carbon offsetting fee is actually being used. At least if you’re planting trees yourself you know it’s happening.
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