Tourism will
never be completely sustainable because is an industry and every industry has
impacts, but what we can do is working about becoming more sustainable. As more regions and countries develop their tourism industry,
it produces significant impacts on natural resources, pollution and social
systems.
The International Ecotourism Society defines Ecotourism
as “responsible travel to
natural areas that conserve the environment and sustains
the well-being of the local people” . We can quote, more simply, what sustainable lifestyle experts say in the “eco-travel handbook”: «Ecotourists
are travelers who love to have fun, not to destroy the environment».
Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries, but
that mean that it has a lot of impacts, both positive and negative. This impact
not only influence the environment but also people’s life.
International
tourist arrivals are expected to reach 1.8 billion by 2030.The global travel
and tourism industry creates approximately 11% of the world’s employment
(direct & indirect) in 2014. All these have consequences because
we all know that tourism produces real issues, but we have no idea about how
big are the problems that we cause by being irresponsible.
Just an
example: Leakage in tourism is as high as 80% in the Caribbean (of every dollar
earned in tourism-80 cents leaves the country).
These are
just one of the most worrying issues that each of us should know (you can have
a look here http://www.sustainabletourism.net/ if you want to know other tourism and environmental
impacts), because we can’t keep destroying our planet, we can’t keep destroying
the others, we can not destroy ourselves just because we have no idea about how
dangerous could be our behaviour.
How could
tourists seeking to escape from their everyday routine be "responsible
travellers"? EASY !
You can find,
how you can travel without leaving big footprints reading up the principle of
Leave No Trace !
Local
people and businesses can secure greater benefit from the destination and the
heritage attractions. This does not happen automatically; it requires conscious
efforts and investment to identify new transport, accommodation, food and
drink, retail…
Research
has shown that some of the modest occupations in a destination have a massive
effect on the visitor experience – taxi drivers and hotel receptionists are
crucial in greeting visitors and explaining the distinctiveness of a
destination’s cultural and/or natural heritage.
Destinations should create opportunities for
local people to establish their own businesses and enter the marketplace.
Do not get too confused in academic, long-term
strategic planning – you need to send and establish the credibility of your
strategy and management.
Develop
systems of law and good practice to prevent the exploitation of anyone through
tourism – particularly children, adolescents, women, and minorities. Develop
clear rules and regulations for what is expected of the host community and
businesses. In many destinations, businesses simply want to know what they can
and cannot do.
Tourists can use public transport to travel, like train, or bus, and
avoid flying, especially internal flights. However there are some airline
companies [DT1] that
increase the ticket price in order to compensate the CO2 emissions generated
with the flight. People can also hire a bike when convenient, which is a great
way to reduce pollution
Also the
hotels are engaged to reduce the impact on the environment, and they can
certify it with Ecolabel, Green Globe, that are international certifications.
Sustainable tourism is the balance between limits and usage so that continuous
changing, monitoring and planning ensure that tourism can be managed. This
requires thinking long-term (10, 20+ years) and realising that change is
irreversible. Economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable
development must include the interests of all local communities, visitors,
industry and government.
Useful
links
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