Holidays with a Clear Conscience
In these days of warnings about global warming and the destruction of the planet’s natural resources, it is up to us as responsible travellers to ask various questions: Should we give up flying? Should we take holidays closer to home? Use ‘greener’ transport such as the train? Forego the luxury of top class hotels for the (dis)comforts of basic accommodation?
Surprisingly, we don’t need to do any of these. With a bit of forward planning and research we can continue to enjoy travel to far flung places and holidays with a bit of pampering thrown in. The secret lies in being a responsible tourist.
Firstly, the method of travel. Justin Francis, one of the founders of www.responsibletravel.com says that all flights account for only 3% of carbon dioxide emissions, compared with 25% produced domestically. However, CO2 emissions at altitude are more damaging to the environment and flying contributes greatly to global warming. But stopping holiday flights altogether has a knock-on effect in those developing countries which rely on tourism to provide jobs and opportunities for their people.
What we as responsible travellers can do is to calculate our carbon footprint and offset it. Many sites allow you to do just that. www.carbonneutral.com does the calculation and offers ways in which the emissions may be offset. And it’s not just planting trees – projects such as renewable energy and waste management can be funded. www.myclimate.org and www.atmosfair.de also offer this service though the cost of offsetting seems to vary from site to site.
But responsible tourism is not just about being aware of your carbon footprint. Ecotourism has been defined as ‘Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.’ (The International Ecotourism Society 1990)
It is concerned with minimising the impact on local communities. No more do we want the sprawling high rises which destroyed the beauty of the Spanish coastline. Concern has been raised about sites such as Machu Pichu in Peru and the Galapagos Islands, that unique group of islands which provided Darwin with his evidence for the Origin of Species, where numbers of tourists have increased dramatically. Steps have been taken to limit the number allowed by greatly increasing the cost of visiting such fragile environments. It is essential that tourism does not destroy that which attracts them to the site in the first place and that the environment, both natural and social, is protected.
Important too, to us as ecotourists, is the assurance that the money spent will benefit the local economy. A search of the Internet will come up with travel companies who are concerned with ecotourism, responsible travel and sustainable tourism. And the choice of holiday they have on offer is vast. Ecotourism is not just about visiting the rainforest. It can take place here in the UK (www.naturalretreats.com) or be as far-flung as desired. (www.friendsofworldheritage.org) It can involve staying in small, locally run guest houses but it can also provide stays in top class hotels run on ethically sound principles. www.environmentallyfriendlyhotels.com lists and rates hotels worldwide for their green credentials. Inter-Continental Hotels developed a Reduce, Reuse and Recycle policy and a six-point Environmental Commitment which led to the founding of The International Hotels Environmental Initiative, now the International Tourism Partnership, www.tourismpartnership.org .
Good quality guide books such as the Rough Guides, (www.roughguides.com) Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) and Moon (www.moon.com ) give information about the environmental and social and political issues of your destination so that you can be aware of what to expect and how to engage with the local community.
And when at your holiday destination, there are several ways to ensure that you benefit the local economy. Use local guides and taxis to take you about. They will know far more about the area. Eat in restaurants owned by locals and support local businesses. Make an effort to share in the culture of the country and to speak a few words of the language and don’t expect Western standards and facilities. As a traveller, you’re there to experience the different culture and to see the world through their eyes. So dress appropriately, respecting their values and customs and don’t ostentatiously display wealth in the form of jewellery, watches and cameras.
Buy locally made goods from local craftsmen and shops and don’t try to haggle unnecessarily. You may only receive a few coins off the price which matters little to you but can make a huge difference to the income the seller takes home to feed his family. And don’t buy products made from illegal sources, e.g. ivory or certain animal skins, or from endangered species.
Don’t be profligate in your use of water or other resources. We may not exactly suffer water shortages but many other countries do, and not necessarily poor ones either – Australia has recently suffered its worst drought for many years.
Respect the environment and stick to designated trails. Never, ever drop litter. Don’t pick plants and flowers to take back with you. They may be protected or endangered. As the saying goes, ‘Take only photographs, leave only footprints.’
Check that organisations claiming to be eco-friendly are indeed that. Being green is the new cool, but make sure that companies claiming to be so have not just made superficial changes to their business practices.
And you can enjoy your holiday, safe in the knowledge that you, for one, are not harming the environment and in fact, benefiting the community you are visiting.
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