With the summer holidays fast approaching, many of us are making plans to jet off to warmer countries in search of a relaxing holiday. Having a sustainable holiday may be the last thing on people’s minds, however, there are some simple changes you can make to be a more responsible tourist. We can reduce our carbon footprint and have as minimal a negative influence on the environment of our destination as possible by becoming responsible tourists and adopting sustainable practices.
Figure 1: Please Leave Nothing but Your Footprints Road Signage. [1]
What is Sustainable Tourism
Many tourists explore freely but nature and environmental considerations shouldn’t make it impossible to visit beautiful areas. By adopting sustainable tourism and being conscious of our actions and responsibilities as tourists, we can reduce some of the frequent negative impacts we have on the economies, cultures, and environments of our vacation locations [2].
Sustainable tourism includes the following:
- eating locally,
- staying in eco-friendly accommodations,
- shopping locally, and
- travelling with fewer carbon footprints.
Plan Ahead
Planning can not only help you save money on accommodation and other bookings, but it can also help you reduce your overall ecological effect. If you schedule your route, activities, and meals, it will take less time to rush around and catch taxis. Your entire carbon footprint will be reduced as a result.
How to Travel Sustainably
Sustainable travel doesn’t have to come at a high cost, either financially or otherwise. The overall quality of your trip can often be improved by responsible and sustainable tourism. Here are some ideas for travel arrangements that are less harmful to the environment: [3]
- Use Public Transportation – Public transport is a more economical and environmentally responsible choice, despite the temptation to just call a taxi or an Uber when you get there. Additionally, it will help you to interact with the community more and save you money on local travel. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to discover much more of your destination, including locals-only spots that are not yet known to tourists.
- Rent Electric Vehicles – Try to choose a bicycle or an electric car or scooter if you need a car. This would significantly lessen your carbon footprint while providing the privacy and convenience benefits of hiring a car.
- Travel in Groups – Sometimes, travelling in a group may not be your first choice. But whenever you can, try to travel in groups. This offers many benefits, including the ability to share lodging and transportation. Your costs will go down significantly, and your carbon footprint will go down. There will also be less chance of food going to waste, which will make for a fun experience all around.
- Adopt The Ways of The Slow Traveller – When visiting a new location, it’s common to want to take in everything. However, rushing could significantly raise your carbon footprint, especially if you rent a personal vehicle to save time. You can never completely enjoy the beauty of the country you are in because you are always moving on to the next place. To properly appreciate the beauty of your surroundings, slow travel requires awareness of your surroundings. You aren’t rushing from place to place or driving while trying to keep up with a hectic schedule in your head. Instead, you leisurely stroll around and calmly enjoy your surroundings. [4]
Consider The Impact of Your Actions
Your small acts may have a significant effect. For example, carrying a water bottle may lead to fewer purchases of plastic water bottles. Eating locally supports the community, cuts prices overall, and allows you to appreciate the cuisine. These are all things that you can consider on your next trip away that may only seem small but will have a big impact.
About Pager Power
Pager Power undertakes technical assessments for developers of renewable energy projects and tall buildings worldwide. For more information about what we do, please get in touch.
References
[1] Pixabay (2016) Pink Teal Yellow Multi Color Please Leave Nothing but Your Footprints Road Signage. Last access on 14th June 2023. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/
[2] Bhowmik, A. (2023) Responsible tourism: Why sustainable travel is now more important than ever, Wealth of Geeks.
[3] Traveling responsibly, Sustainable Tourism. Available at: https://sustainabletourism.net/
[4] Boado, K.M. (2023) 7 benefits of Sustainable Tourism & How to travel responsibly, Go Overseas.