The Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Tourism

Summer has come to an end and we’ve all finally escaped “hell’s heatwave”. You might have gone on a luxurious holiday to try to escape the heat but, did you travel sustainably? 

 Why is sustainable travel so important? Well unfortunately, travel and tourism can harm local life of the destination country that you visit. Tourism contributes to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and from this percentage, a whopping 90% of the carbon emissions come from transportation (Source: https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/consumption/transport-and-tourism/negative-environmental-impacts-of-tourism). 

But don’t worry, eco-tourism is the solution. 

If that is the solution, what are the aims? Well, that’s easy! The objective is to protect the natural environment, create employment opportunities for communities in the host country and to provide authentic tourist experiences that conserve heritage and culture. This way, both you as a tourist and the community in your holiday destination can benefit from your visit. “But, how do I apply these sustainable travelling principles to my next holiday?” - You’re in luck. We’ve put together some tangible tips on how to be an eco-tourist. 

Keeping up with your carbon emissions - What’s the relationship between your luggage and carbon emissions? Is it your clothes? Nearly. It’s weight. To put it simply, the heavier your luggage is the heavier the plane will be and therefore, the more fuel the plane will have to use to fly. Although it seems like an impossible task, try to pack lighter. 

 Eco-lodge(ical) - Ahhh you’ve finally arrived at your holiday destination, now you need a comfy place to stay. Instead of booking a luxurious hotel that doesn’t consider its environmental impact, stay in an eco-lodge. They’re lodging places that are located far away from civilisation, designed to have minimal impact on the environment and to be as sustainable as possible in the way that they use resources. 

 
Transportation - After a short nap at the lodge to recharge, now you’re ready to travel around. Normally taxis are a quick and easy mode of transportation but, why not consider a more adventurous alternative? Public transport is a great alternative to riding around in a taxi as it allows you to integrate yourself culturally, as well as a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. If that isn’t a plausible option, try renting an electric car instead. 

Offsetting your journey - If you find that you couldn’t make your journey as sustainable as you wanted to, you can still balance it out with carbon offsetting. This means that you can pay towards a project that avoids emitting greenhouse gasses. Lets not forget the best way to travel sustainably and that's by staying local. You'll be surprised at the beauty you will find all around you. To learn more on this, head to our blog post on why you should choose a staycation! 

Those are all of our tips for becoming a master sustainable tourist. 
 
If you have any more ideas that you have used on your travels, let us know!