Tourism: Can It Be A Gamechanger?

Travel and Tourism is one of the highest contributing industries of global carbon emission.

Nature Climate Change (2018)  in its article about Tourism Carbon Footprints, highlights that the sector contributes approximately eight percent of global carbon emissions, of which transport has a share of almost half of the sector’s emission. So, a debate may arise, is traveling leading to an unsustainable planet? Can not tourism be sustainable? Actually, travel and tourism can be game-changers if traveling is sustainable and climate-friendly.

Though the realization came late on how human activities have been affecting the environment. From Rachael Carson to Maurice Strong, and from the Brundtland Commission to the Paris Agreement, there have been noble initiatives to limit the damage humans make to the environment. Even in the tourism sector, concepts like Eco-tourism, responsible tourism, nature-based tourism, sustainable tourism, Climate-friendly Travel, and Regenerative tourism have been the talk of the town.

Irrespective of the names, the main motto of such tourism is to minimize the damage travel can cause to the environment and community. Moreover, regenerative tourism is tourism that ensures that the place being visited becomes better than before. And for Regenerative tourism, travel must be climate-friendly.

How can a place become better?

When travelers are responsible, the place being visited becomes better as that travel becomes a source of income to some people, it aids in bringing other amenities, and it does multiplier impacts. Different researchers and scholars claim that tourism has both positive and negative impacts as the environment and nature have to suffer due to the potential damage the visitors can do to the environment.

For instance: when people travel, a simple calculation of his/her carbon footprints, the foodmile of the food they consume (especially imported), the energy consumption due to their luxury, etc. have immense impacts on the place and the planet. What if? Those impacts are very limited and the benefits are more than ever. That is what climate-friendly travel is, that is what regenerative tourism is and that is what a place being visited becomes better.

Five Simple Implementable Tips

1. Reduction of Carbon Footprints:

Whenever you travel, always prefer the best way with minimal carbon footprint. For this, opting for electric or bio-fuel-based modes of transportation, sharing public vehicles, and choosing nearby destinations during holidaying. Less consumption of energy is one of the best modes of climate-friendly travel. So, be responsible while traveling.

2. Go Local:

A simple imported item is worth tons of carbon. So, going local has multiple benefits. It minimizes the foodmile, carbon footprint and more importantly, it contributes to the local economy which is the prime objective of tourism as an industry. 

3. Traveling in Groups 

In a world where solo traveling is the latest trend, traveling in groups can prove to be a game changer as it helps minimize carbon emissions.  Traveling in a Group not only helps in getting what travelers look for with the same consumption of energy, but also it has exponential benefits on the community’s economy, societal reforms (in terms of basic amenities), and moreover sustainability of the tourism industry itself.

4. Avoid Non-Degradable Waste

The best tip for being sustainable tourists is not to be a contributor to degradation if you can’t be a contributor to conservation. A tourist is one of the major sources of non-degradable waste and the tourism industry is one of the major sources of such waste including Solid Waste. It might be more convenient for a tourist to throw plastics and other wastes than to carry but that too costs much and it will cost future generations as well. Therefore, tourists must avoid non-degradable wastes. 

5. Contribute to Conservation and Community Transformation

There are many means to contribute to conservation and community transformation. Even transferring basic knowledge of health, hygiene, and conservation can be an inspirational way to transform the place. Moreover, tourists who are advocating for regenerative tourism are practicing solid waste management, afforestation, contributing to education/ health facilities, and volunteering in the locality they visit. 

In a nutshell, there is no alternative to sustainable tourism as we don’t have planet B and if tourism is not sustainable then future generations would not be able to taste its fruits. Having mentioned this, it is not a difficult way of tourism as well. Any form of tourism can be sustainable if a tourist is responsible, and to be responsible, we can change a few habits while traveling which could do wonders to transform the place and the planet.