The benefits of sustainable tourism are far-reaching and as you will see, affects many aspects of your destination of choice.
Tourism is a multi-trillion dollar industry.
It is extremely rare to find someone who actively does not like to travel.
Everyone loves new experiences, visiting new places, absorbing new cultures, and creating new memories.
That being said, as popular a hobby as traveling can be, it can also be one that is harmful to our environment and the planet at large. This is where sustainable tourism comes in.
In this article, we take a deep dive into:
- Exactly what sustainable tourism is;
- The extensive benefits of sustainable tourism; and
- How we can all travel more responsibly to support sustainable tourism.
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Summary of the best sustainable travel products:
- Sustainable Backpacks made from Recycled Plastic
- Sustainable Packing Cubes
- Eco-Friendly Toiletry Bags
- Greenzla Bamboo Toothbrushes
- EcoTools Reusable Shower Cap
- Bamboo Travel Utensil Set
- Reusable Snack Bags
What Is Sustainable Tourism?
Tourism means to travel, yes. That being said, being a tourist in a new country is not just about your travel experiences.
It is also about how people traveling to new places can affect that country, be it in a good or bad way.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as:
“Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities”.
As such, sustainable tourism can be best described as traveling, exploring, and discovering a new place or country in a manner that respects its people, culture, environment, and economy.
Ideally, sustainable tourism is done in such a way that it positively impacts these aspects of your destination.
Of course, this is an extremely broad definition and there are plenty of nuances that go into the core principles of sustainable tourism.
With the concept of sustainable tourism gaining more traction and awareness among both new and seasoned travelers, each aspect requires an in-depth discussion to truly comprehend the benefits of sustainable tourism.
What Are The Benefits Of Sustainable Tourism?
The benefits of sustainable tourism are endless.
When you travel consciously and responsibly, taking into account the impact of each of your actions when you are in a new place, the benefits may be intangible, but they are long-lasting.
Let’s take a look at how sustainable tourism benefits each aspect of your destination of choice.
Sustainable Tourism And People
When visiting a new country, it is vital to respect the people of that country.
This is especially so when it is a place that is deemed to be ‘exotic’ or entirely different from your home country.
When we speak about respect for the people in the context of sustainable tourism, we usually refer to how we treat the people.
This can mean speaking to them politely (you are a visitor in their homeland, after all), asking them permission before taking photographs of them, their homes, or their children.
For example, in Bali, one of the more popular ‘tourist attractions’ is to visit a traditional Balinese home and be given insight as to how traditional Balinese families live.
During this time, they will show you how they make their meals, their crafts, and will also introduce you to members of their family.
In situations like these, it is fairly common for tourists to walk through the homes, speak to the members of the families, and take pictures.
If you find yourself in one of these homes, it is best to ensure that a family member is with you at all times when you are walking through their home.
What if curiosity gets the best of you?
If you are curious about an item, do make sure that you ask permission before touching or removing the item from its place.
This may seem like common sense and things that we may take for granted but there are indeed situations where tourists have walked through their homes and taken pictures of sacred items and family members without the required permission.
When you treat people with respect, they are bound to be more welcoming and open to other tourists. It cannot be denied that these activities benefit them financially as well.
As such, they will benefit in the long-term from visits like these as long as it is done carefully, respectfully, and sustainably.
Sustainable Tourism And Culture
There is a distinction between respect for the people of your destination country and the culture. When we speak of culture, we refer to respect for their language, traditions, and way of doing things.
For example, when you respect the language of a land that is foreign to you and learn how to speak it correctly, you are creating awareness about that language and encouraging others to learn it too.
When you go to visit a temple in India or Thailand, it is compulsory to ensure that your knees are covered.
When you show respect for the culture in this way, it allows for tourism to flourish without the culture of the country being eroded or diminished in any way.
This in turn will encourage these sustainable tourism practices to be more widespread.
Sustainable Tourism And The Environment
The word ‘environment’ can be a rather broad aspect to look at when we speak of the advantages of sustainable tourism concerning the country you are visiting. In essence, this refers to the greenery, the oceans, the animals, and general surroundings.
There are many benefits of green tourism. This is also sometimes referred to as eco-tourism.
This is when every activity of your travel takes is environmentally friendly.
For example, if you are going hiking through a local jungle, it is important to ensure that this is done carefully, without damaging any greenery or leaving behind litter.
This will benefit the natural fauna and ensures that it continues to be preserved. This in turn will maintain the balance of the environment.
If diving is more your thing, then sustainable tourism will ensure that only a limited amount of people are allowed in that area at a particular time to ensure that the corals and undersea environment are not harmed in any way.
Safaris and animal reserves may seem like an honorable way of learning about the local wildlife. However, sustainable tourism will also ensure that these animals are not exploited in any way.
Common examples of animals being exploited can include the riding of elephants or visiting and petting of wild animals in confined spaces in exchange for profit.
When more people are aware of the benefits of sustainable tourism and decline to take part in these types of activities, then environmental exploitations are likely to be discouraged and completely eradicated in the long-run.
Sustainable Tourism And The Economy
The economic benefits of sustainable tourism are probably the largest driving forces behind the increased awareness of sustainable tourism as a whole and the reason more destinations are promoting eco-friendly tourism.
With more travelers choosing to visit countries and destinations that are exclusively sustainable, the economy of the destination will improve.
The economies of some countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and the Maldives are driven primarily through tourism.
Even other mainstream tourist destinations are recreating and rebranding themselves to be more eco-friendly to cater to the environmentally-conscious tourist to ensure that tourism continues to contribute to the economy of the country.
This can mean creating more jobs in the travel industry for the locals as well as creating business opportunities for them to expand their economic portfolio.
With all this talk about the many benefits of sustainable tourism, the natural question to ask would be what are the things we can do to ensure that we travel sustainably.
How Can We Travel Sustainably?
Sustainable tourism works both ways – on the part of the tourist, as well as the entities that provide tourism-related activities and/or accommodation.
As a tourist, here are our top 10 ways in which you can travel sustainably and some sustainable tourism examples for you:
1. Research Your Destination
Make sure that your destination of choice subscribes to the principles of sustainable tourism. According to Green Matters, some examples of countries that are known for sustainable tourism include Botswana, Costa Rica, and Mongolia.
2. Research Your Flights
Try to take flights that have lower carbon emissions.
Usually, when you search for flights on Expedia, the carbon emissions are indicated next to the details of the flight.
In fact, sites like Fly Green even offset your carbon emissions for free. This means that the company will plant trees or carry out other green activities that will make up for the carbon emissions of your flight!
3. Stock Up On Reusable Items
As much as possible, try not to use disposable items made from paper or plastic during your travel.
Carry a reusable water bottle like this collapsible and BPA free water bottle with you so that you do not have to purchase plastic mineral water bottles.
Check out our list of sustainable travel products below!
4. Go Local
Dine at local restaurants rather than the restaurants at your hotel or place of accommodation.
This will ensure that small businesses also benefit from tourism.
5. Be Mindful Of Tourist Activities
Take part in sustainable activities that do not harm the environment or exploit animals or local wildlife.
6. Watch Your Water Usage
Be mindful of your water consumption while you are traveling. This is not about how much water you drink but rather how much water you use during your daily routines.
Like leaving the tap on while you brush your teeth.
7. Research Animal Sanctuaries
If you must visit animal sanctuaries, make sure that they are properly taken care of and protected.
There are some great ethical wildlife sanctuaries that focus on the rescue and rehabilitation of the animals who stay there.
Some notable ones include:
- The Elephant Nature Park in Thailand
- The Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica
- The Tiritiri Matangi Open Sanctuary in New Zealand
8. Use Eco-Friendly Companies
Travel with companies or book your accommodation with hotels or resorts that give back to the environment in some way, either by way of donations, projects, or activities that create awareness about the environment.
That being said, eco-friendly does not necessarily mean that you have to give up on luxury.
Some hotels that combine eco-friendly initiatives with comfortable accommodation include:
This hotel has its own turtle sanctuary and has partnered with local parks to protect the coral reefs.
They also have courses where guests can learn more about sustainability and how to become more environmentally conscious. Here you can read one of our favourite guidebooks by DK Eyewitness on everything to do in Vietnam.
This beautiful luxury resort is located in the middle of the rainforest.
They have a strict no-single-use-plastic policy and offer sustainability-focused scholarship to the local youth.
Bali is an amazing island with a variety of terrains to discover and immerse yourself, this guidebook takes you through the history of Bali and how it came about, the various landscapes and the surrounding islands.
This eco-lodge is a rare find with a zero-carbon footprint. It is completely solar-powered and all electrical items used at the location are low energy.
Bonus: you also get the safari experience and if you are also interested in learning more about the cultures and customs you may immerse yourself here!
9. Get Familiar
Learn the local language and use it to communicate with the locals.
Even a few words or sentences are enough to show them that you genuinely care about being there and getting to know about them and their culture.
Duolingo and Bussu are some wonderful sites that offer a range of different languages for you to learn.
There’s even a book with tips and tricks on how to become fluent and learn any language fast!
10. Use Public Transport
Try to travel using the local public transport systems rather than hiring private transport to go to different places within your destination country.
This will reduce pollution levels and also support local transport companies.
Sustainable Travel Products
One of the other things that you can do to travel sustainably is to use sustainable, reusable travel products instead of single-use, disposable travel products.
Here are our recommendations for some of the best sustainable travel products:
1. Sustainable Backpacks made from Recycled Plastic (12 plastic bottles)
Every traveller needs a backpack, and even better when the materials used are sustainable. Nowadays, technology has advanced so much that old plastic bottles can be recycled into fabrics known as rPET or recycled polyester. These fabrics take less energy to produce, are durable, lightweight, crease and stain resistant and of course reduces the number of plastic bottles in landfills. Here some of our other favourite sustainable bags:
2. Sustainable Packing Cubes
Can we just say, packing cubes are awesome! They help to keep your luggage organised, group your clothes by category, prevent your clothes from wrinkling whether you choose to fold or roll, and of course prevent any embarrassment if your bags need to be opened during luggage security checks and not have your underwear exposed or come rolling out. Here’s a few more sustainable packing cubes for you to choose from:
3. Eco-Friendly Toiletry Bags
Toiletry bags are essential, the organisation that they can add to your everyday and travel experience is transforming! They help to keep all your toiletries categorized and easily accessible. Each have their own special features, some come with a wet and dry side especially for men traveling with their shaving kits, some come with a useful hanger to save on counter space. Here’s a few that we love that are also sustainable:
4. Greenzla Bamboo Toothbrushes
Say goodbye to disposable plastic toothbrushes. These bamboo ones are eco-friendly and biodegradable.
They also come in packaging that is sustainably sourced and recyclable. Perfect for the sustainable traveler.
5. EcoTools Reusable Shower Cap
Instead of using those plastic shower caps that hotels provide, why not use this reusable one?
This cotton shower cap also works for your hair conditioning treatments so you can pamper yourself without even leaving your room!
As a bonus, it also comes in a reusable case so that you can safely store it after use.
6. Bamboo Travel Utensil Set
This is a great replacement for plastic cutlery when you are traveling.
They come in gorgeous, reusable packaging and are light and easy to carry around, making it the perfect sustainable travel companion.
7. Reusable Snack Bags
Replace your ziplock bags with these hardy reusable ones. Perfect for snacks or packing small items to make sure that you don’t lose them. They are easy to clean and being transparent makes them perfect for air travel.
As you can see, there are many ways in which you can travel sustainably and many more reasons why you should.
The benefits of sustainable tourism far outweigh the money, time, and energy spent to make sure that every aspect of your travel is indeed sustainable and environmentally friendly as far as possible.
As different countries open up to more people around the world, it is important that these places not be taken over by tourists. Tourism should benefit the destination country, not drain it of its resources.
Remember that it is an ecosystem that makes up the travel industry and even the smallest action on your part to contribute towards the benefits of sustainable tourism can have a deep and long-lasting impact.
