In recent years, travel has taken on a whole new dimension, with an increasing emphasis on sustainable (responsible) tourism as opposed to mass tourism. The Covid health crisis has further reinforced this trend. This practice involves keeping the carbon footprint of travel as small as possible. It’s not just a question of pollution. There are a number of factors that make responsible travel possible.
Why travel eco-responsibly?
Tourism is a fast-growing sector, with harmful consequences for the environment, local populations and biodiversity. Tourism pollutes, that’s a fact. Aircraft emit almost 4% of the world’s CO2 emissions. It’s worth noting that digital technology, and video streaming in particular, is already emitting more CO2 into the atmosphere than ever before, with growth expected to be exponential. Other economic sectors emit even more. This is no reason to pollute more and more, especially when it comes to discovery and leisure…
Travelling is a unique experience to be developed. It’s essential to do so in an eco-responsible way. This considerably reduces our impact on the planet, while giving us a whole new way to enjoy our trip. When you adopt the attitudes of an eco-responsible traveler, you help protect the environment.
Adopt eco-friendly gestures to travel responsibly
Responsible tourism means limiting our impact on the environment and on the people who live in the places we choose to visit. To achieve this, there are a number of steps you can take to consume responsibly. This means adapting to the local culture, limiting waste and consumption at the destination. It also means choosing the right means of transport. Think of soft mobility such as bicycles, favor public transport and avoid air travel or private cars as much as possible.
Fostering relationships with local people
Choose accommodation that makes an effort to reduce its impact on the planet. For example, by booking a room in an eco-hotel, an establishment that blends in with its surroundings, or even a home-stay.
There’s also Couchsurfing, which is becoming increasingly popular. This concept is based on the free provision of a bed or sofa for a very short period, usually one or two days, and helps to limit your energy consumption.
You should also remember to pack light. Taking too many clothes with you means that you have to change much more regularly than necessary, which in turn means a lot more washing up to do, and therefore too much water and electricity consumption. It’s also a great way to avoid backache…from carrying your luggage.
When discovering a country, it’s very interesting to create opportunities to meet the locals. And if you want to take a photo of them, ask for their permission!
Simple gestures to limit your impact on the environment
What’s more, adopt simple gestures to reduce your consumption of waste, especially plastic: refuse samples, straws in restaurants, plastic bags at the market, use water bottles instead of plastic bottles. If these are not recycled, they end up largely in the oceans, causing the death of millions of marine species. You should also bring a bag for garbage during excursions.
Finally, limit your use of cosmetics, especially in areas with few sewage treatment plants… Everything ends up in nature more easily. So opt for a non-polluting sunscreen. Sunscreen contains certain ingredients that can have an impact on corals and fish. Instead, opt for mineral-based sunscreens, which are more natural.
You should also pay attention to the activities you engage in.
For example, resource-intensive activities such as jet-skiing, motorboating (not to mention yachting…) and snowmobiling consume large quantities of fossil fuels. Golf, for example, which requires huge quantities of water in sometimes desertified areas, can also have a far greater impact than more environmentally-friendly activities such as hiking in the great outdoors, or swimming in rivers or the sea.
Try the adventure of a humanitarian trip
Humanitarian tourism combines social awareness and environmental preservation. The aim is to improve living conditions for local populations while preserving their environment. It’s a form of tourism that revolves around humanitarian aid, with the value of “traveling in the service of others”. Participating in the construction of a school or clinic, or sharing your knowledge with underprivileged children are all examples of humanitarian tourism.
Helping others, feeling useful, discovering a new culture… going on a humanitarian mission means helping others, but also enriching yourself both professionally and personally.
Ecovolunteering for solidarity travel
Ecovolunteering is a form of “participatory tourism” that aims to help local organizations protecting nature, preserving and promoting animal, plant, environmental and cultural diversity. Tourists on a trip to South America can help harvest organic coffee in a small Bolivian village, for example. Or discover the animals of the Amazon. Ecovolunteering is a way to travel, discover and participate in scientific and ecological missions.
Slowtourism
This movement, which has been in vogue for some years now, advocates tourism that respects time, people and the environment. Tourists prefer to travel by train or public transport within the country, rather than using domestic flights. This form of tourism allows you to discover a culture and a society at close quarters, and to make enriching encounters. Eat local food, discover a country’s culture and cuisine, and at the same time support the local economy. Discover handicrafts and offer a more original gift than the usual souvenir stores.
Supporting a local economy and meeting new people: these are the reasons why more and more tourists are choosing slowtravel.
The best destinations for ecotourism
Ecotourism, also known as “green tourism”, is a form of responsible travel based on the discovery and preservation of nature. Tourists can visit preserved natural sites, discover different cultures and get away from mass tourism. The impact of the trip on nature is taken into account, and kept as low as possible. Local populations benefit directly from ecotourism. The trip is thus part of a sustainable development approach.
Must-see eco-friendly destinations
– Costa Rica: A world reference in ecotourism. The country boasts over 600 different plant varieties, 29 national parks and a hundred private reserves. Its electricity is 99% renewable.
– Brazil: One of the leading destinations for eco-responsible tourism. The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest tropical forest. The country abounds in sites shaped by nature (Albrolhos, Chapada Diamantina…)
– Canada: A land teeming with perfectly unspoilt natural parks. There are over 35 parks and nature reserves in Canada, including the second largest in the world (Wood Buffalo National Park of Canada).
– Kenya: An East African country known for its natural wealth, and of growing interest to tourists. Kenya’s major sites include Amboseli and Tsavo national parks, Kilimanjaro…
– Bhutan: The world’s only carbon-neutral country, and also the only one that is carbon-negative. What’s more, its constitution stipulates that 60% of the territory must be protected for the benefit of future generations.
Now you know how to become an eco-responsible tourist!
