Do you like to travel? I know I do. Growing up internationally gave me the opportunity to travel to many different places with my family and I think that instilled the so-called ‘travel bug’ in me. I have already been to ~27 countries in the world, and have many more on my list. Through these travels and through research, I have realized how much of an impact foreigners can have on a local economy – and it isn’t always positive. For example, the elephant riding industry in Thailand is huge and is supported by tourists. These elephants are extremely mistreated and abused, however so many of the locals now rely on making a living from this industry because of the tourist support. We need to find a way to create more sustainable and ethical methods for locals to make a living and improve their economies. I want to continue traveling to the beautiful places we have in the world and see them for what they really are and not what tourists have done to them. I researched more into this and came upon the term ‘sustainable tourism’.
In 2015, ~1 in 7 people travelled internationally. This is a huge number and if these people are uneducated about the impacts of traveling, the world may degrade at an even faster rate. The UN has declared 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development to raise awareness of how sustainable tourism impacts economies as well as to mobilize everyone involved in the tourism industry to work together to create a positive change.
They will be promoting tourism in the following five areas:
(1) Inclusive and sustainable economic growth
(2) Social inclusiveness, employment and poverty reduction
(3) Resource efficiency, environmental protection and climate change
(4) Cultural values, diversity and heritage
(5) Mutual understanding, peace and security.
In my future travels I know I will utilize the many resources available on the Internet these days in regards to sustainable and eco-friendly travel. I will definitely research more about the countries I intend to visit including their economy, environment and social history. In addition, I will aim to do small things such as when I book my flight I will choose to pay the little bit extra to offset my carbon emissions. There are so many small ways we can create positive change in the tourism industry, so I urge you to make even one change next time you are booking a trip somewhere!
Thank you Megan,
It’s always hard to reconcile the things you love with what should be done for the good of the earth. It’s wonderful to see all the amazing ways people are trying to solve the problems we have managed to create…
Your blog posts are insightful and you are making excellent use of the blog with hyperlinks and videos embedded. To continue the conversation it would be lovely to hear how you feel these efforts will actual help, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Looking forward to reading more from you,
Tess
This is such an important topic. Being a international student myself and traveling across the globe at least three times a year it is important to think about what impact this has on the environment. I have done a lot of research on eco-tourism, and found that focusing on the local culture of the place you are visiting is of utmost importance. That means staying at locally owned hotels, eating at local restaurants, going on local, sustainable excursions, and ultimately thinking about what you are doing every step of the way. It takes a bit more research before heading out, but from personal experience it makes for the best holidays. Awesome post and I’m glad you brought it up!
Hi Megan! I REALLY enjoyed this blog. I personally hadn’t even really considered the impacts of travel on sustainability issues, and obviously that’s a very negligent thing to do. So thank you for bringing this to my attention. I completely agree that before traveling we should look into the “economy, environment and social history”, and be mindful of the choices we make with regards to travel destination. I’m surprised that there isn’t enough awareness being created with regards to this issue. Particularly in our generation, where traveling is so popular, and we all travel internationally often, we owe ourselves and others the duty to do research how sustainable tourism affects economies, and become more aware.