If you find yourself daydreaming about taking a little escape trip, then you’re probably wondering how to ensure your staycation is sustainable and environmentally conscious right?
That’s why we’ve put together a go-to guide you can use to ensure your next staycation is as responsible as possible so that you feel good knowing that your holiday is supporting the community.
Before we dive in, let’s review the fundamentals of sustainable tourism, eco-tourism, and responsible travel and why these terms are important.
As defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism is “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 defined by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), eco-tourism is “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.”
As defined by The Global Sustainable Tourism Council, responsible travel “refers to the behaviour of individual travellers aspiring to make choices according to sustainable tourism practices. The behaviours usually align with minimizing the negative impacts and maximizing positive ones when one visits a tourism destination.”
Not only is responsible travel, sustainable tourism, and eco-tourism an impactful way to support conservation, but a necessary means of approaching vacationing if we want to ensure positive sustainable growth and development in our communities.
The following guide spans a diverse range of principles from Setting Mind, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), and The Global Sustainable Tourism Council, that you can use to guide your holiday planning:
1. Be considerate of the communities and environments you visit.
2. Minimize physical, social, behavioural, and psychological impacts.
3. Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
4. Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
5. Participate in interpretative experiences that help raise sensitivity to your local communities political, environmental, and social climates.
6. Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.
7. Don’t litter.
8. Carry your own shopping bag to avoid contributing to the plastic problem in many countries of the world.
9. Remove all packaging before leaving home.
10. Avoid excessive waste and the use of plastic bottles.
11. Bring your own mug and consider purifying your own water.
12. Bring your own reusable straw.
13. Reduce energy consumption by unplugging your mobile phone charger, and ensuring you turn off the lights.
14. Conserve water, and take shorter showers.
15. Educate yourself about the place you are visiting and the people that live there.
16. Travel off-season if you can, to support local businesses in their slow season.
17. Respect cultural differences.
18. Do not purchase or eat endangered species.
19. Choose responsibly-sourced seafood.
20. Support the local economy. Buy locally-made souvenirs, eat at local restaurants, and enjoy the local culture.
21. Take public transit or use a bicycle. If you must rent a car rent a hybrid or electric one if available.
22. Support a local charity or organization that works towards responsible tourism.
23. If you choose to book a trip through a travel provider ask your travel provider (tour operator, travel agent) about the company’s environmental and responsible tourism policies to make sure they align with and support responsible tourism.
24. Before booking accommodation, ask your accommodation provider (hotel, guest house, lodge) about their sustainability practices, and choose the accommodation that aligns with sustainable tourism.
25. Choose certified sustainable tourism companies.
