WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM?
Sustainable tourism minimizes the negative effects of travel on the culture, economy, and environment. All forms of tourism can become more sustainable, in which this serves as a sort of umbrella term for some of the other terms you may hear, like eco-tourism, community-based tourism, responsible travel, and ethical travel. Making tourism and travel more sustainable is the overall goal, and the effort must come from tourism providers and individual travelers alike.
IT'S A MINDSET OF TRAVELING TO CONNECT, LEARN, AND SHARE EXPERIENCES.
RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
Responsible travel gives the sense that the traveler is taking the initiative to not harm the communities they're traveling to. It's a mindset of traveling to connect, learn, and share experiences across cultures, all while seeking to minimize our negative impact on the local culture, economy, and environment. The sustainable tourism industry as a whole encompasses the following ideas.
CULTURE ENGAGEMENT
Engaging with culture is about experiencing a place as a local knows it, learning and respecting the culture and community you're visiting. Where do locals go and how do they live their every day lives? What is it like to live there? How can we have meaningful interactions with them without asking them to simply "put on a show"?
SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY
Supporting the community is mainly about supporting the local economy and with community development through purchasing from local businesses and supporting the work of reputable non-profits.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
Protecting the environment is about minimizing our negative impact on the environment of the places we're visiting. Whether through adopting Leave No Trace principles in outdoor adventure or through booking eco-friendly tours or lodging, the focus is on caring for a destination as if it were our own home and preserving it for future generations.
