Sustainable tourism is the order of the day. It’s no longer an option, or just a desirable thing. It’s a compulsion that we must adhere to. As mankind progresses, mobility becomes easier by the day. Both travel logistics (supply side) and purchasing power (demand side) are improving at faster-than-ever-before rates. So, travel is going to be more and more frequent. More human beings are travelling now than ever before, and the trend is going to continue in northerly direction, and faster.
Besides, ‘travelling’ (in broad terms, not limited to ‘tourism’) itself is desirable for a better society. It’s fulfilling at personal level, and progressive for the society as a whole. Since the advent of mankind on the earth, we have been constantly travelling as a race. From Africa, we have travelled to the nooks and corners of the earth over some thousand years. And our ancestors did that by foot!
Travel, but ‘how’ is the question!
Even in modern times, travelling remains a great way of understanding the world and different cultures. From spread of knowledge and information, to trade and commerce, travel has enabled mankind to progress through the history. In general parlance, people who travel more, have broader outlook and progress faster (Read: Travel is the essence of life).
In addition, it’s also true that travel has a number of positive impact on the local economy and livelihoods of local poor. Thus, importance of travel as a concept/ theme cannot be overemphasized.
In modern times though, with the addition of leisure and pleasure components to travel, it became ‘tourism’. This is where the pain points began, and this is what this article is all about. Here I don’t question the concept of tourism, rather ponder over the ‘how’ part, especially how to make tourism sustainable.
Travel Vs. Tourism:
While ‘travel’ is often slow, less resource-consuming and experiential, ‘tourism’ is fast, activity-centric and consumption-oriented.
People who travel often and regularly are generally budget-conscious {Read: Budget travel tips}, and thus, look to reduce consumption by default. However, ‘tourists’ who travel occasionally, have more resources to spend, and are often not mindful of their consumption practices.
Thus, a lot of awareness needs to be created around ‘tourism’, focusing on responsible behavior and ethical consumption. We need to be aware ourselves, and educate others in simple ways on how to travel responsibly. This is where the concept of Sustainable Tourism gains importance.
Growth of tourism over the years
Gone are the days when tourism was the domain of the rich. With increasing prosperity and fast improving means of transportation, now almost everyone is travelling, either domestically or internationally. According to UNWTO data, international arrivals have increased from 25 million in 1950 to 1.5 billion in 2019!
Quite incredible to think that travel and tourism has become the third largest export industry globally (7 % of total exports). Though Covid-19 pandemic did pose a temporary hiatus, the industry has recovered well, and the millions are travelling again. The sector contributed 295 million jobs worldwide in 2022.
However, along with great benefits come huge problems as well!
Negative Impacts of Tourism
In order to appreciate the need for sustainable tourism, we should start the discussion by reflecting on the negative impacts of tourism on socio-economic dynamics and the local natural environment. It’s common to see in recent times that socio-environmental cost of tourism outweighs the benefits derived from it. In brief, some of the major negative impacts of tourism are:
Adverse impact on environment:
- Increasing carbon footprint due to excessive energy consumption, especially hydro-carbon based energy
- Unsustainable built-up areas leading to natural catastrophes like flooding and landslides
- Environmental (water, soil, air, noise, etc.) pollution- both locally and globally
- Traffic congestion and vehicular pollution, especially at travel destinations
- Littering and waste management issue at destinations
Unwanted socio-cultural impact:
- Drug abuse among youth and encouragement to drug-based economy
- Adulteration of local cultural practices, and craft traditions
- Damage to the precious old monuments and archeological evidences
- Rise in sex-tourism, which may lead to human trafficking
Adverse economic impact:
- Local inflation, especially rapid rise in real estate prices
- Labour scarcity for other economic purposes
- Overconsumption and wastage of resources.
Why Sustainable Tourism is the order of the day?
After reading through the negative impacts of tourism, one must have comprehended why it is paramount to manage tourism for the good of all.
The concept of sustainable tourism seeks to raise awareness not only among the travellers, but engages all stakeholders in the tourism industry. Unless everyone puts in coordinated efforts, in no time things might become unmanageable.
Moreover, the objectives of promoting ‘sustainable tourism’ are essentially three fold: (i) Environment conservation, (ii) conservation of cultural heritage, and (iii) socio-economic equity (benefiting local population, especially the poor) at destinations.
DEFINITION:
“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”
Demystifying 'Sustainable Tourism'
Moving beyond the UNWTO’s definition, let’s de-mystify the term ‘sustainable tourism’. In my view, it’s basically use of common sense: inculcating an attitude to avoid over-consumption, encourage ethical-consumption and avoid littering while travelling. A point to note here is that the word ‘sustainable’ has been mostly associated with ‘tourism’ rather than ‘travel’.
Demystifying certain terms:
One might have heard quite a few similar terms like ‘eco-tourism’, ‘responsible tourism’ and ‘community based tourism’. These terms are often used interchangeably with ‘sustainable tourism’, thus leading to confusion.
Though they sound similar, they are quite different in their inherent meanings. While ‘sustainable tourism’ is a broader umbrella term meaning all kinds of activities promoting sustainable ways of travel/ tourism, the other terms mean specific aspects of ‘Sustainable Tourism’.
- Ecotourism: It specifically means a type of tourism promoting awareness around environment and ecology.
- Community Based Tourism (CBT): A type of tourism that endeavors to facilitate economic benefits to local communities at destinations.
- Responsible Tourism: This pertains to individual travellers’ awareness, approach and behavior while travelling.
Role of various stakeholders in Sustainable Tourism
Who are the major stakeholders in tourism industry?
The Travellers/ Tourists. Government and its agencies. Local communities/ institutions/ entrepreneurs. Private players: Tour operators/ agencies; Transport service providers; Food and beverage industry; Hospitality service providers; Entertainment service providers; Adventure services providers; Wellness industry. Multinational/ global agencies. And maybe more!
With so many diverse stakeholders, and in large numbers, it’s difficult to have close coordination, especially because they have opposing short-term objectives. Thus, success of sustainable tourism will largely depend on three major factors: (i) Travellers’ awareness and making informed choices, (ii) Government’s policies, rules and regulations, and (iii) Empowered local communities/ institutions asserting their rights.
In my view, these are the three major check points. If these three factors play out well, the private players will fall in line automatically.
Travellers/ Tourists:
Educated and aware travellers can choose sustainable ways of travelling. They generally follow and influence others to practice ways to reduce carbon footprints, and consciously contribute to the local economy. From choosing accommodation carefully to local culinary options, from shopping to things-to-do lists, there is a lot an individual can do to adhere to sustainable tourism practices. Above all, by their choices they can indicate private players to adhere to sustainable standards.
Government:
As private players will always be motivated by profits and are amenable to unsustainable practices to save costs, government has an important role. At the minimum, it must enforce certain standards through appropriate policies. Besides, the government must create appropriate infrastructure and facilities in order to enable other stakeholders engage in sustainable tourism practices. Read more: Role of government in sustainable tourism.
Local Communities:
If local communities are aware of their rights and ensure certain standards are maintained at the destinations, travelers and private players will have no other way than to fall in line. With the help of government and civil society organizations, local communities can partake the benefits of tourism as well. Besides, they should undertake tourism enterprises which are only environment friendly.
{Reading suggestion: Pink City Rickshaws}
Private Sector:
The private players, while benefiting from tourism, should engage local communities in a way that ensures sustainable income streams for them. Moreover, they must plan for the long-term and invest their funds in sustainable tourism practices only. Another important way for the private sector to contribute is by sponsoring projects to conserve natural and cultural heritage.
Global Agencies:
Apart from the above stakeholders, there are a number of multinational and global agencies engaged in managing the travel industry. Some of these institutions are:
- United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
- Pacific Asia Travel Organization (PATA)
- World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
These organizations engage with national government and other relevant organizations in networking, training, educating and sponsoring specialized programs to promote the cause of sustainable tourism.
Sustainable Tourism : Concluding Note
It’s about today rather than tomorrow. The rate at which world population is growing, and along with it, world prosperity, negative impact of tourism is going to affect everyone sooner than later. So, it’s better to raise the awareness on the concept of sustainable tourism now than later.
These days, wherever I go, I see an effort from all stakeholders to practice and promote sustainable tourism. So, at least, a beginning has been made.
I see educated travellers using energy-efficient modes of transport, consume mindfully and spread the word through social media. Encouraged by this, private sector, especially in the niche travel segment, are offering services which are sustainable in nature. However, this needs to percolate to all levels of travel and tourism industry.
Another good thing is that the governments all over the world are increasingly talking of and promote the concept of sustainable tourism in letter and spirit. It’s heartening to see that governments are making small but significant investments in creating infrastructure, awareness and programs in this regard.
What are your views on sustainable tourism? Do share with us. Have you practiced any particular method or have seen any interesting case of sustainable tourism? Please share your experience.
Rupali
Articulate message for sustainable travelling. Every travel enthusiast should read this.
stampedmoments
Glad that you liked, Rupali. Thanks for reading.
Mahendra
Indeed, it’s very well researched and articulated. Every travel enthusiast should read it.
stampedmoments
Hopefully. Unmindful travelling is not such a good idea. We will keep promoting sustainable tourism.
Thanks a lot for your feedback. Keep connected.
Tarique Anwar
Wow, Great Research On Various Visiting Place.
Thanks Sir.
stampedmoments
Thanks a lot Tarique! Glad that you liked.
Soumen Chatterjee
Loved the way written about sustainable tourism and it’s really an educative. Must share
stampedmoments
Sounds good, coming from you!
Thank you so much!