Travelling is notoriously one of the favourite activities of people from all over the globe. Every year, millions of travellers explore new places (both in their home countries and abroad), immerse themselves in different cultures, and wander from one city to another in order to discover some of the wonders our world has to offer. As a consequence, the tourism industry grows increasingly flourishing, having experienced a significant boom in the last decade according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
However, while representing a major economic sector for the global economy, tourism brings with itself several challenges as it has produced harmful effects on the environment and on local populations over the years. For instance, it is well-known that mass tourism – which happens to be the most common form of tourism worldwide – does not properly rhyme with the sustainable, eco-friendly, and zero-impact approach that we should all be embracing to safeguard the planet, its cities, and its inhabitants. This is the main reason why we need more planet-friendly ways to travel. The good news is: they already exist! We just have to start practising them way more (and better) than we currently do.
Where to begin? The best starting point is to become more conscious about our travel options and be willing to consider the existing alternatives to the unsustainable mass tourism – namely, ecotourism and sustainable tourism. Although often entangled with one another, still known only to very few, and not so common as travel styles, both ecotourism and sustainable tourism are now being encouraged, valued, and boosted at the European and national level, and travellers themselves are starting to find them more and more appealing.
There is still no universally uniform and clear definition of “ecotourism” and of “sustainable tourism”, but there are many broad definitions for both of them. According to the International Ecotourism Society,
ecotourism is a responsible journey to natural areas that saves the environment and improves the quality of life of local people
…and as specified by the United Nations Environment and Ecotourism…
it actively contributes to the protection of the natural and cultural heritage; involves local and indigenous communities in planning, development and operation, contributes to their prosperity, and explains to the visitor the importance of natural and cultural wealth.
Therefore, nature and culture are at the very heart of an ecotourist experience.
As for sustainable tourism, it is a reactive concept to mass tourism that emerged in Europe in the 1970s. Officially, the concept was first defined by the Journal of Sustainable Tourism as
a positive approach intended to reduce the tensions and friction created by the complex interactions between the tourism industry, visitors, the environment and the communities which are host to holidaymakers.
Nowadays, the UNWTO considers sustainable tourism as a form of 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 the host communities”. While the term “ecotourism” refers to a very specific type of tourism, strictly related to nature, sustainable tourism is an approach to tourism aimed at preserving the well-being of local people and the surrounding environment, as well as at creating a minimal impact on all the possible touristic destinations. Ecotourism is thus an expression of sustainable tourism, and they are both examples of best practices to be performed while travelling.
These eco-friendly ways to travel might be slowly taking over the tourism industry, and we must be aware of the added value they can bring to our lives and our planet!