Tourism can be quite consuming and have a negative impact on the environment. The carbon footprint of tourists can be huge, especially considering how much energy it takes for planes to fly around the world. Flights produce vast amounts of carbon emission and aviation is the most polluting transportation.
Typical tourism or mass tourism mean that you fly far away for a short amount of time and spend time and money on tourist attractions such as visiting waterparks, staying at hotel chains and eating at big food chains. However, there are ways to make sure your trips benefit both the local people and wildlife. Eco-tourism is one such way. Not only does it reduce our carbon footprint by making us travel less – but it also supports local communities and creates employment opportunities for them as well. The main goal of ecotourism is to preserve natural environmental conditions, primarily so that natural ecosystems maintain themselves without interruption.
Eco-tourism has many other terms such as ecotourism (just different spelling), green tourism, sustainable tourism, environmental tourism, eco-friendly tourism and so on.
Mass tourism means that thousands of people go to the same resort or attraction often at the same time of year. These places could be for instance the Great Wall of China or Mount Everest, which is full of rubbish due to visitors.
Tourism can be good as well without it having to be eco-tourism, since tourists always bring money to locations they are visiting and help the local economy. So don’t feel guilty if you want to travel, just always collect your waste, recycle when possible and be respectful of nature and communities.
Ecotourism is a form of tourism that focuses on the natural environment, the well-being of local people, and responsible travel. It is considered “responsible” because it is more sustainable than mass tourism and does not harm the environment. Ecotourists may be interested in engaging with nature (such as hiking or camping), learning about local cultures and history or observing wildlife without disturbing it (such as eco-friendly safaris).
Eco-tourism can also refer to ecologically friendly transportation methods for visiting these areas like trains instead of driving a car or flying by airplane that leave carbon emissions behind when visiting an area.
Ecotourism is a form of tourism that focuses on the natural environment and sustains the well-being of local people. It’s often combined with voluntourism which is when tourists volunteer their time to help out in projects such as building schools or community centers.
(Voluntourism: a definition from Oxford Languages; a form of tourism in which travellers participate in voluntary work, typically for a charity).
More about volunteering and WWOOFing here
Environmentally friendly examples of successful eco-tourism:
Camping
Hiking
Cycling
Kayaking/rowing boat
Wildlife viewing (safaris, birdwatching, whale watching)
Ocean cleanup
Beach cleanup
Volunteering (help a local family or business, take care of animals etc.)
Learning about local culture
Things to remember:
To not leave any rubbish behind
Recycle (when recycling is available)
Respect nature
Respect wildlife (be gentle when taking photos of wildlife animals, flash can be scary to many and too loud sounds might scare wildlife away)
Respect local people and their culture, even if it’s different from your own
Eco-tourism is one of the fastest growing trends in the tourism industry. According to The Travel Foundation, over 2 in 5 travelers are eco-conscious and 70% of those surveyed said they would pay more for eco-friendly hospitality services.
Why is it more popular and trending?
More people are concerned about global warming and deforestation
Overall interest in more sustainable, eco-friendly choices.
Curiosity, people want to learn about the environment and other cultures.
Good feeling. We want to feel that we did a good, moral thing.
Experiences, immersive travel. People want adventures and experiences that are different.
Oftentimes cheaper flights
Eco-tourism industry grows by billions each year (USD). In 2020 the eco-tourism market size was 23,2 billion and a year later it had grown by 2,4 billion to 25,6 billion in 2021. It is expected to grow each year.
While the aim for eco-tourism is good, it can also lead to negative impact. This can happen when tourists are not prepared for wildlife and intrude animal territory or when the activities are not supervised when a guide is needed. Activities should always be booked via trustworthy agencies to not only protect wildlife but yourself as well.
Some other things that can leave a negative impact is when too many people visit a certain ecosystem and destroy the habitat or when the activities disturb local people.
These are just some things to take into consideration and it’s always suggested to do your research, use common sense and ask questions.
Ecotourism can be an alternative to mass tourism, which refers to large groups of people traveling long distances for pleasure in a relatively short period of time; this kind of activity has negative effects on both the physical environment and local communities because it drives up demand for services while taking up space that could be used differently (like farming).
If you’re interested in eco-tourism, it can be a great way to see some of the most beautiful places on earth while also helping local communities. You don’t have to spend money on expensive flights or hotels; just take public transportation or travel by long distance train or ride a bike instead. There are multiple other options for hotels as well such as camping or local hosts (in exchange for work.)
Interested in free stay and food on your trip? Read about volunteering/voluntourism and WWOOFing from here
~ Avoyago
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Tourism can be quite consuming and have a negative impact on the environment. The carbon footprint of tourists can be huge, especially considering how much energy it takes for planes to fly around the world. Flights produce vast amounts of carbon emission and aviation is the most polluting transportation.
Typical tourism or mass tourism mean that you fly far away for a short amount of time and spend time and money on tourist attractions such as visiting waterparks, staying at hotel chains and eating at big food chains. However, there are ways to make sure your trips benefit both the local people and wildlife. Eco-tourism is one such way. Not only does it reduce our carbon footprint by making us travel less – but it also supports local communities and creates employment opportunities for them as well. The main goal of ecotourism is to preserve natural environmental conditions, primarily so that natural ecosystems maintain themselves without interruption.
Eco-tourism has many other terms such as ecotourism (just different spelling), green tourism, sustainable tourism, environmental tourism, eco-friendly tourism and so on.
Mass tourism means that thousands of people go to the same resort or attraction often at the same time of year. These places could be for instance the Great Wall of China or Mount Everest, which is full of rubbish due to visitors.
Tourism can be good as well without it having to be eco-tourism, since tourists always bring money to locations they are visiting and help the local economy. So don’t feel guilty if you want to travel, just always collect your waste, recycle when possible and be respectful of nature and communities.
Ecotourism is a form of tourism that focuses on the natural environment, the well-being of local people, and responsible travel. It is considered “responsible” because it is more sustainable than mass tourism and does not harm the environment. Ecotourists may be interested in engaging with nature (such as hiking or camping), learning about local cultures and history or observing wildlife without disturbing it (such as eco-friendly safaris).
Eco-tourism can also refer to ecologically friendly transportation methods for visiting these areas like trains instead of driving a car or flying by airplane that leave carbon emissions behind when visiting an area.
Ecotourism is a form of tourism that focuses on the natural environment and sustains the well-being of local people. It’s often combined with voluntourism which is when tourists volunteer their time to help out in projects such as building schools or community centers.
(Voluntourism: a definition from Oxford Languages; a form of tourism in which travellers participate in voluntary work, typically for a charity).
More about volunteering and WWOOFing here
Environmentally friendly examples of successful eco-tourism:
Camping
Hiking
Cycling
Kayaking/rowing boat
Wildlife viewing (safaris, birdwatching, whale watching)
Ocean cleanup
Beach cleanup
Volunteering (help a local family or business, take care of animals etc.)
Learning about local culture
Things to remember:
To not leave any rubbish behind
Recycle (when recycling is available)
Respect nature
Respect wildlife (be gentle when taking photos of wildlife animals, flash can be scary to many and too loud sounds might scare wildlife away)
Respect local people and their culture, even if it’s different from your own
Eco-tourism is one of the fastest growing trends in the tourism industry. According to The Travel Foundation, over 2 in 5 travelers are eco-conscious and 70% of those surveyed said they would pay more for eco-friendly hospitality services.
Why is it more popular and trending?
More people are concerned about global warming and deforestation
Overall interest in more sustainable, eco-friendly choices.
Curiosity, people want to learn about the environment and other cultures.
Good feeling. We want to feel that we did a good, moral thing.
Experiences, immersive travel. People want adventures and experiences that are different.
Oftentimes cheaper flights
Eco-tourism industry grows by billions each year (USD). In 2020 the eco-tourism market size was 23,2 billion and a year later it had grown by 2,4 billion to 25,6 billion in 2021. It is expected to grow each year.
While the aim for eco-tourism is good, it can also lead to negative impact. This can happen when tourists are not prepared for wildlife and intrude animal territory or when the activities are not supervised when a guide is needed. Activities should always be booked via trustworthy agencies to not only protect wildlife but yourself as well.
Some other things that can leave a negative impact is when too many people visit a certain ecosystem and destroy the habitat or when the activities disturb local people.
These are just some things to take into consideration and it’s always suggested to do your research, use common sense and ask questions.
Ecotourism can be an alternative to mass tourism, which refers to large groups of people traveling long distances for pleasure in a relatively short period of time; this kind of activity has negative effects on both the physical environment and local communities because it drives up demand for services while taking up space that could be used differently (like farming).
If you’re interested in eco-tourism, it can be a great way to see some of the most beautiful places on earth while also helping local communities. You don’t have to spend money on expensive flights or hotels; just take public transportation or travel by long distance train or ride a bike instead. There are multiple other options for hotels as well such as camping or local hosts (in exchange for work.)
Interested in free stay and food on your trip? Read about volunteering/voluntourism and WWOOFing from here
~ Avoyago
