Digital transformation has given rise to green tourism, most of the people these days are becoming environmentally-conscious thus turning to green traveling. People are aware of the fact that tourism can have a great impact on the ecosystem and natural environment, it can also damage the whole planet. Overtourism always has a negative impact on nature, thus tourists must make sure that they visit those areas which are not overcrowded.
The University of Sydney published one study in which it was found that more than 8% of total carbon emissions is accounted for due to global tourists. This number is three times higher than the one which was found previously. Thus it’s time for us to become a responsible and aware tourist, we need to understand what green tourist really means and what it means in the utmost importance. It can be beneficial for you, especially when it comes to selecting the desired destinations in lesser time.
What Green Tourism Really Means?
Many of the hotels are offering a green environment to customers by practicing advanced methods. They are making use of recycling water for various like gardening, washing dirty vehicles, and many more. They are doing so to encourage guests to do the same and for making them understand the importance of natural resources.
Nowadays, global travel has become more accessible and cheaper for almost all tourists. It has given rise to the usage of cruise ships, airplanes, and other traveling vehicles. And the increasing use of vehicles is giving rise to tremendous carbon, even many of the harmful substances are released, which is detrimental to the environment.
Tips to Consider to Become a Green Tourist
Environmental Protection Agency produced a report in which it was found that around 12% of greenhouse gases are produced by aircraft, but still many of the travelers use it as a transportation service.
Emissions are also caused due to other transportation vehicles like cars, buses, and other vehicles. But we have no option rather than using it, but when it comes to traveling, then we can benefit our nature, you just need to consider the following tips to become green tourists and to benefit Mother Earth.
1. Plan Eco-Friendly Tour
Most of the people plan trips, and most of the time, they prefer flying from one place to another for a very few days. But they have to understand that such kinds of trips can have an adverse effect on the environmental impact not only that, but such kind of trips are least fulfilling for them.
Let’s explain it with a short example, if you want to travel to Rome then you will prefer a plane. And due to your preference, there are certain chances that you might waste a considerable amount of time on the airports, even by preferring plan travel you might release enormous amounts of greenhouse gasses that are harmful to the environment. You might also lose some of the advantages, like exploring amazing places that fall between your two destinations.
Consider Few Ways for Planning an Eco-Friendly Tour:
- Prefer public transportation to travel if possible, trains and buses are the best ways to travel, especially when you want to enjoy each and every view in your way.
- You can visit the nearest geographical area and explore its beauty instead of traveling to major destinations.
- By planning an eco-friendly tour, you can benefit the planet and can enjoy your trip.
- It can enhance your involvement with local life and culture.
2. Be Careful While Choosing Time and Place
Almost all people have the mentality that they want to travel to the most popular destination due to which there is a massive rush to the place which is more popular worldwide. Thus make sure that you prefer traveling destination keeping certain pointers in mind, these points are as follows:
- Check everything about the before booking tickets.
- Avoid traveling to a popular place, especially during high season.
- Travel to the eco-friendly and nearest destination.
Off-season travelers will not only help you to benefit the environment, but it will also affect your traveling cost, which you need to spend on traveling to any popular destinations. Besides this, one of the most effective ways to save money and to benefit the environment is to travel to less popular countries, regions, or other nature-friendly areas.
3. Think Twice Before Your Book
Today a lot many options are available in the market from where the tourist can explore each and every information related to their future journey. They can explore the needed information from the developing mobile app, for any of the tours and travels agency to know the availability of tickets, the price for booking a ticket to travel to a particular destination, and much more. They can consider some of the questions to know whether it’s the right time for booking the ticket for visiting their desired location or not:
- Can you visit have an adverse effect on the ecosystems?
- What can you do to reduce environmental impact at the visited place?
- What is paid back to local communities by the tour operators?
- Is there is an availability of an eco-friendly alternative?
Once you all the above-listed questions, you can come to know what separates the eco-warriors from other all fakers. And it can also help you to enjoy the nature that also with affecting it badly. Be a nature lover and explore the nearby natural area to avoid adverse effects on the environment by using vehicles extremely.
4. Try to Fetch Eco-Friendly Tourist Activities
Some of the time, it becomes quite tough for us to separate the true ecotourism providers. Many of the fake activities are carried out in the market these days; thus, it becomes essential for you to find eco-friendly tourist activities from the rest of the fake list. You can consider the best by considering some of the tips which are discussed below, these steps will also help you to avoid the worst and fake one from the available list of tourist activities.
5. Follow 4C
Travel agencies who are performing their best need to keep an eagle eye on almost all the angles of ecotourism. They need to know what is the present market trend to offer customers with the best, they need to keep their customers at topmost priority and need to try to satisfy all their needs, they can follow 4c which are listed below:
- Conservation: Know whether you are working actively in the environmental protection areas?
- Community: It becomes important for you to employ your local people. Thus make sure that you share your business profits with the local community.
- Culture: Tey to provide education and information to the visitors about the local cultures and also about their life.
- Commerce: Know whether you can contribute to the local community or not.
6. Try to Walk Some Distance
It is just not possible for us to avoid the use of an airplane or other traveling vehicles. But we can try to use an eco-friendly way to travel to the destination we want. However, if you want to become a green tourist, then it becomes important for you to avoid unfriendly environmental modes of transportation, especially when you reach the desired destination. You can choose walking instead of traveling to your desired destination through various means of transportation.
7. Recycle
You need to try to recycle and reuse each and everything, especially when you are on the trip. Also, prefer to take part in the recycling programs which are often carried out at the place where you have been visited, it shows how conscious you are about the environment. Use reusable cloth napkins, silverware, and many other things that can be reused again. This can help you prevent adding a large number of disposables buried in the natural environment.
You can reuse containers of beverages, this can also help you to earn refunds some of the time. Remember, if you want to become a green tourist, then it becomes essential for you to put your extra efforts and perform every task in the most effective ways to ensure that they are list harmful to the environment.
Summing It Up
The concept of green tourism is yet not much clear in everyone’s mind yet. Any of the particular people aiming to become a green tourist has to consider various aspects. They not only have to put extra effort, but they also have to make sure that the lesser the use of natural resources as much as possible when they are traveling. They need to find new and innovative ways to reuse things throughout their journey, this can help them to become a “Green” tourist in real sense.
Cover image: Marina City Park, Singapore, Photo by Victor Garcia on Unsplash
