Ecotourism , eco tourism , sustainable tourism, sustainable development and responsible travel have in a sense the same goal. But the words are used in different ways. So lets describe these words in its simplest form.
Sustainable and responsible tourism is a kind of tourism that brings some kind of sustainability to places you visit but sustainability in a responsible manner. Let me explain. Let's say you are from Germany and you plan a trip to India for a week and from the time you arranged your trip to the time you safely returned home, you did the following practices.
- You bought your plane ticket on the Internet and you did your level best to choose a root which could have the lowest carbon dioxide emission as possible.
- instead of going to a German travel agency, you searched on the internet and found a few local travel agencies in India. you communicated your need to them and they sent you an offer and you arranged it with them.
- Your choice of travel agency was based on the fact that one of them made a proposal to you that:
- instead of staying in one of the international hotel chains available at the destination, you could stay with a couple of small local but very comfortable family driven home stay.
- The agent also proposed a jungle safari arranged by a small NGO in the area to not only have fun but also learn a bit about the environmental issues and how they are tackled.
- You also managed to arrange a full day sight seeing tour together with a local guide that the travel agency introduced to you
- finnaly the time came and you landed in India. You stayed with a couple of family driven home stays and got to know them, learnt their traditions, asked many question and exchanged a few ideas from your own culture with them as well. Apart from the fact that you enjoyed your stay with these famileis, a very big portion of the money you spent on accommodation stayed with these local families, instead of going to international hotel chains.
- You did your jungle safari with the small NGO. You enjoyed your trip to the jungle and learnt about the problems and a few solutions. The money you spent there went directly to the NGO. You also learnt a few tips on how to minimize your foot print on your surrounding environment.
- The part where you actually hired a local guide not only helped you understand the real local culture but also made sure that the money you spent there stayed locally in the place you visited.
- You returned home with a lot of memories but you practised a bit of ecotourism and over all a sustainable and responsible tourism. You enjoyed yourself but above all you made a little difference.
The above was a simple description on how a responsible traveller acts. But it could also be interesting to know what are the things a responsible travel supplier does to practice ecotourism or sustainable and responsible tourism. There are some guidelines on how to differentiate between those who practice genuine sustainability and responsibility that those who green wash.
Ecotourism and sustainable tourism guidelines for the responsible tour operators
As ecotourism mostly is concerned with the environment and nature, the environmental guidelines for tour operators are most fit in this section. the social and economical guidelines for tour operators which is more related to the sustainable and responsible tourism topic are discussed under sustainable and responsible tourism (SRT) section. The following is environmental guidelines for tour operators who wish to practice within the ecotourism domain.
The following topics in bold identify and elaborates different guide lines of how you can be environmentally more sustainable and responsible. Each and every of them individually is a positive step towards SRT goals. However, the more you adapt, the better is your SRT dedication.
Having ecotourism guidelines for you clients (travellers): while travelling to different destinations it helps travellers immensely when standard environmental guidelines are delivered to them. Companies practising this aspect are preferred by responsible travellers. Ecotourism guideline leaflet contains information that helps travellers to reduce any negative impact on their surroundings environment. These are general information about wastage and pollution and specific do’s and don’ts. These guidelines also introduce travellers with ways in which their ecological footprints can be minimized.
Corporate environmental responsibility: there are companies that practice environmental responsibility within their work environment as well. These are activities such as:
Supporting environmental projects: there are companies that practice environmental responsibility by supporting external projects (lets say if a company financially supports organizations that fight to preserve rain forests). The support could be in the form of direct economical help, free promotion and advertising for such projects, or generating income for the project through the flow of customer to the projects etc.
Ecotourism guidelines for the responsible Hotel provider
The following topics in bold identifies different ecotourism guidelines of how you can be environmentally more sustainable and responsible. Each and every of them individually is a positive step towards SRT goals of ecotourism. However, the more you adapt, the better is your SRT dedication.
Water waste management: Water is the most important resource on the surface of earth. Only as much as 0.008% of water on the planet is available for human consumption and to make more of it, takes energy that pollutes the environment. Therefore water waste management is probably one of the most important and most relevant aspects of running a hotel within ecotourism domain. Here are some of the things you can do:
Use low flow toilets and shower heads, wash sheets and towels less frequently and do gray water recycling.
Gray Water Recycling: There is so much good to do for the environment by recycling gray water. Gray water is waste water from the kitchen, bathroom showers and tubs etc. Recycling this water is done via using it to water gardens and landscaping and as it filters through the soil on its way to ground and subterranean water sources it is cleaned. Using it on the gardens and landscaping reduces the amount of fresh water needed for that purpose. Gray water recycling helps recharging the ground water reserves, reduces fresh water wastage, saves energy and in long run, drastically helps the environment and is surely a must within the ecotourism domain.
Use of cotton towels and linen: Cotton and linen products are good because they do not rely on petrochemical substances. A blend of cotton and synthetic fabrics are not sustainable because of their reliance on petrochemicals. Organic cotton is even better because of their non-use of petrochemicals.
Cotton is a pretty good material and has many healthy characteristics in its absorbency and breath ability. It is even better to use organic cotton as it is fully free from any hazardous material. Cotton is also a durable material therefore it takes longer time for it depreciate hence better economy and better protection of environment. Cotton is a sustainable and durable fabric, making it an environmentally friendly option for your hotels within ecotourism domain.
Towel and Sheet Re-use Program: This activity is getting more and more popular in different hotel especially in places where water resources are scarcer. This action is simply related to water waste management whether the towels or sheets are to be changed each day or not. The guests are requested to inform the maintenance whether the towels and sheets have to be changed today or not.
Previously no matter what, when the rooms where cleaned these where automatically changed and washed each day. This aspect not only is one of the most direct reason for unreasonable water wastage, but also it has a lot of effect on the wear and tear of the towels and linens as these are washed and pressed almost every day. Therefore hotel have the opportunity to ask their guest to inform them if it is possible that the sheets and towels are only changed when the guests ask. Make sure they are aware how this is a vital part of measures taken within ecotourism domain.
Use of alternative energy source: alternative energy sources that avoids use of fossil fuels is the way forward and probably the most important aspect within the ecotourism domain. Using renewable energy and avoiding fossil fuel helps our environment to regenerate it self. It is recommended to switch to alternative energy sources, even if it is being used as emergency source during the power cut. The more alternative energy is used, the more you help the environment. Solar and wind power, and bio gas are examples of alternative energy generators.
Composting organic material: Composting is the biological decomposition of solid organic materials by bacteria, fungi, and other organisms into a soil-like product is yet another important factor in ecotourism domain. Compost can be used to enrich garden soils. Compost not only nourishes the soil but also helps increase moisture and decrease the need for additional watering.
Apart from the organic material that can be composted, non protein food waste can be composted as well. In the same manner disposable stuff that are made of non coated paper can also be composted and reintroduced to the environment.
Reuse and recycle material: One very nice aspect that is unfortunately often not taken care of or over looked is the possibilities of reusing or simple recycling of carpets, furniture, towels, linen and many more material when these are about to be changed. It would be a very good idea to donate these to your very near charity organization or even directly to house holds in the poor areas of the place your property is located. No charity action is too small to be neglected. But apart from fact that you are actually giving a helping hand in ecotourism spirit, you are directly having an effect on the environment by recycling or reuse of these material.
Bulk bath room amenities: Soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion provided from a bulk dispenser rather than in individual packages save time and money for your property and above all is eco friendly as it cuts down the packaging wastage and wastages coming from half used material and considered to be an important factor in ecotourism domain. Here are some ideas on how you can make a difference.
Install bulk dispenser in the rooms and fill them up when ever required. This helps in saving time, reduces the packaging wastage and reduces a lot of wastage of the material itself. Think of how much shampoo is wasted when half used packages are replaced every day. Doing this you not only do the environment a favor but also can be sure that you will save a lot of money in long run.
Reduce the risk of allergies for guests and use herbal and natural soaps and introduce these aspects to your guest as well.
Avoid disposable items: avoid using disposable items for as much as you can and if these cannot be avoided, then use items based on biodegradable material. Do not provide disposable items in each and every room as a standard service. Make it clear to the guest about what can be provided to them at no cost. Then the only thing they got to do is to ask for it. disposable items in hotels and ecotourism do not go hand in hand.
Organic and Eco friendly food: Eco-friendly food is food grown, gathered, or harvested near the point of use. Organic food is food made of raw material completely free from pesticides and other chemicals used in growing non organic food. By handling this you not only help in reducing many negative aspects impinging on the environment, but also you are sending a very positive message to your guests and at the same time emphasizing on their health. This is probably one of the best PR activities that flow naturally together with your ecotourism awareness.
Fresh organic food is tastier, looks better, last longer and in many of the cases is not more expensive than preparing non organic and non eco friendly food.
Buying eco-friendly food means you are supporting the local economy. It is good for you community when you support small farms and allow ecological diversity by letting their numbers grow around you. Another benefit of buying your food locally is that you save transport energy and at the same time reduce the packaging needs. If you practice all the above, at your property, then you are practising true ecotourism.
Tell your guests its “Good to be Green” introduce them to ecotourism: By showing your guests about your environmental awareness and the steps you take, you raise their appreciation. In some cases environmental issues are specific to specific areas so your steps could be educating even for guest with environmental awareness as they might not have been aware of such issues.
Try to expose your action by handing over written material to guests or by hanging posters in different places in your property, indicating your initiatives. You can be sure it is appreciated by many people. It can at the same time give your initiative an international exposure if the guests spread the words. Create a suggestion box and let your guest participate. This could increase the client involvement and loyalty to your organization.
Tell your staff its “Good to be Green” make then understand true ecotourism: Teaching your staff about environmental awareness and encouraging them is not only educational but also very important for individual development and also conveys your message to guests as well. Unity of your action within the organization is important. Staff education avoids staff ignoring the company initiatives or sending mixed messages by not understanding them or doing the wrong thing.
Train your staff well and follow up on their progress. Make sure they have understood the message and they practice it every day as a natural part of their work. Practice of ecotourism should not be taken lightly.
Conservation of energy a true friend of ecotourism: The more the energy is saved through use of the right equipment and procedures, the better are you focus on the environment. This is by reducing the amount of energy used, for example, through the use of energy efficient bulbs, turning off lights and appliances when not in use and using insulation. In simple words this can be achieved by introducing energy efficiency in order to reduce the energy consumption
Transportation and ecotourism: Some properties offer free transportation to their guests within a specific range. This action can reduces air pollution and fuel consumption by increasing the efficiency of moving guests around. Above all if the hotel uses a vehicle that runs on alternative fuels it's very conserving and efficient. It can also be efficient and environmental friendly if the transport is used for more than one person at a time which means good service, yet lesser vehicles running to and from different places hence reducing pollution.
Properties that offer this kind of service ought to try to make their vehicles as clean and possible and do not hesitate to mention this to their clients.
Recycling bin and sorting recyclable items: By placing special container both in guest rooms and in the property itself, recyclable items can be placed there instead of leaving them in trash bins. Thereafter these items can be sorted for recycling. This action where ever possible is a good thing to do for the environment. This action needs of course to be promoted to the guests as well as the staff to avoid any mixed messages.
In many of the cases it is experienced that guests are appreciative of environmental friendly initiatives. Therefore do not forget to make it transparent as this is an important factor in practising ecotourism.
Newspaper Programme: Some places they take pride in a service that every morning newspapers are sent to their guests. Many a time these go directly to waist as guests will not use them at all. Just think about the amount of paper wastage that could be saved just by allowing guests to request for it if they wanted it. The simplest solution to this actually big wastage is to inform guests that news papers will be made available to them, free of charge upon request. This is actually a big economical post as one could save quite an amount of money. |