What Is Sustainable Tourism? And Why Does It Matter?

Over the last decades, tourism has exhibited continued growth and increased diversification, generating both employment and income, both directly and diffused throughout the economy, and as more and more people travel each year, its carbon footprint is only growing. Future changes in temperature and other important features of climate change will manifest themselves differently across the regions of the world. Australia is likely to warm, meaning that periods of extreme heat could become more frequent, rainfall events will become more intense, and mega-droughts will last 20 years or more. Tourism must seek to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions considerably in accordance with the international community.

It's paramount that tourism is well-planned and managed, embracing the principles of sustainability and taking into account its current and future impacts, addressing the needs of sightseers, the industry, the environment, and host communities. Achieving sustainable tourism is an uninterrupted process, and real-time insights introduce much-needed preventative and/or corrective measures.

Sustainable Tourism Is A Responsible Approach To Traveling

Travel requires a large amount of time and energy, which involves burning fossil fuels, and the extraction and consumption of these resources deplete the earth's reserves. Sustainable tourism attempts to strike a balance between the positive and negative impacts on destinations to create an improved quality of life for local populations. It's transforming the way we explore the world, encouraging people to make conscious choices to ensure the well-being of the places they visit. The stability of our world's climate depends on our ability to slow down or even reverse global warming, which requires emissions to fall by 7.5% annually by 2035.

Sustainability shouldn't be regarded as a separate component of tourism but rather as a condition of the sector as a whole. With increasing urbanization, destinations in industrialized and developed countries, along with natural features, scenery, cultural heritage, and biodiversity, are becoming leading tourist attractions. The biophysical characteristics of these places render them susceptible to damage from human activities, and as the scale of tourism grows, resource use will become unsustainable. Sustainable tourism aims to:

• Use natural resources optimally to maintain essential ecological processes and conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.
• Respect the social-cultural authenticity of host communities and make conscious decisions to protect our globe.
• Guarantee viable, long-term economic operations that allow for a high standard of living without destroying the planet that sustains us.

It's evident that the sustainable tourism agenda is a broad one, which delivers economic benefits to destinations and communities through competitive, viable practices that create employment and minimise the adverse impacts on the environment.

Whether It's For Fun Or For Business, Ensure You're A Responsible Traveller

Being a sustainable traveller isn't about making grand gestures but about small actions that truly make a difference. Sustainability is an attitude first, so you should uphold your basic responsibilities to people and the planet while setting the stage for long-term success by ensuring your travel is as eco-friendly as possible. Here are some top strategies to show initiative:

Plan Your Next Vacation In Advance So You Don't Lose Sight Of What Matters

Moments of spontaneity can be the highlight of your trip, but it's best to plan your vacation really far in advance to reduce anxiety and avoid stressful situations. A travel plan helps reduce local traffic and parking congestion, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention it promotes a healthy lifestyle, economic growth, and environmental improvement. Reduce the distance travelled and travel in a way that burns less (or no) fossil fuels, such as taking the train or using a bicycle to explore and enjoy the scenery. If you need to fly, remember there's a large disparity between the carbon emissions of aircraft and the operating procedures of airlines.

Shop Locally To Reduce Your Impact On The Environment

While it may seem that food options are limited, healthy options abound, so investigate availability at the destination. Trying the local cuisine helps you get a better understanding of the place you're visiting – food is an essential part of every culture; its more than a means of sustenance. Local food is fresher because it hasn't been flown from thousands of miles away, it bursts with flavour that's not easy to forget, and it supports environmentally friendly production practices. Preparing meals on vacation is worth it, so make sure you have a stove and a fridge; cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen can be challenging, but you can manage it.

Correctly Separate And Dispose Of Your Waste To Avoid Pollution

Tourists can generate twice as much waste as local residents, which is composed of various materials, including organic and hazardous ones, that can give rise to significant environmental impacts upon disposal. It's important to manage your waste and do your best to be responsible. In Australia, you'll find a different education level involving recycling and minimising waste. Different cardboard baling machines are used to reduce the volume of waste sent to the landfill, where it’s subject to decomposition, hastened or delayed depending on the amount of oxygen, temperature, and moisture. Bring a stainless-steel reusable bottle with you, use a bamboo or wooden toothbrush, and join a local litter pick.

What Are The Future Prospects Of Sustainable Tourism?

Climate change has immense consequences for the state of the world's environment through changes in the use of land and other resources, threatening the well-being of local populations. Some countries have succeeded in including tourism in their sustainable development goals. For example, Costa Rica makes the most of the biodiversity in its rainforests and advances the idea of ecotourism through small-scale, high-end lodges, while Nicaragua and Panama derive their electricity from hydropower, geothermal, wind, biomass, and solar sources. It's important to respect the local customs, dress appropriately, and maybe take the time to learn the local language.

Wrapping it up, sustainable tourism preserves and protects the natural and cultural environment for inclusive development, and its future is both promising and challenging. Governments should take a comprehensive approach to climate change mitigation, that is, take into account the issues relating to tourism, along with transport patterns and long-term energy use.