What is sustainable tourism? To answer this question, we must first identify the behaviors that make our travel “unsustainable” for communities and the environment. Traffic, damage to natural habitats and land depletion are just some of the consequences of mass tourism. Making our holidays more sustainable will be essential for the environment and for the generations of today and tomorrow.
What is the sustainable tourismand how can we achieve it first hand, during our holidays? To be able to talk about “sustainability” in the tourism sector, we should first understand which practices make tourism an often profoundly unsustainable “market”.
You have probably already happened to walk through the streets of Taorminain Sicily, and not being able to walk more than half a meter without having to elbow your way through the hundreds of tourists who invade this pretty city in the summer.
Or maybe you’ve tried to admire the bridges of Venicewith poor results, as they were literally invaded by visitors from all over the world.
Crossing our borders, you may have reluctantly noticed that visiting the market of Boqueria in Barcelona can be a far from simple undertaking, and taking a panoramic photo of the island of Santorini It’s not as easy as it might seem, especially if you choose to visit these places during the so-called “high season”.
The effects of “unsustainable” tourism
Overcrowding, traffic-clogged streets, garbage abandoned on the sidewalks, disturbing the local fauna and destruction of entire habitatspolluted beaches, noisy tourists at any time of the day or night, uncontrolled exploitation of resources, price increase (including rents): this is what, every year, people living in some of the most visited destinations on our planet are forced to endure, destinations that are victims of the so-called “overtourism“, or tourist overcrowding.
In addition to the clear inconvenience that affects the daily life of residents, all this can lead to serious damage to the environment tooendangering the precious biodiversity local.
This is where “sustainable tourism” comes into play, a concept that made its way in the 80s and 90s, when the problems of sustainable tourism became increasingly evident. harmful effects of rampant mass tourism.
What is “sustainable tourism” and what does it mean?
There are several definitions of “sustainable tourism”. In short, this expression indicates the adoption of “sustainable” practices both by tourists and by other actors involved in the “travel” sector.
Wanting to dig deeper, we could borrow the explanation proposed by United Nations Environment Programme and from theUnited Nations World Tourism Organizationaccording to which sustainable tourism should take into account the economic, social and environmental impacts of travel, both in the short and long term.
It should therefore be a way of travelling that takes into account the needs of travellers, but above all protects the environment, the activities and the life of the “host” communities.
In short, tourism designed to enrich, and not to impoverish, the territory. A “new” way of travellingwhich aims to reduce the negative impact of tourism and help preserve ecosystems, the territory and local communities.
What does a sustainable tourist do?
Now that we know what sustainable tourism is and how important it is to implement a change as soon as possible, all that remains is turning words into actions: what can we do, concretely, to become “sustainable tourists”?
In the past, we have already proposed a series of ideas to make holidays sustainable and respectful for the environment and for the people who live in some of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. For tourism to become truly “sustainable”, the needs of travellers and those of residents should be equally respected. It is therefore necessary to adopt virtuous practices, aimed at preserving the cultural and natural heritage of places. Let’s take a few examples:
- To prefer sustainable transport
- Opt for the local food
- Support local businesses
- For your travels, choose green destinations with a low environmental impact
- Choose accommodations that adopt eco-friendly policies
- Don’t leave rubbish on the street
- Do not disturb the public peace.
Small, very small gestures that will help preserve the beauty of your favorite places, for the good of the local populations, the planet and future generations.
Source: www.greenstyle.it
