Why green tourism can help save the planet

Tourism is now said to be one of the fastest growing industries in the world. With the rising numbers of tourists and the impact they have towards the environment, the practice of green tourism is starting to become a necessity. However, in order to practice green tourism, you must know what green tourism is, why it is crucial to the environment, and how you can help contribute. 

What is green tourism?

Green tourism is an environmentally friendly type of tourism. In comparison to commercial tourism, green tourism involves travel to natural areas and the conservation of the environment. A basic part of green tourism involves recycling, energy efficiency, the conservation of water, and the creation of opportunities in economics for communities. Green tourism has multiple purposes and benefits. Including, but not limited to, education, the support of different cultures, and it is an important part of the future generations life so they could visit locations that are, to some degree, undisturbed by human involvement. 

Why is green tourism important?

First and foremost, green tourism enables wildlife to stay in the wild. In many places, animals are used to attract tourists, but the animals themselves are not treated with respect. Green tourism includes educating yourself in these topics that involve wildlife and averting the places that do not have the best interest of the animals. 

Second, green tourism has a lower ecological impact. While on vacation, the foods you consume greatly affect your ecological footprint. Some people like to eat foods that they can find at home. However, imagine what this means for the location you are visiting. Importing food from different countries comes at a big price economically and environmentally. Part of green tourism involves eating food produced in that destination and foods found in local businesses. 

What are the approaches to green tourism?

Due to the fact that there are a number of social, economic, political, and ecological limits to the development of tourism, sustainable approaches must be put into action to eliminate these problems. These following approaches are from the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). The first approach is reducing over-consumption and waste produced which helps prevent long-term damage to the environment. Biodiversity maintenance is also an important approach because promoting diversity is necessary for long-term sustainable tourism. Supporting local economies strongly benefits the location you are residing in by giving them an opportunity to do business and be more independent. These are just a few of the approaches to green tourism. However, there are many more that should be taken into consideration. 

Controlled tourism in Bhutan is an example of green tourism. Bhutan is known to be one of the happiest countries in the world. Bhutan has made sure to keep their people’s sustainable way of life intact by being relatively untouched by colonialism. The country’s tourism works on the principle of “high value, low impact”. This has been attained by imposing a daily visitor tariff and strict requirements for entry.

To save beautiful sites like these, practice green tourism. Green tourism strongly benefits not only the environment but also the economies and communities in that country. We strongly encourage you to do some more research on this topic and see how you can help contribute to green tourism the next time you visit a different country.