We've said it before, and we'll say it again: The way we travel has to change. Tourism has enormous potential to do positive things for people and for the planet. According to a report published in 2009 by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO):


"Tourism is an effective way of redistributing wealth and a catalyst
for gender equality, cultural preservation and nature conservation."


It's true that tourism can be a powerful force for good. And we, as green travelers, can support this force for good by moving away from traditional tourism, and deliberately moving toward responsible, sustainable tourism.


To illustrate, we've listed a few facts associated with traditional tourism.


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Water



  • Golf: An average golf course in a tropical country such as Thailand needs 1500kg of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides per year and uses as much water as 60,000 rural villagers.

  • Zanzibar: Tourists typically consume 15 times more water than local residents on a daily basis.

  • Botswana: The first luxury tourist lodge to open in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve boasts a swimming pool for guests and has been allowed to drill a borehole to access water. Meanwhile, the government is refusing to re-open a borehole that was used by the indigenous Bushmen, forcing them to make a 300km round trip or collect water from depressions in the sand.


(Source: Tourism Concern Water Equity in Tourism)


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Environment



  • Biodiversity: Most major tourist destinations in the northern hemisphere are biodiversity hotspots (for example, the Mediterranean Coast and Mesoamerica). Yet the impacts of tourism, especially strained resources from high numbers of visitors, are threatening this biodiversity.

  • Coral: According to Ocean Planet, when a ship drops an anchor (which could weigh up to 5 tons) the weight can break coral heads. In addition, the long swaying anchor chain can crush coral in its wide swing. Just one anchoring in calm seas with no wind can do damage that will take a reef 50 years to repair.


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Global Climate Change



  • Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Tourism and travel account for approximately five per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. By 2035, under a “business as usual” scenario, carbon dioxide emissions from global tourism are projected to increase by 130 per cent. (Source: UNWTO)

  • Maldives: Global climate change will cause sea levels to rise, threatening coastal and marine communities and tourism. The Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, are among the flattest islands in the world and they average 7.5 feet above sea level – a slight rise in sea level threatens the very existence of many of these islands.