Finally, we have the opportunity to travel more freely now. However, in addition to continuing carrying out health protocols, we can also travel while implementing sustainable travel.
Not just eco-friendly travel, what is sustainable travel, and how to do it?
What is Sustainable Travel?
Sustainable travel can be said as a form of a sustainable lifestyle. The aim of these eco-friendly travel is to ensure that tourism can be sustained in the long term without damaging the natural and cultural environment.
In addition, sustainable travel must be able to minimize the negative impacts of tourism. Also, providing ideal benefits to areas that become tourist locations, both for the environment and the community.
The World Tourism Organization itself defines sustainable travel as an activity that meets the needs of tourists and tourist areas while protecting and creating more opportunities for the future.
It refers to the management of existing resources so that economic, social, and aesthetic needs can be sufficed. At the same time, maintaining cultural integrity, essential economic processes, biodiversity, and life support systems.
So, as tourists, we are asked to be more aware of the level of pollution caused by our traveling activities. And, how it affects the local environment and wildlife. We also need to be aware of how tourism can affect local communities, businesses, and indigenous cultures.
Why We Have to Implement Sustainable Travel?
Sustainable travel is increasingly being echoed because the negative impact of tourism on environmental sustainability is increasingly worrying. This is because traveling is an activity that relies on burning fossil fuels that contribute to recent climate change.
It is estimated that by 2050, tourism will account for 40 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. As many as 72 percent of carbon emissions from tourism come from transportation, 24 percent from accommodation, and the remaining 4 percent from other tourism activities. This condition certainly leads to serious environmental problems.
Therefore, we are invited to implement sustainable travel for a sustainable life.
Basic Ethics in Sustainable Travel
In carrying out sustainable travel, we can be guided by the three underlying ethics, as mentioned in Charlie on Travel, namely:
Environmental Ethics
Environmental ethics focuses on reducing the negative impact on the environment and wildlife from tourism activities. This includes reducing carbon footprints, such as from air travel, water use, plastic waste, and not damaging wildlife ecosystems.
For that, make sure we don’t leave any trash at tourist sites. The hotel or inn that we choose should also apply the concept of recycling or support sustainability. As for wildlife tourism, look for places that do not exploit animals and are responsible for animal survival.
Social Ethics
Social ethics relates to the impact of tourism activities on society and local communities. This includes supporting businesses run and employing local people, local tourism projects, NGOs, social enterprises, and charities.
In addition, we as tourists should know who is employed, whether workers are paid fairly, and whether they work in a safe work environment.
Economic Ethics
Broadly speaking, economic ethics refers to sustainable business. The connection with sustainable travel is that we, as tourists, use money to contribute positively to the local economy.
As tourists, the money we spend should be used for hotels, restaurants, tour guides, and others that are managed locally. In this way, we support the sustainability of the local economy in these tourist locations.
Tips for Sustainable Traveling
There are some tips that can be done so that sustainable travel is successfully carried out comfortably and safely. Among them:
- Reduce travel by plane. If you have to, then choose a direct flight. Switch to other transportation options, such as buses or trains.
- Bring a tumbler or travel mug.
- Bring multipurpose plug
- When diving or snorkeling, do not step on the coral.
- Eat at local restaurants and eat local food.
- Buying food produced by local residents.
- Buy souvenirs made by local residents.
- Reduce the load in your travel bag or suitcase to reduce energy consumption in the mode of transportation you use.
- Bring environmentally friendly equipment, such as eco-bags.
Let’s travel with consciousness!