Your favourite tourist destination has an ecosystem of its own. It might be a hill station, a coastal town with attractive beaches, a city that boasts of remarkable shopping and food centres, or a wildlife sanctuary—no matter what the place, it has its own environmental, economic and socio-cultural rhythm. When a tourist steps into this ecosystem for a few days’ worth of enjoyment, this delicately balanced structure faces a disruption, which may be economically beneficial in the short run, but can have destructive effects in the long run.
Now, imagine a flood of tourists flocking to a tourist destination during peak season. What kind of damage do you imagine this has on the ecosystem, year in and year out?
This is the dark side of tourism that the world has grown to identify over the last two decades. While tourism generates employment opportunities and brings focus to a site that has value, it also generates immense human waste and environmental destruction. A study published in the International Journal of Business Management, titled ‘Sustainable Tourism in India: Collective Efforts of Tourism Stakeholders’, explains that these negative impacts of tourism often bar locals from their own natural resources, create economic inequalities, and unwanted lifestyle changes, all thanks to the need to cater to tourist demands over the ecosystem’s own carrying capacity.
The tenets of sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is a term devised by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2005 to face up to these negative challenges posed by the tourism industry. The UNWTO defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and the host communities.”
The principles and practices of sustainable tourism can be applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, which makes it globally achievable if concerted efforts are made by the three parties involved: the tourist, the host and the tourism industry which mediates between the two. These parties are supposed to come together and guarantee the long-term sustainability of the destination’s ecosystem, which usually involves many environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects. Ideally, according to the UNWTO, sustainable tourism should achieve the following:
• Utilise environmental resources optimally, while maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.
• Respect and help conserve the socio-cultural authenticity, heritage, and traditional values of the host communities, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.
• Ensure long-term economic operations which provide benefits to all three parties. These benefits should be fairly distributed, and should include stable employment opportunities for the host communities.
Sustainable tourism, therefore, requires the informed participation of all the stakeholders, as well as a strong political leadership which raises awareness and implements tourism policies, to achieve the best results. This type of tourism, which will ultimately benefit everyone while protecting Mother Nature, requires wide participation, consensus building, constant monitoring, and the implementation of preventive and corrective measures whenever necessary.
COVID-19 pandemic: A new opportunity for sustainable tourism?
Nations across the world, including India, have been working for years now to generate more awareness about sustainable tourism, especially as a part of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Since sustainable tourism works to preserve natural environments, wildlife as well as small-scale agriculture, handicrafts and other traditional businesses, promoting it is likely to have a positive effect on the overall economy and long-term well-being of entire ecosystems. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a huge blow to the tourism industry worldwide.
With the global explosion in the number of positive cases last year, all nations had to impose travel restrictions and lockdowns or stay-at-home orders in varying degrees. Travel plans went for a toss for everyone, hotels and cruises were deeply affected, and nations dependent on tourism for income suffered huge losses. A study titled Hospitality and tourism industry amid COVID-19 pandemic, published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management in 2021 suggests that in India, the potential job loss in tourism and hospitality has been estimated at 38 million, which is 70 per cent of the industry workforce. The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has doubled the estimates of losses in India’s tourism sector from INR five lakh crores to INR 10 lakh crores. Now, with the second wave and a new sets of restrictions in 2021, these estimates are only likely to go up.
And yet, a news report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) suggests that people across the globe are now more aware of the need for sustainable tourism than ever before, partially due to the experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 witnessed the rise of terms like ‘staycations’, apart from helping people adopt better practices like buying locally produced organic or traditional ingredients, eating homecooked meals, regular sanitisation of homes, social distancing and wearing masks. The pandemic has also encouraged digitisation of all types of transactions, and this is quite likely to have a bearing on the tourism industry too.
The global events of 2020-2021 have therefore reshaped the way we think and lead our lives, and is going to affect the way we imagine and conduct tourism. In fact, with better awareness and more emphasis on responsible behaviour, now is the time for sustainable tourism to boom!
Best practices for sustainable tourism
So, while you may not be in a position to depart for your next trip with friends or family, or solo for that matter, you can learn a lot more about sustainable tourism and plan your trip accordingly. Here are the best practices to keep in mind for the time when you do get to travel next, with sustainability on your mind.
• Choose a destination which speaks to you as a person instead of heading to a place that’s currently popular. If a trip that celebrates the heritage of Mandu or revels in the natural glory of Mahabaleshwar speaks to you more than one to Maldives, then go for it. Travel to your destination of choice during the off season if you can, since this reduces the burden on the locals.
• Maintain good hygiene practices like wearing a mask, social distancing, handwashing and getting tested before travelling. Ensure that the place you stay at and the sites you visit are also following these protocols, since the danger of getting infected during travel is still very real.
• Remember that your travel destination is someone’s home, so treat it with the respect and care like you would for your own home. Avoid leaving behind any waste, and look for sustainable hotels, restaurants and other experiences while you’re there.
• Buy local produce, spices, handicrafts, art, fabrics and food instead of heading to a mall which has the same things you might get at home. This will help promote local employment and industry, and keep the local ecosystem self-reliant.
• If you’re visiting a wildlife sanctuary or national park, then ensure that you leave the habitat intact and talk to local representatives about the least incursive ways of enjoying this ecosystem. Do not carry weapons or products with harmful chemicals, or leave behind any plastic or non-biodegradable goods.
• Respect the traditions, cultures and gastronomy of the region you are visiting. Engage with the locals to create meaningful memories and partnerships for the future.