Sustainable tourism involves being aware of the economic, environmental, and cultural impacts of tourism. Companies and tourists make extra efforts to have a positive impact. Sustainable tourism is related to ecotourism but broader in scope, addressing environmental, economic, and cultural impacts. Companies address concerns in various ways, including investing in the local economy and promoting visits to local businesses. The cultural impact is addressed in pre-travel seminars and lectures. Sustainable tourism also involves making an active contribution to the community. It is also referred to as mindful or responsible tourism.
Sustainable tourism is a form of tourism that involves awareness of the potential economic, environmental and cultural impacts of tourism. Sustainable tourism companies and tourists who support the idea of sustainable tourism make extra efforts to ensure that their impact on the places they visit is positive, rather than just neutral or negative. Several certification agencies inspect and accredit tourism companies that offer sustainable package tours, with the aim of creating an industry-wide standard that makes it easier for tourists to select companies to do business with.
The concept of sustainable tourism is closely related to ecotourism, a form of tourism that focuses on environmental and ecological issues associated with tourism, but sustainable tourism is broader in scope. While sustainable tours are designed to address the environmental issues related to tourism, other considerations such as the impact of tourism on the local economy are also incorporated into the sustainable tourism philosophy. Furthermore, this sector is very aware of the cultural impacts of tourism, especially on indigenous peoples.
Companies offering sustainable tourism typically address their customers’ concerns in a variety of ways. Many try to create tours with minimal environmental impact, sometimes buying carbon offsets to offset the energy used on trips, for example. These companies also invest in the local economy and encourage their clients to do the same, promoting visits to local businesses, local artisans and so on, to ensure more funds reach the local community.
The cultural impact of tourism is often addressed with sensitive travelers in pre-travel seminars and lectures. Such courses discuss religious beliefs, cultural traditions and other issues tourists may encounter. The goal is to enable people to witness and participate in traditional cultures without altering them.
Sometimes, sustainable tourism also involves making an active contribution to the community. For example, tourists could volunteer with local organizations and help provide healthcare, housing, and other services to needy people in the community. Others might participate in environmental cleanups or make donations to nonprofits and charities that serve the area.
You may also hear sustainable tourism referred to as mindful or responsible tourism. This philosophy recognizes the fact that economic, social and environmental change can be very subtle, gradual and sometimes irreversible, with an emphasis on changing potentially harmful behaviors before it is too late.
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