A Better Way to Holiday

This weeks blog-thoughts, by Miss Fantastic James....

We all love a good break away right?!

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Whether it's a family holiday somewhere warm, a weekend getaway with friends, or even a solo trip for some much needed r&r, we all deserve a break at times, and why not enjoy this much needed time off somewhere new and exciting?

(Image retrieved from: https://life.spectator.co.uk/articles/sorry-sunbathing-doesnt-extend-your-lifespan/)

I don't know about you, but some of my fondest memories are from when I've traveled overseas. I loved the food, architecture, art and culture in Paris; I loved doing a walking tour around Berlin and hearing incredible untold stories about illegal attempts to cross the notorious Berlin Wall; and I have been blown away by the underwater world around the islands of Vanuatu.

  

I'm sure you also have many, many incredible memories in relation to your holidays too.

But while you were soaking up the sun in Bali, or slurping on spaghetti in Rome, did you ever think about how sustainable your travels actually were?

I've done loads of travelling in my time, but over the last few years (and on my last few big trips), I have thought more and more about the negative impacts our travels may be having on our environment.

Tourism is no new thing, and, the tourism industry has become an important source of income for many regions, and even for entire countries all over the world.

In many places tourism brings huge amounts of income into a local economy, in the form of tourists paying for goods and services they need, in any given destination. As of 2011, this accounted for 30% of the world's trade in services. It also generates many opportunities for employment in the service sector of any economy that has a tourism sector.

Additionally, hospitality industries benefit from tourism, including transportation services (such as airlines, cruise ships, trains and taxis); accommodation (including hotels, hostels, homestays, resorts and renting out rooms); and entertainment venues (such as amusement parks, restaurants, casinos, shopping malls, music venues, and theatres). This is all in addition to the copious goods bought by tourists, including souvenirs, when travelling.

On the flip-side, tourism can have various negative impacts; on people, on communities, and of course, on the natural environment.

In places where tourism has boomed faster than infrastructure can ensure its sustainability, some devastating consequences are occurring.

Have a look at this image of a beach on the Indonesian island of Bali:

(Image sourced from: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/10/bali-fights-for-its-beautiful-beaches-by-rethinking-waste-plastic-trash/ )

This shocking image, and many others like it, shows piles and piles of washed up rubbish - tonnes of plastic bottles and bags amongst a myriad of harmful other waste. According to Amanda Sidharta, writing for National Geographic, "beaches on the paradisiacal island in the Indonesian archipelago increasingly feature not shells, but rather, plastic trash."

Instead of the postcard perfect images we see in travel magazines and online, the reality in Bali, and in many other tourism dependent places around the world, we see filth and trash, and environmental crises. Sidharta continues to explain:

"Plastic waste has been piling up on Bali, fueled by a lack of infrastructure—or an official plan—to deal with it. Also contributing to bottle- and bag-strewn beaches are growing tourism, ingrained cultural practices, and a lack of awareness about the lifecycle of plastic from disposal, to sea, to washing up on beaches as trash."

Worryingly, this complex problem isn't singular to the popular holiday island West-Aussies know and love so well.

The increase in world tourism has also contributed to the desperate need for finding solutions to our fossil fuel crisis and the impact of humanity on climate change, and the almost irreversible damage we have caused over the last couple-a-hundred years.

Tourism's reliance on fossil fuels and tourism's effect on climate change are of major concern to the increasingly eco-aware traveler like me. According to a 2010 article in the Journal of Transport Geography, 72% of tourism's CO2 emissions come from transportation, 24% from accommodation, and 4% from local activities (note - the statistics are from 2010, and would have increased since then). Shockingly, aviation accounts for 55% of those transportation CO2 emissions (or 40% of tourism's total).

To put specifically air travel's carbon footprint into perspective,when considering the impact of ALL greenhouse gas emissions, of condensation trails and induced cirrus clouds, aviation alone could account for up to 75% of tourism's already significant climate impact.

Global economists forecast continuing international tourism growth. The amount of this growth depends on location. With this growth also comes more pollution and other adverse effects.

As one of the world's largest and fastest growing industries, this continuous growth is placing enormous stress on the world's (diminishing) remaining biologically diverse habitats and indigenous cultures, which are ironically often used to perpetuate mass tourism.

As I've made pretty clear, I'm all for holidays, but I believe it is important that those of us who love to travel make conscientious choices about the places we visit, the activities we participate in, the tours and other attractions we choose to spend money on, and of course, how we behave and consume in, and the way we treat the places we visit.

Now my eco-conscious readers, I have some suggestions for how we can promote more sustainable tourism, both at home and overseas.

Fist of all, we must, must, must support ecotourism when we get that much needed time off work and school.

Buying into ecotourism is one way we can combat the increasingly unsustainable practices that the world's tourism industry relies on.

The definition of ecotourism, adopted by Ecotourism Australia, is:

"Ecotourism is ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation."

Tourists who promote sustainable tourism are sensitive to the dangers outlined above. Such tourists seek to protect tourist destinations, as well as to protect tourism as an industry.

Some ways that we can be sustainable tourists, and that we can reduce the impact of tourism in many ways include:

• informing ourselves of the culture, politics, and economy of the communities we visit
• anticipating and respecting local cultures, expectations and assumptions
• supporting the integrity of local cultures by favouring businesses which conserve cultural heritage and traditional values
• supporting local economies by purchasing local goods, and participating with small, local businesses
• conserving resources by seeking out businesses that are environmentally conscious, and by using the least possible amount of non-renewable resources
• Take our sustainable behaviours that we practise at home (such as reusing and recycling, and not producing too much waste) wherever we go

Another thing we can choose to do, is to shrink our own carbon footprint by choosing to travel more locally (essentially flying less), or look for the most environmentally friendly way to make our journeys. I know Greta Thunberg refuses to travel by aeroplane, and often sails across our expansive oceans if she needs to travel internationally - what an example she has become in our pollution ridden world!

In Western Australia, we are extremely lucky to have many options when it comes to sustainable tourism. Just the other month, I went on a whale shark swim tour with The Islands Whale Shark Dive in Exmouth, who are "a marine eco-adventure tour company", and are interested in "conserving the environment and help[ing] local communities." It was an incredible experience, and helped support sustainable tourism in my own back yard. Here's me with WALL-E (the name I gave our handsome juvenile whale shark):

Now, I'm not saying that this is easy, or that you can never book an exciting flight again. I am saying though, that we all need to do our part in creating a more sustainable world, otherwise, we won't just lose our holidays, we will lose our beautiful planet Earth.

So let's ensure we are self-reflective and are always thinking about whether our actions are going to have a negative impact on the planet, or whether we are contributing to changing the world for the better.

So when you're looking for your next adventure, I suggest you search for sustainable tours, accommodation, activities and travel, wherever you are thinking of visiting. Not only will this give you more peace of mind, it will help in supporting and promoting sustainable tourism all over the world.

That's it from me this week; next week's post will be about sustainable eating - and you know how much I love a good meal!