When it comes to sustainable tourism, there are many benefits to choosing to go green. These benefits can include a healthier environment, a more authentic experience, and an opportunity to help preserve a region for future generations.
Another essential benefit of sustainable tourism is that it encourages locals to engage on a community level. This allows travelers to uncover hidden gems often unavailable with larger tour companies.
Eco-Friendly Accommodation
Travel trends show that more and more people want to do their part to lessen the environmental impact of travel. This is a good thing!
Your accommodation is one of the most important considerations when choosing an eco-friendly tour. These hotels are usually designed to reduce the use of natural resources and energy to the minimum and take care of waste treatment so that their environmental impact is as low as possible.
This can be done in a few ways: reducing, reusing, and recycling. For example, hotels can reduce water usage by using point-of-use water filtration systems or encouraging guests to reuse towels and sheets to save water, recycle as much as possible, and offer free, environmentally friendly cleaning products from toxic chemicals.
Some hotels also use renewable energy, which is becoming increasingly common in the industry. This can include using solar panels for electricity or a wind generator to power the building's electrical needs.
These hotels may also practice composting and utilize local materials. This helps reduce their carbon footprint and supports the community where they are located.
Some hotels even have their gardens and grow their food. This is a great way to connect with the community and learn about local culture while doing your part for the environment.
Local Attractions
Sustainable tours are a great way to experience local attractions. They help support a destination's culture and encourage people to consider their impact on the area.
One of the best ways to find these tours is to use online travel agencies and some expert advisors like https://www.retailmenot.com/view/viator.com, which specializes in sustainable tourism that offers tours and tickets. These companies work with local communities to encourage more sustainable activities, recycle and keep nature pristine, and promote education for children.
Some of these sites even offer tickets for local attractions. These can be an essential part of any sustainable tour because they can help to reduce the need for plastic water bottles and other souvenirs.
Local Guides
When you are on a sustainable tour, choosing guides who respect and benefit the local community is essential. Guides help tourists understand their destination's culture, traditions, history, flora, and fauna. They can also offer tips on where to find the best food and activities and ways to minimize your environmental impact.
Another way to contribute to sustainable tourism is to become a Google Local Guide. This program rewards people who add photos and reviews or answer questions about places on Maps.
This is a great way to get recognition for your work. The more you contribute, the more points you earn that you can use to unlock new levels on Google Maps.
As a Local Guide, you can even receive free travel perks from Google! These can include bus tickets, hotel discounts, and e-book deals.
You can even be selected to attend the annual Local Guides Meet in California, paid for by Google. This event takes place annually, and only 150 people are chosen.
Despite some recent challenges, there is a small and active community of Local Guides on Reddit. These people share updates on the Local Guides program, insights about enriching Google Maps, and support for local business owners.
Local Food
Over one-third of all tourists' spending is estimated to be related to food. This means that if a destination can offer a variety of locally produced foods, they have a good chance of increasing its overall tourism income.
Moreover, local food has been linked to the sustainability of rural development. It has been found to stimulate agricultural activity, create job opportunities, and encourage entrepreneurship. Additionally, it has been found to enhance the attractiveness of destinations and reinforce their brand identity.
Sims (2009) evaluated the role of local food in sustainable tourism development. She argued that local food could satisfy a complex range of demands, from producers' concerns about reducing their food miles to tourists' requirements for food products that reflect the destination's culture to local community members' needs for support from local businesses.
Using semi-structured interviews with tourists and supply-side representatives, she found that their understandings of local food differed according to personal beliefs and circumstances. Nevertheless, their definitions had several common elements, such as geographical proximity and symbolic qualities.
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