We all love travel because it’s an escape from the everyday drudgery of life, but don’t forget to be a responsible tourist and remember why you wanted to travel in the first place.
It estimated that by 2020, over 1.5 billion people will be traveling across borders each year. That’s a lot of people, but if we all travel with a bit of insight, we can look after the world and learn about it at the same time. Open your mind to other cultures and traditions to get the most out of your time abroad.
As global travel becomes more accessible, the impact of tourism on the environment, local communities, and cultures is becoming increasingly significant. Responsible tourism aims to minimize these negative impacts while maximizing the positive contributions to the places we visit. By adopting sustainable travel practices, tourists can help preserve destinations for future generations while enjoying enriching experiences.
Responsible tourism involves making travel choices that contribute positively to the environment, economy, and local communities. It focuses on:
- Environmental Sustainability: Reducing carbon footprint, conserving natural resources, and protecting wildlife.
- Economic Benefits: Supporting local businesses and ensuring that tourism revenue benefits the local economy.
- Cultural Respect: Preserving cultural heritage and promoting respectful interactions with local people.
Low carbon travel: has become increasingly important in the modern age. Travelers in this niche are working hard to reduce the carbon footprint of their holiday. Low carbon travelers favor close-to-home excursions over world tours that burn massive amounts of fuel. In this mode of travel, buses, bicycles and old-fashioned walking trump taxis and hire cars.
Eco tourism: has cultural and environmental conservation at its core. Eco tourism forsakes luxury and convenience in favor of sustainable practice and cultural respect. While on holiday, eco travelers recycle, get involved in the local community, cut back on carbon emissions and try to make meaningful connections with people and the environment along the way.
Climate change and travel: is an important issue facing today’s travelers. Airplanes emit roughly the same amount of greenhouse gases per mile as cars. The problem is that affordable airfares enables travelers to tackle exceedingly longer distances in the same time frame. Travelers concerned with climate change are mindful of the carbon footprint of their holiday, favoring public transportation (especially trains) over airplanes and close-to-home getaways over world travel. Carbon offsets allow travelers to compensate for long-haul flights.
Before you travel, research your destination to understand its environmental, economic, and cultural context. Look for eco-friendly accommodations and activities.
Research your destination a little before you go to ensure that you know any dress code or customs that the local people may follow. If you make the effort to learn just a few words of the local language or dialect, it will transform people’s opinion of you and allow you a clearer insight into local life. Look around at how the local people behave and try and follow their lead. For example, if the local women dress modestly and keep covered up, then don’t flaunt your body in short skirts and low-cut tops.
Familiarize yourself with local laws before you go so that you do not inadvertently commit any criminal act. You should also research the country’s political situation to be sure that you are not putting yourself into any unnecessary danger. Remember that prostitution is illegal in some places and that the sexual abuse of children is always illegal.
Some hotels have written policies for environmental impact, cultural policies and employment. If you research well, you could be helping out the environment while you sleep. You can minimise your impact on natural surroundings by offsetting your carbon footprint or taking public transport rather than hiring a car. Be responsible when throwing away garbage, especially plastic products and batteries. If you can take them back to your own country to be disposed of properly, it will be better for the environment.
Sustainable tourism is a mode of travel concerned with reducing the impact a traveler has on resources at the destination. Above all, sustainable tourists want to ‘do no harm’ while they’re on vacation.
While traveling, these tourists look for sustainable businesses like restaurants that deal with local farmers, hotels that offer recycling programs and use energy-conserving appliances and tour operators that work to conserve the environment and promote local cultures.
Use public transportation, bike, or walk whenever possible. Offset your carbon emissions if flying is necessary.
Engage Locally
Participate in community-based tourism activities that benefit local people and respect their culture.
If you choose to buy locally made products, you will be contributing to a sustainable economy. But ensure that you ask about the product’s origins first. Respect the local environment and do not buy products that are made from endangered animal or plant species such as ivory or teak. Although bargaining can be fun, avoid doing it too aggressively. Remember the value of the money you are bartering with and try not to offend people.
By hiring a local guide you will be contributing to the local economy and giving someone a job as well as enriching your own experience of a place. When following nature trails or visiting National Heritage sites, don’t steal biological or archeological articles. Leave them there for other people to enjoy in the years to come.
It’s good travel sense to respect foreign cultures and different religions; local people take their beliefs and ways as seriously as you do yours. Also, travelers can get into serious trouble, and even legal trouble, for disrespecting religions and cultures. Ignorance is no excuse, and if you cause offense you may find that more than your holiday is ruined.
Respecting Buddhism
Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that has been around for over 2,500 years and has over 376 million followers across the globe. Buddhists believe that all life is interconnected and that compassion, morality, meditation and wisdom are the way to enlightenment. Buddhists don’t believe in a god, but believe in people.
There are many different sects of Buddhism although the main ones practiced are Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhism worship is flexible and can be practiced at home or in a temple. There are various Buddhist festivals and special events held throughout the year, during which time followers visit temples to pay their respects.
The four basic concepts of Buddhism are about ridding oneself of wants and to develop spiritually into a perfect person that craves nothing and can be happy and content with the basics, which will let them experience the ultimate happiness in this life and the next.
Practicing Buddhism involves the art of meditation, for which there are different types depending on which sect of Buddhism followed. With all meditation there is a common goal and that is to concentrate in a way that can calm one’s thoughts and consciousness to a state of tranquility. All types of meditation are about controlling the mind and letting everything go.
Things to do when interacting with Buddhist monks / visiting Buddhist temples:
- Make offerings of food or other necessities to monks in temples. Generally there are shops nearby to temples selling pails filled with general items that can be purchased then offered to monks.
- Bow three times with your forehead to the ground when sitting in front of a monk.
- Remove shoes before entering a Buddhist temple.
- Be respectful when taking pictures inside a Buddhist temple.
- Dress appropriately with no revealing clothes.
- Turn off mobile phones.
Things not to do when interacting with Buddhist monks / visiting Buddhist temples:
- Point your feet toward a monk or Buddhist statue.
- Talk loudly inside a Buddhist temple.
- Eat inside a Buddhist temple.
- Touch a monk, particularly if you are a woman.
- Interrupt meditation sessions.
Respecting Hinduism
Hinduism is the main religion of India and Nepal although there are followers in many other countries around the globe, with an estimated one billion adherents worldwide. Hinduism is thought to be one of the oldest living religions, dating back to the early Harappan period (5500 to 2600 BCE).
Hinduism has no single God or founder, scripture or way of teaching the religion. The religion is more a way of life and an amalgamation of different beliefs with close ties to Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. The name Hindu comes from the large river system located in the northwest of Sindhu.
Hindu beliefs are deeply governed by karma, with the cycle of life thought to continue many times over and that the actions of one’s current life have a direct impact on the next incarnation. Meditation and yoga have an important role in Hinduism, with being calm and thoughtful paramount goals.
Things to do when interacting with Hindus/visiting Hindu temples:
- Dress appropriately; no revealing clothing or offensive slogans or pictures on shirts.
- Be respectful of the temple and behave in a quiet and reserved manner.
- Make sure to observe any rules or guidelines posted outside temples and follow them strictly.
- Enter the temple with a positive mindset and devotion to the religion.
- Remove footwear before entering the temple.
- When in the special prayer room it is important to remain completely silent as any conversing is taken with deep disrespect.
- Bring a small donation of food such as nuts, which can generally be bought nearby the temple.
- Be sure to talk to the temple swami as they can offer much information and insight to the religion.
Things not to do when interacting with Hindus/visiting Hindu temples:
- Eat, smoke or chew gum inside a temple or whilst talking to a swami.
- Bring any non-vegetarian food into the grounds of the temple.
- Take any photographs or video of the deities. It is best to ask permission before taking any pictures.
- Some temples will not let you bring or wear any cow leather, so it’s best not to have any leather products (note: this doesn’t apply to all Hindu temples.)
Respecting Islam
Islam is a religion that revolves around the teachings in the Quran, which is considered the prime message of the God, or Allah, revealed by the Holy Prophet Muhammad over 1,400 years ago.
The word Islam directly translates to ‘peace’. Other meanings are interrupted as surrendering of one’s will and pleasure for the sake of God. The main focus and message of Islam is the unity of God and that he is the one and only God.
Allah is believed to be the sole creator of all life and the giver of rain. The Holy Prophet Muhammad is considered to be the last prophet and the servant and messenger of Allah, who was to convey the divine message to the world.
Islam believes that each person is born pure. Muslim followers have five main duties and responsibilities to their religion. Firstly, bearing witness to the unity of God and Muhammad; secondly, practicing the prescribe prayer; thirdly, payment of Zakat, fourthly, fasting for Ramadan; and lastly, taking part in a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Things to do when interacting with Muslims / visiting mosques:
- Remove footwear before entering the prayer area. Wearing a pair of clean socks is a good idea.
- Don’t talk loudly inside the mosque.
- Wear appropriate clothing; women should be covered up and men should only wear shorts that go below the knee.
- Men and women have different entrances to the mosque so be aware of this and look out for signs.
- Don’t point your feet toward the Qibla, which is the wall with an alcove, unless you have a medical condition that makes it the only possible option.
Things not to do when interacting with Muslims / visiting mosques:
- Shake hands with members of the opposite sex.
- If one of the five daily prayers is in progress then as a visitor, do not join in; only observe. It’s best to find a spot at the back of the room and keep quiet.
- Women are expected not to come to a mosque during their menstrual period.
- Don’t criticize the Islamic worship or beliefs whilst talking to Muslim followers.
If you want to go on an extended holiday, there are a few ideas that you may want to utilize to give something back to the environment and culture you are visiting:
- Volunteer on a social project
- Volunteer on a community project
- Book yourself onto an eco-tour
- Donate money to worthwhile causes and charities