Your role in the new age of travel

(Jun 18, 2008) Rising fuels costs may have us wanting to stick close to home. But travel still has an important role to play in the new green economy.

Green Living asked two experts, Karim Haggar and Anthony Chamy, founders of Ecotours Montreal, what they thought about the new way to travel.

Travel opened the world
Tourism was a forerunner to globalization. It brought people from different parts of the world together to exchange culture, goods and ideas. It allowed developing countries to build their economy and infrastructure while tourists explored new worlds.

The travel industry still needs to be involved in globalization but in a different way. Increasingly, green travel is a bridge between the political, social, economic and geographic divides, helping developing countries economically while ensuring long-term protection of the social and natural environment. It’s a model that doesn’t force countries dependant on tourist dollars into choosing between development and destruction of the environment.

Modern tourists
We know more about the world out there that ever before and we are not as frightened by the unknown. Instead of being fearful, we are curious about foreign lands. Western travelers crave exotic locations with good weather, beautiful landscapes, rich flora and fauna and a kind of simplicity sometimes lost at home.

Ironically the more popular a destination, the more likely it will be transformed into some kind of hyper-managed tourist trap with a destroyed environment. Tourists need to support those places where the environment is protected.

Numbers game
Too many developing countries are becoming dependant on mass tourism as a primary source of income and employment. Many fall into the trap of tailoring themselves to the short-term needs of tourists while sacrificing long terms goal like preserving the environment. But that’s a vicious cycle.

Need to change
Countries where a high percent of their GDP comes from tourism are at crossroads and need to put some serious thought into how to balance protecting the environment against those of an industry based on mass volume and commercialization.

Vacation green
It’s no longer enough to be green at home; we need to extend that green behaviour while on vacation. We’ve seen that most tourists are willing to support green, whether is participating in a good recycling program, supporting eco-friendly destinations or following the ISO 14000 standards.

Green travel
Ecotravel is about balancing the unknown with the known. A good ecotour should help people have adventure but feel comfortable in the place so they can connect with the locals, sharing common bonds of humanity.

No compromise needed
Ecotourism shows how travel can help protect the environment while stimulating the economy. It encourages communities to preserve their culture and environment, instead of scrambling to modernize and provide generic services to tourists.

Balancing act
While ecotourism is a viable solution, it’s still in it’s an infancy state in North America. The travel industry isn’t ready for full blown support of the new green travel paradigm.

It’s obvious we need solutions to the negative impact of mass tourism but there are some huge obstacles to overcome within the industry itself. The out-of-date structure created in the 60s and 70s during the tourist boom is still driving the travel industry. Large corporations have created a monopoly on mass travel where nature is just not considered commercially viable.

European inspiration
But we have some terrific role models coming from more mature travel cultures. Much like they did for the recycling movement, Germany is leading the way in green travel. Going green or supporting green has become a major criterion for most German travelers. We need to foster that same kind of demand with our own tourists here so they start asking for green alternatives.

Travel entrepreneurs
Fortunately with today’s communication technology, independent travel agents and smaller companies are creating tailor-made itineraries for even the most remote areas. The middleman, in this case the large corporate travel companies, becomes unnecessary. The Internet and other technology allow for the planning of eco-tours that give tourists a meaningful way to travel. It’s a more satisfying vacation, knowing you are contributing.

Consumer driven
Large cumbersome multinational conglomerates with rigid structures are going to be the last to change. It will be the tourists who bring about the necessary changes by demanding trips that are sustainable and meaningful.

Vote with your dollar
Tourists have a role in buying greening travel. By supporting green destinations that are conserving their environment and balancing economy with ecology, tourists can help develop this burgeoning industry. Look at the examples of Costa Rica and Kenya, two countries showing that ecotourism is economically viable and can create positive change.

Shelagh McNally is the author of the Adventure Guide to Guatemala and editor of Green Living Online. She collaborated with Karim Haggar and Anthony Chamy, founders of Ecotours, for this article.



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