BE A RESPONSIBLE TRAVELLER WHEN YOU SET OUT AGAIN
▶ As people start making tentative travel plans, Hayley Skirka lists some ways to ensure an eco-friendly trip that can help to save the planet
The Covid-19 crisis brought the world’s travel and tourism industry to a standstill. As countries around the world closed borders, grounded flights and imposed new entry restrictions in a bid to prevent the virus from spreading, people cancelled holiday plans and aviation plunged to its worst crisis. Today, as vaccine programmes roll out and case numbers in several countries begin to drop, restrictions are starting to ease and it seems it won’t be too long before overseas trips return. But this enforced pause for the travel community should be a pause for thought. As we emerge from the brink of a worldwide emergency, it is critical that we ensure tourism restarts in a more sustainable manner.
We should consider what kind of travellers we want to be, and the impact our holiday can have on other people and our planet.
Start with the basics and ensure your bag is eco-friendly. Samsonite launched a lightweight luggage collection to celebrate Earth Day earlier this month. It’s called Magnum Eco and is made from recycled Pet bottles and yoghurt tops. Once you’ve found a sustainable bag, be conscious of what you put in it. Replace bottles of shampoo, conditioner, soap and deodorant cans with plastic and packaging-free solid bars. Pack a bamboo toothbrush rather than a plastic alternative that will probably end up in the ocean. And take reusable water bottles; not only does this allow you to fill up from water sources on the go, it also makes using watersanitising tablets easier.
You should also choose reef-safe sunscreen. Research shows that many contain oxybenzone or octinoxate, both of which can be harmful to the environment. Check ingredient lists before purchasing and opt for brands approved by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). In the UAE, the all-new SunKiss range is non-toxic and paraben-free, it comes packaged in recyclable and refillable aluminium, and is in the process of gaining ICRI approval.
Finding destinations that take sustainability seriously is another good starting point.
When it comes to travelling, the shorter the distance from home, the lower your carbon footprint will be. But as the world reopens, people are planning to go farther afield. When you’re deciding where to go, consider how much value a country places on sustainability. A report by Euromonitor International details the nations making efforts to be sustainable, declaring Sweden as the No 1 country for sustainable tourism, closely followed by Finland, Austria, Estonia and Norway.
That’s not to say that only countries ranked in this report can be on your travel list. Other destinations are also working to become more sustainable, including Scotland, which became the first to sign the Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency pledge, and Palau, where visitors must sign a climate promise upon arrival.
You can also consider alternative means of transport. Airlines around the world are keen to get travellers back in the air, meaning there are bargain flights to be had. However, before you book that dream deal, stop and consider how getting to your destination will affect your tourist footprint.
If you do need to fly, go with an airline that takes sustainability seriously. Etihad Airways has pledged zero net carbon emissions by 2050 and is working to test eco-friendly initiatives in support of sustainable aviation. In the US, United Airlines recently announced it will be the first airline to be 100 per cent green by 2050 and instead of simply offsetting carbon, it plans to use Direct Air Capture Technology to pull carbon out of the air.
If you can get to your destination by another means of transportation, not only will you avoid flygskam, or flight shaming, you’ll consciously be able to lower your tourism footprint. Trains typically emit the lowest levels of greenhouse gases and also offer an opportunity for slow travel, coupled with views of your destination that you can’t get from any other vantage point. If you’re island-hopping, sail instead of taking a power-engine boat, and if you’re road-tripping, opt to car-share or better yet hire an electric set of wheels.
Staying in eco-accommodation is an option, too. Essentially, an eco-friendly hotel is built or operated in such a way as to minimise the carbon footprint of its activities, as well as of those who work and stay there.
“Use sustainable booking tools to help make planning easier,” says Christina Beckmann, founder of Tomorrow’s Air, a carbon-removal collective. “The more travellers demand sustainability, the more services we find enabling it. The best thing to do when reserving a hotel is to ask the hotel about their sustainable policies. Sustainable businesses will be happy you asked and eager to share their efforts around water use, energy sources and use, waste management and local hiring.”
From places such as the privately owned Islas Secas in Panama – where marine conservation is at the heart of the 14-island archipelago – to Indonesia’s Bawah Reserve, a true eco-retreat in the remote Anambas Islands, there is a green option for everyone. Across Africa, Great Plains Conservation offers eco-friendly luxury safaris for those keen to see the big five game animals. These retreats rely on solar power and battery systems, recycled materials and biomasses. The company also allows travellers to offset their carbon footprint by donating to the Great Plains Foundation’s tree-planting or solar-lantern programmes.
Earlier this month, Preferred Hotels launched Beyond Green, a collection of 27 properties around the world designed for travellers looking for sustainable getaways in luxury. The Banyan Tree Luxury Hotels and Resorts group has also recently announced plans to partner with the non-profit Earth Day Network to support its reforestation programme.
Some resources for finding sustainable accommodation and travel information include Green Key, Ecobnb, Eco Hotels, Bee+Hive, Book Different, Regenerative Travel, Green Pearls and Adventure. Travel.
The ability to travel longer and slower is one positive thing to have come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to an increase in remote working policies. Several companies now allow employees to work from somewhere other than the office and this has led to a rise in long-stay workation packages. When people take longer trips, they are more likely to use more sustainable methods of transport. A bus or train ride may take longer than a domestic flight, but it’s more sustainable and, if you have the time to do it, offers a much more engaged travel experience.
“Stay as long as you can and leverage any ‘digital nomad’ potential available to you, this will naturally cause you to burrow deeper into a place. You’ll get to know its quirks, learn more, spread your money around, and have more stories to tell when you get back home,” says Beckmann.
Staying longer in a place also means that overtourism caused by day-trippers becomes somewhat irrelevant. By staying overnight, travellers can visit popular attractions before or after day-trippers have left, therefore diluting their own tourist footprint. Spending money during your stay at local eateries and hotels
An eco-friendly hotel operates to minimise the carbon footprint of its activities, and of those who work and stay there
also means that revenue goes directly back into the community, rather than to hotel chains or travel agents based out of town.
In the most sustainable destinations, the locals want tourists to come and avail themselves of a range of experiences that also give something back to the community. As a traveller, seek out these experiences from on-the-ground providers.
Consider biking or walking tours to ensure you don’t add to the local carbon count, and hire a guide who can share the secrets of their home town. Contemplate activities that combine experiences with environmental benefits, such as beach clean-ups or turtlemonitoring patrols.
Skip the pre-holiday clothes shopping and instead purchase some items locally from a small business when you arrive in your destination. When you’re shopping, be conscious of your consumption by asking retailers about their environmental impact and the conditions for their workers, and opt to buy local by avoiding malls and large chain stores. Eco-friendly boutiques, museum stores and shops stocked with goods made in the village, town or city you’re visiting are good places to browse.
Finally, accept your social responsibility as a traveller. Akin to Corporate Social Responsibility, Traveller Social Responsibility is a concept that places onus on travellers to commit to treading lightly on the land they visit while respecting the people and culture they are visiting.
Following a TSR-led way of travel means approaching it under the direction of various sustainable pillars – from supporting the development of a destination by consuming local products and services, to finding out more about any place visited by learning about customs, dialects, traditions and social norms. Respecting diversity, minimising impact, avoiding excessive consumption or waste of water and paying attention to how spaces exist in a destination to ensure travellers don’t alter local life, also play a major role in the philosophy.
Accepting your social responsibility as a traveller means being aware of social and cultural issues every time you travel, and understanding that your presence in a place will affect the destination and the people you meet. Embracing that responsibility means you have a positive impact, wherever in the world you go.