 My goal has always been to make this blog about my learning journey as a travel professional and agency owner of trying to navigate and build a sustainable business that reflects my goals, and ultimately my values, without seeming judgemental or sanctimonious. This is not meant to judge anyone as it is to educate as I am continuing to learn about this topic while, simultaneously, tossing a line to possibly catch other friendly folk with shared interests and values.
I highlighted a few of the most common forms of truly sustainable or responsible travel in the post prior to this one. I am much more hesitant to call out unsustainable forms of tourism because the issue is complicated. My goal is to be knowledgeable about the potential problems of tourism with either alternative choices or a conscientious mindset that provides a positive impact to the world without the deprivation of an experience. With all of that said, there are some clear signs of tourism that can be very harmful. I would like to highlight these to be more conscientious as you move forward on your vacation planning - look a little deeper… Voluntourism that involves children, especially orphanages or schools, appeals to the altruistic side of people who want to do good in the world. Understand that many of the orphanages for these experiences are often kept full in order to bring in tourists, not vice versa. The “helping” is creating the problem. Of course, this is not to say that all voluntourism is bad. It’s not. Be extra vigilant if children are involved. Animal experiences and selfies, even at animal sanctuaries or under the guise of helping with conservation efforts, can be harmful to those animals. The Sloth snuggling photo-op has become increasingly popular. The riding of elephants, swimming with dolphins, selfies with a lion or tiger cub, etc.. make for some great photos, but animals are either stressed, drugged, or abused for that photo opportunity.. Some sanctuaries advertise experiences as a conservation funding source which puts the practice in an ethical gray area. It’s a tough call. The general rule of thumb is if you wouldn’t do it in the wild, you shouldn’t do it. In general, keep a 2 meter distance from all wildlife. The all-inclusive resort concept was built to bring tourism to areas with beautiful beach landscapes and high poverty levels. By creating a bubble of paradise with everything from activities to meals and alcoholic beverages conveniently included in the price, there leaves no need to venture out beyond the walls of the resort. The concept of everything included in the upfront cost is not *bad* as much as the isolating of the tourists from the surrounding communities deprives those areas of the economic benefits of tourism as well as potentially displacing the locals, cutting local access to resources, and/or harming natural resources. Although these resorts can bring jobs, workers can be exploited and “jobs” don’t necessarily provide wealth to a community. With the warnings of the potential negative impacts that all-inclusive resorts can have on a local community, the convenience of a prepaid vacation in a tropical paradise is inarguably attractive to tourists, and some resorts have taken a more sustainable approach to the all-inclusive business model. Here are some positive efforts to look for:
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 The beach of the small farming community in Floreana. Let me very clear that sustainable travel doesn’t describe a type of travel. When I refer to sustainable travel, I am responding to the consideration taken to the ecological and socio-cultural well-being of a destination as well as the people and animals living in it. I will highlight some of the most sustainable forms of travel below.
Small Group Tours Small group tours serve a maximum of 12-16 travelers depending on the tour operator. These tours provide unique accommodations, many meals, the logistical maneuvering from location to location, as well as a variety of experiences and special tours while often also allowing unstructured time for independent exploration. These tours range from super active to low key, from basic accommodations to more luxurious accommodations. The key to the success of these tours is the personal bond created among the travelers as well as with the guide, who is often a local to the region with authentic knowledge and connections. Guests have the comfort of an itinerary, but it isn’t so rigid that the guide can’t make changes and recommendations to reflect the group, and the individual has the time and freedom for some independent exploration as well. Community-Based Tourism Community-Based Tourism provides travelers with an authentic, local, and cultural experience while giving the community full ownership and management of the experience. The guest will sleep, eat, and experience the culture of the community first-hand. Sometimes, a community experience is worked into the itinerary of a small group tour. My family and I experienced a couple of nights in an ocean side farming community on the island of Floreana in the Galápagos Islands as part of our small group tour of the Galapagos Islands. Families had built guest houses, restaurants, and bars throughout the community specifically to bring tourism in. There was a dive shop where we rented our snorkel gear. Each night, we met at the bar located on the beach to watch the sunset prior to walking to a different restaurant within the community for dinner. Expedition Cruising The idea that a guest can unpack one time is the biggest highlight to cruising of any sort in my opinion, but personally, I had always felt that this convenience compromised the travel experience. When a ship of 2K - 10K passengers lands in the same port as other ships with similar numbers, the experience feels as if it will only be watered down and inauthentic. This is not necessarily true, but let me introduce you to one fo the the coolest additions to our tourism world, expedition cruising, which can describe anything from a large yacht type vessel to a small cruise ship, holding anywhere from 12 to 300 or so passengers depending on the boat and the itinerary. These boats can dock in a variety of locations. They often hold zodiacs, kayaks, and other implements of adventure as well for dock into less trodden areas. These boats travel everywhere from arctic regions with specially designed boats to more tropical islands and everything in between. This type of cruising can run the gamut of basic to Uber luxurious depending on your wants. FIT FIT is lingo in the travel trade for “foreign independent travel,” or absent of a group itinerary. This can look like just about anything, so in order to make it sustainable, the accommodations and the experiences need to adhere to responsible efforts. Are the lodgings locally owned and operated with ecological practices in place? Do the experiences take into consideration environmental and socio-cultural impacts of the activity? Is child welfare taken into consideration?  Sustainable travel is often referred to as responsible or ethical travel. If you are going to spend one dollar on travel, you spend that dollar building up the cultures you are visiting, instead of unknowingly exploiting them. You can spend it on companies that use technologies and landscaping that consider the ecological impact of the local environments you experience. Simple choices can benefit the native ecology, instead of harm it. It never has to be all-or-nothing or a deprivation of experience, as much as it is a matter of knowing which brands and suppliers take the effort to commit to responsible actions. There is so much choice out there that with a conscientious eye, it is easy to travel with a globally ethical mindset - responsible travel.
 Small group tour + naturalist guide at the Charles Darwin Research Center in the Galapagos When tourism came to a screeching halt in 2020 due to the COVD-19 pandemic, we quickly learned how much of the world’s economies and global conservation efforts are reliant on tourist dollars.
As the world truly began to reopen, my family and I made our pilgrimage to the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador, and we learned from our naturalist guide of the hardships the pandemic caused. Since the required $100 Galapagos National Park entrance fee goes directly to conservation on and around the islands, science came to a halt and the protected, endemic species were left alone. The large majority of the islands’ careers, jobs, and economy are directly reliant on the presence of tourists which forced many businesses to close permanently. The national parks in Africa and the communities surrounding them as well as other protected areas around the world found themselves in very similar and unfortunate circumstances. The world needs tourism. It is clear that undertourism can be devastating, but the world needs the right kind of tourism. Travel that contributes to the wealth of local communities, considers the ecological impacts of a region, contributes to local conservation efforts, and respects local culture can coincidentally enrich the traveler and have a positive impact on the community.  “Why would I need a travel agent if I can just book it myself?” A travel advisor, travel professional, and travel consultant are alternative titles for what was once termed a “travel agent.” They all refer to the same profession, but due to the advent of online booking engines and the idea that the need for a “travel agent” has become obsolete, many of us prefer one of the alternate titles as a better description to what we actually do. One individual responded to my profession with “People still do that? Why?” Such responses have actually made me reluctant to tell people what I do for my paying work.
Let me be very clear that travel agents are not just “booking agents.” Yes, we get paid commission by the suppliers to book trips. This is how we primarily get paid, but our job is so much more than booking a trip. Many of us are business owners who have created a niche based on our passions, and we spend the majority of our days learning about what is out there in the world of travel to reflect our goals, passions, and ideals. We are learning about destinations, types of travel, the nuances of various suppliers and tour operators, and the logistics of making it all happen as smoothly as possible. Most people don’t know what there is to experience because there is no reason for them to know it. My main passion and specialization is in sustainable travel, which is often referred to as responsible or ethical travel. I realize that I am not the perfect travel agent for everyone, but I want people to think of my business when they want their travel to have the best impact on people, cultures, environment, and economies of the places they visit. Some popular forms of vacationing can be pretty harmful to local communities, even when it is espoused as “good.” Although I don’t believe in an all-or-nothing approach to traveling responsibly, there are tour operators, resorts, suppliers, etc… who are also committed to similar goals. Most people just don’t know what is out there, and the responsible travel experiences are often more unique and awe-inspiring than what they even knew existed. |
AuthorThis is my journey as I navigate the world of sustainable travel for myself and my business. Archives
April 2024
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Angela Barzizza-Young, CTA
Certified Travel Associate Specializing in Responsible Travel (330) 552-8945 |