Although there is undoubtedly an enormous amount of positives that come along with travel, unfortunately in many cases, the impacts of mass tourism can often be rather negative.
For the most part, travellers never want to cause destruction to a country or its people. I personally travel the world to experience other cultures, destinations and new ways of life… So the thought that this could often leave a dirty footprint literally gives me chills.
If like me, you only desire to be apart of sustainable tourism and leave a positive impact whilst out exploring the world, listen in!
And if you may be asking, “What exactly is Sustainable Tourism?” — It’s basically trying to avoid all of the things that I mention below, in the very best way that you can!
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Environmental Destruction
Unfortunately for our beautiful Earth, tourism can sadly cause a lot of devastation to its surface. As more and more people visit a destination, the demand continues to rise and land is constantly being destroyed to create more hotels, restaurants and appealing landmarks.
With such a large increase in tourism and recreational facilities, deforestation is one of the largest issues. This sadly results in excessive land clearing and loss of ecosystems for wood collection, which also leads to wildlife loss too. Not to mention that forests are vital for carbon sequestration, so we need all the trees we can get.
+ What you can do to help:
This is definitely a tough one to crack, but every little bit counts, right?
To begin, always look for locally owned hotels that are environmentally conscious! Support the accommodations that are sustainable, eco-friendly, and who care for the environment rather than contributing to the destruction (but again, make sure they’re locally owned).
Before you visit your destination, research what the current environmental crisis is and do your very best to avoid contributing to it. For example, Malaysia’s land is constantly being destroyed for palm oil plantations, so when you visit, it’s wise not to contribute to any further degradation and to avoid palm oil all together (and in your life back home too).
In South America, the beautiful Amazon rainforest is subject to deforestation, so avoid eating meat where you can, and try to stay in a hotel that condemns these actions if possible… Donating to organisations that are working on the ground (Indigenous is best) is a great way to help too.
As for the simple problem of people disrespecting the local land and destroying the fragile environment, just make sure that you read the signs, don’t cross the barriers, don’t “do it for the gram”, pay your respects to Indigenous sites, and just be an all-round respectful human! That’s an easy one.
It really is tough to avoid the overall destruction, especially considering travel isn’t an overly kind gesture to the planet, but by supporting the local businesses and organisations, obeying the signs, and staying off the beaten track a bit, that will do a whole world of good.
Also, if you have the ability to offset your carbon footprint, I’d highly recommend that too.
Loss of Culture
I’m sure you’ve been to a destination and thought “I could be absolutely anywhere in the world right now” — I certainly have, and in more places than one…
Losing the country’s culture often comes with a rise in tourism, as the industry tends to form around what the tourists enjoy. Sitting in a beautiful villa or hotel surrounded by pristine shopping malls and fancy restaurants may sound appealing for some, but in many countries — especially in Asia and Bali specifically — that is so far from authentic.
By constantly supporting major chains and staying in the westernized areas, these destinations will follow what we support; temples, landmarks, places of worship and local stores will continue to be destroyed.
I’ve been to many areas of the world and felt saddened by how much culture had been manipulated by the influence of tourists. It’s a form of colonialism that certainly needs to stop.
+ What you can do to help:
Avoid locations that are overly westernized…
If you have the restaurant, hotel chain or store in your home country, avoid it! This doesn’t mean that you can’t go there on a rare occasion, it just means that you should try your best to support the places that are authentic to the destination. Support the LOCALS, always. You want your money to stay in the local economy, not to outside sources.
Visit the temples, stay in the smaller villages and support what the country is really beautiful for. Travel should be about experiencing new cultures, not changing them to what you have back home.
Pollution
This is an absolute no-brainer, right?
With a mass amount of people comes a mass amount of rubbish. The more and more people that visit a destination with a care-free attitude, the more that the earth, the ocean and these beautiful destinations suffer.
Unfortunately, even if travellers do their best to reduce their trash, it’s inevitable not to produce excessive waste simply by visiting alone.
In countries that don’t have adequate waste disposal, it’s difficult to know where your trash will end up. Not to mention the sheer volume of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere through the process of travel alone. As I’m sure you can tell, tourism dramatically impacts the environment in a number of ways. This is a big one to tackle…
+ What you can do to help:
Use sustainable travel alternatives wherever you can – walk, bike, tuk-tuk and train.
Use a reusable water bottle, avoid single-use plastic, use sustainable skin-care and toiletries, don’t get your room cleaned every day, SLOW DOWN… The list is literally endless.
When you travel, keep this quote in the back of your mind…
Take only memories, leave only footprints – Chief Seattle
(Source)
Excessive Crowds
People, people, people. Popular destinations get a whole lot of people.
Now, this isn’t necessarily a terrible thing, as tourism is a leading source of income in many countries around the world, and without people, that simply wouldn’t be possible…
However, when tourists swarm a destination, a lot of destruction is caused; locals suffer from excessive noise, famous landmarks become annoying to visit, and the way of life for millions of locals is severely impacted.
+ What you can do to help:
Go off the beaten track!
As I’ve said many times before, places like the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum are popular for good reason… It would be crazy to go all the way to Paris or Rome and not visit such beautiful landmarks. However, for the most part, avoiding the overly crowded areas is better for everyone involved. When thousands and thousands of people visit one location day in-day out, it would undoubtedly be very frustrating for those living amongst the chaos.
Try and think about how you would feel if you had thousands of people at your doorstep every day… Put yourself in the shoes of the locals and ask yourself whether it’s really worth visiting! Diversifying the areas that we visit, and supporting the smaller, more remote communities is better for all parties involved.
(But remember, this isn’t to be taken too literally… Stay on the paths when out in nature and don’t destroy the environment. “Off the beaten track” refers to the less populated areas, not the paths on the ground).
Change in Behaviour
As more and more people visit destinations around the world — specifically what we know as the Global South — the more that the behaviour of locals sadly changes.
In some areas of the world, people restrict their children from going to school (even when it’s free) to lure tourists through begging and similar acts. Tourists stand out like a sore thumb, and negative behaviours can often be formed in order to get the money that we undoubtedly have. Sometimes it’s very easy to comprehend, as people need to do whatever they can to survive, but a lot of these actions are things that we should never ever condone.
This is a major impact of mass tourism, and it’s certainly not an easy fix.
+ What you can do to help:
Do your research before visiting any destination!
Learn about what’s right and what’s wrong — don’t support animal exploitation, don’t give money to begging children, don’t volunteer for the wrong reasons, don’t support the behaviour that has been negatively adapted to us. Essentially, be the most responsible tourist that you can possibly be.
Tourism starts with the tourist! If we are respectful and advocate for what’s right, the rest will hopefully follow in our footsteps.
Economic Impact
For the most part, tourism drastically supports a country’s economy and supplies jobs to millions of people all around the world. In many destinations, however, the money we bring doesn’t always support the local communities…
Instead of supplying support to the local people in these countries, the government directs their money into things that support tourism; hotel chains, restaurant chains and often the big international companies AKA. the places that tourists will always visit.
This, of course, doesn’t directly lie in the hands of the tourist, but it’s something that we should always be conscious of whilst travelling to certain countries.
+ What you can do to help:
Always support the locals! Avoid the major chain hotels, stay in locally run accommodations, small boutique hotels or air BnB’s etc… Don’t go to McDonald’s when there is a restaurant next door that is run by local people.
Encouraging people to start their own businesses is so important, and supporting them when on the road is an amazing way to do so.
Shop in local stores, buy things that are handmade, and essentially… Go where the locals do!
“Don’t destroy what you came to enjoy”
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