Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable Tourism
Low impact on the environment and local culture |
"Sustainable Tourism" is any form of adventure travel or tourism that does not reduce the availability of resources, and does not prevent future travelers from enjoying the same experience. Sustainable tourism in its purest sense, is an industry which attempts to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems. It is responsible tourism which is both ecologically and culturally sensitive. It differs slightly from Eco Tourism is the recognition that there is a profit motive for the tour operator, and economic benefit for the surrounding business community. However, if the presence of large numbers of tourists disturbs an animal's mating patterns so that there are fewer of that species in the future then that visit was not sustainable. A photographic safari to Africa may or may not be considered sustainable tourism because it may disturb the animal's mating and migration patterns.
A great resource for sustainable tourism is Sustainable Travel International (STI), a global leader in sustainable tourism development. STI's mission is to promote sustainable development and responsible travel by providing programs that enable consumers, businesses and travel-related organizations to contribute to the environmental, socio-cultural and economic values of the places they visit, and the planet at large. STI has an interesting website dedicated to Carbon Offsets that has some valuable information on offset programs to help you find the program that best meets your needs.
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