Responsible tourism relies on the tourists and their choices to create a positive, lasting impact on the destination. A responsible tourist aims to protect the natural environment, respects local culture and tries to find connections with locals and positively contributes to local economy. Here are some ways to be responsible tourists:
- Reduce, reuse and recycle. The 3-Rs help you to save money, energy, and natural resources.
- Travel off peak seasonally. Travelling during off-peak season means not only cheaper flights and hotels but also the chance to see a tourist site at a less busy time of year.
- Travel in small groups. Travelling in a group can create responsible travelling behaviours by reminding each other to be more aware of the travel footprint.
- Take direct flights instead of cheaper transit ones. Flying releases a lot of carbon dioxide so the less you flight, the better the environment will be.
- Avoid animal exploitation. Stop paying to directly pet, bathe, get photos with or touch wild animals.
- Leave nothing behind. Be an invisible tourist who leaves no carbon footprint, unless it’s a footprint on the sand.