Travel is one of the most beautiful experiences any human gets in his lifetime. One gets an adrenaline rush when they visit a completely unknown destination. The culture is new, the surroundings are new and just about everything makes a person get an instinct of exploration. Tourism should always be given priority as the economic value it adds to the growth of a country is tremendous which in turn does the world good especially to those parts which do not support any major industry but are extremely beautiful. We are an ardent believer of tourism promotion but what we really should encourage is Responsible Tourism.
We see responsible tourism as getting the right equilibrium between leasing our impression on the world environment and yet not losing the strength be able to appreciate the Beauty of this planet along with experiencing the cultures, which are different from our own. This phrase is not a PR gag that any tourism stakeholder uses but it genuinely brings in a story of action and reaction one’s activities is having in this world place.
A lot of tourist spots all over the world have lost its value due to the irresponsible attitude showed by the world population towards the environment. What is the reason for the inevitable death of “The Great Barrier Reef” which was world’s most stunning underwater coral life that in turn was the largest living thing on this planet? Is it the increasing temperatures, or the disposing of garbage in the surrounding area or the lack of consciousness of its depleting health leading to no concrete action for its preservation or all of them? The underlying reason behind all the above reasons is that through commercialization of tourism is for the betterment, it should be accompanied by the responsibility of the preservation of tourist sites which is clearly missing and all of this comes under Responsible Tourism.
One question that might cross the minds of passionate travelers is, that by introducing the unexplored beautiful destinations that they discovered to the world at large, have they done something wrong. The untouched destination, which they wanted to show off to the world, which was serene and beautiful, has now turned into a pit of dirt by the irresponsibility shown on the part of the visiting tourists. We believe that it’s not the tourists who destroy a place, but it is the unsustainable practices that they follow that degrade it. It’s our choices and the support that we show towards the unfettered and non-environment friendly practices practiced by a variety of multinational companies who in the name of infrastructure are spoiling the tourist site. Responsible Tourism Simply means “making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.” Responsible Tourism anticipates that operators, Hoteliers, governments, local people and tourists take accountability, take a step to make tourism more sustainable.
Our choice of how to plan our travel is very similar to us deciding whom to vote for running our country. We have a choice of vendors, tour operators, hotels and just about everything related to our travel. Start demanding good environmental practices and suddenly you’ll find them. If more and more people ask businesses that they want to see better environmental practices, that’ll happen. The entire drive is to inculcate a sense of responsibility towards our environment and the world will seem to change to a more beautiful destination for all passionate travelers and following tourists.
While tourism greatly benefits the country and lakhs of people are employed in tourism sectors, it also has certain negative effects on the country and tourists. Though tourism earns bread and butter for millions of families, it also destroys the Mother Nature by manifolds.
Let us have a peek at how tourism negatively affects the people and the environment:
- People litter the tourist destinations to a large extent. A large amount of garbage and solid waste is left behind or thrown by tourists thereby polluting the place.
- Oil release in the rivers by boating, littering and improper waste water disposal by the hotels leads to contamination of the water bodies.
- Tourism also leads to natural habitat loss for wild birds and animals who are scared of humans and therefore migrate to other places or become extinct slowly.
- Disposal of waste water from hotels and restaurants into the natural rivers and lakes leads to loss of precious flora and fauna.
- People construct huge resorts and hotels in natural tourist spots to attract tourists, in turn, polluting the nearby areas with noise, cement waste, and destruction of the natural beauty of the spot.
- Fuel emissions from tourists cars and buses lead to increased air pollution in natural spots.
- Water scarcity is another major cause of concern in tourist destinations which arises due to larger water needs of hotels and resorts.
- The locals misbehaving with the tourists and causing harm to them tarnish the image of the country.
These and much more are the negative impacts of tourism on the environment. We should behave as responsible citizens and help the government in spreading the message of responsible tourism.
- We should help create awareness of solid waste pollution in tourist destinations in schools and colleges.
- To spread messages in the media and newspapers about the negative impact of pollution on tourism and also educate the citizens on how to curb it.
- Dustbins should be put in the tourist spots and messages and pamphlets should be distributed to teach people about pollution.
- Strict laws should be implemented by the government in tourist places and violation should lead to a heavy fine.
- The tourist numbers should be reduced in the destinations to avoid pollution and its management.
- The ideology of ‘zero waste’ should be implemented strictly by degrading the solid waste in a usable way.
- Each and every tourist should morally do his bit to conserve the nature.
It is important for all to understand that a country benefits greatly by tourism, as responsible citizens tourists should be treated with respect and care. Also, that tourism gives them the opportunity to explore beautiful areas of the earth. One should abide by the rules strictly to be able to tour this beautiful world,else it would turn into a rotten ground of litter and waste.