The Responsible Traveler’s Dilemma
The new buzzwords in travel are sustainable, renewable and green. I think that while most travelers really want to travel and make a positive difference to the world, most of us would agree that there really is no way around the warming impact of our flights. Then there’s the ethical dilemma that each visit can lead to the consumption of resources versus the benefits the traveler’s cash and business generates.Research shows that individual tourists use 4 to 6 times more water than local tourists A generation There’s also the issue of food, and our tourists’ need for fresh organic produce, or the option to eat as if we were in our home country.
Foreign currency is very popular with tourists, and with it comes jobs and visits to the local industries offered. (Though these are often menial and basic jobs for unskilled locals.) For smaller less developed countries, these sites are an important part of their development budget. However, to insulate tourists from the reality and scarcity challenges that locals may face, such as adequate clean water or food security, imports lose most of their tourism revenue. Balanced with the increased waste generated by each visit, the blessings of tourism funds begin to wane.
Guilt and Discovery
For many of us, the jarring comparisons between our luxury vacations in resource-strapped local settings are simply unbearable. The resulting guilt can really ruin a time that should be relaxing and rejuvenating. Here’s the challenge: as responsible world citizens, we really want to help, but we’re exhausted by all the horrible things the media tells us, from destroying the vulnerable to our world slowly overheating and awash in our careless pollution , plus epidemic fatigue. – We also really, really need a break! – We long for a natural, peaceful place where people are hospitable and where our bodies, minds and souls can be comforted without feeling guilty. ——Is there really a remote tribe, full of flowers on the mountain that no one climbs, and practicing the magic letter dragon? Is there really a gentle king and a beautiful queen respected and loved? A natural spa with breathtaking natural beauty, lavish waterfalls and towering mountains dotted with mysterious temples in impossible places? Can we hike to the famous Tiger’s Nest, which sits high on the cliffs, in the reverent silence and deep Buddhist chants echoing in the valley below? Meditate under the devout guidance of a monk in red? Bathed in the magnificent silence of an ancient forest? What if all this was good for our masters too?
Bhutan has come up with a solution that benefits all. Now, a responsible traveler can indulge in a dream vacation with the highest luxury, the most authentic immersion, the most extreme adventure, or mix it all up and do something good for yourself and the planet.
Solutions that benefit everyone
how? Bhutan has received several internationally recognized green certifications such as Lonely Planet’s Best Travel, Gold Award for Green Destinations and Earth Award for Sustainable Destinations in the World, and it has introduced a tourist tax of $200 per person per day:
1. Offset your flight’s carbon footprint with certification
2. Plant a tree that regenerates an astonishing 70% of forest cover for each visitor, creating an effective carbon sink. (Bhutan is the only carbon-negative country.)
3. Donate to the Sustainable Development Fund:
One.Preserve and protect fragile ecosystems, flora and fauna
b.Build and retrofit green infrastructure
C.Develop professionalism in the tourism industry through training and certification
d.Support development and green certification for all stakeholders
e. Develop local suppliers and markets
F.Nurturing local culture, crafts and arts
G.Contribute to development projects that improve the lives of local people
H.Address and prevent damage caused by overcrowding of major sites
4. Learn more and follow their progress on their website https://www.bhutan.travel/ where you can find stories of sustainable projects funded by SDF. The Bhutan Tourism Board is committed to transparency.
Travelers are free to choose their own accommodation etc, with or without travel agency guidance, but this is still recommended.
Come to Bhutan. Here you are free to find your travel happiness as your impact on this delicate and mysterious world will be positive thanks to this new policy.
Contributor
Elaine Kriegard
An independent sustainable tourism consultant based in California, USA. Born and raised in South Africa, she has traveled extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. In 2021, she spent four months in Bhutan, working as a volunteer with the Bhutan Tourism Board during the closure.
I”. An average citizen consumes 127 liters per day, while a tourist consumes between 450 and 800 liters.” See https://www.wearewater.org/en/tourism-and-water-a-difficult-relationship -that-should-be-exemplary_282641
