Ecotourism. It’s a trendy word nowadays, and for very good reason.
Whether it’s a cruise, a beach resort, an amusement park or a spa getaway, all of these vacations tend to have one thing in common: they can be very unsustainable! How can we vacation without causing environmental harm? Ecotourism.
Cruises: A mountain of waste
I remember the moment when I realized how wasteful travelling can be. It opened my eyes to our global problem, demonstrating how much we take our natural resources for granted. A few years ago I was at the lunch buffet on a cruise and went to put my empty plate with the other dirty dishes.
As I approached dirty dishes bin, I was met with a mountain of food overflowing from the garbage beside it. I recall stopping in my tracks to marvel at this mountain of perfectly edible food, then looking around at other diners to see if I was imagining things.
I clearly wasn’t, because seconds later another diner tossed their plate full of food onto the ever-growing pile. Unpeeled bananas, apples with a single bite taken out, bread loaves, corn cobs, entire bowls of soup, cups of juice, slices of pizza, steaks, desserts, you name it – all of this food going to waste! The cruise didn’t have composting, so all the food would end up in a landfill on some distant land.
I am still in disbelief about this experience and have been conscious of waste ever since. I grew up appreciating what I had and knowing that someone had worked hard to put food on my plate. I always clean my plate of food – if I can’t finish everything I save it for leftovers. Seeing this waste blew my mind because it totally went against what I believed in – and seemed insulting to whoever had worked hard to grow those vegetables, raise the chicken or beef, harvest the grains and prepare the baked goods.
Mindsets at home versus on vacation
I doubt that these vacationers behave the same way at home. Do they prepare a whole meal, plate it and take one bite before tossing it into the garbage? Most likely not. That’s a waste of money, but more importantly, a major waste of resources. However, these same individuals may not hesitate to throw out a whole plate of food on a cruise or resort because it does not directly come out of their pocket – they already paid for the all-inclusive vacation. If they want more food, plenty will always be there, without an additional cost.
This problem is not limited to food waste: water, energy, single use plastics, and other resources are exploited tremendously on vacations. Every time the cruise docked at a port there were vendors selling plastic water bottles. With thousands of people coming off the boat, and multiple boats docking each day, that’s a lot of plastic waste!
The impacts of tourism
Tourist attractions are also incredibly unsustainable. Scuba diving in tropical islands may sound fun, but when divers are constantly picking apart precious coral ecosystems for souvenirs, those reefs will eventually die. They already are, for that matter. Sandy beaches or golf courses may seem “natural,” but these flat lands are often created by removing vegetation and forests.
People tend to go overboard when they see the words “all-inclusive” included in their vacationing plans. If a traveler wastes a whole plate of food, or leave their lights on all day and night, or leave the tap running, so what? They are free to use as many resources, as often as they want. Additionally, there is an out sight, out of mind ideology. We are not the ones cleaning up our waste on resorts, so we can’t see how much waste we’re actually accumulating. Staff are constantly cleaning common areas so it isn’t possible for us to see this waste. The food waste on my cruise doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how much food waste was probably lying below deck in a storage room.
The life of luxury?
Vacationers want to live luxuriously during their trip because their lives are so busy and stressful any other time. Taking some time to relax and not worry about anything is really the goal of anyone’s vacation, isn’t it? We don’t want to worry about the little things, which includes our consumption of products and resources. It is okay to relax and enjoy your time, to escape from the “real world,” but we still need to be responsible while vacationing. We need to acknowledge that the real world still exists, and that our choices on our vacations impact the world. We don’t have the resources to continue these unsustainable practices indefinitely.
All this to say, the best way I can describe commercial tourism is reckless. By no means am I criticizing the idea of vacationing – it’s important to relax and rejuvenate when life is stressful. However, it is just as important to remember that all actions have a consequence. There must be a way to balance our desire to relax and vacation, doing so in a way that protects our planet. Luckily, there is a way to vacation sustainably: it’s called ecotourism.
What is ecotourism?
Ecotourism is exactly as it sounds: vacationing with the intent of learning about, engaging with and protecting the environment. It’s about transforming your vacation into an educational, environmentally-friendly trip. And guess what? It doesn’t have to cost more than the average vacation. In fact, it can cost less than a vacation like a cruise or resort getaway because the amenities provided are usually less invasive to the planet and less resource-intensive.
Some people travel for leisure, others to learn about rich cultural histories or take in ancient architecture. Ecotourism is a type of travelling is growing in popularity, especially with so many countries establishing conservation goals for their natural lands and species. Sustainable tourism is another way to think of it. This type of vacationing allows you a first-hand interaction with undamaged natural environments, without creating the large ecological footprint from commercial tourism. Not only can travellers interact with these unique ecosystems, but ecotourism also offers many opportunities for travellers to participate in conservation activities.
What counts as ecotourism?
What are some examples of ecotourism? Glamping is one. This is an “elevated” or glamorous style of camping, where you rent an actual room or cabin with regular utilities, but still enjoy being surrounded by nature.
Another example could be visiting a conservation park for endemic species (i.e. a species only found in the specific area you are in), or volunteering at a local animal rehabilitation reserve. It could be staying at an eco-minded hotel that uses its own gardens for all food services, has ample green space for touring, uses recycled rainwater for the plumbing and other fun environmentally-friendly initiatives. It could even be going on a hike up a mountain to take in the spectacular view. Whatever your budget, time frame and excursion preference is, there are always ways to make vacationing more sustainable!
Why is ecotourism valuable?
Ecotourism demonstrates that travelling doesn’t have to be unsustainable. You can enjoy your vacation while learning about and participating in environmental restoration efforts. There is no better way to learn about a new place than to submerge yourself in the land and culture. Ecotourism provides you with the most holistic way to immerse yourself in a world different from your own.
Additionally, choosing to visit an ecologically sensitive site with conservation efforts directly helps keep these initiatives running. The more money that travelers spend on ecotourism, the more funding there is for these initiatives to continue and grow. These sites employ locals and encourages financial independence in small communities.
Education and social justice
Ecotourism educates travelers on more than just environmental issues: it also educates us about cultural and social issues facing our world. For instance, Spirit Bear Lodge in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest is owned and operated by the Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nations people. Visitors learn about their land and culture, as well as the challenges facing First Nations people in Canada: poverty, food insecurity, unemployment and mental illness are common issues amongst these individuals.
Visiting ecotourism sites like Spirit Bear Lodge helps tackle these issues by providing jobs for the Kitasoo Xai’xais, increasing the community’s sovereignty over their lands and spreading awareness of the social and cultural issues they face. The lodge offers walking tours, kayaking, bear watching and visits to historical cultural sites of the Kitasoo Xai’xais people. The staff teach guests about their traditional ecological knowledge, sharing information about cultural foods, medicinal plants, cultural stories passed through their generations and more.
How do I find ecotourism sites?
There are an infinite number of ecotourism opportunities out there; some might be in your very own neighborhood! If you have a specific destination in mind you can easily do an online search for “ecotourism in x,” where x is the location you want to visit. If you have an activity that you would like to do but no specific location in mind, that’s also okay! This is a great way to learn more about unique ecosystems and what the local communities have to offer.
As with any sort of travel or investment, you should always do research before choosing where to stay. While most ecotourism sites exist for the main purpose of protecting the environment, you have to remember that it is still a business.
There are businesses that market themselves as sustainable, which ends up being just a load of greenwashing. They may make up stories about the historical value of their lands. They may lie about their ecological initiatives to make money. Make sure to read up on a resort, business or organization before booking your stay, read reviews, and even call or email the company directly to learn more about their initiatives.
Through my research, I have found so many amazing ecotourism opportunities. To give you a better idea of what is out there, here are a few more examples in Canada that you may want to consider when planning your next vacation.
Ecotourism destinations you HAVE to check out:
- CapeRace Cultural Adventures Inc. – St. John’s, Bonavista and Fogo Island, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Trout Point Lodge – Kemptville, Nova Scotia
- Homarus Eco-Centre – Shediac, New Brunswick
- Kenauk Nature Resort – Montebello, Quebec
- Algonquin Eco Lodge – Harcourt, Ontario
- Churchill Wild – Churchill, Manitoba
- Forest House Wilderness Lodge – La Ronge, Saskatchewan
- Yamnuska Mountain Adventures – Canmore, Alberta
- Fresh Adventures – Victoria, British Columbia
- Frances Lake Wilderness Lodge – Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
- Lac La Marte Adventures – Lac LA Marte, Northwest Territories
- Arviat Community Ecotourism – Arviat, Nunavut
You can also make your regular vacation eco-friendlier. I wrote this post about travelling sustainability, and many of the tips included are simple enough that they can also be adopted into your everyday life.
Here are a few ideas for how to make your vacations more environmentally sustainable:
- Use a reusable water bottle
- Reuse bathroom towels instead of replacing them every day
- Bring your own soap, body lotion, shampoo and conditioner in small reusable containers instead of using the ones provided at hotels (their packaging is too small to recycle!)
- Minimize your shopping for trinkets, keychains, and other souvenirs. If you must shop, do some research and see if there are any community markets around to support local craftspeople
- Don’t overload your plate at the buffet just because there’s so much food. Take what you will eat. If you want more food, you can always go get more after you finish your first plate. Food waste is one of the biggest challenges facing resorts, so try to be mindful when filling your plate!
- Try to find sustainable or environmentally-minded excursions. Are there tours through native forests? Volunteering opportunities? Gardening or crafting workshops? Try something new, but do your research—sometimes excursions can be unethical (like horse riding on the beach…I once did this, and the poor animals were horribly mistreated).
Want more sustainable travel tips? Check out these posts:
I hope this post is enlightening for you. If you’ve never heard of ecotourism before, maybe this will inspire you to book your next vacation at one of the many amazing sustainable travel destinations around the world. If you are already on the ecotourism bandwagon, leave a comment to share your experience with other readers!
As always, thank you for reading, and until next time!