How to travel responsibly and tell the difference between eco-, agri- and ethical tourism
- Since ‘sustainable tourism’ was coined in 1992, numerous words have been associated with holiday adventures that ‘give back’
- Regenerative travel is the latest concept to gain favour, and it goes beyond merely putting the brakes on environmental degradation
The term “sustainable tourism” was coined at the Rio Earth Summit, in 1992, and today there are dozens of definitions that refer to maintaining an environmental equilibrium. Some are overlong and ambiguous, others well-meaning but unrealistic. Many have been criticised for being too vague and, like plastering the words “all natural” on food labels, have become almost meaningless.
Adopted by everyone from mass-market tour operators to the cruise industry, the phrase has become overused to the point where it is difficult to distinguish between companies genuinely committed to conservation and those adopting pseudo-green schemes solely to enhance profits. Should a guest house be allowed to describe itself as an eco-lodge just because it uses low-energy light bulbs?
Sustainable tourism and its conservation-based sidekick, ecotourism, haven’t disappeared entirely, though. Instead they’ve splintered into a series of derivative (and overlapping) forms of travel. Let’s take a closer look at some, starting with the newest kid on the block.
Regenerative travel goes beyond sustainable models of tourism that merely put the brakes on degradation. The new buzz phrase is built around a belief that we should leave places and people better than we found them. Giving-something-back tourism, you could say.
This repairing, replenishing, reusing and revitalising philosophy might involve planting an orchard of indigenous fruit trees, supporting efforts to develop and police nature reserves or marine parks, and recycling grey water.