Sustainable Tourism
I recently came across an article discussing the protest of Spanish locals on tourists and tourism in the area citing issues such as “sky-rocketing housing costs, traffic jams and limited access to health services during peak tourism season.” This can erode the sense of community and up living costs to a point where locals can no longer survive in their own community during peak seasons.
This got me thinking of the environmental impact of over-tourism and what we can do to prevent it. Overtourism puts immense pressure on both natural resources and local communities, undermining the very communities tourists claim to celebrate. When visitor numbers swell beyond a destination’s capacity, freshwater supplies get stretched thin, waste‐management systems overflow, and energy grids face spikes that drive up carbon emissions. Fragile ecosystems such as coral reefs, alpine meadows, ancient forests suffer trampling, pollution, and habitat loss which is detrimental to the ecosystem. One area that springs to mind is Maya Bay in Thailand. V beautiful coral bay on Ko Phi Phi Leh island that famously starred as a location in Danny Boyle’s 2000 flick The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Seeing almost 4000 visitors daily the bay began to erode quickly with tourist boats damaging the coral and scaring off the local blacktip reef sharks. This has led to continuous closing and reopening of the bay in a desperate attempt to save it from permanent damage, This isn't unique to Maya bay, locals near machu picchu in peru have complained of the eroded trails and rubbish covering the area and the Galápagos wildlife have faced stress from cruise-ship crowds.
So what can we do to travel sustainably? With the New York Times reporting that “71 percent of respondents want to leave the places they visit better than when they arrived and Eighty-three percent said that sustainable travel is important to them.” the will to travel sustainability is there. Below ive complied a lists of “before you travel tips” that ive come across Here are some quick tips for sustainable, impact-positive travel:
Give Back with Your Stay: Book through platforms like Kind Traveler, where part of your room rate funds local charities.
Choose Community-Powered Accommodations: Use StayAltered to stay with independent hosts who invest in their own neighborhoods.
Swap, Don’t Rent: Try home-swapping services (e.g., Kindred) to avoid the housing-price inflation tied to short-term rentals.
Support Local Conservation: Hire guides from community-run eco-projects or volunteer a few hours with a habitat-restoration group.
Use Reef-Safe Sunscreen: Choose mineral-based sunscreens (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) free of oxybenzone and octinoxate to protect coral reefs.
Support Alternative City Tours: Look for Unseen Tours, Invisible Cities or Migrant Tour in Europe—walking routes led by guides from underrepresented communities.
Learn Before You Go: Take a course from RISE Travel Institute or download their free e-book on decolonising travel.
Use Trusted Impact Maps: Consult Tourism Cares’ Meaningful Travel Map to find vetted eco- and community-friendly hotels, tours, and activities.
By embracing these simple, sustainable travel practices, we can ensure that our adventures remain an amazing opportunity for us while also preserving and uplifting the communities and ecosystems that make them so unforgettable.
