Essential to African tourism is the quality of the environment and it is the responsibility of those involved in tourism to maintain that environment. Tourisms relationship with the environment is however both complex and oft misunderstood. While many tout the benefits of sustainable tourism and ecotourism, the regulations governing these are for the most part poorly implemented or nonexistent. How then can we make an informed decision when choosing where to travel?
The answer is not an easy one; my first piece of advice would be to use a trusted tour operator with an open and transparent history of environmentally friendly activities, choices and values. And the second is to voice your opinion when you encounter blatantly destructive operations, if we all keep quite operators will continue to practice impactful activities. Tourism involves so many activities which have the potential to adversely affect the environment and conversely tourism is one of the few activities which can be used to sustain the very same environment.
The majority of the impact is linked with the construction of infrastructure and facilities. So when choosing somewhere to stay, look for environmentally friendly construction and operation. For example many lodges make use of grey water facilities, solar power and proper waste management. But even the little things count, for example many lodges’ plant indigenous and water-wise plants in their gardens think about that the next time you encounter a hotel with immaculately manicured green lawns.
Further confusing the tourist is the blurry definitions between ecotourism and sustainable tourism. Ecotourism according to Wikipedia is; “responsible travel to fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas that strives to be low impact and (often) small scale.” And sustainable tourism is; “is an industry committed to making a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping to generate income and employment for local people.” Ecotourism also purports to directly benifit the economic development and empowerment of local communities. Can you see why I’m confused?
But here’s the ticker. It doesn’t really matter what label you stick on it. So long as the values are positive, beneficial and morally sound, who are we to argue definitions? Making a sound choice is becoming increasingly easier with more and more tourism companies making known their eco-friendly status and with the web making sure no one gets away with mislabelling.
Some Lodges Who Follow These Values
Londolozi
Sanbona
Grootbos
Our Own Social Responsibility Project
Challenge4aCause