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Back to basics: sustainable travel
Travel that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.
UNWTO
What does that mean in practical terms?
Traveling & the environment
What do we mean when we talk about sustainable travel in relation to the environment? Well, can you picture those giant cruise ships pulling up into Dubrovnik with tens of thousands of Games of Thrones fans pouring out all over the city, chips bags and candy wrappers on the floor, and literally tons of sewage being spilled into the bay? It's not that.The way we travel and our travel experiences have a huge impact on our ecosystem. According to a recent study, travel accounts for around 5% of global warming as a result of the C02 emissions that come from air travel, among other things. But it's not just about emissions—traveling can also lead to overuse of water, degradation of land, improper waste disposal, greenhouse gas emissions, and more.So, what are some of the ways travel can be made more responsible from an environmental standpoint?
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- By replacing short journeys with trains instead of planes to reduce carbon emissions (in fact, our data shows that 1kg of C02 emitted by a train journey is equivalent to 22kg of C02 emitted by a flight journey). That's actually become a legal requirement in countries like France recently, with the UK and Germany soon to follow suit.
- Through carbon offsetting initiatives that have a positive impact on the environment and local communities. We're proud of our carbon offsetting projects at TravelPerk—check them out here!
- With travel industry players making decisive moves in the right direction. RyanAir, for example, has pledged to dispose of all single-use plastics in the next 5 years. InterContinental Hotels Group and Marriott International are completely phasing out single-use plastic toiletries bottles.
- With airlines looking for alternate sources of energy. Qantas, for example, has conducted pan-Pacific flights using a 10% biofuel blend as an alternative to the fossil fuels that are currently commonplace.
With so much focus on responsible travel for the environment, the social and economic aspects of this can get overlooked. But the travel and tourism industry is one of the few that has a direct impact on virtually all of the Sustainable Development Goals.The social dimension of the travel industry's sustainable responsibility focuses on supporting local culture, cultural heritage, and local economies by making sure that the money spent on travel in a certain country remains within its borders. It's also about protecting local people and local businesses, celebrating culture, and promoting good health and wellbeing.Simple changes to the way we travel can go a long way in this area. Encouraging travelers to eat at locally-owned restaurants is a great way to ensure that money stays in the local community. Working with travel management platforms, tour operators, or other travel providers that contribute to social causes can also make a huge difference.
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Social & economic dimension of sustainable travel