Do you want your holidays to be sustainable? First of all, respect wherever you go to the point of leaving the place even better than you found it. A bit of awareness and education will be more than enough.
Smart holidays are planned and experienced very intensely. During the preparation stage, for example, knowing how much will our travel pollute may provide clues to reduce these effects. The web can be checked to know the effects of our travel on CO2, since it calculates how much does the travel impact the pollution level. Once we are in our destination, we better get advice from the World Tourism Organization, which has published a Code of Ethics than includes the ten key rules for smart tourism. This set of principles stipulates what should do the tour operator, the travel agent and the traveller so the travel is carried out on a smart and sensitive way.
These are the ten principles:
Article 1: Tourism must contribute to mutual understanding and respect between peoples and societies.
Article 2: Tourism must be a vehicle for individual and collective fulfillment.
Article 3: Tourism must promote a sustainable development.
Article 4: Tourism must become an item to leverage and enhance the cultural heritage of mankind.
Article 5: Tourism must be a beneficial activity for host countries and communities.
Article 6: Tourism development stakeholders have obligations.
Article 7: There’s a right to tourism.
Article 8: Liberty of tourism movements.
Article 9: Workers and entrepreneurs in the tourism industry have rights.
Article 10: The principles of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism must be implemented.
The principles mentioned on the Article 10 –aimed at travellers– refer to openness to cultures and traditions different to ours; respect to human rights –no job or sexual exploitation, neither any other aggression, that besides will be legally punishable–; contribution the economic and social development by buying local products under the principles of fair trade; help for keeping the environment by not polluting, not misappropriating flora and fauna, not buying or taking away products made from endangered plants or animals; respect for cultural resources and gather information previously about the destination –traditions, rules, healthcare status and current legislation.
Understood dear smart travellers?
Technology for sustainable destinations
Can technology help us to find sustainable destinations? The answer is yes. Take, for instance, these two smartphone apps: GreenGlobe and Eth-holet.
Green Globe is a mobile app for iOS and Android than enables the travellers to search for sustainable tourism services; accommodations, conference centers, tours and wedding options, among others. The app includes descriptions, pictures, and links for reservations, geolocation and videos at YouTube about the different tourism services. All Green Globe members are strictly certificated according to 40 globally accepted sustainability standards.
The second app, Eth Holet, arose from the surveys carried out by researchers at CREAF and CEAB-CSIC, who have launched this multiplatform app (Android, iOS and HTML5) than allows routes in the Aran Valley (Spain) with Eth Holet the goblin. It’s a tool for hikers, schools and visitors to this natural environment and its goal is promoting environmental education about the relevance of preserving water and rivers, as well as encouraging the people’s involvement on environmental issues.
The app is interactive and enables routes to be tracked and stored by the users, and adding photos, videos and notes to the map.
More information: http://holet.org
