People love traveling to different places for various other reasons. Whenever people have time, energy and money, they travel to new places. Today, there are over 1 billion tourists traveling to different part of the world every year. With continuous growth of the consumers, the new markets are continuously emerging.
The nature of tourism itself is unique among industries because it is selling a product that is not owned by anyone and is shared among many. This is a fragile product that needs protection but tourism today operates in a price driven market where margins are increasingly squeezed if care isn’t taken, quality is dripping down and destinations is degraded and the opportunity to offer enriched holiday experience to customers is missed.
With a different more sustainable approach tourism can offer greater rewards for business and at the same time benefit the environment and communities living in destinations and of course customers. The past decade has seen the world change rapidly of economically and environmentally. The pressure for sustainable tourism has got greater and greater by the day. In this day, customers can rebuke the companies that do not work responsibly in favor of the environment. So before the result of not working responsibly gets any more severe than we are facing currently a different approach should be takes.
As the travel industry keeps on growing and develop, it produces huge effects on cultural assets, utilization of environment, contamination and social frameworks. And unknowingly when environment is not cared for it gradually depletes and eventually is destroyed. And the sad part of it is that negative effects of tourism are clear to see. And many tends to ignore it. The sad reality of mountain trail is that litter is chocking the beauty of pure natural beauty. So it is up to consumer and business developer to protect the environment. There is endless discussion on how consumer as well as business developer can work collaboratively to minimize the negative impact on environment. Travelers among themselves are also wary about environmentally and culturally sensitive way to travel.
Therefore, to tame down the negative impacts on environment, concept of sustainable tourism was introduced. Sustainable tourism is in some ways similar to responsible ecotourism. It depends on the premises of dealing with the earth, society and the economy. Sustainable tourism intent to limit the negative effects of the travel industry, while amplifying the positive effects.
Sustainable tourism is working to provide a fun way of traveling which is at the same time educational and is additionally helpful for the individuals of the host nation and doesn’t harm the condition of society or the local community.
As per the United Nations World Tourism Organization, feasible the travel industry should concentrate on:
- Make ideal utilization of natural assets that establish a key component in the travel industry advancement, keeping up basic environmental procedures and assisting with monitoring regular legacy and biodiversity.
- Respect the socio-cultural genuineness of host networks, monitor their assembled and living social legacy and customary qualities, and add to between social comprehension and resilience.
- Ensure reasonable, long haul monetary tasks, giving financial advantages to all partners that are genuinely dispersed, including stable work and salary winning chances and social administrations to have networks, and contributing to mitigation of destitution.
The principles of Sustainable Tourism
The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Tourism Concern (1991) plot 10 standards for practical the travel industry. These are plot beneath:
- Using resources reasonably. The protection and practical utilization of resources – natural, cultural and social – is significant and makes long term business sense.
- Reducing over-utilization and waste. Reduction of over-utilization and waste avoids the costs of restoring long-term environmental damage and contributes to the quality of tourism.
- Maintaining biodiversity. Keeping up and endorsing diverse natural, cultural and social for long haul is important for sustainable tourism and makes a strong base for the business.
- Integrating tourism into planning. The development of tourism which is incorporated into a national and local strategic planning structure and undertakes the environmental impact assessments which increases the long term viability of tourism.
- Supporting local economies. Tourism that bolsters a wide scope of local economic activities and which considers natural expenses and qualities, both ensures these economies and stays away from ecological harm.
- Involving local communities. The full contribution of neighboring networks in the travel industry not just advantages them and the environment particularly yet additionally improves the nature of the tourism experience.
- Consulting stakeholders and the public. Counseling between the travel industry and local networks, associations and foundations are essential if that they are to work close by one another and resolve expected irreconcilable circumstances.
- Training staff. Staff preparing which coordinates sustainable tourism into work rehearses, alongside recruitment of personnel at all levels, improves the nature of the tourism and its product.
- Marketing tourism independently. Marketing that gives travelers the full and responsible information increases regard for natural, social and cultural environment of destination areas and enhances customer satisfaction.
- Undertaking research. Continuous research and assessment by the industry using effective data collection and analysis are essential to help solve problems and to bring benefits to destinations, the industry and consumers.
Conclusion:
To sum up, sustainable tourism is a new approach to flourish the travel industry. It thinks about the requirements of things to come, not just the present. Also, it mitigates the negative impacts of the environmental as well as social factors. Sustainable tourism has close binds with various other travel industry structures such as Eco-tourism as well as responsible tourism. And to be sustainable, the three most important factors i.e. social impacts, environmental impacts, and social impacts must be accounted for. And Nepal Hiking Team pledges to dutifully apply and follow the principles of sustainable tourism in all tours and trekking programs.