Green Travel Is Changing Tourism Standards
Are You Choosing To Be Part Of The Solution?

Green Travel: How to Give Back to Nature and Communities

By Rick Gregory

The economic buzz of green travel creates both practitioners and impostors.

For earnest travellers it’s hard to decode all the eco-friendly slogans and determine what’s really happening to natural habitats and surrounding communities.

This is the dilemma for tourists wanting to choose green destinations without contributing to ecosystem degradation or disrupting local economies.

Responsible tourism is all about taking control. When tourism includes local communities, helps distribute revenues throughout villages and promotes conservation of natural areas, then all parties – private resorts, local authorities and village residents – are in control of their resources.

In 2006, Wild Asia introduced the Responsible Tourism Awards to acknowledge operators who are making a difference in the region. As leaders in the tourism industry, they serve as examples on how run a profitable green business that keeps nature and people at the forefront.

A passionate commitment from its owners instils both respect for nature and green leadership at the Evason Phuket Resort & Six Senses Spa in Thailand. Awarded as one of the Best of Asia luxury hotels, its green performance is exemplary. Inside each room is a ‘green book’ that identifies exactly what they do for the environment and one room serves as a walk-in demo with eco-label explanations of various recycled or sustainable timber products.

On the property all waste – plastic, metal, glass, cooking oil, organic - is separated into rubbish bins or placed in a storgage shed. “We use the slogan ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ and have composting bins where kitchen and garden waste is mixed,” explains Arnfinn Oines, the Environmental Coordinator at Evason Phuket. “And there is not a strong smell which is a good indication that it’s doing well.”

All the freshwater used at Evason never leaves the premises. Taken from their private reservoir, drinking water is treated before use and all wastewater from flush and general use returns to settling ponds and treatment before being sprayed to water the grounds.

Traveling a dozen kilometres outside the entrance to Evason, Arnfinn leads us to a swampy thicket of patchy foliage. “We planted over 10,000 mangrove trees here last year.”

Given a few hectares to plant by the local government, Evason supports efforts to regenerate mangroves that were destroyed by the 2005 tsunami disaster. Guests are encouraged to join in and often come back as repeat tree planters to share in protecting this valuable natural ecosystem.

In Malaysia, the Langkawi Islands have grown from a sleepy fishing hollow to a major tourist destination in just a few decades. A splattering of a few major landmasses surrounded by dozens of small isles, Langkawi is a tourism industry dream; but it suffers from a lack of environmental foresight. “The biggest worry is the loss of habitat,” claims Irshad, a professional naturalist working on the island. “The big island of Langkawi has lost 48% of its natural heritage.”

Tourists choose the Tanjung Rhu Resort because it is set amid a secluded, coastal habitat. However, they may not realize that the property maintains 70% of its original natural beauty that showcases the native flora of the island.

Located next to a mangrove estuary, resident naturalist Zoher Mustan takes guests out on tours but limits the number to six at a time and is adamant about leaving no rubbish behind.

“We did a mangrove tour yesterday and that was really interesting,” recounted a British couple on their honeymoon. “We learned how it’s the filter or kidney of the sea and how important the mangroves are to the island.”

Anthony Wong is the owner of the Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa. As a responsible tourism operator he is worried about the long-term environmental consequences of waste. This concern is not only directed at his property but on the island as a whole.

“The waste dump in Langkawi is a big problem as the leachate is killing the mangroves.” So he went out and found an expert in Thailand working with a local university and municipality to successfully recycle their waste and recuperate their dump sites.

“A lot of business people don’t bother much when you talk about how our environment is degrading,” says Wong. “What I’m trying to do here is to show people they can save money, and then save the environment.”

Responsible tourism is not a fad. And neither is green travel. Good operators understand the issues and incorporate appropriate practices as part of their business strategies, not as part of empty eco-slogans.

“Honestly, if we don’t get onto the bandwagon and act responsibly, we’re going to lose out,” warns naturalist Irshad. “We must actively show that we care for the environment, not just get in it to scrape through.”

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