Take nothing back, and leave nothing behind: Tourism's new motto

The tourism industry is an amalgamation of multiple sectors. It includes transport, hospitality, accommodation, travel companies, and more. Its overall contribution to the global GDP, nearly 5.81 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021, underlines its profitability. While the pandemic wreaked havoc, the industry is recovering.

The tourism industry’s impact on the global socio-economic structure is huge. It positively affects the economy by generating employment. As countries strengthen their tourism industry, they must also consider how it impacts natural resources, pollution, and social systems. Many countries undertake activities in the name of tourism development that disbalance nature. For instance, clearing coral reefs or mangroves to make way for sandy beaches. It does attract tourists, but at what cost? To survive, the industry must adopt sustainable planning and management.

“There is a huge opportunity post-COVID to reset, to create a new paradigm which is genuinely sustainable, where travel and tourism is framed in a more planet-friendly way and where people think before they jump the plane,” said James Bidwell, Chair of Springwise.

Making tourism sustainable

Sustainable tourism development is more than controlling and managing the industry's negative impact on the environment. It is about realizing tourism’s potential in impacting local communities economically and socially and raising awareness about environmental conservation. The government policies and actions should focus on enhancing the benefits and reducing the cost of tourism.

The role of government and tourism boards

Sustainable tourism development must be backed by strong political leadership and detailed guidelines to ensure participation and consensus. The combined actions of the government, the tourists, and the private and public tourism facilitators create a collective environmental impact, positive and negative.

Based on the global directives by the UNWTO, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Framework offers common guidelines for international tourism board authorities. The framework helps them develop policies, practices, and institutional structures to ensure sustainability. It helps them systematize, measure, and monitor sustainability practices.

Development and implementation of policies

Here are some guiding concepts and principles for policy development and implementation for sustainable tourism:

• Consider the interconnectedness of tourism with other sectors and how a policy change in one will impact all the others.

• Sustainable tourism must engage people and companies at a local level.

• Promote self-sustaining actions and initiatives that can address long-term goals.

• Promote and encourage sustainable destinations that offer quality tourism.

• Understand factors that limit tourism to protect its ecological resilience and other crucial factors.

The UNEP and the WTO have also developed a definitive guide to assist policymakers in designing their strategy to meet sustainable tourism goals. There generally are three stages involved in the formulation of a sustainable tourism strategy:

• Analyzing the current state of tourism in an area and the resources available to support it. This gives an idea about the current issues and opportunities and how they can be met sustainably.

• Defining the vision and strategic objectives as well as the choices that need to be made today for a sustainable tomorrow.

• Developing specific policies and action plans that help meet the defined objectives and local, national, and global goals.

The greatest responsibility finally lays on the tourists. They must respect each destination’s culture, customs, environment, and laws. Tourists must adhere to the guidelines and contribute to the common goal of making tourism and the world sustainable, beautiful, and balanced again. 

As Chief Seattle, the 19th-century Native American Chief, said, “Take only memories. Leave only Footprints.”