A recent Booking.com global survey of 31,000 travelers found that 71% of respondents “want to leave the place they visited better than when they arrived.” 83% said sustainable travel is important to them. Now, as travelers wake up to the social impact of tourism, travel businesses are responding in kind, helping visitors maximize the positive impacts of travel and minimize the negative impacts.
For example, the Kind Traveler platform launched a program to help all guests donate money to local charities. StayAltered provides a “community-driven” accommodation booking platform that connects independent hosts and travelers in over 30 countries on six continents. Home swapping platforms like Kindred offer an alternative for travelers looking to avoid the negative impacts associated with short-term tourist rentals.
Tour operators also enable travelers to engage with difficult social issues in the communities they visit. Nonprofit organization Avara conducts a three-day “listening trip” along the U.S.-Mexico border, focused on helping visitors understand the social and human dynamics at play in the region. I'm guessing. Telos Group offers tours in South Africa, the Southern United States, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, helping travelers engage in difficult social history. Organizations such as Invisible Tours, Invisible Cities and Immigrant Tours have devised guided walking tours that offer visitors an alternative perspective on social issues in cities such as London, Edinburgh, Paris and Rome. did.
There are also new resources for travelers who want to educate themselves about the social impact of travel. Rise Travel Institute offers online classes on responsible travel and other topics. The organization recently released a free e-book on decolonizing travel. Nonprofit Tourism Care has created a meaningful travel map featuring organizations, accommodations, and tours designed to positively impact communities and the environment.
Vincie Ho, Rise's executive director, acknowledged that public awareness of tourism's impact on communities and the environment is increasing, but said, “The say-do gap is still huge.”
Travelers should be wary of greenwashing and “ethical washing,” Ho said.
“We have to really dig deep and think critically. We don't just get sold on something because a company says it's doing the right thing,” she said.
