How to Be a Responsible Tourist
(and thanks for asking!)
Be a responsible tourist: Before and during
your tropical travels:
Learn about your destination and its culture(s):
You'll
have a better time if you do some research about the place you're
visiting before you go -- and also if you learn a few words of the
local languages or dialects. (An easy one for Placencia is to
remember to say "good night" when greeting people in the evening -
"good night" basically means "good evening" and not "good-bye.")
Also, remember that countries like Belize are
not one homogenous group. Customs, dialects, languages and etiquette
differ between and within districts and regions.
If you respect the local customs, and the
dignity and rights of the local people, in turn, you'll be better
respected as a visitor.
In
addition, remember that while you're having fun on holiday,
people are going about their normal lives.
Also, what is appropriate in one country or
village may not be appropriate in another; what's appropriate in
town may not be appropriate in the villages, so here are a few
general tips:
-
Don't take photos without asking, including
photos of children
-
Don't enter into people's private spaces/homes
without invitation
-
Local people in many tropical countries,
especially in Central America and the Pacific Islands tend to be
more modest than some tourists and nudity is not usually
acceptable outside some tourist resorts
-
Giving money and/or gifts to children can be
inappropriate. If you want to support the local community, you
might like to support local initiatives or community projects
instead.
Minimize your environmental
impact:
Pollution
is becoming a major problem in most tropical countries and tourists
have contributed greatly to this.
In Fiji, for example, bad
flooding is made worse by rivers being clogged with plastic bottles
and bags.
You can help by reusing your water bottle and
using filtered water or iodine tablets if you're concerned about the
cleanliness of local supply. (Or better yet, bring your own water
container and take it home with you.)
You can refuse plastic bags at supermarkets or
shops.
In some tropical countries, water is scarce and
power is costly to generate. Pitch in with the locals and try and
keep your usage low.
Protect coral, mangroves and seagrass:
Coral
reefs are living organisms that are particularly vulnerable to the
impacts of tourism. They can be destroyed by people touching,
walking on, or taking away items from the reef. Harvesting the coral
to satisfy tourist demand for jewelry and trinkets is also damaging.
Don't walk on or buy coral or coral products, including black coral.
If you snorkel or dive, be very careful not to touch coral, or to
kick up sand with your fins - the sand can bury the coral and
suffocate it. Sand from your fins can also bury sea grass beds and
kill them.
Do not stay at hotels or resorts that have no respect for mangroves
and their essential role in the tropical marine environment.
Support Local Initiatives
Part
of the fun of a holiday is trying new things and living in a
different way to how you do at home.
Rather than going for a steak and chips or a tofu
burger, try some of the local food and drink. Besides, purchasing
locally will cost you less!
Give something back to those who have accepted you into their home
country, and look for local produce and products.
Consider staying in locally-owned accommodation and supporting local
tour operators.
Consider donating to local school projects, environmental
organizations, libraries, museums and organizations such as PCSD.
Pay a Fair Price
Remember
that while you're hunting round for the best bargain, the cheapest
prices may mean that the people involved in manufacture could well
have been paid the least. Some bartering may be acceptable in some
countries, but ask someone at your hotel about it first.
Think About Your Social and Cultural Impact
When
you're travelling, you are a guest in somebody else's home. As well
as taking care to respect the particular customs of your hosts,
don't do anything you wouldn't do at home.
The spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) including HIV /
AIDS are a growing concern in tropical countries throughout the
world. As a tourist, you have a responsibility to practice safe and
responsible sex.
Unfortunately, universal standards don't exist for what constitutes
'ecotourism', 'sustainable tourism' or 'responsible tourism'. While
many genuine operators promote themselves under one of these
slogans, others might just be jumping on the trendy ecotourism
bandwagon.
The term 'ecotourism', for example, is common today and could refer
to anything from zip-lining in a rainforest to a souvenir shop
selling polished shells. An 'ecotourism' operator might not
necessarily be doing anything good for the environment. It's up to
you to see what they're doing and decide for yourself.
Green Globe
is a legitimate ecotourism benchmarking system for the tourism
industry. While Green Globe does require businesses to meet
particular standards of environmental care, it is very expensive to
register as a Green Globe provider. Large multinational tourist
operators may be in a much better financial position to join and
market themselves under the Green Globe brand than smaller tourism
ventures, which might actually be much more sustainable and bring
more real benefits to the local community. If you are visiting a
large-scale tourist operation, however, it doesn't hurt to ask if
they are a Green Globe member.
Air travel has boomed in the last few decades, but it comes at a
cost. Airplanes contribute massively to greenhouse gases, which
contribute to global warming, which in turn, threatens low lying
atolls in Belize, the Pacific and elsewhere.
Fortunately,
you can reduce the impact of your travel in a number of ways.
Follow the principles of slow travel. Use slower forms of transport
where possible and take one long holiday rather than a number of
trips per year. This cuts down on your environmental impact, gives
you time to properly relax and provides more time to explore;
spreading the economic benefits of your stay further.
Hire a bike instead of a car.
If you need to hire a car, choose a model with a small engine to cut
down on your fuel consumption.
Offset the carbon produced by your flight. This is not as effective
as not flying but it does help mitigate your impact. A number of
carbon offset schemes will invest your money in environmental
projects or renewable energy. (See
Offset
Consumer to learn more about reputable carbon offset programs.)
Tourism can have particular impacts on tribal peoples and indigenous
people and a number of organizations look at issues related to
tribal and indigenous people such as
Survival International and
Partners in
Responsible Tourism.
When travelling to an area with a high degree of tourism based on
the local culture, try to use locally-owned tourism providers so
that control of tourism remains within these communities.
It doesn't take much to make your trip a positive
experience for everyone.
