Skift Take
Responsible tourism is not a trend, but a reality we all have to move towards to make sure tourism and travel lasts for generations to come. Conscious travel is a step in that direction.
A fascinating concept put forward by Anna Pollock, a UK tourism consultant as founder of “Conscious Travel” movement. The concept enables places to attract and welcome guests in a manner that doesn’t cost the earth, away from the industrial model of tourism.
In a presentation to UNWTO Tourism & Ethics Conference in Quito, Ecuador, Pollock presented the concept in a presentation paper, embedded below.
While it is true that all visitors need to be housed, transported, fed and entertained, it will only be by conceiving and delivering those services in a way that respects and reflects the unique setting that will add value to the visitor’s experience. Without this antidote to the sea of sameness, destinations will not be able to resist the disease of uniformity and mediocrity that plagues the current model…
Tourism, which generates $2 trillion and employs over 250 million people has to play its part in steering us towards break through. That will mean waking up – to present realities; growing up – asking what tourism can do to help; and stepping up – taking responsibility for speeding the shift from a wasteful model in decline to one that puts back more than it takes out.
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