Responsible Travel

With the travel industry belatedly catching up with customer demands for ethical tourism, many groundbreaking companies and organisations are developing truly innovative solutions to meet this ever-growing market.

Environment

One of the biggest factors to consider when planning a responsible holiday is the effect the trip has on the environment. With air travel now recognised as one of the fastest growing causes of global warming, many tourists are opting to holiday at home or choosing a less-damaging means of transport altogether.

Rail travel is once again growing in popularity with specialist websites such as The Man in Seat Sixty-One (website: www.seat61.com) providing plenty of ideas and inspiration for would-be rail travellers. And it's not just legendary rail journeys such as the Trans-Siberian Express and The Ghan in Australia that travellers have to choose from, as more and more rail networks are now reviving old lines or creating new ones capitalising on the renewed interest in rail travel.

One line that's causing quite a stir amongst international globetrotters is the newly opened service to Tibet which began operating in July this year. Now passengers can travel to Tibet on a range of modern air-conditioned trains with sleeper and restaurant services from Beijing and Xian in China. (However, some environmental groups have raised concerns that the influx of visitors that is now expected could undermine traditional Tibetan culture and values.)

And flights no longer have to cost the Earth either; air travellers can now offset their CO2 emissions by paying money to one of a number of companies such as Climate Care (website: www.climatecare.org) which invests the money in projects all over the world ranging from reforestation work in Uganda to energy efficiency programmes on the Marshall Islands.

Where to Stay

The choice of accommodation is also vitally important. All too often profits from tourism rarely reach the local communities with building contracts for new hotels, food supplies and even hotel staff often being sourced from outside the local community. But things are beginning to change and many establishments now have strict ethical, eco-friendly policies in place where locals manage the property and take a share of the profits.

One such place is the fabulous Kasbah du Toukbal (website: www.kasbahdutoubkal.com) in the mountain town of Imlil in Morocco. The restored kasbah employs local staff and tradesmen to ensure wages are distributed locally, sources fresh local produce for its kitchens which minimises food miles and further boosts the local economy, recycles as much waste as possible and discourages unnecessary use of electricity by guests. It also helped to found the Village Association which has enabled the local villagers to set up group initiatives such as providing an ambulance and driver for the region.

Another such place is Bhakti Kutir (website: www.bhaktikutir.com) in Goa which is owned and run by a Goan-German couple. Built from natural resources on the terraces of a coconut grove overlooking the sea, the simple cabanas are each individually designed and all have outdoor bucket showers and eco-friendly composting toilets. The lodge employs local staff and the kitchen serves wonderful organic produce. Visitors can learn more about traditional Indian healing and relaxation at the site's ayurvedic treatment rooms and yoga centre.

And it's not just small, independent operators that are making a difference. Many of the big hotel chains now use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances, have bed linen made from organic cotton and offer guests the choice of whether or not to have their towels washed each day in a bid to reduce pollution and save energy.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts (website: www.fairmont.com) has won a whole host of awards for its innovative Fairmount Green Partnership including the Tourism for Tomorrow (website: www.tourismfortomorrow.com) Global Tourism Business Award in 2006. Initiatives range from the increased use of renewable energy sources to a conservation programme set up to protect the threatened St Lawrence Estuary beluga population in Eastern Canada.

Choosing a Company

A growing number of companies specialise in providing responsible holidays which ensure that staff are treated and paid fairly, that local communities benefit financially from the trickle down effects of the tourism industry and that the natural environment is protected.

Some operators are going one step further by offering its customers the opportunity to participate in Community Based Tourism (CBT) projects. Rather than turning up for an hour on an organised tour to a fictional 'tribal village' created just for tourists, the emerging trend towards CBT initiatives offer visitors the chance to stay in a real community and share experiences in a two-way cultural exchange between guests and the host community.

The spectacular Chalalan Ecolodge in the Bolivian Amazon is one such example of a successful CBT project. Created in 1995 as a joint venture between the rainforest community of San José de Uchupiamonas and Conservation International (CI) (website: www.conservation.org), the lodge specialises in nature and cultural tourism which provides jobs for local people - a viable alternative to working in the logging industry. After a rigorous training programme, CI handed over full ownership of the lodge to the local managers and staff in 2001 who continue to invite guests to stay at the lodge to learn more about their customs and way of life.

What You Can Do

• Learn a smattering of phrases in the local language: this can go a long way to breaking down cultural barriers and providing a more enriching and rewarding travel experience.

• Respect local beliefs and cultural values: a tiny thong bikini might be de rigeur on Rio's Copacabana Beach, but deeply offensive somewhere else.

• Barter fairly in local markets: a few cents or rupees saved by you can be the difference between the vendor's family eating or going hungry that night.

• Be aware of local environmental issues. A beautiful safari lodge may have been built on land seized from local tribesmen who have been forced off the land. A hotel with a lovely pool and permanent access to hot showers and Jacuzzis may be at the expense of local villagers whose water access may be severely restricted.

• Research your chosen hotel or operator: a few probing questions should sort out true ethical companies from those merely paying lip service to this growing trend.

A Green Future

From independent operators to multinational travel companies, the trickle in the trend towards supplying responsible travel options has now become a flood. Whilst there is still a lot more to be done, the travel industry as a whole is beginning to face up to its responsibilities and most companies worth your custom now have strict ethical policies in place.

And the great news for travellers is that from Amsterdam to Zanzibar, there is no shortage of ethical options to choose from. So wherever you travel in the world, if a company isn't acting responsibly, vote with your feet and keep searching until you find one that is.

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