What is sustainable tourism? Examples that can save the planet
You've probably heard of sustainable tourism. The concept is relatively new, but it carries with it a long history of responsibility and connection to nature. At the same time, the importance of sustainable tourism transcends the present moment to ensure a future. The key is to go beyond the present: to learn from the past, to look to the future, to change the narrative. Do you want to know what sustainable tourism is? In this article we explain it in detail along with concrete examples that can save the planet.
Iberostar wants to lead this change by implementing clear sustainable vacation initiatives. Thanks to its commitment to the health of the oceans, and science-based plans, the Wave of Change movement is making responsible tourism a reality .
Definition of sustainable tourism
But what is sustainable tourism? To begin with, it is a different way of doing things, and a philosophy. Because sustainable tourism is based on action, and action is based on values. Based on this principle, a sustainable vacation is one that generates a minimum impact on the environment. In addition to this, there are also gestures that help to care for and regenerate ecosystems (and that are not incompatible with the experience of living an unforgettable vacation).
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), sustainable tourism is tourism that "takes full account of current and future economic, social and environmental impacts to meet the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities". In other words, sustainable tourism takes care of people, animals, and the planet.
To fully introduce you to this concept, here are some examples of sustainable tourism that you can also be a part of. We are sure that your next vacation will take on a different meaning.
Examples of sustainable tourism
Companies and travellers, contributing to circular economy
A commitment to reuse and recycling when travelling redefines growth and tourism. To this can be added the idea of a reduction in consumption, always to the extent possible. It is about moving from a system where products have a short life span and resources are depleted, to one where, as in a circle, everything is transformed. Here, the transition to renewable energy sources is also fundamental.
On the other hand, the circular economy focuses on the benefits that redound to society, thus creating economic capital, but also natural and social capital. By 2025, Iberostar has made a commitment to generate no waste. To achieve this, it will reduce, reuse, and recycle (applying the "3Rs" rule of sustainability) all physical products that enter its facilities; and it will make increasing use of non-virgin materials, considering their durability in areas such as the construction of its hotels or the cleaning of its facilities. Check out the complete roadmap to learn more.
In short, the circular economy is based on three principles: design without waste or pollution and keep products or materials in use so that natural systems can be regenerated. This feedback structure is particularly evident in the case of single-use plastics.
Reject single-use plastics (also in hotels).
From 2020, all Iberostar hotels will be free of single-use plastics, making it the first hotel chain to take such a step. This means that there are currently 38,100 Iberostar hotel rooms where no single-use plastics are used. Instead, for example, refillable dispensers have been installed for personal hygiene products, and traditional disposable bottles and glasses have been replaced by glass containers that can be reused repeatedly. The same applies to common areas such as reception areas, spas, and swimming pools, as well as to all dining areas such as restaurants, bars and beach clubs located in hotel establishments.
The figures on plastics speak for themselves and give meaning to this achievement. It is estimated that since the 1950s, 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste have been produced. And of that, only 9% has been recycled. Seventy-nine percent has ended up in landfills or in the natural environment, with 8 million metric tons littering the sea. From this perspective, talking about responsible tourism is equivalent to talking about a situation that the sector urgently needs to reverse. The shortest way to achieve this is through collaboration with other agents in society. And that is where the circular economy comes in.
Encourage or schedule vacations that take into account carbon neutrality
Another example of sustainable tourism that is closely linked to the circular economy is the approach to carbon neutrality. Undoubtedly, an aspect to consider when planning a vacation, but also when it comes to promoting them from the sector itself.
By 2030, Iberostar is committed to making all its operations carbon neutral. To this end, it will cultivate energy efficiency, use renewable energies wherever possible and gradually replace fossil fuels with electric power. And, if any carbon footprint remains, it will offset at least 75% of its emissions with plans that work for the health of the coasts and, in general, for the health of all the ecosystems where its hotels are located.
Supporting responsible fishing
Supporting responsible fishing through consumption means supporting communities, looking after the health of the oceans, and giving added value to both the gastronomic experience and culture and the work behind it. It is the work of local fishermen that makes a fresh fish or seafood dish of the highest quality, which has been caught in a respectful and fair way, reach the table. Because the process matters. And that is also reflected in the result.
Responsible fishing consists, among other things, in respecting the reproduction cycle of the animals, respecting the closed seasons, or avoiding catching them on a massive scale. This means that only fish that reproduce at a rate equal to or greater than the rate at which they are caught are caught. Therefore, fish of those species that suffer overexploitation are not caught. In addition, we use fishing gear that causes the least possible damage to the seabed. The algae and corals that nourish them are what make life possible, supporting the trophic chain of marine ecosystems as food, shelter and also as protection of the quality of the water and sand.
Iberostar expects that by 2025, fish and seafood consumption in its hotels will be 100% from responsible sources. Already today, all fish and seafood consumed in its hotels in Mexico comes from these sources, fisheries or farms certified under rigorous standards or belonging to projects and initiatives to improve fishing. The ultimate goal is to completely avoid intensive fishing systems that are so detrimental to the sea.
Taking interest in coastal health and promoting it at all levels.
Responsible fishing contributes to coastal health, as does research and investment in environmental services and science, reducing waste so that it does not end up in the sea (especially plastics), and creating recovery areas for threatened species and habitats such as coral reefs. Protecting the oceans has to take place on a global scale. And it can be addressed both by hotel companies, with specific corporate actions, and by individual responsibility when taking a trip. Again, the key lies in staying informed and being aware of our choices (and what they mean for the environment).
Iberostar works for the health of the coasts from a global point of view, materialising concrete examples of sustainable tourism, and creating strategies that go in this direction. Right now, it has three major active contributions: recovery of coastal dunes in Mexico and Brazil, where it has planted 25,000 plants for this purpose; restoration of coral reefs, with the opening of a new seeding nursery in front of Playa Paraíso in Mexico, in addition to the four it already has in the Caribbean; and recovery of green areas with native vegetation in its coastal destinations in Spain.
Scheduling or choosing activities that raise awareness
There are hotels that program activities to raise awareness and guests who choose them, joining forces in the suggestive and noble work of caring for the Earth while having fun. Experiences related to water sports in the coastal areas set up for this purpose, cycling, yoga, hiking, running and fitness sessions help to connect with the surrounding nature and also with one's own through movement: a whole world of environmental routes awaits to be explored - and not only outside.
Special mention should be made of the spas and wellness centres that offer relaxation and wellness treatments based on sustainable cosmetics, without single-use containers. At Iberostar, disconnection, luxury and sustainability go hand in hand in these spaces, which are designed for pleasure, health and enjoyment, and are located in an ecotourism environment. More responsible activities that will inspire you during your vacation? The DIY workshops, art, dance or singing, which will help to express your most natural side and, once again, will encourage you to get in touch with your body and, in this case, also with your creativity.
Commitment to sustainable hotels
Sustainable tourism expresses itself through many languages, and one of them is the one that speaks and resonates in the spaces, as an echo or metaphor of the ethics that shape it. From the decoration and the pieces of art that decorate the rooms, restaurants, receptions and other hotel rooms, to the outdoor areas: each and every corner of a hotel has the power to tell a story, and it is the task of the companies to gradually build the story in an increasingly responsible way.
As part of the Wave of Change movement, Iberostar has planted mangroves in Riviera Maya and Punta Cana. By planting these trees with submerged roots in front of their hotels, they are protecting this species, whose presence is crucial for the conservation of the entire planet. Some reasons? They can absorb a large amount of CO2 that would otherwise end up in the atmosphere. In their interaction with the soil and the rest of the ecosystem, they help to defend the coasts, protecting them from hurricanes, welcoming diverse species in their waters and, consequently, also regenerating the environment and the air.
Wave of Change also has an artistic component. The importance of sustainable tourism and the circular economy is embodied in works made with innovative materials, from recycling, or with environmental awareness as a leitmotiv. At the Iberostar Waves Alcudia Park, in Mallorca, the urban artist Joan Aguiló has created a mural inspired by the Mediterranean Posidonia to extol its immeasurable ecological value. Posidonia is a Mediterranean seaweed, native, currently protected, and necessary for the health of the sea, as it is home to numerous species, generates oxygen, prevents bottom erosion, filters sediments from the water and, like the mangroves of the Caribbean, absorbs a huge amount of carbon. According to the latest scientific estimates, if the sea temperature continues to rise as it is now, this aquatic plant will have disappeared from the Balearic Islands in about 100 to 150 years, causing a serious ecological disaster that would affect not only that area. Hence the importance of raising awareness.
More examples of sustainable tourism linked to art? Susana Rubin's decorative creations at the Iberostar Selection Paraíso Lindo, in Riviera Maya. She is what is known as a waste art artist, a contemporary artistic current that understands art as a renewal and as a new horizon that arises from reuse and gives another life to waste. In fact, thanks to waste art, waste ceases to be waste and is transformed into expressions. Susana Rubin's works at Paraíso Lindo are inspired by the ocean, which presides over the entire hotel, and are made with recycled toys or plastics collected from the beaches.
Importance of sustainable tourism
The importance of sustainable tourism is such that it is not limited to a single line of action but encompasses diverse areas and ways of life throughout the world. Taken together, all the dimensions of responsible tourism form a rich and varied perspective that involves many people and social groups. As such, it also has great power as a transformative agent. Used well, this power serves to promote change, which is so necessary in a situation of climate crisis such as the one we are facing in the era in which we live.
Sustainable tourism can be part of the solution to many of today's environmental problems. Or at least not contribute to aggravating them. The notion of vacations has varied and evolved over time, adapting to the historical context and, at the same time, reflecting it. This is because vacations are something human, alive, open; and, as such, they admit only a flexible and constantly evolving conception. Vacations are all the people who enjoy them, and those who are on the other side of the experience and make it possible. Here are some reasons why, from now on, your vacations should also be responsible.
Sustainable tourism contributes to global sustainability
According to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), sustainable tourism contributes to achieving all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets out an ambitious global framework to end extreme poverty, combat inequality and injustice, and solve climate change. More specifically, it contributes to achieving the plan's eighth, twelfth and fourteenth goals, which correspond to decent work and economic growth, responsible production and consumption, and the future of underwater life.
Promotes circular economic growth
In relation to the previous point, it should be noted that, according to the UNWTO, tourism creates one out of every 11 jobs globally. By providing access to decent work opportunities in the tourism sector, all of society benefits. Above all young people and women, especially in developing communities. This approach to tourism focuses on capacity building and training in favour of local culture and local products, which is passed on to the workers, thus multiplying the good.
Promotes responsible production and consumption
About Sustainable Development Goal 12, which focuses on responsible production and consumption, the tourism conglomerate plays an important role in the transition to the new model, a model that moves away from the linear economy and excess to another modus operandi that feeds on common sense. It is a matter of understanding that many of the needs we believe we have are no needs. That, on the contrary, they obey to automated behaviours, where it is erroneously thought that more is more, even if there is more. Sustainable tourism educates and raises awareness about consumption habits and invites the population to take steps towards simplicity and waste minimization. As if this were not enough, it also encourages people to take an interest in the provenance of products and to ensure that this is honest and sustainable in the long term.
Sailing for the future of underwater life
What would tourism be without the oceans? And what would life on Earth be without the oceans? Exactly: without the oceans, nothing would exist. Once again, the tourism sector takes its place in the whole thanks to sustainability, which not only favours the notion of a versatile and open vacation we were talking about earlier, but also the entire planet, including its inhabitants. Sustainable Development Goal 14 aims to ensure that existence, both underwater and otherwise, has a future. To this end, it proposes "by 2030, to increase the economic benefits that small island developing states and least developed countries derive from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through the sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism". It proposes linking tourism to sustainability and, among other things, linking sustainability to fisheries.
Protecting endangered species
Sustainable tourism promotes practices such as the ethical observation of species in their own natural environments, to understand how they live and learn to appreciate and respect them, without human interference in the natural laws by which they are governed. And, if we do interfere, it is precisely for the sake of conservation. Many of the populations of these animals are declining at an accelerated rate, due to problems arising from the climate crisis or human activity such as habitat loss, poaching or climate imbalances. This is also happening to plants. That is why, sometimes, intervention means creating protected areas where endemic animals and plants can exist, grow, and reproduce without facing these dangers, which threaten their survival. This is the case, for example, of the coral nurseries or the Iberostar mangroves, designed precisely for this purpose.
Safeguarding the culture and traditions of the people
Responsible tourism urges travellers to approach the culture and traditions of the people of each place as what they are: a visitor in someone else's home. Someone who, when he leaves, tries to leave the place better than he found it. Someone who, when he encounters other mentalities or customs different from his own, puts all his love, attention, and respect in the interaction. If we extend this to community dimensions, the vacation then becomes a form of internal growth for one party and recognition for the other. The tourism sector can make a commitment to make this happen by carefully choosing the leisure experiences it offers, the gastronomy it extols, and even the materials it uses to build and decorate its facilities. Doing all this in such a way that the environmental gain is present, includes, yes or yes, having consideration for the local.
Caring for people's health
Industrial food production is not healthy for the planet or for people. Consuming zero kilometre, seasonal and locally grown ingredients mean nourishing oneself in a much more natural way, according to the rhythms of the seasons and the body. This is why gastronomy is so important in sustainable tourism. In sustainable tourism, gastronomy is not only gastronomy, but also the application of a Fundamental Human Right, which protects the right of people to feed themselves with dignity. Add to this its contribution to water and air quality, and the health factor of choosing a responsible vacation grows and grows.
There are also good habits that are related to this healthier, more coherent way of travelling, such as sports practised in nature, both on land and at sea, or the relaxation of the nervous system that occurs in spas, yoga, fitness or meditation sessions, or workshops that awaken creativity through movement and mental stimulation (designed for both adults and children).
Helping curb global warming
The fact that tourism and hotels begin their transition to renewable energy sources and offset their carbon footprint, with projects that help the ecosystems where they operate, helps to curb global warming. And it does so in a direct way, since the fewer greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, the greater the chances of stopping and even reversing the rise in temperatures that has been occurring over the last few decades.
How can I contribute to sustainability during my holiday?
To contribute to sustainability during the vacations, many concrete actions can be carried out, always according to personal possibilities, because (we must not forget) each of these actions, small or large gestures, count. These actions are based on choices. And the choices depend on the information at one's disposal and everything (the positive) that one can do with it. It is not a matter of reaching perfection, but of assuming responsibility for the planet and, from there, starting to act. The planet is not an isolated environment, a foreign entity, but a house inhabited by all of us, and therefore, we all can take care of it. The results will be astonishing. Millions of plant and animal species, including humans, will benefit from them.
What are some tips for responsible tourism? First, organise yourself properly in order to optimise both your travel and your stay. During the trip, try to avoid using disposable containers by carrying a refillable bottle, a glass for hot drinks and reusable cutlery in your hand luggage. If this is not possible, you can also look for alternatives made from compostable materials. Did you know that there are forks or coffee cups made from potato starch, bamboo fibres or sugar cane, which are as resistant or more resistant than plastic ones? And they are already present in most of the world's airports.
Once at the destination, another good recommendation to be more sustainable is to opt for hotels that combine comfort, fun, and sustainability. Because there is no better way to make a difference than enjoying the process to the fullest. So that everything flows. Remember that, as of 2020, all Iberostar hotels are free of single-use plastics, and that in many of them the facilities have been specifically designed or modified to house recovering flora and reuse materials when decorating the spaces and making them comfortable. This commitment to caring for the biosphere is contagious, as is the enthusiasm and desire. Thus, it can also be expanded.
On the other hand, ecosystems are greatly helped by travellers who are interested in the provenance of the food they eat, who want to know where it comes from and how it was produced, and who seek to promote the well-being of local communities and honour their ways of working and living. Responsible fishing has a lot to contribute here, especially if it is to help protect the oceans. Of course, sustainable tourism also does not litter beaches and other natural environments or, under any circumstances, the sea. The "3Rs" rule is an excellent starting point. Remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle products, packaging and materials rather than throw them away.
In terms of leisure, there are also countless ways to contribute a grain of sand to the protection of nature without neglecting the satisfaction of responsible tourism. In Iberostar's Star Camps, present in all the hotels for families, children are taught to love nature through play. Based on the theory of multiple intelligences, inspired by the scientific idea that interaction and cooperation are at the heart of learning, this program designed for children's minds has more than 140 different activities and is divided into three different age groups. Sustainability is at the heart of the program.
Meanwhile, their mothers and fathers can relax with the peace of mind of having left them in the best hands and enjoy their own sustainable experiences. An excellent option is to get close to marine life in a respectful way and without interfering with it, practising sports such as snorkelling in the areas enabled for this purpose, which allow you to live a unique moment swimming in harmony with these fascinating beings that inhabit our coasts and oceans. The visual beauty is assured. In addition to the paradisiacal beaches, there are also natural sites nearby that deserve to be visited without pollution, preferably on foot or by bicycle. Organising a hiking or cycling route to visit them calmly and carefully, where you can admire the animals and plants without haste, without disturbing, changes the perspective and helps to see the position that, as a species, we occupy.
You can also use this quality time to discover new wildlife projects and, why not, sign up to volunteer with a local environmental association. Information can be gathered before travelling and the travel agenda can be prepared to include this plan. In many coastal areas, for example, there are organised drives to collect plastics from the natural environment, during which you can (and should) also contemplate the scenery.
