The Need to Foster Responsible Tourism

With the hospitality and tourism industry in India resuming their operations after months of Covid-19 induced lockdowns, it is also the time to rethink on what kind of tourism we as a society or rather our blue planet needs for its future.

- Jhuma Biswas

Tourism contributes towards making our life beautiful and meaningful. It enriches our experience and broadens our horizons. Tourism is an essential and crucial dimension of global economy. Without tourism hospitality industry cannot survive, and without tourism our life would lose its essence. But at the same time we have to add that irresponsible tourism with only concern for enjoyment (from the side of consumers) and profits (from the side of suppliers), and without any care for the environment has the potential to irreparably harm our future.

The Role of Tourists

The common occurrence of tourists carelessly throwing plastic packets here, there and everywhere on nature is an apt reflection of irresponsible tourism, which can harm our environment.

Most plastics are neither biodegradable nor digestible. Deposition of plastic waste on water bodies like river and sea can not only cause water pollution but also harm the aquatic animals who inadvertently consume such plastics. This in turn also indirectly harms humans who consume many of such aquatic species for their food. Plastic pollution on large water bodies can also contribute to floods, endangering invaluable lives and highly valuable properties in the process.

Tourists can also further the cause of responsible tourism by preferring cycling, hiking, and walking wherever possible over opting for car drives. This would facilitate in keeping their favourite tourist destinations (especially if it is a hill station) pristine and green.

Eco-friendly Hospitality