The Road To Sustainable Travel

People all over the world are travelling more than ever. However, the planet has finite resources, which are on a rapid decline. This is evident with the impact of global warming that is causing polar ice caps to melt and changing the rainfall pattern. Therefore, a sustainable mode of living is the urgent need of the hour. While fashion houses and hospitality industries are already implementing this fervently, the travel sector, too, is not far behind. Our experts tell you how to keep exploring without denting the ecological balance, and reducing your carbon footprint by adopting eco-friendly measures.

According to a recent study conducted by American nonprofit organisation, AARP, travel is high on millennials’ priority list, and they are more likely to use up all or most of their vacation time (77 per cent) as compared to other generations. While this has given us some beautiful pictures on Instagram (A 2019 Thrillophillia study found that 36 per cent of Indian millennials are more likely to choose destinations based on their ‘Instagrammability’), it has put immense pressure on the fragile ecology of these places.

For instance, the iconic Maya Bay, in Phi Phi Islands, Thailand, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2000 adventure drama, The Beach, used to cater to around 200 boats and 5,000 people every day until the tourist influx resulted in a water crisis, bleaching of coral reefs and destruction of marine life. This led Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to shut it down in June 2018, and it will now reopen in mid-2021 to tourists. Closer home, Shimla ran out of water in May 2018 due to overtourism. Locals were forced to go without potable water for days at a stretch, and residents made impassioned pleas on social media for tourists to stay away.

According to Mohit Poddar, founder, Shoes On Loose, a travel start-up that spearheaded the #SaveLadakh campaign for sustainable tourism, “Ladakh sees nearly three lakh tourists every year. This generates nearly 15-16 tonnes of trash per day. We started the campaign in January 2019 by educating travellers about plastic waste and water scarcity problems, and providing solutions for travelling responsibly.”