How Eco is Ecotourism?

Earlier this year, my mum took me to the tiny town of Churchill, Manitoba for a specific reason. This reason had blubber and a big forehead: the beluga whale. Between June and September, thousands of these animals flock to the Churchill River, making it almost impossible to leave without seeing at least one. The experience was fantastic, yes, but something stuck out to me. The company we had booked through prided itself on its sustainability, doing everything in its power to ensure that the disturbance to the environment and local people was limited. They turn off engines near animals and even grow their own vegetables. However, they also faced challenges that rendered the holiday — especially for someone coming from the UK — extremely unsustainable by default. Old-fashioned petrol-guzzling vehicles, reliance on propane as well as standard fossil fuels, and the two days travel by either train or plane from the nearest city made me wonder — is it possible to see the world guilt-free, or are we still doomed to trade our natural kingdoms for our coin?

Canada isn’t the only place where environmentalism in tourism is questioned; the Galapagos Islands, home to unique species and the key to Charles Darwin's revolutionary research, also rely heavily on wildlife tourism. While there have been legislative steps to limit disruptive cruise ship traffic, the Islands are less regulated. The demand for cheap island hotels has caused a scramble for rapid development, which can drastically impact both the environment and the local population. While maritime tourism decreased eleven per cent between 2006 and 2016, land-based tourism increased 92 per cent. Such vast expansion entails rapid consumption and construction, meaning any holiday you may take on land only fuels this cycle. Even if you can afford the thousands of pounds per person to cruise, you risk ecological damage to marine life from contamination of waters by cruise ships or noise disturbance, regardless of what a travel company may promise you.  

Closer to home, the Highlands are a popular nature-based tourist destination. Some tour companies, like Rabbie’s Tours, boast doing their bit for the environment and local people by including small local businesses on tour routes and taxing themselves a whole £10 for every tonne (approximately 1016 kg) of carbon they use, which goes to a charitable cause of some kind. Of the seven charities named as recipients of this ‘tax’, only two were environmentally relevant. Unfortunately, the damage is therefore still done, without any tangible mitigation.

It seems we can’t yet travel this world completely guilt-free, but don't despair — we can try to minimise our impact and mean it. Try to prioritise local businesses and favour small-scale tourist operations. When out in the wild, “Take nothing but memories (or photos), leave nothing but footprints.” A key takeaway I found is not to just accept sustainability promises at face value, but to understand them and ask how they're being fulfilled. It takes a critical mind to consider these points, to find that balance of economics and environment we can be satisfied with and still experience all the world has to offer, but the fresh air and lush fauna and flora of wherever your journeys take you will thank you for it.  

Illustration by Hannah Beggerow