Q&A with Environmental Expert
In 2019, there were approximately 44.81 million U.S. citizens who traveled overseas, and wanderlust is not a new idea to our society. Traveling allows us to broaden our perspective by meeting new people, experiencing different cultures and therefore challenging our own beliefs. But our relationship with travel is parasitic. As we gain the benefits of our travels, the environment and the people that depend on it are being harmed in return. To maintain the beauty of the places we travel to, we have to create new sustainable initiatives in the travel industry.
Tourism Cares is a non-profit organization that is working to unite the travel industry to be a catalyst for positive environmental, social and economical impact for the people and places we travel. Paula Vlamings is the Chief Impact Officer for Tourism Cares and the Co-Founder of the Future of Tourism Coalition. Vlamings has been working at the intersection of tourism, social enterprise, and sustainability for more than a decade now and through Tourism Cares is spreading the word on sustainable tourism.
Q: How did your passion for sustainability and environmentally conscious travel begin?
A: I have always had a passion for travel and a respect for local cultures and nature, having grown up in many different parts of the world. But I think the first time I became a more conscious traveler was my very first trip to Africa in 2002. Every evening on safari, in each of the camps we stayed in, the camp staff would heat up a five-gallon bucket of water on the fire for our showers. The staff would ask me every evening over the shower tent wall if I would like an extra bucket and I always said yes so I could wash the dust from the day's drive out of my hair.
One evening over dinner, my husband and I noticed the camp staff going down to a well in the dried river bed below where the camp was located to fill up a 10,000-liter water tank. The water tank was filled twice a day for the camp's guest water needs. To get some exercise, we volunteered to help fill the tank the next morning. So at 7 a.m. the next morning, we headed out and helped the staff fill the tank, one bucket at a time, in a human chain from a small pump well. While we were pumping and hoisting and lifting bucket after bucket, the local women and children would come with their jerrycans from the neighboring villages to get their water as well. It took us four hours to fill the tank. The camp staff would be back that evening to do it all over again. That experience helped me truly understand the precious resource water is in parts of the world, and how much we as tourists take from these places in order to enjoy them. That evening in the shower when the staff called over the tent wall if I would like another bucket, I said no.
Q: Can you explain the mission behind Tourism Cares and how this organization is implementing change in different parts of the world?
A: Tourism Cares is a 501c3 organization with a mission to unite the travel industry to be a catalyst for positive environmental, social and economic impact for the people and places of travel.
To achieve this, we need to enact lasting change in how we do business for the people and places we serve. By doing what’s right for travel, we create opportunities, empower communities, amplify culture and protect the environment while fostering diverse perspectives and building inclusivity and understanding.
Not only does Tourism Cares have a long history of bringing the travel industry together, but it also mobilizes people to create change. What started with relief and revitalization volunteer efforts has grown into involvement and investment in social and environmental impact organizations that provide real and sustainable change, and many direct economic benefits, for communities worldwide. We work directly with travel companies, from all over the world, to infuse more sustainable practices into their operations. Whether that’s directly connecting them to community-led organizations on our Meaningful Maps or providing training and resources on sustainable tourism topics like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or best practices in animal and child welfare, to organizing hands-on volunteer efforts in destinations in North America, Tourism Cares inspires travel to be a force for good.
Q: COVID-19 opened a lot of people's eyes to the negative impacts of travel. How has the drastic change in tourism impacted the environment?
A: Many destinations benefited from the decline of tourists in terms of nature, but many also declined in terms of the economic support the industry provides. In some cases, it was both at the same time. I think people have become more aware but the question is whether or not they are willing to make changes in the way they travel in order to address these negative impacts.
There are many cases where communities saw the benefits of the decline and decided to change their relationship with mass tourism. Last July, Italy banned large cruise ships from entering Venice’s waters and declared the city’s lagoon a national monument. Key West is trying to do something similar, but the cruise industry lobby is pushing back on that community to force them to allow big ships. Bhutan has for decades pursued a “high-value, low-volume” strategy, with prices only luxury travelers can afford, while investing in the preservation of nature and culture. Some destinations—including Amsterdam—have all but stopped actively marketing the city to tourists, switching objectives from “destination promotion” to “destination management” for the welfare of locals.
Q: How can readers integrate small steps to start to travel more eco-friendly?
A: Sustainability and sustainable travel can feel overwhelming. The best advice we give to companies, and travelers alike, is to start with a passion. You can’t change the world overnight, but there are small things you can do right away. Travel with a reusable water bottle, ask your hotel to remove one-time-use plastics from your room, ask your tour operator or travel agent what they’re doing to give back to these destinations where they send travelers. Choose to work with businesses that have a social and environmental impact strategy that talks about sustainability on their website. Buy local goods, handicrafts and art when you’re at your destination. Ask questions about where the products you buy and the food you consume come from. Lastly, do your homework. It is your responsibility to learn more about the people, cultures, and traditions before you get to a destination – and it makes for a much richer experience.
Q: Do you think sustainable travel is an urgent matter? Why or why not?
A: Yes, a very urgent matter. If we who profit from the desire of people to experience the world don't also invest in preserving, protecting and revitalizing the places we send travelers, we don't have sustainable business models. We think climate change creates conditions where we can’t sell tourist destinations the same way anymore. The wildfires, the floods, the rising sea levels are creating climate refugees and these places we love will be forever changed if we don’t address sustainability in our business models.
Q: Do you think traveling sustainably can actually make for a better personal experience? Why?
A: Yes. The only way for travel to be transformative or even memorable is to discover the sense of place, to feel immersed in culture and nature. Without sustainability, these assets— culture, nature, community — will go away and travel will no longer be an experience. It will be a spectacle. Sustainable travel is about conscious travel that gives as much as it takes and creates unique, authentic and immersive experiences.
Q: How can we leave the places we travel to better than we found them?
A: Be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Take the time to understand what the issues are in the country you are visiting and try to support businesses and organizations that are making those places better. Spend your money with companies that are committed to sustainable practices — those include animal welfare policies, policies against plastics, commitment to support local businesses and understanding when charity is harmful and not helpful. Try to stay in locally owned hotels, frequent small businesses and restaurants, support nonprofit organizations that are making a difference – and ask questions of the locals. Be in the moment and be curious about the local people.
Avoid traveling to over-touristed places when you can. Mitigate crowding at fragile areas when you use social media. The Leave No Trace organization, along with some destinations, encourages travelers to use generic rather than specific geotags to reduce the chances of a specific site being overrun.
Q: How can readers get involved in Tourism Cares?
A: Monetary donations to Tourism Cares support our overall mission and are directly used to positively impact the people and places of travel. Funding is used for programmings like our Impact, Resiliency and Diversity in Tourism Grants that support sites and communities all over the world with capacity-building, training, and infrastructure improvements. https://www.tourismcares.org/support-a-grant
Join us as an individual member, showing your support and love of travel https://www.tourismcares.org/professional-membership
Visit our Meaningful Maps of North America, Jordan, and Colombia and choose local businesses to support when you visit. https://meaningfultravelplatform.org/main/map
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