Traveling isn’t just about catching meaningless social media posts – here’s how you can do something that actually matters.
More people are traveling to popular places without considering the environment or nature of the destination. An action that is considered harmless can have harmful effects without people knowing it. Focusing on protecting the environment and experimenting with regenerative tourism can be life changing. By taking more responsible actions, the Earth will thank and appreciate us more.
Regenerative tourism
Regenerative tourism is tourism that aims to improve the environment of the destination. It is also about improving the local community of travel destinations, such as increasing the wellbeing of entrepreneurs by helping to bring more customers to the destination by developing courses or different experiences for customers that could be done in nature. (Luke, n.d). Nature has positive effects on people´s physical and mental health, for example, even a short walk in the forest can create a relaxed atmosphere and minimize stress levels.
Mood of Finland is a company that organizes experiences that take place in nature for domestic and international travelers. They organize guided tours for groups to the forest of love, which includes a forest walk and tree planting, for which customers receive a certificate, and at the end the group enjoys a picnic lunch by the campfire. (Mood of Finland, n.d.) It´s great because it helps the environment in a rejuvenating way and at the same time, customers get to enjoy nature and each other´s presence.
By respecting nature, its purity, and rules, you serve yourself, but also the habitat of wild animals. Small actions make a significant difference. Sometimes it is good to put down your phone, focus on your surroundings, and consider its inhabitants. For example, picking up trash and leaving the area in the same condition as when you arrived also serves the needs of subsequent travelers. Modifying nature can also be a crime and in the worst case, harm the species typical behavior of wild animals.
If you focus too much on taking that great and popular social media photo, you will end up forgetting about your own health and the health of others around you. For example, taking a selfie with a wild animal such as a lion may sound like an extreme activity, but it can be fatal for the selfie taker, but also for the lion, as the lion could potentially attack the tourist, which could lead to the lion being killed.
Sustainable tourism
Regenerative and responsible tourism goes hand in hand, but there is a subtle difference between them. Sustainability aims to slow the deterioration of a destination, while regenerative tourism aims to restore the destination (Crawford, 2022). It is an innovative idea to keep the ten principles of sustainable tourism in mind when operating. Principles 1. fair cooperation, 2. caring for nature, 3. respecting cultural heritage, 4. promoting wellbeing, 5. favoring locals, 6. safety and quality, 7. considering climate impacts, 8. open communication, 9. developing business and, 10. commitment bring together a package that makes the development and recognition of sustainable tourism natural. (Visit Finland, n.d.)
Children don’t yet understand the diversity of nature, so a fun way to teach them about nature and responsibility is to pick up trash when you find it or organize a quiz for them in the forest about trees, plants, mushrooms, or animals.
Whether its land or sea, we must act responsibly, because there is a lot of trash in the sea that does not belong in there and it needs to be picked up, because, in the worst case, marine life can die from it, so the sea must be kept clean.
Summary
This is an important topic that everyone should consider when traveling, whether in their home country or abroad. The diversity of nature and destinations and the care associated with it are even more important when considering climate change and the effects of war on the deterioration of tourist destinations. The ten principles of tourism help all tourists understand the importance of a destination and its significance. General accessibility, safety and preserving history, as well as enabling experiences, are everyone´s responsibility.
Sources:
Luke. (n.d) regenerative nature tourism. https://www.luke.fi/fi/projektit/reggae
Mood of Finland. (n.d). tourism services. https://moodoffinland.fi/palvelut/matkailu/ Crawford, J. (21.11.2022). What is regenerative tourism and why it is the future of tourism? https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/regenerative-travel-future-of-tourism
Visit Finland, (n.d) principles of sustainable tourism. https://www.visitfinland.fi/liiketoiminnan-kehittaminen/vastuullinen-matkailu/kestavan-matkailun-periaatteet/
Text: Roosa Kujansuu, Tourism management (Matkailuliiketoiminta) student
Pictures: Microsoft imagebank