Can Travel Be A Force For Good?

FEBRUARY 27, 2023 | BY: LORI SLY

I wrestle with this question quite often. Does the trip we want to take contribute a net gain to this world? Or does travel create an environmental, economic, and social deficit? Can travel be a force for good? As a travel and tourism consultant, I spend a good deal of time understanding and applying sustainable tourism principles and making sense of this question.

The broad phrase of sustainability boils down to three key areas: environment, economics, and social. So, to determine the “goodness” of travel, we need to consider each. 

Environmental Good

There can be a negative view towards travel because of its impact on the environment. Moving people around the world has a net impact on emissions. Although there are ways to lessen our environmental impact while traveling, there is still an impact. 

As new technologies and efficiencies continue to lessen travel’s impact on the environment, we need to identify significant benefits in other areas to warrant our environmental footprint. From a sustainability perspective, we must prove that it has a benefit to the other elements of sustainability: both for economic good and social good.

Economic Good

Tourism is a major economic sector. According to the UNWTO, it is the third largest export category worldwide, at 7% of global trade. This represented up to 20% of a country’s pre-Covid GDP (2% in Canada). The tourism industry was the hardest hit by the pandemic, threatening jobs, economies, businesses, and visitor spending. 

As we move out of the pandemic, it may take years to rebound the visitor economy. Therefore, supporting travel, tourism, and hospitality businesses – near or far – is an important way to rejuvenate the visitor economy to bring it back to prosperity once again.

Social Good

A strong visitor economy contributes to the quality of life and sense of place for residents. It stimulates growth in business activity and population, to support the industry. Often, sustainable destinations that people want to travel to, are place people one day chose to invest in and/or call home. Sustainable destinations show love to those that call the community home. They do not sacrifice the needs of residents for the benefit of the visitor. They exist in balance. They provide mutual benefit to each other.

Travel for good can be a transformational experience for the visitor. Visitors seek immersion into the local culture, food, people, and way of life. Finding authentic representation of the places we visit is critical – not simply seeking out Instagrammable backdrops and typical stereotypes. Visitors share transformational experiences and authentic stories when they return home. We have much to learn and share about other destinations (near and far). This is of utmost benefit to us and our communities.

 Travel helps break down stereotypes and assumptions. It connects us with the real people behind our perceived biases. This, in turn, changes everything.

Action Plan

How can my personal travel be maximized as a force for good? Here are some practical tips that you can implement today:

1. Take the visitor pledge when visiting a community if one is available. 

2. If there is not a pledge available, consider making your own pledge to apply to all destinations you visit. Something such as: “I will leave the destination better than I found it. I will be kind to nature and seek to understand the unique culture of this place.”

3. Remind yourself of your sustainability pledge each day of your trip and align your decisions with it.

4. Experience destinations that are near you. Explore your region, your country and neighboring countries first.

5. Consider a credible carbon offset program or donating to an environmental charity in the place you are visiting.

6. Support travel companies that have legitimate green practices (not greenwashing) and are investing in future, greener technologies in their communities and are local to the communities you visit.

7. Donate to local conservation agencies, community groups and other local charities in the community during your stay.

8. Interact with locals and seek meaningful connections and to understand the unique stories of the destination you visit.

9. Volunteer with a local event, charity, or program to learn.

10. Share the stories that you uncover with your circles back home.

It is by travel that the world is truly connected.

This is how travel can be a force for good. Travel brings us together as “we”, not simply the self-serving “me”. We begin to understand that we are all innately human. We have the same needs and desire for connection and meaning. We help each other understand that WE all are part of the solution. Travel can be thread that connects us.