Sustainable Tourism Through the Eyes of the ASEF

The video starts with a scene about plastic bottles and reminds us of the excessive use of plastics. Right now, we can hardly imagine life without it, however, it’s important that we reduce its use.

It poses a serious threat to all Earth’s ecosystems. Plastic waste has been found in places all over the world, from the highest mountaintops to the deepest ocean floors. Not to mention all the plastics that has been found in the stomachs of birds and whales in nearby as well as distant locations. The incredibly large amounts of plastics have resulted in tourists being advised against visiting the world’s once most beautiful beaches.

It is clear from the above examples that plastics is an issue that we cannot solve simply by waste sorting and pointing fingers at corporations. Each and every one of us can already contribute. The first step is to stop buying plastic bottles, especially when there are so many different glass water bottles available, including designer glass water bottles for everyday use. It’s also important that we avoid using plastic cutlery and plastic containers, including the plastic takeaway cups that we so often like to use for our coffee.

The next scene in the video addresses fast food. When tourists visit any country they always head to fast-food chains of multinational firms, such as McDonald’s and Burger King. They usually frequent these sorts of restaurants due to cheap and already familiar food.

Tourists aren’t aware that every part of experiencing other countries and cultures means experiencing local cuisine, which of course doesn’t mean just trying out the local beer. Ordering and trying out unfamiliar food with strange sounding names and unfamiliar appearance is also a part of this experience. And who knows, by doing that you might discover your new favourite dish. Trying out local cuisine from the domestic food market ensures the money goes directly to the local producers and not into the pockets of rich multinational firms. At the same time, this also supports the local traditional food and helps preserve the global food diversity. So, let’s head to the market and buy some fresh produce or stop at a local restaurant, even if that means that we are going to pay a bit more than we would in a fast food chain. Of course, locally produced and prepared food is much healthier than any fast food.

And the last but by no means least important thing the video mentions is the attitude we have towards the local community as tourists. It is important to be aware of the fact that the local community had existed at our destination long before we arrived there, and it will continue existing long after we leave. That’s why it’s important that we don’t leave the environment in a worse state than it was upon our arrival. We must respect the rules and restrictions we come across on our journeys. If having a picnic on grass is forbidden, then we should respect that. And let’s not forget that we influence the opinion and attitude of the local community towards tourism. Surely, we don’t want the locals to view tourists as noisy newcomers who came with their loud cars, brought their garbage with them and left. That’s why we must respect them and try to disturb them as little as possible. That, of course, doesn’t mean we cannot ask them about their lives and traditions every now and then. If they agree, that is. And who knows, if we show them kindness, they might show us a local sight or two that cannot be found in any guidebook.

The message of the video is that we can be tourists that everyone will like: the local community and the environment. The only thing we have to do is to simply change a few of our habits.