Green Travel – The travel solution for nature conservation
India is a land of varied geography boasting a variety of flora and fauna with numerous rare endangered species. We speak innumerable languages and practice multiple religions. Our rich cultures and traditions are renowned all across the world, and as a result, the trend of annual tourist arrivals in our country records a higher average every year. And now to provide a well-organized infrastructural facility for the tourists our large resources were required for immediate tourist facilities which include the construction of airports for easy accessibility, huge buildings were established to accommodate and provide shopping facilities, service roads were expanded, bridges and sewage were built and made, electricity was brought in but very often these infrastructures were built without any sustainable development plans and environmental protection policies. The industry received a new dimension with the development while plants and animals lose their natural habitat and are forced to move to a new location as new areas of lands were cleared to built and improve our infrastructures.
About 10.89 million foreign tourists are reported to have visited India in 2019 which is an increase of 3.1% from the year before. Also, the domestic tourists driving the growth of our country are rapidly increasing. Now, all this daily tourist activities puts enormous stress and significantly interfered with the nature such as degradation of environment from the incorrect waste disposals, dumping of untreated sewage waters into the ocean greatly affecting the marine life, high levels of noise and increased number of vehicles overloading the existing roads and transit systems. All these effects disturb the ecological balance gradually destroying the environmental resources on which tourism itself depended on. Over time the local resources will get depleted. This is one of the inevitable negative effects of tourism. A tourist with ecological conscience travels and supports conservation efforts of the destination but we humans have become increasingly greedy, taking whatever we want from nature while no one considers replenishing what has been taken.
According to The International Ecotourism Society, ecotourism is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education.”
For decades, the introduction of ecotourism has indeed helped in managing our natural resources; threatened wildlife and plant species were protected through various re-population projects, environments were conserved, the locals were provided economic improvements and their cultural traditions promoted. It has helped in generating values for the local people as well as the tourism industry and the visitors are delivered a remarkable experience. So while providing positive experiences to both the visitors and the hosts, ecotourism builds a culture of environmental respect and protection. India is currently home to 103 National Parks and 544 Wildlife Sanctuaries spread across the country which is strictly reserved for the betterment of wildlife and biodiversity. The Ministry of Tourism also spearheads in promoting tourism in the country in a responsible and sustainable manner by raising serious concerns about the growing threats to the wildlife and fast extraction of resources which is leading us to high environmental degradation by tourism activities. But despite many goals in protecting the environment, the increased numbers of tourists, lack of awareness, and lack of monitoring are all contributing an increase in creating irreparable damage to the environment.
Today, the novel coronavirus pandemic has disrupted normality across the globe. The dramatic halt has shuttered hotels and restaurants, workers, and everything that depended on the tourism industry into a standstill. But to be on the brighter side, as residents all across the country are under strict stay-at-home orders many destination areas are now recovering from human interference. Not only is the air cleaner, but it's also quieter too. The air is clearer, the water quality has improved. Rare wildlife species resurfacing the ground are noticed, birds are returning and chirping. COVID -19 is giving nature the space to breathe. The earth is healing and we are living a little greener.
The tourism industry is also now on the path to recovery and several destinations are beginning to ease restrictions on travel and mobility. As the sector gets ready to resume its activity, it is necessary that the industry transform and emerge with sustainability as a new vision . The industry should build back better and advance by creating a more responsible and fair way of travel. The transformation of the industry is urgently needed. It is also imperative that we learn to travel responsibly and in an eco-friendly way.