Eco-Tourism

I have never really thought about “eco-tourism” before. Definitely, the tourism industry feeds environment degradation. The article from The Guardian really made some good points. It was interesting that people who are strongly committed to being green in their own personal domestic lives, make exceptions when it comes to travel.

There are many things in Western culture that we cannot imagine going without or changing. I think travel is one of them. Personally, my family lives in California and most of my extended family is on the East Coast (MA, NY, CT) so ever since I was young we have been flying a lot. Going to school in DC I fly between MA and CA at least six times a year.

What is even more troubling is that when I fly I almost always end up talking with people who fly (usually for their jobs) all the time. Most businesses send employees around the US and abroad to other branches for meetings or whatever. I think it would be very difficult to change this pattern.

I do think that a good idea for dealing with eco-tourism is to include the cost of environmental harm in the price of the ticket. I think it would really help to deter people from flying excessively. Ultimately, people are going to continue to fly until another cheaper, equally convenient mode of transportation is made available. Sometimes there really is no other option besides flying. Eco-tourism is just another manifestation of our globalized, consumerist, affluent society. Although we can create deterrents, it is our lifestyle and ingrained values of comfort and convenience that need shifting.