Sustainable travel means something different to everyone — where some lean into eco-friendly accommodations and others practice the art of responsible tourism with low-carbon transportation, a third group explores cultural heritage through authentic experiences. All these practices fall under the same ethical umbrella, but on a granular level, represent the three core pillars of sustainable travel: people, the planet and the economy. Come along as we break down what each of these categories represents, what it looks like in practice and how advisors can help their travelers book sustainable trips.
Pillar 1: People
The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines heritage tourism as “traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.” Essentially, this pillar emphasizes a traveler’s connection to a destination’s culture, providing them with immersive experiences and lessons that educate them about a way of life different from their own.
To many, this might not seem like a sustainability initiative because it’s not in line with more traditional practices, like conservation and restoration. However, sustainability at its core is about preserving yesterday and today for the generations of tomorrow — protecting a culture’s historic landmarks, artifacts and traditions for future travelers is exactly that.
From a big-picture standpoint, heritage tourism is crucial in more ways than one, starting with the job and business opportunities it creates. Think about a destination like Australia, where Aboriginal communities teach dot painting classes to visitors, or Peru, where vacationers can try their hand at chinchero weaving. These kinds of unique opportunities benefit the traveler by providing enriching activities in addition to supporting the locals’ businesses who make it happen.
Hands-on experiences are one approach to implementing this pillar into a visitor’s trip, though being considerate of a destination’s regulations is another. Some tourism bodies have started to cap popular activities like sunrise or sunset tours at ancient landmarks in an effort to reduce foot traffic wearing down the fragile surfaces. Others have introduced entrance fees to reinvest into the maintenance of a site. These updated policies can feel like an inconvenience, but for those truly wanting to practice cultural sustainability, it is necessary for longevity.
Pillar 2: Planet
A rather intuitive pillar, protecting the planet is what travelers typically think of when envisioning sustainability. Nature is the underlying foundation of what travelers see and do during their trip, supporting everything from scenery, adventure, food and resources to jobs, climate resilience and spiritual value.
Though, as more vacationers have become aware of, tourism can strain an ecosystem through pollution, resource depletion and wildlife disturbances. These concerns manifest into very real problems for destinations, including stress on waste management systems (since visitors often produce more waste than locals), increased cost of living for residents and irreversible damage to wildlife habitats.
Travelers have a few different options when it comes to planet-specific sustainability initiatives. While there is a great debate among industry pros if it even exists anymore, off-season trips are recommended to combat overtourism during peak windows. By visiting during less-crowded travel periods, there’s less pressure on businesses to cut corners to accommodate a surge of guests, meaning destinations can put more energy into implementing their own sustainability practices.
Alternatively, efficient transportation is another way visitors can support this second pillar. Air travel, driving and other forms of transportation make up a considerable portion of tourism’s carbon footprint, so choosing electric or hybrid models in addition to public routes helps cut down on visitors’ emissions.
Even the small practices of turning off the lights, TVs and other electronics when leaving a hotel room, setting the AC temperature to be warmer while guests are out exploring and utilizing the “Do Not Disturb” signage to avoid unnecessary laundering can make a big impact.
Sustainability doesn’t have to be complicated, and any of these swaps are a sure way to positively contribute.
Pillar 3: Economy
Perfectly combining the other two pillars, the last category of sustainability is funding local economies. This is extremely important for keeping money within communities, which by extension, supports families, employees and their businesses while also creating new job opportunities. It’s an effective way to preserve culture and craftsmanship as well, as the funds allow local people to navigate the ebbs and flows of the global economy, ensuring they can continue to share their sacred work with future generations of travelers. And lastly, it’s another method to reduce a visitor’s environmental impact. Many handmade products or goods use locally sourced materials, removing the need for excessive imports and toxic emissions.
With that in mind, some of the best spaces to support the local economy include purchasing foods at farmers’ markets, booking boutique hotels, guesthouses or homestays and visiting family-owned establishments for shopping and dining. Travelers interested in exploring specific components of a destination should seek out local guides and tour operators as well.
What Advisors Can Do
According to a 2023 Booking.com report, 76% of global travelers wanted to vacation more sustainably, but over half didn’t know how or where to begin. This is the perfect opportunity for travel advisors to flex their industry knowledge and connect clients to these types of experiences.
Of course, that’s easier said than done considering vacationers and their knowledge of sustainability falls all over the map — some may have no idea what it even is where others might want to make every component of the trip as eco-friendly as possible. An understanding of these three pillars is a great way to get clients on the same page, as advisors can then help travelers make sustainability decisions that are right for them.
Since advisors are often the first source of information and discovery for vacationers, travel pros need to stay informed about relevant sustainability efforts. Just like continued professional development courses are critical to an advisor’s credibility, so is staying educated about hot topics that travelers care about.
For a more long-term approach, consider building relationships with local vendors and tour operators. Those connections not only give travel pros a distinguishing edge when it comes to their marketing strategy, but it also becomes easier to match clients with vetted experiences down the line. Vacationers’ perceptions about sustainable travel will likely shift over time, though with a solid foundation in place, advisors can easily adapt to meet the needs of their clients.
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