eco friendly tourism essay

What Is Ecotourism? Definition, Examples, and Pros and Cons

• Chapman University
• Sustainable Fashion
• Art & Media

Ecotourism Definition and Principles

Pros and cons.

• Examples of Ecotourism
• Frequently Asked Questions

Ecotourism is about more than simply visiting natural attractions or natural places; it’s about doing so in a responsible and sustainable manner. The term itself refers to traveling to natural areas with a focus on environmental conservation. The goal is to educate tourists about conservation efforts while offering them the chance to explore nature.

Ecotourism has benefited destinations like Madagascar, Ecuador, Kenya, and Costa Rica, and has helped provide economic growth in some of the world’s most impoverished communities. The global ecotourism market produced $92.2 billion in 2019 and is forecasted to generate $103.8 billion by 2027.

A conservationist by the name of Hector Ceballos-Lascurain is often credited with the first definition of ecotourism in 1987, that is, “tourism that consists in travelling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated natural areas with the specific object of studying, admiring and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural manifestations (both past and present) found in these areas.”

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of ecotourism since 1990, defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education [both in its staff and its guests].”

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) looks at ecotourism as a significant tool for conservation, though it shouldn’t be seen as a fix-all when it comes to conservation challenges:

“There may be some areas that are just not appropriate for ecotourism development and some businesses that just won’t work in the larger tourism market. That is why it is so important to understand the basics of developing and running a successful business, to ensure that your business idea is viable and will be profitable, allowing it to most effectively benefit the surrounding environment and communities.”

Marketing an ecosystem, species, or landscape towards ecotourists helps create value, and that value can help raise funds to protect and conserve those natural resources.

Sustainable ecotourism should be guided by three core principles: conservation, communities, and education.

Conservation

Conservation is arguably the most important component of ecotourism because it should offer long-term, sustainable solutions to enhancing and protecting biodiversity and nature. This is typically achieved through economic incentives paid by tourists seeking a nature-based experience, but can also come from the tourism organizations themselves, research, or direct environmental conservation efforts.

Communities

Ecotourism should increase employment opportunities and empower local communities, helping in the fight against global social issues like poverty and achieving sustainable development.

Interpretation

One of the most overlooked aspects of ecotourism is the education component. Yes, we all want to see these beautiful, natural places, but it also pays to learn about them. Increasing awareness about environmental issues and promoting a greater understanding and appreciation for nature is arguably just as important as conservation.

As one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry, there are bound to be some downsides to ecotourism. Whenever humans interact with animals or even with the environment, it risks the chance of human-wildlife conflict or other negative effects; if done so with respect and responsibility in mind, however, ecotourism can reap enormous benefits to protected areas.

As an industry that relies heavily on the presentation of eco-friendly components to attract customers, ecotourism has the inevitable potential as a vessel for greenwashing. Part of planning a trip rooted in ecotourism is doing research to ensure that an organization is truly providing substantial benefits to the environment rather than exploiting it.

Ecotourism Can Provide Sustainable Income for Local Communities

Sustainably managed ecotourism can support poverty alleviation by providing employment for local communities, which can offer them alternative means of livelihood outside of unsustainable ones (such as poaching).

Research published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that communities in regions surrounding conservation areas in Costa Rica had poverty rates that were 16% lower than in areas that weren’t near protected parks. These protected areas didn’t just benefit from conservation funds due to ecotourism, but also helped to reduce poverty as well.

It Protects Natural Ecosystems

Ecotourism offers unique travel experiences focusing on nature and education, with an emphasis on sustainability and highlighting threatened or endangered species. It combines conservation with local communities and sustainable travel , highlighting principles (and operations) that minimize negative impacts and expose visitors to unique ecosystems and natural areas. When managed correctly, ecotourism can benefit both the traveler and the environment, since the money that goes into ecotourism often goes directly towards protecting the natural areas they visit.

Each year, researchers release findings on how tourist presence affects wildlife, sometimes with varying results. A study measuring levels of the stress hormone cortisol in wild habituated Malaysian orangutans found that the animals were not chronically stressed by the presence of ecotourists. The orangutans lived in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, where a local community-managed organization operates while maintaining strict guidelines to protect them.

Ecotourism May Also Hurt Those Same Natural Ecosystems

Somewhat ironically, sometimes ecotourism can hurt ecosystems just as much as it can help. Another study in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution found that ecotourism can alter animal behaviors in ways that put them at risk. If the presence of humans changes the way animals behave, those changes may make them more vulnerable by influencing their reaction to predators or poachers.

It's not just the animals who are at risk. As ecotourism activities become too popular, it can lead to the construction of new infrastructure to accommodate more visitors. Similarly, more crowds mean more pressure on local resources, increased pollution, and a higher chance of damaging the soil and plant quality through erosion. On the social side, these activities may displace Indigenous groups or local communities from their native lands, preventing them from benefiting from the economic opportunities of tourism.

Ecotourism Offers the Opportunity to Experience Nature

Renown conservationist Jane Goodall has a famous quote: “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.” It can be difficult to understand something that we haven’t seen with our own eyes, and ecotourism gives travelers the opportunity to gain new experiences in natural areas while learning about the issues they face. 

Ecotourism also educates children about nature, potentially creating new generations of nature lovers that could someday become conservationists themselves. Even adult visitors may learn new ways to improve their ecological footprints .

EXAMPLES OF ECOTOURISM

The East African country has some competitive advantages over its neighbors thanks to its rich natural resources, paired with the fact that it has allocated over 25% of its total area to wildlife national parks and protected areas. Because of this, an estimated 90% of tourists visit to Tanzania seeking out ecotourism activities. Ecotourism, in turn, supports 400,000 jobs and accounts for 17.2% of the national GDP, earning about $1 billion each year as its leading economic sector.

Some of Tanzania’s biggest highlights include the Serengeti, Mount Kilimanjaro , and Zanzibar, though the country still often goes overlooked by American tourists. Visitors can take a walking safari tour in the famous Ngorongoro Conservation area, for example, with fees going to support the local Maasai community.

The country is also known for its chimpanzees , and there are several ecotourism opportunities in Gombe National Park that go directly towards protecting chimpanzee habitats.

Galapagos Islands

It comes as no surprise that the place first made famous by legendary naturalist Charles Darwin would go on to become one of the most sought-after ecotourism destinations on Earth, the Galapagos Islands .

The Directorate of the Galapagos National Park and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism require tour providers to conserve water and energy, recycle waste, source locally produced goods, hire local employees with a fair wage, and offer employees additional training. A total of 97% of the land area on the Galapagos is part of the official national park, and all of its 330 islands have been divided into zones that are either completely free of human impact, protected restoration areas, or reduced impact zones adjacent to tourist-friendly areas.

Local authorities still have to be on their toes, however, since UNESCO lists increased tourism as one of the main threats facing the Galapagos today. The bulk of funding for the conservation and management of the archipelago comes from a combination of governmental institutions and entry fees paid by tourists.

Costa Rica is well-known throughout the world for its emphasis on nature-based tourism, from its numerous animal sanctuaries to its plethora of national parks and reserves. Programs like its “Ecological Blue Flag” program help inform tourists of beaches that have maintained a strict set of eco-friendly criteria.

The country’s forest cover went from 26% in 1983 to over 52% in 2021 thanks to the government’s decision to create more protected areas and promote ecotourism in the country . Now, over a quarter of its total land area is zoned as protected territory.

Costa Rica welcomes 1.7 million travelers per year, and most of them come to experience the country’s vibrant wildlife and diverse ecosystems. Its numerous biological reserves and protected parks hold some of the most extraordinary biodiversity on Earth, so the country takes special care to keep environmental conservation high on its list of priorities. 

New Zealand

In 2019, tourism generated $16.2 billion, or 5.8% of the GDP, in New Zealand. That same year, 8.4% of its citizens were employed in the tourism industry, and tourists generated $3.8 billion in tax revenue.

The country offers a vast number of ecotourism experiences, from animal sanctuaries to natural wildlife on land, sea, and even natural caves. New Zealand’s South Pacific environment, full of sights like glaciers and volcanic landscapes, is actually quite fragile, so the government puts a lot of effort into keeping it safe.

Tongariro National Park, for example, is the oldest national park in the country, and has been named by UNESCO as one of only 28 mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Sites. Its diverse volcanic landscapes and the cultural heritage of the indigenous Maori tribes within the create the perfect combination of community, education, and conservation.

How to Be a Responsible Ecotourist

• Ensure that the organizations you hire provide financial contributions to benefit conservation and find out where your money is going.
• Ask about specific steps the organization takes to protect the environment where they operate, such as recycling or promoting sustainable policies.
• Find out if they include the local community in their activities, such as hiring local guides, giving back, or through initiatives to empower the community.
• Make sure there are educational elements to the program. Does the organization take steps to respect the destination’s culture as well as its biodiversity?
• See if your organization is connected to a non-profit or charity like the International Ecotourism Society .
• Understand that wildlife interactions should be non-invasive and avoid negative impacts on the animals.

Ecotourism activities typically involve visiting and enjoying a natural place without disturbing the landscape or its inhabitants. This might involve going for a hike on a forest trail, mountain biking, surfing, bird watching, camping, or forest bathing . 

Traveling in a way that minimizes carbon emissions, like taking a train or bike instead of flying, may also be part of an ecotourism trip. Because these modes of travel tend to be slower, they may be appreciated as enjoyable and relaxing ecotourism activities.

The Wolf Conservation Center ’s programing in New York State is an example of ecotourism. This non-profit organization is dedicated to the preservation of endangered wolf species. It hosts educational sessions that allow visitors to observe wolves from a safe distance. These programs help to fund the nonprofit organization’s conservation and wildlife rehabilitation efforts.

Stonehouse, Bernard. " Ecotourism ." Environmental Geology: Encyclopedia of Earth Science , 1999, doi:10.1007/1-4020-4494-1_101

" What is Ecotourism? " The International Ecotourism Society .

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" Galapagos Islands ." UNESCO .

" About Costa Rica ." Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington DC .

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Eco Friendly Practices for Eco Tourism

Explain eco friendly practices for eco tourism: exploring the beauty of sustainable travel.

In a world where environmental consciousness is becoming increasingly crucial, eco-tourism has emerged as a beacon of hope for those who wish to explore the natural wonders of our planet while minimizing their carbon footprint. This paradigm shift towards sustainable travel is more than just a trend; it's a way of life that harmonizes with the ecosystems we visit. In this article, we delve into the realm of eco-friendly practices for eco-tourism, understanding their significance, benefits, and how they intertwine to offer travelers a unique and fulfilling experience.

Eco-Friendly Practices for Eco-Tourism: The Essence

Before embarking on our journey into the world of eco-friendly practices for eco-tourism, it's essential to comprehend the very essence of this sustainable travel movement. Eco-friendly tourism, often referred to as eco-tourism, is a travel philosophy that seeks to minimize the impact of tourism on the environment. This practice revolves around responsible and sustainable travel choices that respect the natural environment, preserve cultural heritage, and provide tangible benefits to the local communities.

Eco-tourism is not merely a buzzword but a harmonious way of traveling that considers the delicate balance between economic development, environmental conservation, and cultural appreciation. The overarching objective is to provide an unforgettable experience for travelers while ensuring that the destinations and ecosystems they visit remain intact and vibrant for future generations.

Eco-Friendly Practices: A Prelude to Responsible Tourism

Sustainable Accommodation: The bedrock of an eco-friendly journey is the place where you rest your head. Sustainable accommodation options have emerged as a beacon of hope for eco-tourists. From eco-lodges nestled in the heart of forests to solar-powered resorts on remote islands, these accommodations are designed with an unflinching commitment to minimizing environmental impact. They often incorporate renewable energy sources, efficient water use, and responsible waste management. By choosing such accommodations, eco-tourists make a significant contribution to environmental conservation.

Responsible Transportation: The journey to eco-friendly tourism starts from the moment you set foot outside your home. Opting for low-impact modes of transportation such as trains, buses, or electric cars can drastically reduce your carbon footprint. Additionally, guided walking tours, cycling trips, and electric-powered boats offer travelers an opportunity to explore destinations up close without leaving behind a trail of carbon emissions.

Wildlife Conservation: Eco-friendly practices for eco-tourism entail respecting and protecting the flora and fauna of the destinations you visit. Engaging in wildlife conservation efforts, such as responsible animal encounters, supports the preservation of ecosystems. Safeguarding endangered species and their natural habitats is a shared responsibility for both eco-tourists and host communities.

Cultural Respect: Eco-tourism is not just about protecting the environment; it's also about respecting the local culture and heritage. Learning about the traditions and customs of the communities you visit, supporting local artisans, and engaging in cultural exchange can have a significant positive impact. This mutual understanding fosters respect and appreciation, enhancing the travel experience for both tourists and locals.

Waste Management: Sustainable waste management practices are pivotal in eco-friendly tourism. Littering, especially in fragile ecosystems, can have devastating consequences. Travelers should adhere to the 'leave no trace' philosophy, disposing of their waste responsibly and even participating in cleanup activities if available.

Eco-Friendly Activities: The activities you engage in during your journey can make or break the eco-friendly experience. Opt for activities that align with the principles of sustainability, such as hiking, bird-watching, and snorkeling. These activities allow travelers to connect with nature without causing harm.

The Benefits of Eco-Tourism

Environmental Conservation: Perhaps the most apparent benefit of eco-friendly practices for eco-tourism is the preservation of natural environments. By visiting destinations with responsible practices, tourists actively support conservation efforts and help protect endangered ecosystems and species.

Economic Prosperity: Eco-tourism also provides economic incentives to local communities, often in remote or economically disadvantaged regions. The revenue generated from eco-tourism activities helps create jobs and fosters economic sustainability, reducing the pressure to exploit natural resources for livelihood.

Cultural Appreciation: Sustainable travel allows tourists to immerse themselves in the local culture and build meaningful connections with the community. This, in turn, contributes to the preservation of traditions and cultural heritage.

Health and Well-being: Eco-tourism offers a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and immerse oneself in the tranquility of natural settings. This connection with nature has proven therapeutic benefits, reducing stress and promoting mental and physical well-being.

Educational Opportunities: Eco-friendly travel is a remarkable platform for education and awareness. Travelers have the opportunity to learn about the environment, wildlife, and conservation efforts, which can, in turn, inspire them to make sustainable choices in their daily lives.

Quality Travel Experience: Eco-tourism isn't just about responsibility; it's also about the quality of the travel experience. Engaging with nature, exploring pristine landscapes, and connecting with local communities offer a unique and fulfilling adventure that leaves a lasting impact.

Eco-Friendly Practices in Action: Success Stories

Costa Rica: The Green Jewel of Central America: Costa Rica is often celebrated as a shining example of eco-tourism. With its lush rainforests, abundant wildlife, and pristine beaches, the country has managed to strike a harmonious balance between tourism and conservation. Its national parks, protected areas, and sustainable accommodations attract travelers seeking a deep connection with nature.

Bhutan: The Carbon-Neutral Kingdom: Bhutan has taken eco-tourism to another level by being a carbon-neutral destination. The government enforces strict regulations, and travelers pay a daily fee for their visit, which includes sustainable accommodation, meals, and guided tours. The country's commitment to preserving its rich culture and environment makes it a model for responsible tourism.

Galápagos Islands: A Natural Wonder: The Galápagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site, have long been at the forefront of eco-friendly practices. Strict regulations control visitor numbers and activities, ensuring minimal disruption to the delicate ecosystem. By engaging with certified guides, visitors gain a deep understanding of the archipelago's unique biodiversity.

Iceland: A Land of Renewable Energy: Iceland is a prime example of how renewable energy sources can be harnessed to power tourism. The country's reliance on geothermal and hydroelectric power minimizes the carbon footprint of accommodations, transportation, and activities, making it an eco-friendly paradise.

Kenya : Protecting Wildlife through Tourism: Kenya's commitment to wildlife conservation is visible through its wildlife sanctuaries and community-led conservancies. Responsible safari operators offer travelers the chance to witness Africa's iconic animals while contributing to conservation efforts. The Masai Mara , Tsavo, and Amboseli National Parks are just a few of the iconic destinations where travelers can experience eco-tourism in action.

Tanzania: Preserving Biodiversity and Cultures:Tanzania, with its stunning national parks like the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, is a prime example of responsible eco-tourism. Sustainable lodges and safari operators ensure that visitors experience the wonders of the African wilderness while supporting local communities and preserving biodiversity.

India: A Tapestry of Eco-Tourism: India boasts a diverse range of eco-tourism opportunities, from the forests of Ranthambore National Park to the pristine backwaters of Kerala. The country's focus on sustainable practices and wildlife conservation has made it a sought-after destination for travelers seeking authentic natural and cultural experiences.

Challenges and Solutions in Eco-Tourism

Eco-tourism is not without its challenges. As it gains popularity, there's a risk of 'greenwashing,' where businesses falsely claim to be eco-friendly to attract tourists. This highlights the need for transparent certification systems and responsible tourism associations to help travelers make informed choices.

Another challenge is striking the right balance between attracting tourists for economic benefits and safeguarding natural environments. Sustainable destination management, visitor caps, and strict regulations are vital in preventing overtourism and the consequent environmental degradation.

Solutions to these challenges include:

Certification Programs : Supporting eco-tourism certification programs such as EarthCheck, Green Key, and Travelife can help travelers identify responsible businesses and accommodations.

Visitor Education: Raising awareness among travelers about responsible tourism practices and the importance of making sustainable choices is key. Education can drive demand for responsible travel.

Regulation and Enforcement: Governments and local authorities should enact and enforce regulations that promote responsible tourism. This may include visitor quotas, waste management guidelines, and wildlife protection laws.

Community Involvement: Engaging local communities in the planning and management of eco-tourism initiatives ensures their long-term success. When communities benefit from tourism, they become stewards of the environment.

Innovative Technologies: The travel industry can harness technology to reduce its carbon footprint. Electric vehicles, energy-efficient accommodations, and digital guides are some examples of technological advancements that can make eco-tourism even more sustainable.

Becoming an Eco-Friendly Traveler: A Guide

Now that we've delved into the significance and benefits of eco-friendly practices for eco-tourism, let's discuss how you can become an eco-friendly traveler. After all, each one of us can play a role in preserving our planet's beauty.

Choose Your Destinations Wisely : Research your travel destinations thoroughly. Seek out places with a strong commitment to eco-friendly tourism. Look for national parks, wildlife reserves, and protected areas known for their conservation efforts.

Select Sustainable Accommodations: As mentioned earlier, choosing eco-lodges or environmentally-conscious hotels is an excellent start. Check if they have certifications like 'Green Globe' or 'EarthCheck,' which indicate a commitment to sustainable practices.

Respect Local Cultures : When visiting foreign destinations, respect local customs, traditions, and sensitivities. Learn about the cultural norms and appropriate behaviors, and avoid actions that might be considered disrespectful.

Opt for Eco-Friendly Transportation : Whenever possible, choose eco-friendly modes of transportation. Trains and buses are often more environmentally friendly than flying, and cycling or walking are fantastic options for exploring local areas.

Minimize Single-Use Plastics : Carry reusable water bottles, shopping bags, and utensils. Avoid single-use plastics like plastic water bottles and straws that are known to harm the environment.

Waste Reduction : Dispose of waste responsibly. Use recycling and composting facilities where available. Carry a small trash bag for your waste when traveling in remote areas.

Wildlife Encounters : Be cautious when approaching wildlife, and never feed them. Take photos from a distance with telephoto lenses to avoid disturbing them.

Stay on Marked Trails : When hiking or exploring natural areas, stick to marked trails. Straying off the path can lead to soil erosion and damage to local flora.

Educate Yourself : Take the time to educate yourself about the destination's flora, fauna, and cultural heritage. Engage with local guides and take part in educational programs.

Support Conservation Efforts : Contribute to conservation organizations and local initiatives aimed at preserving the environment. Many eco-tourism destinations have programs where you can volunteer for a day to help with conservation efforts.

Conclusion: Embracing Eco-Friendly Practices for Eco-Tourism

Eco-friendly practices for eco-tourism are not just an option; they are a necessity in the 21st century. As travelers, we have the power to shape the future of tourism by choosing destinations and experiences that prioritize sustainability, environmental conservation, and cultural respect.

The benefits of eco-tourism extend far beyond the individual traveler. They reach the communities that thrive on tourism, the ecosystems that need protection, and the cultures that deserve appreciation. Eco-tourism isn't just a journey; it's a way of life that allows us to explore the beauty of our world while preserving its wonders for generations to come.

In the words of John Muir, the father of modern conservation, "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks." Eco-friendly practices for eco-tourism allow us to embrace the wisdom of these words, leaving behind a legacy of responsible travel and a thriving planet for future adventurers to explore and cherish.

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• Published: 31 May 2023

Eco-tourism, climate change, and environmental policies: empirical evidence from developing economies

• Yunfeng Shang 1 ,
• Chunyu Bi 2 ,
• Xinyu Wei 2 ,
• Dayang Jiang 2 ,
• Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5446-7093 3 , 4 &
• Ehsan Rasoulinezhad   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7726-1757 5  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  10 , Article number:  275 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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• Environmental studies

Developing ecotourism services is a suitable solution to help developing countries improve the status of sustainable development indicators and protect their environment. The primary purpose of this paper is to find out the effects of green governance variables and carbon dioxide emissions on ecotourism for 40 developing economies from 2010 to 2021. The results confirmed a uni-directional causal relationship between the green governance indicator and the inflation rate of the ecotourism indicator. In addition, with a 1% improvement in the green governance index of developing countries, the ecotourism of these countries will increase by 0.43%. In comparison, with a 1% increase in the globalization index of these countries, ecotourism will increase by 0.32%. Moreover, ecotourism in developing countries is more sensitive to macroeconomic variables changes than in developed economies. Geopolitical risk is an influential factor in the developing process of ecotourism. The practical policies recommended by this research are developing the green financing market, establishing virtual tourism, granting green loans to small and medium enterprises, and government incentives to motivate active businesses.

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Introduction.

The challenge of climate change has become a primary threat to living on the Earth in the last centuries (Rasoulinzhad and Taghizadeh-Hesary, 2022 ). Many meetings of the countries at the regional and international level are held on the topics of environment and climate change. Regardless of environmental issues, population growth, and the lack of control of greenhouse gas emissions, industrialization has been the most crucial cause of the climate change crisis. Chao and Feng ( 2018 ) address human activity as the leading cause of climate change and express that this challenge is a potential threat to living on Earth. Woodward ( 2019 ) argued that climate change threats include the rise in global temperature, the melting of polar ice caps, and unprecedented disease outbreaks. Therefore, urgent policies and solutions are essential to control and lower the risk of global change. One of the signs of climate change is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface. Figure 1 shows the temperature data from 1910 to 2021 for the four continents of Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America.

Source: Authors from NOAA ( https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/global/time-series ).

The data in Fig. 1 shows that the air temperature has increased significantly over the past century, which has been more prominent in Asia and Europe. In 2021, we saw a decrease in temperature changes due to the spread of the Corona disease and a decrease in the rate of greenhouse gas emissions. However, the role of the Asian continent in increasing the global temperature has been more than other continents due to its large population and excessive consumption of fossil fuels.

During the past decades, the world’s countries have tried to formulate and implement various environmental policies collectively in the form of agreements or separately to fight environmental threats. Regarding international agreements, such things as the Paris Agreement of 2015, the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, the Montreal Protocol of 1987, and the Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer in 1985 can be addressed whose primary purpose is to integrate the goals and motivation of the international community to the world’s environmental threats. However, a group of earlier studies, such as Zheng et al. ( 2017 ), Takashima ( 2018 ), and Roelfsema et al. ( 2022 ), emphasized the inefficiency of these global agreements, especially after the left the USA from the Paris Agreement on 1 June 2017. The most important cause of this inefficiency has been the need for more motivation of countries to fulfill their international obligations towards environmental issues. However, many governments consider the threat of climate change only within their geographical boundaries and have tried to formulate and implement green policies to advance their environmental protection goals. These policies include green financial policies (green taxes, green subsidies), monetary policies (such as green loans and green financing), and cultural and social policies in line with sustainable development. The ultimate goal of these green policies is a green economy, an environmentally friendly economy, a zero carbon economy, or a sustainable economy. Lee et al. ( 2022 ) define the green economy as a broad concept comprising green industry, agriculture, and services. Centobelli et al. ( 2022 ) express that environmental sustainability should be more attention in the service sector owing to its penetration into social life and interactions.

Tourism and travel-related services are among countries’ main parts of the service sector. By creating the flow of tourists, tourism services can lead to capital transfer, job creation, cultural exchange (globalization), and increasing welfare in the country hosting the tours. According to the Yearbook of Tourism Statistics published by the World Tourism Organization, international tourism has increased from 522.2 billion US dollars in 1995 to nearly 1.86 trillion US dollars in 2019. This increase shows the importance of tourism services in generating income for countries, especially in the era of Corona and post-corona. Casado-Aranda et al. ( 2021 ) express that tourism services can be a central driver of economic growth recovery in post COVID era. Jeyacheya and Hampton ( 2022 ) argue that tourism can make high incomes for host countries leading to job creation and economic flourishing in destination cities for tourists.

An important issue mentioned in the corona era and relies on the post-corona era is the revitalizing of green economic growth. An important issue mentioned in the corona era and relying on the post-corona era is the revitalizing green economic growth (Bai et al., 2022 ; Werikhe, 2022 ), an opportunity that countries should pay more attention to in order to rebuild their economic activities. In other words, countries should plan their return to economic prosperity with environmental issues in mind. To this end, the issue of tourism finds a branch called Ecotourism or sustainable tourism which has environmental concerns and tries to help countries to improve environmental protection policies. Ecotourism is an approach based on environmental criteria, which is opposed to over-tourism (a type of tourism that disrupts the protection of the environment and destroys natural resources). The International Ecotourism Society defines Ecotourism as an efficient way to conserve the environment and improve local people’s well-being. It can be said that Ecotourism, along with various economic advantages (income generation, job creation, globalization, poverty alleviation), will bring environmental protection to the world’s countries, achieving the goals of green economic growth recovery and sustainable development. Xu et al. ( 2022 ) consider Ecotourism as one of the essential components of achieving sustainable development in the post-corona era.

Ecotourism in developing countries has more priorities compared to developed economies. Firstly, developing countries are often countries with financial problems of the government, and the governments in these countries need more capital to advance sustainable development goals. Therefore, developing ecotourism services can be a suitable solution to help these countries improve the status of sustainable development indicators and protect their environment. Second, due to the spread of the Corona disease, developing countries have experienced numerous bankruptcy in the tourism services sector. Therefore, promoting ecotourism in these countries is of great importance in the post-corona era. Third, developing countries have a high share in the emission of greenhouse gases in the world due to their high dependence on fossil fuels and the lack of advanced green technologies. Fourth, due to bureaucratic processes, high cost, and lack of market transparency, greenwashing may happen in developing economies’ ecotourism industry, meaning that a company serving ecotourism services makes its activities seem more sustainable and ethical than they are. The term “greenwashing” can harshly impact the future development path of the ecotourism industry in developing economies. According to the reasons mentioned above, developing ecotourism in developing countries can be an essential factor in controlling and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in these countries.

This paper tries to contribute to the existing literature from the following aspects:

Calculating the ecotourism index for selected countries based on the criteria for measuring sustainable tourism stated by the World Tourism Organization in the United Nations. Considering that there is no specific index for ecotourism, the calculation of ecotourism in this article will be innovative.

Measuring the green governance index as a proxy for environmental policies for selected countries based on the Environment Social and Governance (ESG) data.

Selecting a sample of 40 developing countries from different geographical regions to calculate the interconnections between ecotourism, green governance, and climate change

Making a further discussion to address the role of uncertainty and the developing level of countries in the relationship between ecotourism and explanatory variables.

The main results confirm the existence of a uni-directional causal relationship running from the green governance indicator and inflation rate to the ecotourism indicator. In addition, with a 1% improvement in the green governance index of developing countries, the ecotourism of these countries will increase by 0.43%. A 1% increase in the globalization index of these countries accelerates ecotourism by 0.32%.

Moreover, ecotourism in developing countries is more sensitive to macroeconomic variables changes than in developed economies. Geopolitical risk is an influential factor in the developing process of ecotourism. The practical policies recommended by this research are developing the green financing market, establishing virtual tourism, granting green loans to small and medium enterprises, and government incentives to motivate active businesses.

The paper in continue is organized as follows: section “Literature review” provides a short literature review to determine the gaps this research seeks to fill. Section “Data and model specification” argues data and model specification. The following section represents empirical results. Section “Discussion” expresses discussion, whereas the last section provides conclusions, policy implications, research limitations, and recommendations to research further.

Literature review

This part of the article analyzes and classifies the previous literature on ecotourism and sustainable development in a rational and structured way. The importance of tourism in economic growth and development has been discussed in previous studies. However, the study of the effect of tourism on climate change has received little attention. Especially the relationship between sustainable tourism, climate change, and environmental policies is a problem that has yet to receive the attention of academic experts.

A group of previous studies has focused on the place of tourism in economic development and growth. Holzner ( 2011 ) focused on the consequences of tourism development on the economic performance of 134 countries from 1970 to 2007. They found out that excessive dependence on tourism income leads to Dutch disease in the economy, and other economic sectors need to develop to the extent of the tourism sector. In another study, Sokhanvar et al. ( 2018 ) investigated the causal link between tourism and economic growth in emerging economies from 1995 to 2014. The main results confirmed that the linkage is country-dependent. Brida et al. ( 2020 ) studied 80 economies from 1995 to 2016 to determine how tourism and economic development are related. The paper’s conclusions highlighted tourism’s-positive role in economic activities.

Another group of previous studies has linked tourism to sustainability targets. Sorensen and Grindsted ( 2021 ) expressed that nature tourism development has a positive and direct impact on achieving sustainable development goals of countries. In a new study, Li et al. ( 2022 ) studied the impacts of tourism development on life quality (as one of the sustainable development goals defined by the UN in 2015) in the case of Japan. They found that tourism development positively impacts the quality of life of age groups in the country. Ahmad et al. ( 2022 ) explored the role of tourism in the sustainability of G7 economies from 2000–2019. The primary findings revealed the positive impact of tourism arrivals on sustainable economic development. Zekan et al. ( 2022 ) investigated the impact of tourism on regional sustainability in Europe. They concluded that tourism development increases transport, leading to increased carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore, tourism development causes environmental pollution.

Tourism that can pay attention to environmental issues is called “ecotourism.” Many new studies have studied different dimensions of ecotourism. Lu et al. ( 2021 ) expanded the concept of the ecotourism industry. The significant results expressed that smart tourist cities are essential for efficient ecotourism in countries. Thompson ( 2022 ) expressed the characteristics of ecotourism development through survey methodology. The results confirmed the importance of transparent regulations, government support, and social intention to promote ecotourism. In another study, Heshmati et al. ( 2022 ) employed the SWOT analysis method to explore the critical success factors of ecotourism development in Iran. They found that legal documentation and private participation are major influential factors in promoting ecotourism in Iran. In line with the previous research, Hosseini et al. ( 2021 ) tried to explore the influential factors in promoting ecotourism in Iran by employing a SWOT analysis. They depicted that attracting investors is essential to enhance ecotourism projects in Iran. Hasana et al. ( 2022 ) reviewed research to analyze the earlier studies about ecotourism. The conclusions expressed that ecotourism is necessary for environmental protection. However, it is a challenging plan for the government, and they should carry out various policies toward ecotourism development. Kunjuraman et al. ( 2022 ) studied the role of ecotourism on rural community development in Malaysia. The significant results confirmed that ecotourism could transfer-positive impacts.

Several earlier studies have concentrated on the characteristics of ecotourism in different developed and developing economies. For example, Ruhanen ( 2019 ) investigated the ecotourism status in Australia. The paper concluded that the country could potentially make a larger share of ecotourism to the entire local tourism industry. Jin et al. ( 2022 ) studied the role of local community power on green tourism in Japan. They concluded that the concept of agricultural village activity and regional support positively influences the development of green tourism in Japan as a developed economy. Choi et al. ( 2022 ) sought to find aspects of ecotourism development in South Korea. The preliminary results confirmed the importance of green governance and efficient regulation to promote a sustainable tourism industry. Baloch et al. ( 2022 ) explored the ecotourism specifications in the developing economy of Pakistan. They found that Pakistan’s ecotourism needs government support and the social well-being of the visited cities. Sun et al. ( 2022 ) studied ecotourism in China. They concluded that there is imbalanced development of ecotourism among Chinese provinces due to the need for more capital to invest in all ecotourism projects throughout the Chinese cities. Tajer and Demir ( 2022 ) analyzed the ecotourism strategy in Iran. They concluded that despite various potentials in the country, insufficient capital, lack of social awareness, and political tension are the major obstacles to promoting a sustainable tourism industry in Iran.

Another group of earlier studies has drawn attention to promoting eco-tourism in the post COVID era. They believe that the corona disease has created an excellent opportunity to pay more attention to environmental issues and that countries should move towards sustainable development concepts such as sustainable (eco) tourism in the post-corona era. Soliku et al. ( 2021 ) studied eco-tourism in Ghana during the pandemic. The findings depicted the vague impacts of a pandemic on eco-tourism. Despite the short-term negative consequence of the pandemic on eco-tourism, it provides various opportunities for developing this sector in Ghana. Hosseini et al. ( 2021 ) employed the Fuzzy Dematel technique to find solutions for promoting eco-tourism during COVID-19. They found out that planning to increase the capacity of eco-tourism and incentive policies by governments can help promote the eco-tourism aspect under the pandemic’s consequences. Abedin et al. ( 2022 ) studied the consequence of COVID-19 on coastal eco-tourism development. The primary findings confirmed the negative impacts of a pandemic on the development of eco-tourism.

A review of previous studies shows that tourism can positively impact green growth and sustainable development. Sustainable tourism can be used as a policy to deal with the threat of climate change. This issue needs more attention in the corona and post-corona eras. Because in the post-corona era, many countries have sought to revive green economic growth, and ecotourism can be one of the tools to achieve it. As observed, a detailed study of the relationship between climate change, ecotourism, and environmental policies has yet to be done. Therefore, this research will address and fill this literature gap.

Data and model specification

Data description.

The paper seeks to find the relationship between climate change, ecotourism, and environmental policy for the panel of 40 developing economies from different regions from 2010 to 2021 (480 observations). The sample size could have been more extensive due to the lack of information on some variables. However, there are 480 observations in the data analysis of the data panel; therefore, the number of samples selected is acceptable.

To determine the proxies for main variables, CO2 emissions per capita are selected as the proxy for climate change. Many earlier studies (e.g., Espoir et al., 2022 ) have employed this variable as an appropriate variable representing the status of climate change. Regarding ecotourism, the World Tourism Organization proposed some measurements of sustainable tourism, and also following Yusef et al. ( 2014 ), the entropy weight method is employed to calculate a multi-dimensional ecotourism indicator comprising per capita green park area (square meters), gross domestic tourism revenue (US dollars), the ratio of good air quality (%), green transport, renewable water resources (km3) and deforestation rate (%). It is a novel ecotourism indicator that can show the ecotourism status in countries.

In addition, the green governance index is calculated as a proxy for environmental policy. Principally, the Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) data from World Bank are gathered to calculate this variable. With the improvement of the Green Governance Index, the quality of environmental policies will also increase, and vice versa. With the adverseness of the Green Governance Index, the efficiency of environmental policies will decrease.

Regarding control variables, the inflation rate as an influential factor in tourism flows is selected. The importance of this variable to promoting/declining tourism flows has been drawn to attention by some earlier studies, such as Liu et al. ( 2022 ). The inflation rate can raise the total cost of travel, causing a reduction in tourism flows, while any reduction in the inflation rate can increase the intention of tourists to travel. In addition, the KOF globalization index provided by the KOF Swiss Economic Institute is another control variable. A country with a higher degree of globalization means more readiness to accept tourists from countries with different cultures and religions.

Model specification

According to the variables mentioned above, 40 examined developing countries from 2010 to 2021, the panel co-integration model can be written as Eq. 1 :

ETOR indicates the ecotourism index, while CO2, GGI, INF, and GLOB denote Carbon dioxide emissions per capita, green governance index, inflation rate, and globalization index, respectively. i is 1,2,…,40 and shows examined developing economies, while t is time and contains 2010, 2011,..,2021.

Prior to the estimation of coefficients of Eq. 1 , the panel unit root tests are employed to find out whether the series is stationary. To this end, three tests of LLC (Levin et al., 2002 ), Breitung’s test ( 2000 ), and the PP-Fisher test (Philips and Perron, 1988 ). If all the variables are stationary at the first level of difference (I(1)), a panel co-integration test can be conducted to explore whether the model is spurious. To this end, Kao’s co-integration test ( 1999 ) and Pedroni’s residual co-integration test ( 2004 ) are conducted. If the co-integration relationship exists among variables, the panel causality test can be run to determine the causal linkages among variables. In this paper, the two steps of Engle and Granger (1987)‘s test, which is based on the error correction model (ECM) is used as Eqs. 2 – 6 :

In the above Equations, Δ is the first differences of variables, while θ and ECT represent the fixed country effect and error correction term.

The next step is the long-run panel co-integration estimations. To this end, Fully Modified OLS (FMOLS) and Dynamic OLS (DOLS) as robustness checks are conducted, which are two famous panel co-integration estimators (Rasoulinezhad, 2018 ). The FMOLS estimator has various advantages. It allows serial correlation, endogeneity, and cross-sectional heterogeneity (Erdal and Erdal, 2020 ).

Empirical results

In this section, we will implement the experimental research model. The purpose of implementing an econometric model based on panel data is to find the effects of green governance variables and carbon dioxide emissions on ecotourism. As the first step, the panel unit root tests are conducted. The results are reported in Table 1 as follows:

According to Table 1 , all three-panel unit root tests depict that all series are non-stationary at the level and become stationary after a first difference. Next, the panel co-integration tests are conducted, and their results are represented in Tables 2 and 3 :

The two-panel co-integration tests’ findings confirm the presence of co-integration linkages among variables.

The panel causality test studies the short-term and long-term causal relationship among variables. Table 4 reports the results of the panel causality check as follows:

According to Table 4 , there is a uni-directional causal relationship between the green governance indicator and the inflation rate of the ecotourism indicator. At the same time, there is a bi-directional causal relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and ecotourism indicators, confirming the existence of the feedback effect. In addition, there is only short-term causality from the green governance indicator to carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, ecotourism and the globalization index have a uni-directional causal linkage. In the short term, improving ecotourism can cause globalization and reduce carbon emissions in developing economies. Regarding the long-term causality, it can be concluded that the ECT of ecotourism, green governance index, and globalization index are statistically significant. These three variables are major adjustment variables when the system departs from equilibrium.

In the last stage, the long-run estimations are done through FMOLS and DOLS estimators. Table 5 lists the results of the estimations by these two-panel co-integration estimators:

Based on FMOLS estimation, it can be concluded that the Green Governance index has a positive and significant coefficient in such a way that with a 1% improvement in the green governance index of developing countries, the ecotourism of these countries will increase by 0.43%. By improving the state of green governance, the quality of formulated and implemented green policies in these countries will increase, improving the conditions of ecotourism development. This finding aligns with Agrawal et al. ( 2022 ) and Debbarma and Choi ( 2022 ), who believe that green governance is essential to sustainable development. In the case of carbon dioxide emissions, the coefficient of this variable is not statistically significant. In other words, the variable of carbon dioxide emissions per capita has no significant effect on ecotourism in developing countries. The inflation rate has a significant negative effect on ecotourism. With a 1% increase in the general prices of goods and services in developing countries, ecotourism will decrease by 0.34%. This finding aligns with Rahman ( 2022 ), who showed a negative relationship between inflation and sustainable development in their research. An increase in inflation means an increase in the total cost of a tourist’s trip to the destination country, inhibiting the growth of tourist services.

Regarding the globalization variable, this variable has a significant positive effect on the ecotourism of developing countries. With a 1% increase in the globalization index of these countries, ecotourism will increase by 0.32%. Globalization means more interaction with the world’s countries, acceptance of different cultures and customs, more language learning in society, more acceptance of tourism, and development of tourist services in the country. This finding is consistent with the results of Akadiri et al. ( 2019 ), who confirmed that globalization is one of the crucial components in tourism development.

The DOLS estimator was also used to ensure the obtained findings’ validity. The results of this method are shown in Table 5 . The signs of the coefficients are consistent with the results obtained by the FMOLS method. Therefore, the validity and reliability of the obtained coefficients are confirmed.

In this section, we will briefly discuss the relationship between ecotourism and climate change and the environmental policy considering the uncertainty and the relationship between variables in developed and developing countries.

Consideration of uncertainty

Uncertainty as a primary reason for risk has become a research issue in recent decades. Uncertainty can make the future unpredictable and uncontrollable, affecting economic decision-making. Regarding tourism, the impacts of uncertainty have been drawn to attention by several earlier studies (e.g., Dutta et al., 2020 ; Das et al., 2020 ; and Balli et al., 2019 ; Balli et al., 2018 ). In general, uncertainty in the tourism industry reflects tourists’ concerns and consumption habits in the way that by increasing uncertainty, it is expected that tourists make sense of risks and postpone their tourism activities, and vice versa; in the sphere of certainties, the various risks are clear, and tourists can make rational decisions for their tourism plans and activities. In order to explore the impacts of uncertainties on eco-tourism of the examined developing economies, the geopolitical risk index (GPR) as a proxy for economic policy uncertainty index is gathered and added as a control variable to Eq. 1 . The estimations results by FMOLS are reported in Table 6 as follows.

According to Table 6 , the uncertainty (geopolitical risk) has a negative coefficient meaning that with a 1% increase in geopolitical risk, the eco-tourism industry in the examined developing countries decreases by approximately 0.69%. The signs of coefficients of other variables align with the earlier findings, represented in Table 5 . In addition, the magnitude of the impact of geopolitical risk is larger than the impacts of other variables highlighting the importance of lower geopolitical risk in these economies to reach sustainable tourism targets.

Difference in developed and developing economies

Considering the different structures and financial power of these two groups of countries, the relationship between the variables mentioned in these two groups is expected to be different. In the previous section, the results for the group of developing countries showed that the Green Governance index has a positive and significant coefficient. In the case of carbon dioxide emissions, the coefficient of this variable is not statistically significant. The inflation rate has a significant negative effect on ecotourism. Regarding the globalization variable, it can be mentioned that this variable has a significant positive effect on the ecotourism of developing countries. In order to analyze the relationship between variables in the developed countries, the top 10 countries with the highest HDI in 2021 are selected (Switzerland (0.962), Norway (0.961), Iceland (0.959), Hong Kong (0.952), Australia (0.951), Denmark (0.948), Sweden (0.947) and Ireland (0.945)). The selected variables, explained in section “Data and model specification”, are collected from 2010 to 2021. The panel unit root tests confirmed that all series are non-stationary at the level and become stationary after a first difference. In addition, the presence of co-integration linkages among variables is revealed by the panel co-integration test. The panel co-integration estimator of FMOLS is employed to study the long-term relationship among variables. The findings are reported in Table 7 as follows:

According to the estimated coefficients, the green governance indicator positively and statistically significantly impacts ecotourism in the examined developed economies. However, the magnitude of the impact of this variable is more considerable for developing countries because these countries have more imbalances in markets and regulations. Therefore, the presence of good green tourism can have a more positive effect on advancing the goal of ecotourism. Contrary to the findings of developing countries, carbon dioxide emission in developed countries has a negative and significant effect, meaning that with an increase of 1% in carbon dioxide in developed countries, the level of ecotourism becomes more unfavorable by 0.034%. Moreover, inflation and globalization variables have significant negative and positive coefficients, respectively. However, the magnitudes of these two variables’ coefficients are also higher in developing countries. Ecotourism in developing countries is more sensitive to changes in macroeconomic variables such as green governance, globalization, and inflation.

Another difference between eco-tourism in developed and developing economies may be interpreted through the term “greenwashing,” introduced by Westerveld in 1986 (Maichum et al., 2016 ). In developing countries, due to the economic structure, limited knowledge, bureaucratic process, lack of legal eco-certification, and imperfect competition, a company involved in the eco-tourism industry makes an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into accepting the company’s services are in line with environmental protection policies. Hence, green governance in developing countries should have another role in regulating the eco-tourism market to lower the threat of greenwashing in eco-tourism services.

Conclusions and policy recommendations

Concluding remarks.

The findings of econometric modeling revealed the relationship between environmental policies, climate change, and ecotourism. Based on the findings of the econometric model, the following conclusions can be presented:

A uni-directional causal relationship runs from the green governance indicator and inflation rate to the ecotourism indicator, which means that any changes in green governance and inflation rate cause changes in ecotourism, which is vital for developing economies where governance and inflation rate are two crucial issues.

There is a bi-directional causal relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and ecotourism indicators, confirming the existence of the feedback hypothesis, expressing that in developing economies, any policies related to ecotourism cause changes in CO2 emissions and vice versa.

There is only short-term causality from the green governance indicator to carbon dioxide emissions, whereas there is a uni-directional causal linkage from ecotourism to the globalization index. In other words, in the short term, improving ecotourism can cause globalization and reduce carbon emissions in developing economies.

By improving green governance in developing economies, the quality of formulated and implemented green policies in these countries will increase, improving the conditions of ecotourism development.

An increase in the inflation rate raises the total cost of a tourist’s trip to developing economies, inhibiting the growth of eco-tourist services.

Globalization means more interaction with the world’s countries, acceptance of different cultures and customs, more language learning in society, more acceptance of tourism, and development of tourist services in developing countries.

Policy implications

In order to achieve the promotion of ecotourism in developing countries, the implementation of integrated and effective strategic and practical policies is of great importance. According to the concluding remarks mentioned, practical policies are presented as follows for enhancing ecotourism in developed countries. The development of ecotourism requires the improvement of various infrastructures and mechanisms, which depends on the implementation of projects related to ecotourism in developing countries. Because most countries do not have enough financial power to invest in such projects, developing the green financing market can be one of the critical practical solutions. The green financing tool can increase the investment risk and return on investment in such projects, and as a result, the participation of the private sector in these projects will increase. With information and communication technology development, virtual tourism can solve many environmental issues related to human physical presence. Virtual tourism is one of the branches of tourism services that provide people with destinations, places of interest, and tourist attractions with full quality but in virtual form. Another practical policy is granting green loans to small and medium enterprises active in ecotourism. Despite the organizational agility, these companies do not have the significant financial power to develop different sectors of ecotourism; therefore, the cooperation of the banking industry of developing countries by providing green loans (with low-interest rates) can motivate small and medium-sized companies in the field of activities related to ecotourism. Government incentives to motivate businesses active in ecotourism and government deterrent policies (green tax) from businesses active in the field of tourism to lead them to increase the share of ecotourism in their activities can be a proper operational strategy. In developing countries, the role of government and green governance is vital in advancing the goals of ecotourism. By improving the level of its green governance, the government can create efficient policies, regulations, and social tools to create motivation and desire to accept ecotourism, an essential and undeniable issue in developing societies. Creating a guarantee fund for ecotourism companies in developing countries is another practical policy to support these companies financially. Guarantee funds can be established with the participation of the people of ecotourism destinations in order to strengthen the financial strength of ecotourism companies in these destinations.

Limitations and recommendations to further research

This research had a practical and innovative contribution to the literature on ecotourism in developing countries. The findings obtained from the econometric model analysis provided appropriate practical and strategic policies to the policymakers of countries interested in the development of ecotourism. However, access to data related to the ecotourism index and sustainable development of developing countries due to the lack of community in a specific database is considered one of the critical limitations of this research. This limitation caused many developing countries to be excluded from the research sample, which may have created a deviation in the research. Adding more countries to the test sample in future research is suggested to obtain complete and accurate results. Also, due to the outbreak of the Corona pandemic at the end of 2019 and the Russia-Ukraine war since the beginning of 2022, it is suggested that these two variables be included in the econometric model as an illusion in order to analyze their effects on the ecotourism of the countries of the world. Using other econometric methods, such as artificial neural networks, is suggested to model ecotourism in different countries. Complex modeling by taking into account trends and trends to predict the relationship between variables in the future will be an essential step in formulating effective programs in ecotourism.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Shang, Y., Bi, C., Wei, X. et al. Eco-tourism, climate change, and environmental policies: empirical evidence from developing economies. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 10 , 275 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01777-w

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Impact of tourism development upon environmental sustainability: a suggested framework for sustainable ecotourism

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The empirical research investigated the relationship between tourism development and environmental suitability to propose a framework for sustainable ecotourism. The framework suggested a balance between business and environmental interests in maintaining an ecological system with the moderating help of government support and policy interventions. The study population encompasses tourism stakeholders, including tourists, representatives from local communities, members of civil administration, hoteliers, and tour operators serving the areas. A total of 650 questionnaires were distributed to respondents, along with a brief description of key study variables to develop a better understanding. After verifying the instrument’s reliability and validity, data analysis was conducted via hierarchical regression. The study findings revealed that a substantial number of people perceive socio-economic benefits, including employment and business openings, infrastructure development from tourism development, and growth. However, the state of the natural and environmental capital was found to be gradually degrading. Alongside the social environment, social vulnerability is reported due to the overutilization of land, intrusion from external cultures, and pollution in air and water due to traffic congestion, accumulation of solid waste, sewage, and carbon emissions. The study suggested a model framework for the development of sustained ecotourism, including supportive government policy interventions to ensure effective conservation of environmental and natural resources without compromising the economic viability and social well-beings of the locals. Furthermore, the variables and the constructs researched can be replicated to other destinations to seek valuable inputs for sustainable destination management elsewhere.

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Introduction

Tourism is a vibrant force that stimulates travel to explore nature, adventures, wonders, and societies, discover cultures, meet people, interact with values, and experience new traditions and events. Tourism development attracts tourists to a particular destination to develop and sustain a tourism industry. Moreover, environmental sustainability is the future-based conscious effort aimed at conserving socio-cultural heritage and preserving natural resources to protect environmental ecosystems through supporting people’s health and economic well-being. Environment sustainability can be reflected in clean and green natural landscaping, thriving biodiversity, virgin sea beaches, long stretches of desert steppes, socio-cultural values, and archeological heritage that epitomize tourists’ degree of motivation and willingness of the local community to welcome the visitors. In this context, tourism growth and environmental sustainability are considered interdependent constructs; therefore, the increase in tourism development and tourists’ arrivals directly affects the quality of sustained and green tourism (Azam et al. 2018 ; Hassan et al.  2020 ; Sun et al. 2021 ).

According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries, contributing more than 10% to the global GDP (UNWTO 2017; Mikayilov et al. 2019 ). Twenty-five million international tourists in 1950 grew to 166 million in 1970, reaching 1.442 billion in 2018 and projected to be 1.8 billion by 2030. Mobilizing such a substantial human tourist’s mass is most likely to trickle environmental pollution along with its positive effects on employment, wealth creation, and the economy. The local pollution at tourist destinations may include air emissions, noise, solid waste, littering, sewage, oil and chemicals, architectural/visual pollution, heating, car use, and many more. In addition, an uncontrolled, overcrowded, and ill-planned tourist population has substantial adverse effects on the quality of the environment. It results in the over-consumption of natural resources, degradation of service quality, and an exponential increase in wastage and pollution. Furthermore, tourism arrivals beyond capacity bring problems rather than a blessing, such as leaving behind soil erosion, attrition of natural resources, accumulation of waste and air pollution, and endangering biodiversity, decomposition of socio-cultural habitats, and virginity of land and sea (Kostić et al. 2016 ; Shaheen et al. 2019 ; Andlib and Salcedo-Castro  2021 ).

Tourism growth and environmental pollution have been witnessed around the globe in different regions. The ASEAN countries referred to as heaven for air pollution, climate change, and global warming are experiencing economic tourism and pollution (Azam et al. 2018 ; Guzel and Okumus 2020 ). In China, more than fifty-eight major Chinese tourism destinations are inviting immediate policy measures to mitigate air pollution and improve environmental sustainability (Zhang et al. 2020 ). Similarly, Singapore, being a top-visited country, is facing negative ecological footprints and calling for a trade-off between tourism development and environmental sustainability (Khoi et al. 2021 ). The prior studies established that international tourism and the tourism-led growth surge tourists’ arrival, energy consumption, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, and air pollution resultantly cause climate change (Aslan et al. 2021 ). South Asian countries, more specifically Sri Lanka and Pakistan, are on the verge of tourism growth and environmental pollution compared to other countries (Chishti et al. 2020 ; Tiwari et al. 2021 ).

Pakistan is acknowledged in the tourism world because of its magnificent mountains with the densest concentration of high peaks in the world, scenic beauty of Neelum Valley, Murree, Chitral, and swat Valleys’, Kaghan, Naran, Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan (Baloch 2007 ), sacred shrines of Sikhism, archeological sites of the Gandhara and Indus Valley civilizations such as Mohenjo-Daro, Taxila including pre-Islamic Kalasha community (Baloch and Rehman 2015 ). In addition, Pakistan’s hospitable and multicultural society offers rich traditions, customs, and festivals for the tourists to explore, commemorate, cherish, and enjoy. Pakistan’s geographical and socio-cultural environment represents its resource and an opportunity (Baloch and Rehman 2015 ); therefore, Pakistan is looking to capitalize on it as a promising source of the foreign reserve to compensate for its mounting trade deficit (Baloch et al. 2020 ).

Tourism expansion has been established as a very deleterious ecological cost vis-à-vis the socio-economic benefits it passes to the host communities (Pulido-Fernández et al. 2019 ; Simo-Kengne 2022 ). In this context, the research is motivated to investigate the relationships between Pakistan’s tourism development activities and environmental sustainability. Drawing from the arguments of Pulido-Fernández et al. ( 2019 ) and Simo-Kengne ( 2022 ), it is feared that Pakistan’s ongoing determination to tourism development is likely to cause environmental degradation in two ways. Firstly, the tourism infrastructure developmental process would consume natural resources in the form of air and water pollution, loss of nature, and biodiversity. Secondly, the proliferation of tourism-related energy-consuming activities harms the environment by adding CO 2  emissions (Andlib and Saceldo-Castro 2021 ; Chien et al. 2021a ). Therefore, to tape this tourism-rich potential without compromising the sustainability of the natural and socio-cultural environment in the area, there is a dire need to develop Pakistan’s tourism areas into environment-friendly destinations.

Against the backdrop of a widening level of trade deficit, Pakistan’s rich tourism potential is being perceived as an immediate alternative for earning revenue to compensate for the current account gap. However, the developing large-scale tourism industry is considered a threat to deforestation, and air and water pollution, endangering biodiversity trading on resilient ecological credentials. The research study attempts to find an all-inclusive and comprehensive answer to the socio-ecological environmental concerns of tourism development and growth. Therefore, the research investigates the relationship between tourism development and its environmental sustainability to suggest a model framework for the development and growth of Sustainable Ecotourism in Pakistan along with its most visited destinations.

Literature review

• Tourism development and growth

Tourism is considered a force of sound as it benefits travelers and communities in urban and suburban areas. Tourism development is the process of forming and sustaining a business for a particular or mix of segments of tourists’ as per their motivation in a particular area or at a specific destination. Primarily, tourism development refers to the all-encompassing process of planning, pursuing, and executing strategies to establish, develop, promote, and encourage tourism in a particular area or destination (Mandić et al. 2018 ; Ratnasari et al. 2020 ). A tourism destination may serve as a single motivation for a group of tourists or a mix of purposes, i.e., natural tourism, socio-cultural or religious tourism, adventure or business tourism, or a combination of two or more. Andlib and Salcedo-Castro ( 2021 ), drawing from an analysis approach, contended that tourism destinations in Pakistan offer a mix of promising and negative consequences concerning their socio-economic and environmental impressions on the host community. The promising socio-economic impacts for the local community are perceived in the form of employment and business opportunities, improved standard of living, and infrastructural development in the area. The adverse environmental outcomes include overcrowding, traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, environmental degradation, and encroachment of landscaping for the local community and the tourists. An extensive review of the literature exercise suggests the following benefits that the local community and the tourists accrue from the tour are as follows:

Generate revenue and monetary support for people and the community through local arts and culture commercialization.

Improve local resource infrastructure and quality of life, including employment generation and access to improved civic facilities.

Help to create awareness and understanding of different ethnic cultures, social values, and traditions, connecting them and preserving cultures.

Rehabilitate and conserve socio-cultural and historical heritage, including archeological and natural sites.

Establishment of natural parks, protracted areas, and scenic beauty spots.

Conservation of nature, biodiversity, and endangered species with control over animal poaching.

Improved water and air quality through afforestation, littering control, land and soil conservation, and recycling of used water and waste.

Tourism and hospitality business incorporates various business activities such as travel and transportation through the air or other modes of travel, lodging, messing, restaurants, and tourism destinations (Szpilko 2017 ; Bakhriddinovna and Qizi 2020 ). A tourist’s tourism experience is aimed at leisure, experiencing adventure, learning the culture or history of a particular area or ethnic entity, traveling for business or health, education, or religious purposes. The chain of activities adds value to the Tourism experience. Every activity contributes toward economic stimulation, job creation, revenue generation, and tourism development encompassing infrastructure for all activities involved in the tourism process. Tourism growth expresses the number of arrivals and the time of their stay/trips over a period of time. Tourism growth is measured through the interplay between tourists’ arrivals, tourism receipts, and travel time duration (Song et al. 2010 ; Arifin et al. 2019 ). The following factors drive the degree and level of tourism development and growth:

Environmental factors include scenic beauty, green spaces, snowy mountains, towering peaks, good climate and weather, the interconnectivity of destination, quality of infrastructure, etc.

Socio-economic factors: the distinctiveness of community, uniqueness of culture and social values, hospitality and adaptability, accessibility, accommodation, facilities and amenities, cost-effectiveness, price index, and enabling business environment.

Historical, cultural, and religious factors include historical and cultural heritage, religious sites, and cultural values and experiences.

The tourism development process and its different dynamics revolve around the nature of tourism planned for a particular destination or area, which can be specified as ecotourism, sustainable tourism, green tourism or regenerative tourism, etc. Ecotourism is “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (Cheia, 2013 ; TIES, 2015). According to the World Conservation Union (IUCN), ecotourism involves “ Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past, and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples ”. Moreover, Blangy and Wood ( 1993 ) defined it as “ responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people ” (p. 32). The concept of ecotourism is grounded upon a well-defined set of principles including “environmental conservation and education, cultural preservation and experience, and economic benefits” (Cobbinah 2015 ; De Grosbois and Fennell 2021 ).

Ecotourism minimizes tourism’s impact on the tourism resources of a specific destination, including lessening physical, social, interactive, and psychosomatic impacts. Ecotourism is also about demonstrating a positive and responsible attitude from the tourists and hosts toward protecting and preserving all components of the environmental ecosystem. Ecotourism reflects a purpose-oriented mindset, responsible for creating and delivering value for the destination with a high degree of kindliness for local environmental, political, or social issues. Ecotourism generally differs from mass tourism because of its following features (Liang et al. 2018 ; Ding and Cao 2019 ; Confente and Scarpi 2021 ):

Conscientious behavior focuses on the low impact on the environment.

Sensitivity and warmth for local cultures, values, and biodiversity.

Supporting the sustenance of efforts for the conservation of local resources.

Sharing and delivering tourism benefits to the local communities.

Local participation as a tourism stakeholder in the decision-making process.

Educating the tourist and locals about the sensitivity and care of the environment because tourism without proper arrangement can endanger the ecosystems and indigenous cultures and lead to significant ecological degradation.

Sustainability aims to recognize all impacts of tourism, minimize the adverse impacts, and maximize the encouraging ones. Sustainable tourism involves sustainable practices to maintain viable support for the ecology of the tourism environment in and around the destination. Sustainable tourism is natural resource-based tourism that resembles ecotourism and focuses on creating travel openings with marginal impact and encouraging learning about nature having a low impact, conservation, and valuable consideration for the local community’s well-being (Fennell 2001 & 2020 ; Butowski 2021 ). On the other hand, ecotourism inspires tourists to learn and care about the environment and effectively participate in the conservation of nature and cultural activities. Therefore, ecotourism is inclusive of sustainable tourism, whereas the focus of sustainable tourism includes the following responsibilities:

Caring, protecting, and conserving the environment, natural capital, biodiversity, and wildlife.

Delivering socio-economic welfare for the people living in and around tourists' destinations.

Identifying, rehabilitating, conserving, and promoting cultural and historical heritage for visitors learning experiences.

Bringing tourists and local groups together for shared benefits.

Creating wide-ranging and reachable opportunities for tourists.

Environment and sustainability of ecosystem

The term “environment” is all-inclusive of all the natural, organic living, inorganic, and non-natural things. The environment also denotes the interface among all breathing species with the natural resources and other constituents of the environment. Humans’ activities are mainly responsible for environmental damage as people and nations have contemplated modifying the environment to suit their expediencies. Deforestation, overpopulation, exhaustion of natural capital, and accumulation of solid waste and sewage are the major human activities that result in polluted air and water, acid rain, amplified carbon dioxide levels, depletion of the ozone, climate change, global warming, extermination of species, etc. A clean, green, and hygienic fit environment has clean air, clean water, clean energy, and moderate temperature for the healthy living of humans, animals, and biodiversity as nature is destined for them by their creatures. Maintaining and sustaining a clean environment is indispensable for human and biodiversity existence, fostering growth and development for conducting business and creating wealth. The environment can be sustained through conservation, preservation, and appropriate management to provide clean air, water, and food safe from toxic contamination, waste, and sewage disposal, saving endangered species and land conservation.

The globalization process, known for building socio-economic partnerships across countries, is also charged with encouraging environmental degradation through the over-consumption of natural resources and energy consumption, deforestation, land erosion, and weakening (Adebayo and Kirikkaleli 2021 ; Sun et al. 2021 ). Chien et al. ( 2021b ), while studying the causality of environmental degradation in Pakistan, empirically confirmed the existence of a significant connection between CO 2  emissions and GDP growth, renewable energy, technological innovation, and globalization. However, Chien et al. ( 2021a ) suggested using solar energy as a source of economic intervention to control CO 2  emissions and improve environmental quality in China. The danger of air pollution is hard to escape as microscopic air pollutants pierce through the human respiratory and cardiovascular system, injuring the lungs, heart, and brain. Ill-planned and uncontrolled human activities negatively affect ecosystems, causing climate change, ocean acidification, melting glaciers, habitation loss, eutrophication, air pollution, contaminants, and extinction of endangered species ( Albrich et al. 2020 ) .

Humans have a more significant effect on their physical environment in numerous ways, such as pollution, contamination, overpopulation, deforestation, burning fossil fuels and driving to soil erosion, polluting air and water quality, climate change, etc. UNO Agenda for 2030 “Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) mirrors the common premise that a healthy environment and human health are interlaced as integral to the satisfaction of fundamental human rights, i.e., right to life, well-being, food, water and sanitation, quality of life and biodiversity to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (SDG3)—which includes air quality that is dependent upon terrestrial ecosystems (SDG15), oceans (SDG14), cities (SDG11), water, cleanliness, and hygiene (SDG6) (Swain 2018 ; Opoku 2019 ; Scharlemann et al. 2020 ). The UNEP stated that 58% of diarrhea cases in developing economies is due to the non-provision of clean water and inadequate sanitation facilities resulting in 3.5 million deaths globally (Desai 2016 ; Ekins and Gupta 2019 ).

Climate change overwhelmingly alters ecosystems’ ability to moderate life-threatening happenings, such as maintaining water quality, regulating water flows, unbalancing the temporal weather and maintaining glaciers, displacing or extinction biodiversity, wildfire, and drought (Zhu et al. 2019 ; Marengo et al. 2021 ). Research studies advocate that exposure to natural environments is correlated with mental health, and proximity to green space is associated with lowering stress and minimizing depression and anxiety (Noordzij et al. 2020 ; Slater et al. 2020 ; Callaghan et al. 2021 ). Furthermore, the Ecosystem is affected by pollution, over-exploitation of natural resources, climate change, invasive and displacing species, etc. Hence, providing clean air and water, hygienic places, and green spaces enriches the quality of life: condensed mortality, healthier value-added productivity, and is vital to maintaining mental health. On the other hand, climate change aggravates environment-related health hazards through adverse deviations to terrestrial ecology, oceans, biodiversity, and access to fresh and clean water.

Tourism development denotes all activities linked with creating and processing facilities providing services for the tourists on and around a destination. Infrastructure development is vital for developing a tourism destination to advance tourists’ living conditions and preserve natural and cultural heritage by constructing new tourist facilities, the destinations administrative and supporting echelons, including community living, etc. Development for tourism infrastructure and land use often burdens natural capital through over-consumption, leading to soil erosion, augmented pollution, loss of natural habitats, and endangered species. Development of tourism infrastructure and construction work has profound implications on environmental degradation, reduction in green spaces, deforestation, solid waste and sewage, overutilization of air and water, emission of CO 2 and other gases contributing to air and water pollution, climate change, loss and displacement of biodiversity, and the degradation of ecosystems. These negative consequences of tourism development result in many problems for the tourists and the indigenous people in the foreseeable future (Azam et al. 2018 ; Hoang et al. 2020 ).

A report published by UNEP titled “Infrastructure for climate action” has suggested governments introduce sustainable infrastructure as the prevailing one is responsible for causing 79% of all greenhouse gas emissions in struggling climate change, alleviation, and adaptation efforts. Sustainable infrastructure signifies that structures’ planning, construction, and functioning do not weaken the social, economic, and ecological systems (UNEP 2021 ; Krampe 2021 ). Sustainable infrastructure is the only solution that ensures societies, nature, and the environment flourish together. Therefore, Sustainable Ecotourism supports adapting pro-environment and nature-based climate change strategies that help resilient biodiversity and ecosystem to impact climate change. The proposed strategy is to focus on the conservation and restoration of ecosystems to combat climate hazards, fluctuating rainfalls, soil erosion, temperature variations, floods, and extreme wind storms (Niedziółka 2014 ; Setini 2021 )

Pakistan’s tourism infrastructure suffered a colossal amount of damage during the earthquake of October 8, 2005, which left widespread demolition and destruction to its human, economic assets, and infrastructure networks, especially in Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's tourism areas. The tourism-related infrastructure, including hotels, destination facilities of social service delivery and commerce, water channels, and communications networks, were either drained or virtually destroyed. The destruction in the aftermath of the earthquake was further added by the war against terror in tourism-hit areas, resulting in the redundancy of tourists and tourism facilities for a long time (Akbar et al. 2017 ; Zakaria and Ahmed 2019 ). The tourism revival activities during the post-earth quack, post-terrorism scenario, and COVID-19 period called for various entrepreneurial activities, including the construction of infrastructure, hotels, road networks, community living, etc. Development and reconstruction of the livelihood and hospitality infrastructure through entrepreneurship were undertaken intensively through a public-private partnership from national and international findings (Qamar and Baloch 2017 ; Sadiq 2021 ; Dogar et al. 2021 ).

The revival and reinvigoration of infrastructure in tourism areas were backed up by extensive deforestation, use of local green land, rebuilding of the road network, displacement of biodiversity, and overtaxing the consumption of water and other natural resources. The deforestation, extensive use of green land, and over-consumption of water and other natural resources have depleted the tourism value of the area on the one hand and degraded the environment on the other. However, it was the focused rehabilitation activities of earthquake and Pakistan’s Government’s socio-environment conservation strategy of the Billion Trees plantation program in the province, including dominating tourism areas. The afforestation and loss of green tops are being reclaimed through these efforts, and the tourism environment is soon expected to regenerate (Qamar and Baloch 2017 ; Rauf et al. 2019 ; Siddiqui and Siddiqui 2019 ).

Government support and policy interventions

Tourism generates wide-ranging benefits for the economy, community, and people. Tourism contributes to the economy through revenue generation and shares responsibility with the Government to alleviate poverty alleviation, create opportunities for job placements, protect environments, and conserve natural ecosystems and biodiversity. It is assumed that if the tourism industry is left to its own, it will most likely prefer its business interests over environments or biodiversity. Governments, custodians of the life and well-being of their subjects, are directly responsible for providing a clean environment, nature, and Ecosystem. Therefore, national and local governments are responsible for preparing and implementing tourism development plans and enforcing values and standards for tourism development in conformity with the prerequisites of environmental sustainability. Through institutional governance, governments help tourism development by providing financial and budgetary support, regulatory framework, land, physical resources, infrastructure, etc. Provision and facilitation for Sustainability of Ecotourism and conservation of environment and biodiversity are dependent upon Government-supported interventions as follows:

The regulatory framework for setting up tourism-related entrepreneurship and quality standards can support ecotourism and prevent environmental degradation on any account.

Provision of budgetary support for ecosystem conservation and regeneration of bio-diversity-related projects.

Plan, rehabilitate if needed, promote conservation and protection of socio-cultural, historic, antique, and natural endowments in coordination with other public and private agencies, and deal with the defaulters, if any.

Promoting and undertaking afforestation alongside land conservation and discouraging deforestation, soil erosion, accumulation of solid waste, littering, and any direct or indirect loss or threat to biodiversity.

Setting restrictions for over-tourism beyond capacity and quality standards for transportation, restaurants, hotels, food and drinking water, etc.

Placing enforcement mechanism necessary to ensure application of the regulatory framework and quality standards applicable along with all activities inclusive to the Ecotourism value chain.

Theoretical support and hypothesis development

According to the social disruption theory, rapidly expanding societies usually experience a period of widespread crisis and a loss of their conventional routines and attitudes. The crisis impacts people whose mental health, worldviews, behavioral patterns, and social networks may all be impacted (Çalişkan and Özer 2021 ). According to the social disruption theory, fast community change brought on by population growth will result in a variety of social issues that are signs of a generally disorganized community (Smith et al. 2001 ). Because some types of tourism communities experience rapid expansion accompanied by intensive development and rapid social change over a relatively short period of time, they seem to be great settings for studying various postulations of the social disruption theory.

Place change and social disruption theory are closely connected. According to this assumption, when a community undergoes fast expansion, it tends to experience a generalized crisis that might culminate in several social issues as changes spread throughout the community and among individuals (Rasoolimanesh et al. 2019 ). Place change can result from fundamental community restructuring due to economic development, new class divides, and migration of both long-term and temporary people (Nelson 2001 ). Social unrest, though, is not enduring. Instead, it is transitory; societies gradually adjust to these changes (Deery et al.  2012 ).

The standard of living may initially deteriorate, but due to the adaptability of people and communities, they will gradually reinvigorate and strengthen themselves accordingly. Furthermore, the social disruption proposition reinforces one of the challenges in analyzing the effects of tourism, particularly in emerging nations, since it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the effects of tourism and the overall ongoing development (Park and Stokowski 2009 ) (Fig. 1 ).

Tourism development and growth significantly affect natural environment resources.

Tourism development and growth significantly affect environmental pollution.

Tourism development and growth significantly affect the physical ecosystem of the environment.

Tourism development and growth significantly affect the socio-cultural environment.

Tourism development and growth significantly affect the economic environment of people and the community.

Government policy and support significantly moderate the relationship between tourism development and growth and the environmental factors.

Conceptual framework

Methodology

The study aimed to investigate the association of tourism development and its impact on environmental factors. Therefore, a survey method was employed to collect data by including all the relevant people in the locality. The study is based on stakeholders’ opinions from Pakistan’s most visited tourist areas, including Murree, Swat, Chitral, Naran, Kaghan, Neelum Valley, Malam Jabba, Ayubia, and Nathia Gali. A total of 650 stakeholders were contacted from the above-mentioned tourist destinations through survey. The distribution of the sample is mentioned in Table 1 .

Using quantitative techniques, hierarchical linear regression analysis was employed to investigate the possible relationships between tourism growth and various dimensions of environmental sustainability. The results below reveal that tourism development translates into environmental deterioration, and the relationship between tourism and environmental sustainability is bidirectional.

Tourism growth and development were measured through a five-item scale. The environment was measured through 16 items combined scale with sub-dimensions; depletion of Natural Resources=3 items, Polluting Environment=3 items, Physical Effects on Ecosystem=4 items, Socio-Cultural Degradation=3 items, and Economic Environment=3-items. Similarly, our moderating variable, Government Interventions and Support, was measured using a 5-item scale. Table 2 below presents the details of the instruments.

Analysis and results

Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 26. It includes correlation, linear regression, and stepwise hierarchal regression analysis.

Table 3 above shows that our Tourism Growth and Development has significant and positive relationship with Polluting Environment ( r = 0.20**), Physical Effects on Ecosystem ( r = 0.19**), Depletion of Natural Resource ( r = 0.24**), Socio-Cultural Degradation ( r = 0.18**). However, Tourism Growth and Development has positive relationship with Economic Environment ( r = 0.29**) and Government Interventions and Support ( r = 0.13**).

Results of linear regression analysis at Table 4 above depict that tourism growth and development predicts 4.1% variance in Depletion of Natural Resources ( β = 0.20, p <0.01), 3.9% variance in pollution ( β = 0.19, p <0.01), 6% variance in Physical Effects on Ecosystem ( β = 0.24, p <0.01), 3.6% variance in Socio-Cultural Degradation ( β = 0.18, p <0.01), and 8.8% variance in Economic Environment ( β = 0.29, p <0.01).

The study analyzes the applied two-step hierarchal regression. In the first step, Tourism Growth and Government Interventions were treated as independent variables, and their significant impact was measured. In the second step, the interaction term Tourism and Growth× Government Interventions was added, and its impact was measured. The results suggest that Government Interventions and Support moderate the relationship between Tourism Growth and the Environmental variables (Table 5 ).

The study has reported unique findings regarding tourism and its environmental impacts. We found that tourism growth and development generate economic activity on the one hand. However, it has specific adverse environmental and socio-cultural outcomes on the other hand as well. Our study revealed that tourism growth and development predict a 4.1% variance in Depletion of Natural Resources ( β = 0.202*, p <0.01). This suggests that due to the expansion of tourism in the country, natural resources are continuously depleted to meet the needs of tourists. Studies also supported our findings and suggested that revival and reinvigoration of infrastructure in tourism areas were backed up by extensive deforestation, use of local green land, rebuilding of the road network, displacement of biodiversity, and overtaxing the consumption of water and other natural resources (Qamar and Baloch 2017 ; Sadiq 2021 ; Dogar et al. 2021 ). The prior studies are consistent with our hypothesis that “tourism development and growth significantly affect natural environment resources.”

We further found that tourism growth and development predict a 3.9% variance in pollution ( β = 0.198*, p <0.01), suggesting that tourism expansion may pollute the natural environment. Furthermore, recent national statistics depict that major human activities at local tourism destinations such as Kalam, Sawat, Muree, and Northern Areas have accumulated solid waste and sewage, resulting in polluted air and water. Further, research also suggests that the overflow of tourists to tourist destinations may adversely affect the environment due to human activities (Noordzij et al. 2020 ; Slater et al. 2020 ; Andlib and Salcedo-Castro  2021 ; Callaghan et al. 2021 ). Thus, it is safe to argue that the growth of tourism has a particularly detrimental effect on the environment. These findings also support our hypothesis, “Tourism development and growth significantly contribute to environmental pollution.”

The results reported that tourism growth and development predict a 6% variance in Physical Effects on the Ecosystem ( β = 0.245*, p <0.01). Studies have reported that deforestation and alteration in species’ natural environment for tourism facilities construction may adversely affect environmental health (Kuvan, 2010 ; Azam et al. 2018 ; Hoang et al. 2020 ; Andlib and Salcedo-Castro  2021 ). During post-terrorism and post-Covid-19 times in Pakistan, millions of local tourists moved to popular tourist destinations that required new infrastructure to accommodate these tourists. Consequently, colossal deforestation and other detrimental human activities have negatively affected ecosystem. These findings also support our hypothesis that tourism development and growth significantly affect the physical ecosystem of the environment.

The study reported a total of 3.6% variance in socio-cultural degradation ( β = 0.189*, p <0.01) due to tourism growth and development. These findings suggest that tourism’s growth and development may lead the inhabitants to imitate the foreign tourists regarding their living standards, which may endanger their traditional culture. Thus, our hypothesis that “tourism development and growth significantly affect the socio-cultural environment” is confirmed.

Further, it was found that tourism growth and development predict an 8.8% variance in the economic environment ( β = 0.297*, p <0.01). It is established from the literature that tourism growth and development generate economic activity in the country. Development projects such as the construction of infrastructure, hotels, and road networks generate economic activity to facilitate international and indigenous tourists, positively affecting the community’s living standard (Baloch et al. 2020 ). Thus, our hypothesis, “tourism development and growth significantly affect economic environment of people and community,” is confirmed.

Due to tourism growth and development, our study reported a 1.8% variance in Government Support and Interventions ( β = .133*, p <0.01). However, more recently, the Government of Pakistan has devised specific interventions that may help curb the adverse impacts of detrimental environmental factors. For example, developmental schemes such as the Billion Trees Plantation drive and Road-Infrastructure Network Development under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative may prove moderators to curb the negative impacts of tourism growth on the environment (Qamar and Baloch 2017 ; Rauf et al. 2019 ; Siddiqui and Siddiqui 2019 ). Therefore, the hypothesis, Government policy and support, significantly moderates the relationship between tourism development and growth with the environment is confirmed based on these findings.

Suggested model for ecotourism framework

Through its detailed review of existing literature, prevailing tourism policies, and empirical inputs from the stakeholders’ perspectives, the study has identified a wide range of obstacles limiting the development and growth of ecotourism in Pakistan. The study suggests National Tourism Management authorities carefully invest in ecotourism destination’s planning and development in coordination with the environment development agency. The suggested model for ecotourism framework is initially meant for the tourism destinations specifically designated for ecotourism. However, selected points can also be extended to the quality management parameters set for the National Parks, Conservation and Protracted Areas, Museums, National or International event sites, etc. The national tourism authorities are to lay particular emphasis in their forthcoming National Tourism Policy on the development and promotion of Sustainable Ecotourism having, with focus on the following key areas:

Identify and classify four to five ecotourism destinations, including ecotourism-centered activities of value chains for priority development, which are administratively possible within budgetary constraints. However, the development plan shall consider the integral benefits of other developmental schemes such as the Billion Trees Plantation drive, Road-Infrastructure Network Development under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative, International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) programs in the area.

While staying within the alignment of UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) calling for ‘environmental sustainability’ and the development vision of each designated destination, the Tourists Management System shall take into cognizance of issues like managing capacity of the place, quality parameters for the conservation of the environment, and allowable activities thereof.

Identify degenerated destinations of religious, socio-cultural, or historical significance for their rehabilitation under the Regenerated tourism program.

Tourism Destinations that have been over-consumed and exhausted (e.g., Murree, Galiaat, Naran, Malam Jabba) because of over-tourism shall be planned for their reclamation through regenerated tourism. However, to facilitate the success of the regeneration of their tourism potential following is to be catered for:

To deflect the tourist pressure upon these destinations, the potential tourists from nearby cities and metropolitan areas be provided with nearby alternative destinations for leisure tourism as stay-tourism sites.

To prevent the environment from air pollution, the traffic load on the destination be curtailed through an effective traffic management strategy, provision of off-destination parking for combustion engine vehicles, and encouraging electric driven or hybrid vehicles for nearby parking.

Provision of clean drinking water through public infiltration plants, public toilets, solid waste carriers, and recycling of sewage and used water is recommended in the most visited areas of the destination.

Signposting at appropriate places, giving social messages encouraging to maintain cleanliness, avoid littering, ensure nature conservation, and humility toward biodiversity.

Develop all-inclusive, comprehensive execution plans to expedite the investments for the sustainable ecotourism, encouraging public–private cooperation, community involvement, and infrastructure mapping guaranteeing environmental conservation and safeguards.

Develop and place on the ground an all-inclusive program of capacity building for sustainable ecotourism, regenerative and green tourism services.

Develop and launch Pakistan tourism profile and Sustaining Ecotourism obligatory framework “to promote tourism on the one hand and nurture conscious ecological behavior among the potential tourists of the area”.

In order to fetch local ownership for the ecotourism center developments, all efforts shall be made to share the socio-economic benefits integral to the development scheme with the local population for community development.

As part of the destination management planning, identify complementary value chains and livelihood activities that could be developed as part of the overall ecotourism destination package.

Governments at all levels and the tourism Development and Promotion Agencies Network in Pakistan shall join hands to chalk out and, with a strict enforcement mechanism, a “Regulatory Framework for Ecotourism Friendly Destination” to sustain the efforts and policies undertaken in this regard on the one hand and generate responsible behavior from the tourism stakeholders on the other. Some of the suggestive points could be:

Setting new quality standards facilitating the promotion of ecotourism and environmental sustainability through acts of various bodies operating in the Ecotourism value chain, such as:

Revision of Private hotels Management Act (1976) and Tourists Operators Act (1976) alongside introduction and promulgation of a new “Tourism Destination Management Act” incorporating new quality standards as of today.

Promulgating laws to make all new construction/development projects responsible from any agency in the area, incorporating quality standards needed for environmental sustainability, and promoting ecotourism.

Set measures for the preservation of the local biodiversity and preservation of endangered species, including seeking support from internationally active environment conservation agencies, declaring local hunting illegal, introducing licensing programs for hunting of certain selected animals/ birds on the payment of a handsome amount to be used for the welfare of the local community.

Create awareness programs against deforestation, land conservation, and biodiversity, and maintain cleanliness, inculcating a culture of respecting and enjoying nature instead of spoiling it.

Conclusion, implications, and limitations of the study

The study premise was based on the contention that sustenance of ecotourism focuses on the economic viability of the business interests alongside the conservation and preservation of natural ecosystems, including ethical fairness to the socio-cultural environment of the host community. Ecotourism is a phenomenon that contributes to environmental sustainability through well-planned and careful destination management capable of balancing conflicting interests of business growth and environmental sustainability. Tourism-environment paradox suggests that the sustainability and survival of both are dependent upon the flourishing mode of each other. Quality of environment and sustainability of bio-ecosystem stimulates tourists’ arrivals and over-tourism beyond capacity with irresponsible behavior from tourists negatively influencing the environment and harming the ecosystem of nature. Ecotourism is not inevitably sustainable unless it is economically sustainable and environmentally maintainable besides being socio-culturally acceptable. Socio-culturally intolerable ecotourism means the activity which does not benefit locals and their socio-cultural values. Hence, the study concludes that ecotourism has to positively interplay between economy, environment, and culture without compromising one over others. The pursuit of sustainable ecotourism is not an end in meeting the little comforts of the business interests but rather a means to end the sustainability issues created due to ill-conceived tourism development and unmanageable growth.

Practical implications

Drawing from the findings and conclusions of the research, the study extends the following practical implications for effectively managing the process of tourism development and environmental sustainability in line with the dictates of the philosophy behind ecotourism:

Paradoxically tourism necessitates ecological capitals as primary ingredients for the creation of tourism experiences on the one hand. However, it is also contingent upon the conservation and preservation of ecological integrity on the other. The study suggests that unbalancing this “resource paradox” results in the harshness and tenacity of adversarial climate change, natural calamities, environmental pollution, and endangered biodiversity.

The research findings and the suggested framework for ecotourism imply that sustainable ecotourism principles-based planning is mandatory for destination management to assure effective trade-off between the business interests’ sustainability of the environmental ecosystem.

Tourism development and growth shall be steered through ecotourism principles as its sustainable model offers enduring social, environmental and economic, ecological integrity, and social and cultural benefits for the local community. Therefore, ecotourism is a recipe for preventing environmental degradation and guarantees sustainability of ecosystems nature and its biodiversity. Hence, ecotourism shall stand central priority focus for strategic management to nurture quality experiences from sustainable tourism.

To revive back the sustainability of the environment, in the areas where over-tourism has degraded the environment, schemes for regenerated tourism shall be immediately launched to mitigate the negative footprints on the sustainability of destinations, including reinforcing protracted conservation sites, biodiversity, and recouping endangered species, afforestation drives, recycling of water and solid waste, refurnishing of landscaping, preservation, and rehabilitation of cultural heritage and refurbishing of depleted infrastructure accordingly. Furthermore, to regenerate and sustain the tourism infrastructure of the destinations experiencing over-tourism, capacity building measures like capacity, recycling of water and solid waste, preventive measures to control air and water pollution, traffic control management, and spread of entertainment facilities shall be the focus of the regeneration plans.

The study implies that government authorities and policymakers have a special role in placing their moderating intervention in terms of policy guidelines, regulatory framework, and budgetary support, provision of inter-organizational synergy in planning and implementation of ecotourism strategies, protection of environmental resource base and conservation of natural and biological ecosystem, sustenance of socio-cultural value of local community over and above their economic and social well-being/quality life for the long run.

The study also implies that public and private policymakers lay down threshold criteria for responsible travel and tourism standards for destination management and its related supply chain. The laid criterion would facilitate management in nurturing “responsible behavior” to plan, protect, conserve, preserve, and sustain natural and cultural resources and responsible socio-economic development without compromising the sustainability of the environment and long-term well-being of the hoist community. The deep-seated adherence to social responsibility protocols by the tourism supply chain network can significantly increase the capacity of tourism destinations and improve the conscious awareness of green consumers along the tourism supply chain. Furthermore, the consciously responsible behavior among stakeholders and legislatures can strike a needed balance between the business interests and environments in favor of sustainability of socio-cultural, economic, and natural capital.

The study elucidates that responsible behavior necessitates purpose-built eco-friendly infrastructure and policy parameters to support the sustainability of environments across destinations. The strategic planning aligned with the sustainability-focused objectives dictates the need for artistic, innovative, and talented people and quality intuitions in harnessing quality tourism services and responsible tourism behavior. Furthermore, the study encourages community involvement in the developmental process, enactment of structural policies, preservation of socio-cultural heritage, and conservation of natural biodiversity as it would foster emotional bondage between the people of the host community and the tourism undertakings. Therefore, community and value chain managers shall collaborate to maximize the perceived benefits of responsible tourism while developing cultural exchanges and planning opportunities for leisure and tourism.

Regulatory measures help offset negative impacts; for instance, controls on the number of tourist activities and movement of visitors within protected areas can limit impacts on the ecosystem and help maintain the integrity and vitality of the site. Limits should be established after an in-depth analysis of the maximum sustainable visitor capacity. Furthermore, the variables and the constructs researched can be replicated to other destinations to seek valuable inputs for sustainable destination management elsewhere.

Study limitation

Besides the functional, practical applications, the study has some limitations. Besides having integral disadvantages of cross-sectional research, the respondents selected for the study were visitors on peak days with the highest tourist arrivals, thereby having experiences of a higher degree of environmental pollution and natural disorder. Furthermore, the research is limited to stakeholders’ perspectives instead of any scientifically generated data or mathematical or econometric model.

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Qadar Bakhsh Baloch & Syed Naseeb Shah

Air University School of Management, Air University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Nadeem Iqbal

Department of Commerce, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

Muhammad Sheeraz

IBA, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan

Muhammad Asadullah

University of Sialkot, Sialkot, Pakistan

Sourath Mahar

Islamia College University Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan

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Contributions

QBB: conceptualization, methodology, writing—original draft. SNS: data curation and supervision. NI: visualization, editing, proofreading. MS: review and editing. MA: review and editing. SM: editing, data curation. AUK: review and editing.

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Correspondence to Nadeem Iqbal .

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Baloch, Q.B., Shah, S.N., Iqbal, N. et al. Impact of tourism development upon environmental sustainability: a suggested framework for sustainable ecotourism. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30 , 5917–5930 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22496-w

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Received : 14 December 2021

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Issue Date : January 2023

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22496-w

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Sustainable Tourism: Definition Essay

Sustainable tourism (or responsible tourism) is a real important concept. Find out the definition

This piece on sustainable tourism, its definition, principles, and types, is provided by Smart Writing Service , a professional essay writing service that cares about students. You may find out that the structure of this essay slightly differs from a standard one for a definition essay. That is done to include as many facts as possible in a condensed way. Feel free to use information you collect from this essay as you see appropriate.

The concept of “ sustainable tourism ” was formed relatively recently, along with the global concept of sustainable human development. The principles of sustainability in tourism, formulated by the UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council, provide for:

• the conservation and enhancement of the natural and cultural potential of destinations, on the basis of a tourism approach aimed at sustainability;
• the ecological transition of tourism enterprises to resource-saving technologies, reduction of industrial waste;
• involvement of the population in the decision-making process on tourism development (a form of consultations);
• partnership in the relationship between the public and private sectors; promotion of tourism, socio-economic development of certain territories of states.

Many travel companies develop their own plans for the transition to the principles of sustainable development, implement environmental management systems, and apply environmental technologies.

The principles of sustainable development in the practice of tourism are spread under the influence of consumer demand . Given the awareness of the population about the state of the environment and the greening of people’s consciousness, the ecological situation becomes one of the decisive criteria for choosing a place or form of recreation.

This trend is reflected in the growing demand for alternative types of tourism , including eco-tourism.

The development of this relatively new type of tourism is based on three main principles:

• part of the income received from the service of tourists remains in place and goes to nature protection ;
• the content of the basic law is in compliance with environmental requirements;
• tourism is conceived as an experience of discovering places, cultures and traditions, as a moment of exchange and mutual enrichment.

Ecotourism encompasses a wide variety of visitors who want to see animals or plants with their own eyes. For example, in Central America and southern Africa, predator sightings are of particular interest. Places, where wild orchids grow, have recently been discovered in Greece.

Tourists accompanied by a guide can visit these protected areas to admire the plants in the wild. Such trips can rightly be classified as ecological, and the persons who take part in them should be considered ecotourists.

Diversification of ecotourism activities is accompanied by the convergence of ecological and other types of tourism. Nature coverage is also inherent in the participants of the mass tourist movement. Swimming and beach holidays, cruises, business trips, are often combined with visits to national or natural and ethnographic parks. The boundaries of ecotourism are losing their clarity, and its scale and socio-economic importance are growing.

Almost every country has the opportunity to organize “green” travel. Today, the main ecotourism flows are directed to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Nepal, Ecuador, Brazil, Philippines and Kenya. In Europe some of the main Ecotourism destinations are Slovenia, Portugal, Croatia, Austria, Ireland. Ecological tourism is one of the most promising and dynamic forms of tourism.

With the growing requirements for the volume and quality of tourist services, with the emergence of new types and forms of tourist activity, the classification of tourism is changing.

Characteristics of sustainable tourism in 2021

You have probably heard of the term “ sustainable development “, which is closely linked to the green economy and means meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the future.

And what is sustainable tourism ? Let’s understand what we need to know and do to make our travels sustainable and our children able to see what we see now.

Sustainable tourism is:

• Availability . By supporting the tourism business, which allows you to get a full experience of travel, we stimulate economic development . This creates new jobs and increases the number of people who can use travel services and see the world.
• Animal safety and wellbeing . We must leave the wild alone . No elephant riding, no photoshoots with crocodiles, monkeys, and other animals. Just watch and don’t touch.
• Environmental protection . Minimization of damage in the process of tourist activity. Make sure that your trip does not have a negative impact on the environment . Even minimal. Just imagine what emotions would overwhelm you, if after a long trip to Norway instead of picturesque fjords you would be waiting for a huge dump…
• Controlled use of tourist services technologies . First of all, motor transport, energy, drinking water, etc. Tourism accounts for about 10% of all global carbon emissions . And this is 3.33 billion tons… They heat the planet, which leads to melting glaciers.
• Immersion in nature . The idea is to offer experiences that allow travelers to reconnect with nature.

Sustainable tourism vs popular and mass tourism

Features of the current stage of tourism development reveal the concept of “ mass tourism “, reflecting the process of democratization and expansion of tourism, especially in countries over the course, where more than half of the population are consumers of tourism goods and services. The concept of “mass tourism” was introduced and used as an alternative to aristocratic tourism of the XIX century, some expensive types of tourism aimed at selected audiences, and tourism in developing countries, where its development is limited due to low living standards.

Mass tourism should be distinguished from popular. The latter is a tourist activity that has gained wide recognition in society due to its attractiveness and accessibility. The definition of “mass” in the term characterizes the quantitative side of the concept, and the word “popular” – qualitative.

Mass tourism is in fact characterized by large numbers of tourists, who buy trips, such as cruises . This implies an overcrowding of places, a great impact on the environment, and a disadvantage for local populations. In fact, by involving thousands of tourists who go to the same place at the same time, mass tourism can generate Overtourism , damage the environment and upset the places.

On the contrary, sustainable tourism plays an important role in the economic development of places, giving it a boost. It contributes to the introduction and dissemination of new, higher standards of service and, consequently, to improve the quality of people’s lives .

In summary, sustainable tourism ensures that the environment will not be impacted by the arrivals of tourists and that the local community will take advantage of that.

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Is Eco-Tourism Really Eco-Friendly?

There is a trend in travel that has picked up a lot of steam over the last few years. That trend is called Eco-Tourism. As environmental welfare and sustainability have become more important to people over the last decade (and especially so in the last couple of years), travel companies around the world are trying to cash in on people’s willingness to spend lots of money in the name of environmental protection. Much of it is greenwashing though, or insincere and over-hyped attempts to be viewed as “green.” The travel industry has not been immune to this trend and many companies now tout their environmental credentials in an effort to lure customers and create a positive image.

You have to wonder though, just how environmentally friendly is eco-tourism ? Eco-tourism is defined as:

Connecting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. This means that those who implement and participate in responsible tourism activities should follow the following eco-tourism principles: minimize impact, build environmental and cultural awareness and respect, provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts, provide direct financial benefits for conservation, provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people, and raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate.

But how many companies really live up to that? How much of it is really greenwashing? If I had to put a number on it, and I am going to, I’d say at least 70% of it is simply greenwashing. The Marriott or other resorts might talk about their commitment to reducing waste by using recycled toilet paper and low flow shower heads, but they have huge mega-hotels. The nature of their hotels means they will never be truly environmentally friendly, unless they rebuild the place from scratch. And most of their customers wouldn’t put up with higher prices to help offset the capital costs of upgrading to be eco-friendly. You can offset your carbon emissions with Qantas but, if you really want to reduce your footprint, you wouldn’t fly. And if you look at the most environmentally friendly hotels and tours, they are also the most expensive. Apparently, eco-tourism is just for the rich.

Companies tout how they are going green to save the environment, but they only make incremental changes designed to make us feel good. Few companies make the capital investment to truly change their business model, especially those in the tourism industry. It’s easier to change toilet paper than change how you design your future hotels. I doubt many cruises have 100% greywater systems.

And the commitment to local cultures? With the exception of a few tour operators (like Intrepid Travel ) rarely do you see companies trying to help the local communities in any significant way. They operate big tours with underpaid local staff and export lots of money to headquarters instead of keeping it in the local economy. Ask most of the porters on the Inca Trail how they are treated and you won’t find a favorable response. Just because they hire local staff doesn’t mean they are “giving back” to the community to help it grow.

Eco-tours market themselves as a low impact, environmental, and community friendly way to see the world. See the Amazon or Patagonia without making a big environmental impact. See Antarctica without making an impact. Tourists come, learn a bit about the local culture, and then leave, content with the knowledge they “helped” the environment. But the reality is that big companies bring you in, make you feel good about yourself, and take all the profit back home.

I see promise and hope in sustainable tourism . To me, this is different than eco-tourism. Eco-tourism to me is about not damaging the environment and providing a little education, but sustainable tourism is about living and growing with the environment and the local cultures. You don’t find this with the big companies. They may change a light bulb and reduce waste, but would you really consider that sustainable?

Sustainable tourism requires new thinking, and you find this mostly with small scale operators . These operators change their business structure so as to have as minimal an impact on the environment as possible. They buy local goods, use local services, treat their employees well, use few resources, and try hard to help rebuild the environment and educate tourists. They’re working to make an impact instead of contributing to overtourism .

This is a much more promising side to the eco-tourism trend. By participating in local initiatives that better the environment instead of just a feel good, greenwashed tour, you contribute more substantially to protecting the environment. I believe the eco-tourism trend is here to stay and that is for sure a good thing. However, in order for it to have a much greater impact, there needs to be a focus not only on “using less toilet paper” but also on sustainable, local initiatives that help businesses grow with and heal the environment.  

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

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Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld . If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• SafetyWing (best for everyone)
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Eco and Cultural Tourism: Extraordinary Experience and Untouched Natural Environment Essay

Eco Beach Resort is located in Kimberley south of Broome Australia at the shore of the Indian Ocean 1 . It has won many accolades due to its eco friendly policies evidenced by their accommodation facilities. The main idea behind its setting is to provide memorable and extraordinary experience while at the same time leaving the natural environment untouched.

Towards this end the resort has develop unique accommodation facilities such as the eco villas which are accessed by raised wooden boardwalks and eco tents. In addition they also have beach houses at the shore of the Indian Ocean. However these are not the only services the resort offers as they also offer yoga retreats, fishing charters and whale watching among others.

To qualify as an eco friendly resort it is not just enough to build eco friendly villas and tents; their policies must be inline with sustainable urban planning 2 .

Moreover these policies must cover such important areas as landscape ecology, energy efficiency, carbon balancing, pollutant transport, management of water resources, recycling and infrastructure. This paper aims at reviewing the success of Eco Beach Resort as an ecologically friendly resort promoting sustainable luxury tourism.

With the current state of the environment, it is vital that these eco friendly establishments meet these benchmarks so as to serve as examples not only to the clients but also to the world at large. Such resorts which run on the principles of environmental conservation and preservation serve as a great inspiration to the many customers visiting, the community around them and also the global community.

One of the greatest causative agents of environmental degradation is the kind of energy we use in our daily lives. Most of the fuels we use in our daily lives are mostly carbon emitting fossil fuels. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are the common gases emitted in larger amounts.

Together with methane gas emitted mostly from green houses, carbon dioxide is the major cause of erosion of the ozone layer leading to global warming 3 . This has led to the very many environmental challenges facing the world 4 . To be at the forefront of promoting environmentally sustainable tourism, Eco Beach Resort uses energy sustainably.

Towards this end the resort has successfully tapped solar energy using solar panels to power the many eco villas and eco tents while at the same time diverting the excess energy for use in other areas 5 . To reduce environmental pollution, the resort uses the kitchen remnants to carry out organic farming and feed the chicken consumed in the resort 6 .

The use of technology such as computers and other machines has increased the energy requirement up to a hundred folds. This is not only because these machines are energy intensive but also many users leave them idle. To conserve energy the resort’s computers automatically switch to stand by mode after being idle for 15 minutes.

In addition the resort uses the low energy consuming fluorescent tubes and minimizes carbon emission by using small generators when guests are few. Water which is the source of all forms of life must be used sustainably and thus to be considered an eco friendly resort, water pollution should be unheard of within the resort and water recycling should be the order of the day.

Most of the so called waste water can serve a purpose in our daily lives to the last drop 7 . This resort realized this hence they reuse water and use it for irrigation. However the need for irrigation is reduced by planting of the indigenous plant species which thrive well in the ecosystem without assistance. To avoid water wastage, the resort regularly service their water systems and use lo-flo technology in their various water points.

Most of the waste papers and plastic bags that litter and pollute our environment can actually be put to good use. To conserve our environment, it is important that we recycle our wastes, reuse our old items and reduce waste production. Eco Beach Resort reduces waste production and hence environmental conservation by using biodegradable cleaning chemicals.

Moreover the resort reuses all their paper as well minimizing paper usage by using paperless technology by using electronic storage for their documents. The waste produced in the resort are carefully sorted out and recycled to reduce environmental pollution. The waste water is reused and recycled while 100% of the papers used within the resort are recycled.

The plastic and wood wastes are also recycled to make materials for the boardwalks, floors and verandahs of the eco villas and eco tents. Building of infrastructures especially roads has led to destruction of the environment however this resort which takes its environmental conservation responsibilities seriously has modalities to provide environmental friendly infrastructural policies.

The verandahs and paths linking the eco villas to beautiful scenery surrounding them and the floors of the eco tents are made from polypropylene plastics and wood bi-products. These infrastructures are eco friendly and moreover the paths are elevated hence does not interfere with the flora fauna below 8 .

The definition of eco friendly would not be complete without mentioning the term “ecology” which is the study of the relationships between organisms in their natural environment 9 . Landscape ecology aims at improving this relationship between animals and urbanization.

Thus an eco friendly establishment must deal in a friendly manner with natural environment and maintain or improve its surrounding naturally 10 . Eco Beach Resort has successfully conserved and preserved its environment while at the same time encouraging urban development. The ecosystem around the resort is its major source of attraction as many guests visit the retreat to sample its ecological biodiversity.

The resort seeks to maintain the serene and pristine environment of Kimberly while putting up infrastructures tailored to suit the demands of the many guests. The resort is located in the wilderness thus as they develop their infrastructures, emphasis has not been laid on the beauty of their modern hotel rooms, tents and villas. Rather the resort presses upon their clients to appreciate and respect the ecosystem in and around the resort.

Bordered by the Indian Ocean chances that many visitors will come for the experience of fishing are high. Thus the management of the resort has laid down policies to be followed while fishing. The fishing is usually supervised and only recommended fish sizes are caught. The resort also creates awareness on environmental conservation and preservation.

Moreover the eco tents and eco villas though modern are designed in such a way that they meet both the needs of the clients and the ecosystem. The energy the tents and villas use is environmentally friendly while at the same time they are beautiful and modernized.

All in all, based on their efforts aimed at conserving and preserving the ecosystem, it is evident that Eco Beach Resort has successfully promoted ecologically sustainable tourism which is also modern and luxurious.

Bibliography

Ackerman, Frank. Why Do We Recycle?: Markets, Values, and Public Policy . New York: Island Press, 1997.

Balcomb, Douglas. Passive Solar Buildings . Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1992.

Begon, Townsend. (2005). Ecology: From individuals to ecosystems. (4th ed.). New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2005.

Hole, Douglas, and Perkins, Jerkins. (2005). “Does organic farming benefit biodiversity?”. Biological Conservation 122 (1): 113–130.

Ponting, Jerry. (2002). Eco Beach Resorts of the Indian Ocean Shore. Journal of Eco Tourism 12 (5): 15 – 20.

Postel,Sharman. Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity . New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1992

Robinson, Grinard, and Tranter Peter. Australia and New Zealand: economy, society and environment . London: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Ruddiman, William. Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate . New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2005.

Scheer, Hermann. The Solar Economy (Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future) . Earthscan Publications Ltd, 2002.

Turner, Middlestone, and Richard, O’Neill. 2001. Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice . New York: Springer-Verlag Publishers, 2001.

1 Robinson, Grinard, and Tranter Peter. Australia and New Zealand: economy, society and environment . London: Oxford University Press, 2000.

2 Ponting, Jerry. (2002). Eco Beach Resorts of the Indian Ocean Shore. Journal of Eco Tourism 12 (5): 15 – 20.

3 Scheer, Hermann. The Solar Economy (Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Global Future) . Earthscan Publications Ltd, 2002.

4 Ruddiman, William. Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate . New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2005.

5 Balcomb, Douglas. Passive Solar Buildings . Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1992.

6 Hole, Douglas, and Perkins, Jerkins. (2005). “Does organic farming benefit biodiversity?” Biological Conservation 122 (1): 113–130.

7 Postel,Sharman. Last Oasis: Facing Water Scarcity . New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1992

8 Ackerman, Frank. Why Do We Recycle?: Markets, Values, and Public Policy . New York: Island Press, 1997.

9 Begon, Townsend. (2005). Ecology: From individuals to ecosystems. (4th ed.). New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2005.

10 Turner, Middlestone, and Richard, O’Neill. 2001. Landscape Ecology in Theory and Practice . New York: Springer-Verlag Publishers, 2001.

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IvyPanda. (2019, May 15). Eco and Cultural Tourism: Extraordinary Experience and Untouched Natural Environment. https://ivypanda.com/essays/eco-and-cultural-tourism-essay/

"Eco and Cultural Tourism: Extraordinary Experience and Untouched Natural Environment." IvyPanda , 15 May 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/eco-and-cultural-tourism-essay/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Eco and Cultural Tourism: Extraordinary Experience and Untouched Natural Environment'. 15 May.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Eco and Cultural Tourism: Extraordinary Experience and Untouched Natural Environment." May 15, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/eco-and-cultural-tourism-essay/.

1. IvyPanda . "Eco and Cultural Tourism: Extraordinary Experience and Untouched Natural Environment." May 15, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/eco-and-cultural-tourism-essay/.

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Essay on Eco Friendly

Students are often asked to write an essay on Eco Friendly in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Eco Friendly

Understanding eco-friendly.

Eco-friendly means ‘not harmful to the environment’. This term most commonly refers to products that contribute to green living or practices that help conserve resources like water and energy.

Importance of Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle can help improve the environment. By reducing pollution, conserving natural resources, and preserving nature, we can ensure a healthier and happier life for future generations.

Eco-Friendly Practices

Simple practices like recycling, using reusable bags, saving water, and using solar energy can make a difference. By making these small changes, we can contribute to a more sustainable world.

250 Words Essay on Eco Friendly

Understanding eco-friendliness.

Eco-friendliness represents a commitment towards preserving the Earth’s natural resources, reducing pollution, and promoting sustainability. It is a conscious effort to lessen our environmental footprint and ensure the continuity of life on Earth.

The Importance of Eco-Friendliness

The importance of eco-friendliness cannot be overstated. It’s not just about saving the planet for future generations, but also about safeguarding our health. Pollution and deforestation have direct implications on our well-being, contributing to respiratory diseases and other health issues.

Adopting eco-friendly practices is crucial. These include energy conservation, waste reduction, recycling, and sustainable consumption. Using renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power, can significantly reduce our carbon footprint.

The Role of Education

Education plays a vital role in promoting eco-friendliness. It is through knowledge and understanding that we can encourage responsible behaviors and inspire change. Environmental studies should be integrated into every educational curriculum to foster awareness and action.

Conclusion: The Future of Eco-Friendliness

Eco-friendliness is not a choice, but a necessity. It is the only path towards a sustainable future. As college students, we are in a unique position to lead this change. Through our actions and decisions, we can contribute to a healthier, greener, and more sustainable world.

500 Words Essay on Eco Friendly

Introduction to eco-friendliness.

The term “eco-friendly” has gained significant traction in the contemporary world, signifying a harmonious interaction between human practices and the natural environment. It is an umbrella term that encompasses various strategies and practices aimed at reducing the harmful impacts on the environment.

The Importance of Being Eco-Friendly

The importance of eco-friendliness cannot be overstated. Our planet is currently grappling with numerous environmental challenges, such as climate change, deforestation, and pollution. These challenges pose serious threats to biodiversity, human health, and the overall balance of our ecosystem. Adopting eco-friendly practices is a crucial step towards mitigating these issues. It helps to conserve resources, reduce waste, and promote a sustainable lifestyle that respects and values the planet’s biodiversity.

Eco-friendly practices are diverse and encompass various aspects of our daily lives. They range from simple habits, such as recycling and reducing energy consumption, to more complex ones, such as implementing green technologies and promoting sustainable development.

For example, by using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power, we can significantly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, which are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, by adopting sustainable farming practices, we can help to preserve soil health, promote biodiversity, and reduce the overuse of harmful pesticides and fertilizers.

The Role of Innovation

Innovation plays a pivotal role in promoting eco-friendliness. Technological advancements, such as electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and green building designs, have made it easier and more affordable for individuals and businesses to reduce their environmental footprint.

Moreover, innovative solutions such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and bioengineering also hold great potential for addressing some of the most pressing environmental challenges. For instance, CCS technology can help to mitigate climate change by capturing carbon dioxide emissions from large point sources, such as power plants, and storing them underground.

Conclusion: A Collective Responsibility

Being eco-friendly is not just a personal choice but a collective responsibility. It requires a concerted effort from all sectors of society, including individuals, businesses, and governments. Policies and regulations that promote eco-friendly practices, combined with education and awareness campaigns, can play a crucial role in fostering a culture of sustainability.

In conclusion, being eco-friendly is a necessity in our current age. It is an investment in our future that guarantees the survival and well-being of our planet and future generations. Therefore, it is imperative that we all strive to adopt and promote eco-friendly practices in our daily lives.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Save Mother Earth
• Essay on Save Earth
• Essay on Responding to the Cry of the Earth

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Visit Turks And Caicos For An Eco-Friendly (And Unforgettable) Vacation

• Turks and Caicos is a stunning destination known for its beautiful beaches, vibrant wildlife, and commitment to sustainable tourism.
• With 35 protected areas and the Junior Great Barrier Reef, the islands offer a variety of eco-friendly activities like mangrove kayaking and visiting Little Water Cay.
• Visitors can also enjoy cultural experiences like the Island Fish Fry and help rescue dogs by volunteering to walk them on the beach.

Scintillating white sand beaches, turquoise waters, and epic adventures make Turks and Caicos enticing to many visitors to the idyllic islands. But the Atlantic Ocean archipelago has much more to offer. Protected marine areas, pristine natural preserves, and environmentally friendly hotels make for an unforgettable eco-friendly getaway. The best part? The sunny beaches of the islands are easily accessible from the East Coast of the United States. This tropical paradise is only a 90-minute flight from Miami and three hours from New York City.

What To Know About Visiting Turks And Caicos

Turks and caicos is known for gorgeous beaches, vibrant wildlife, and sustainable tourism.

The British Overseas Territory is located southeast of the Bahamas; it consists of 40 low-lying coral islands and uninhabited cays in two island groups. Some of the popular islands include Providenciales (known for the beautiful Grace Bay Beach ), Grand Turk, North Caicos, South Caicos, Middle Caicos, Ambergris Cay, Pine Cay, Parrot Cay, and Salt Cay.

Turks and Caicos has 35 protected areas that encompass national parks, nature reserves, areas of historic interest, and sanctuaries. One of the world’s largest coral barrier reefs, nicknamed Junior Great Barrier Reef, lies within the 6,500-acre Princess Alexandra National Park . This safeguarded coastal and marine national area encompasses Grace Bay Beach, and is among other sites in northern and eastern Providenciales.

Whether your goal is an adventure-filled trip with diving under the azure waters and kayaking through the wetlands or sunbathing on a picture-perfect beach, Turks and Caicos offers it all in an eco-friendly manner.

With an emphasis on high-end, low-impact tourism, Turks and Caicos is home to some iconic luxury resorts and apartment rentals, many of which boast eco-friendly initiatives. Most buildings, like the solar-powered luxury Ocean Club Resorts along the popular Grace Bay Beach, are under five stories tall, just below the palm trees.

Keep reading to find out sustainable and cultural things to do in Turks and Caicos for a regenerative vacation .

Eco-Friendly Activities In Turks And Caicos

Turks and Caicos offers countless eco-conscious activities for visitors.

Kayak Through the Mangrove Forests

Big Blue Collective is a pioneering ecotourism tour company that has been operating for over 25 years in Turks and Caicos. They provide boating, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, paddleboarding, and other eco-tours that immerse visitors in nature. Their mangrove kayaking excursion is intended to educate guests about the importance of mangroves while basking in the beauty of the landscape and marine life.

The excursion in the Princess Alexandra Nature Reserve takes visitors via kayak (including in clear bottom kayaks) or paddleboard quietly through the shallow, narrow channels of mangrove forests opposite the Leeward base, in the northeast end of Providenciales.

Paddlers can spot egrets, herons, raptors, and small species of birds above the vegetation, along with a variety of fish, nurse sharks, and turtles underwater. Big Blue also offers mangrove paddling tours in East Bay Islands National Park and the Ramsar Nature Reserve, Half Moon Bay, and the Frenchman’s Creek Nature Reserve.

Note: Big Blue Collective doesn’t use single-use plastics and requires reef-safe sunscreen on all tours.

13 Things To Do In Providenciales: Complete Guide To Turks & Caicos Most Beautiful Destination

Visit little water cay “iguana island”.

The big green lizard endemic to the islands can be seen lounging in vegetation and sunbathing in the uninhabited Little Water Cay. This small, sandy island is located near the Leeward area and accessible by boat from the eastern side of Providenciales.

Nicknamed “Iguana Island”, Little Water Cay is part of the Princess Alexandra Nature Reserve and is a sanctuary for the endangered reptile, and a perfect getaway for nature lovers . There was a time when these iguanas called all the islands in the archipelago their home, but their numbers dwindled drastically due to the introduction of cats and dogs.

Knowledgeable guides provide informative tours to learn about protecting the iguanas and their environment. The excursion typically runs for two to three hours and is ideal for every member of the family. There is an onsite visitor center and boardwalk to take a stroll. Big Blue Collective, along with other companies like Rising Tide , Turks Ventures , and Island Adventure TCI offer tours to Little Water Cay.

Sandwiched between Iguana Island and Water Cay is Half Moon Bay Lagoon, a three-quarter mile idyllic beach popular among tourists interested in day trips, picnics, cruises, and those looking to kayak from Providenciales.

Magical Family Vacation: 10 Kid-Friendly Resorts Worth Booking In Turks And Caicos

Dine at the island fish fry.

For a vibrant evening of delicious food and live music, head to the weekly Island Fish Fry . It is held every Thursday evening in the parking lot at Stubbs Diamond Plaza in the Kingston enclave of The Bight, a short distance from Grace Bay. Visitors and residents gather to savor local dishes, do some shopping, and dance to lively music from regional bands.

Take the time to gingerly browse the handmade crafts sold by local artists, and feast on Caribbean cuisine like peas and rice, conch fritters, lobster, and, of course, fried fish. Even vegetarians can find something at the Fish Fry, with items like mac and cheese and rice-based meals.

Don’t leave without witnessing the jovial spirit of Turks and Caicos through cultural performances by the Junkanoo dancers of the We Funk Band . Junkanoo is among the longest-standing artistic expressions on the islands with roots dating back to slavery and its origins in West Africa.

This Bahamian and Caribbean street procession tradition features dancers and musicians adorning colorful costumes, moving to the beat of drums, cowbells, and other instruments. The dancers join the Fish Fry towards the end and visitors are encouraged to jump in and participate in the parade.

The event starts at 5:30 and ends at 9:30 pm. Get there early to secure a parking spot (costing $20) and avoid long lines; bring cash to purchase items.

Walk a Rescue Dog on the Beach

Missing your dog back home? Visitors don’t have to go a day without a canine companion, thanks to Potcake Place K9 Rescue , located in Saltmills Plaza in the Grace Bay area of Providenciales. There’s no better feeling than helping out an animal in need.

The non-profit has been rescuing stray dogs on the islands for years, working hard to place these animals with loving homes abroad. Potcake Place offers vacationers a chance to walk adoptable dogs on the beach and take them on outings to help them socialize. Exposing them to other people, sights, and sounds prepares them for adoption.

The stray dogs of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos garnered the nickname “potcakes” because they feed on the caked remains of rice and peas at the bottom of pots that are discarded by the residents. These animals are adorable, smart, loving, and loyal.

Volunteer dog walkers must be 18 and over. Dog walking is allowed from 10 AM to 12:30 PM daily, except Sundays. Volunteers will receive a beach bag with the necessary items for the walk, including directions to Grace Bay Beach.

Walking is first-come, first-served; expect long lines in the high season, but remember that you are helping a great cause.

Sustainable Places To Stay While Visiting Turks And Caicos

Eco-tourism is turks and caicos' accommodation philosophy.

Staying at a sustainable property makes the trip all the more worthwhile when visiting Turks and Caicos. The Ocean Club Resorts , encompassing two resorts (Ocean Club and Ocean Club West), sit on a beautiful white sandy stretch on Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales.

One of the first things one will notice at this Green Globe Certified property is the solar panels adorning the roofs of the three-story buildings at Ocean Club. The resort is among the few properties on the islands run by renewable energy.

• Ocean Club West is set to go solar in the fall of 2024.

Both resorts, situated within a short distance from one another and connected via a free shuttle bus, offer studios to multi-bedroom apartment suites complete with a kitchen and a screened-in balcony to take in the pool or beach views. No two suites are alike at the resorts; each features unique decorative styles but boasts the same modern amenities.

Ocean Club has two onsite restaurants, two pools, Spa Tropique, and offers water sports. Ocean Club West has similar offerings, along with a lovely beachside restaurant, Solano, that includes delicious vegan options in its diverse menu. Opus Wine Bar & Grill, located at Ocean Club, provides a fine-dining experience in an elegant setting. The restaurant works with local fishermen to bring fresh seafood dishes to customers.

Eco-friendly initiatives at the resorts include free bike rentals, conserving water by hanging towels guests wish to reuse, motion-sensor lights, encouraging guests to turn off lights when not in use, and optimizing the use of air conditioning.

Additionally, Ocean Club Resorts promotes positive impact travel for guests with a carbon footprint calculator for their stay. Their partnership with Wayaj for Travel enables guests to offset their carbon footprint; a part of the proceeds from every booking goes to various projects.

The best time to visit is between November to April during the dry season; however, shoulder season in October and May also provides a crowd-free alternative.

Turks and Caicos offers countless ways to be eco-conscious while still enjoying the trip of a lifetime.

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Top eco-conscious habits around the globe in 2024

Environmental awareness is no longer confined to boardrooms – it has filtered down and taken roots in households as well. In this piece, we’re looking into YouGov data to explore the top eco-friendly practices people across 17 international markets expect to undertake in the coming months.

Data from a recent YouGov survey reveals that more than half (53%) of all respondents across markets say they intend to minimize food waste. Half of them (50%) aim at utilizing reusable bags, containers and water bottles, while 46% of respondents plan on conserving water and reducing water waste.

Respondents are least likely (14%) to say they will utilize alternate fuel vehicles like electric vehicles and hybrids.

Eco-conscious behaviors by region

Data from the survey reveals that Hong Kongers (61%) are the most likely across markets to reduce single-use plastic consumption in the coming months and Italians are the most likely to follow suit (50%) in Europe. Americans (28%) are least likely across markets to indicate the same.

Indians account for the largest proportion of those (34%) who are likely to use alternate fuel vehicles , while Danes take the lead within Europe (15%).

More than three in five Mexicans (63%) plan on conserving water in the coming months - the most likely across the markets polled to say so, while Indians (44%) and Indonesians (43%) lead in choosing sustainable and eco-friendly products . In Europe, Italians (37%) are the most likely to opt for eco-friendly products for their household as well, in the coming months.

Canadians (39%) and French (37%) are the most likely across markets to have organic waste composting on their mind.

Hong Kongers lead (63%) in saying they will minimize food waste in the coming months and in Europe Italians (60%) and Spaniards (59%) are most likely to do the same.

Minimizing food waste is the top eco-conscious activity of choice for respondents in the UAE (57%) as well, followed by water conservation (47%).

Public transport or carpooling is another popular eco-conscious behavior among three in five Hong Kongers (at 60%, most likely across markets) and two in five Spaniards (at 41%, the most likely of any market in Europe).

Half of all Indians surveyed (50%) will be looking to plant trees , and 61% of Canadians will be looking at making the best of their water bottles, containers and bags by opting for reusable versions of these products, followed by Brits (58%).

Within the US (where nearly one in ten respondents say climate change and the environment is the most important issue facing the country), Americans are the most likely to opt for reusable bags and containers (44%) ,followed by minimizing food waste (39%). Notably, Americans (15%) are the most likely across markets to say they are not trying to follow an eco-friendly lifestyle. Further, Americans are the least likely across markets to adopt eco-friendly behaviors, withchoosing sustainable and eco-friendly products (23%) and using public transport or carpooling (11%) being among the lowest anticipated actions.

In Great Britian, equal proportions of Brits planning to use reusable containers (58%) and cut down on food waste (58%). YouGov data also shows that 43% of Britons say environmental sustainability affects their decisions a fair amount when it comes to general household purchases.

When it comes to investing in eco-friendly home improvements like solar panels (which isn’t one of the more popular eco-conscious behaviors consumers might implement this year), Indians lead (39%) overall, while Italians (17%) lead within Europe.

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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 17 markets with sample sizes varying between 500 and 2040 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in January 2024. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced .

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Real Estate Listings Are Going Green: 5 Eco-Friendly Sales Features on the Rise Right Now

Remember when you used to rubberneck at the sight of solar panels on someone’s roof, or wonder why your neighbors ditched their lush green lawn in favor of xeriscaping?

Today, eco-friendly home features are becoming commonplace as we all work in small ways to combat the effects of climate change and cut down the costs of our utility bills.

This earth-forward trend is even showing up in the tactics we use to sell our homes: Over the past six years, the share of Realtor.com® listing descriptions mentioning various eco-friendly terms—e.g., “energy efficient,” “zero energy,” “solar panels”—has risen at a slow but steady pace.

(Realtor.com)

According to our research, the growth of green-friendly listings over this time frame has practically doubled. In 2018, there were 76,335 listings with prominent eco terms in the language, but by 2023, that number had jumped to 150,388.

Homes that tout “energy-efficienct” in their listing language have just about tripled, from 10,756 in 2018 to a whopping 29,288 just five years later.

Even those less-than-sexy rows of solar panels that were once considered anomalies are finding more fans, according to our data.

In 2018, nearly 25,000 home listings were advertising these ray-catchers, while last year that figure rose to almost 51,000.

Why eco-friendly listings are on the rise

“The rise in eco-friendly home listings mirrors trends we’ve seen in specific categories, such as for EV-friendly homes, called out in the team’s deep dive on the most EV-friendly housing markets ,” says Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale . “The data suggest that consumer tastes and preferences are leaning in an earth-friendly direction, and sellers are positioning their properties to meet those new and growing demands.”

Some homeowners are driven to save not just the environment, but also some cash—in the form of government kickbacks for adding eco-forward features to their homes.

“It’s worth noting that there are both carrots and sticks nudging homeowners to adopt more eco-friendly features,” Hale continues. “The Inflation Reduction Act included at least two provisions to rebate households for making electric and energy-efficient improvements, and there are many other state and local area incentives.”

Ways to go green at home

While not every homeowner can build a passive house from scratch, there are many ways to make a home more eco-friendly.

Better quality roofing is one avenue to try as this material reflects the sun’s heat, according to RJ D’Angelo , owner of  JWE Remodeling & Roofing . Redoing your home’s insulation or upgrading your appliances to more efficient, greener brands (like Energy Star) are two other ways to go.

Many new-construction homes incorporate earth-friendly features from the ground up.

“I’m mostly seeing these amenities in new construction, especially as it relates to insulation, encapsulation in crawl spaces, and the way HVAC systems are engineered—and I do think it creates resale value,” says Jessica Grier , a real estate broker with Premier Sotheby’s International in Charlotte, NC.

Curious to learn more about green home features you could buy in a home? Here are some other eco-friendly terms that are gaining traction.

Electric vehicle chargers

Electric vehicles are starting to flood the market—so it makes perfect sense that home listings will include the terms “EV charging” and “EV charger” in their language. These two phrases shot up from 212 and 139 in 2018 to 1,174 and 1,058 respectively in 2023.

And lately, there’s help with the costs. Government policies, like rebate programs, are in place to help motivate folks to consider buying an EV, which means charging stations at home should continue to burgeon.

Passive houses

A passive house is one that meets a certain standard of energy efficiency created by the International Passive House Association that combines strong insulation with specially coated windows. The result is a home that prevents warm air from escaping your rooms and blocks cold breezes that might waft in from the outside.

Since this type of construction is still rare, it makes sense that very few are up for sale. Currently, there are 86 on the market, up from 57 six years earlier. This tracks appropriately since there are only 250 certified passive buildings in this country.

 Xeriscaping

Xeriscaping —which involves replacing lush green lawns with native plants that don’t need much watering—might still be uncommon, but it’s growing in popularity as a real estate sales feature, with 721 mentions in listings in 2023 compared with 513 in 2018.

According to  Patric k Barrett , enhancements lead at FormLA Landscaping , this gardening approach does use less water, but since fire is a risk in some areas, it’s important to include hydrated foliage and smart irrigation too.

Tankless water heater

Upfront expenses are definitely higher for energy-saving tankless water heaters , but they’ll save you money down the road in hot water costs. The term “tankless water heater” has also taken off in listings data, nearly doubling from 35,000 mentions in 2018 to 57,400 last year.

Edible gardens

The “edible garden” trend peaked in 2020 when 322 listings nationwide mentioned them as a sales point. (Remember all those COVID-19 pandemic victory gardens ?) And although they’ve dipped to just 246 mentions in 2023, that’s still a respectable amount of farm-to-table action out there that many homeowners will see as a plus not just for the earth, but also come dinnertime.

Jennifer Kelly Geddes creates content for WhatToExpect.com, American Airlines Vacations, Oxo, Livestrong, and Parade.

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Top Things to Do in Elektrostal, Russia - Elektrostal Must-See Attractions

Things to do in elektrostal.

• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Good for Kids
• Good for Big Groups
• Adventurous
• Budget-friendly
• Hidden Gems
• Good for Couples
• Honeymoon spot
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Electrostal History and Art Museum

2. Statue of Lenin

3. Park of Culture and Leisure

4. museum and exhibition center.

5. Museum of Labor Glory

7. Galereya Kino

8. viki cinema, 9. smokygrove.

10. Gandikap

11. papa lounge bar, 12. karaoke bar.