On Friday I took in a presentation by someone from the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations. The Center is trying to promote geotourism, which they define as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of place.” They see geotourism as having benefit to the environment, heritage, culture, aesthetics and the well-being of local residents. This is in contrast to increasing pressure on popular destinations — the deluge of people can degrade the very places people seek to see.
The representative from National Geographic noted that cruise ship travellers have a major impact on destinations, because they tend to require a lot of resources while putting very little back into the local economy, primarily because they don’t spend a lot of time on land. In contrast, geotourism is low-impact, sustainable travel that involves enjoying a landscape without using undue resources, and contributing to local elements of the economy, such as small-scale adventure travel companies, food producers, artisans and more.
I enjoy sailing in the Thousand Islands, and I’d say that’s a geotourim activity. My annual week-long voyage involves buying provisions from local food producers (as well as some at the regular grocery store), visiting local restaurants, and using very few resources in general since my partner and I rely mainly on wind power to go tack to and fro.
However I think I can do better. Whether I’m traveling for business or pleasure, I’m going to try to stay at small inns and B&Bs instead of big hotels, seek out restaurants that serve local food, look for artisan markets to visit, and try to take in a cultural event, whether it’s live music or theatre. After all, I can see a Hollywood movie anywhere — I have to learn to track down and enjoy the things that makes communities unique.
What’s important to you when you travel?
