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Safe Beauty: Environmentally responsible resorts and hotels
by Thassanee Wanderley
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The quality of the environment, both natural and man-made, is essential to tourism.
However, tourism's relationship with the environment is complex. Many of these impacts are linked with the construction of general infrastructure such as roads and airports, and of tourism facilities; more importantly, the hotels, restaurants, shops, golf courses and marinas themselves and subsequence use.
There are approximately 700 million international travelers per year, 62% are leisure travelers.
US$ 478 billion international receipts/revenues. (The equivalent of 22 annual United Nation Development Program’s budgets per day.)
Tourism is one of the five top export categories for 83% of countries, and the main one for 38% of them.
Tourism employs 3% of the total global workforce (8% if indirect/informal jobs are included, or one in every 12 workers).
In France, the world's number-one tourism destination, tourism accounts for over 7% of GDP.
33-50% of Internet-based transactions are tourism-related. |
The negative impacts of tourism development can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which it depends. Yet, it is a rarity that investors, even owners put it into account of the long term effects on their own investments and the environment for which its livelihood depends.
Rayavadee Resort and Spa - Krabi, Thailand
From an old coconut plantation to sustainable tourism, this award winning hotel situated on the stunning shores of Cape Phranang in Krabi - a model for sustainable tourism for Thailand.
From the very beginning, the man, the owner who is himself the architect came to this piece of land and think…”How man can be a part of this exuberant and unique landscape?”. Instead of recklessly cutting down trees and pollute the land in order to build gigantic unsustainable hotel, he designed the plan that preserved 95% of the land as he bough it.
From the very beginning, the owner of the land who is himself the architect thought “How man can be a part of this exuberant and unique landscape?”. Instead of recklessly cutting down trees and pollute the land in order to build gigantic unsustainable hotel, he designed the plan that preserved 95% of the land as he bough it.
 He did not stop there but thought about how to preserve its natural state by building recycle station so no swage goes into the crystal clear water and contaminate coral reefs.
The hotel was the leader in water conservations, recycle, and innovative ideas that help reduce its own footprints and that that of the guests. Innovative ideas are constantly re-invent. For instance, instead of using black plastic bags for recycle, they use old fishing net bought by local fishermen to make a bag. This way they can easily sort of aluminum cans, bottles, paper and other recyclable products. The bags then are hosed down with high pressure water conserved hose and reused reducing yet future their footprints and used of plastics.
Be a Responsible Traveller:
- Avoid exotic shows and clubs in developing countries as it makes you part of an organized crime that including drugs and child prostitution as young as 6 years old both boys and girls. Each dollar spent, even as a simple curiosity will contribute to this.
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