As tourism enters the recovery mode after lockdowns, people are restarting travel and exploring, taking them to unusual sites instead of popular tourist destinations, becoming ‘curious travellers’. More people are getting back to the basics of why we travel and are aware of the need to reduce the negative impact on places while collecting memories of a lifetime.
Now, travellers are seeking more than food tours and are looking to understand the way of life in other places, particularly as many now work remotely. People happily prefer sustainability and meaningful travel as their choices. Experiences through interactions and learning from those who are not like us make meaningful travel, which is what travellers are seeking now.
The environmental effect of lockdown made us pause and think about why and where we travel, and this trend is making hotels genuinely eco-friendly, with initiatives such as community empowerment or nature conservation. Now hotels are increasingly immersed in the outdoors and are transparent about their footprint with customers while encouraging experiences with local culture and businesses.
Since people are in an aggressive mode to take to the skies, seas, tracks, and roads this year more than ever before to travel for different purposes, it is better to do a little bit of research about the places we plan to visit. Choosing carbon-neutral forms of transport like cars, buses, trains, or other options of electric vehicle travel that are powered by clean energy will offset the environmental impact of our travel. The option for e-tickets instead of printing off the tickets on paper every time we travel will make a small positive difference. Slow travel is also much more environmentally friendly than a quick trip.
Instead of shopping at big chains, buying local goods directly from the producers or farmers’ markets will give our money directly to the people who are making our food or crafting our souvenirs. Eating at local restaurants with authentic menus will help us learn about the cuisine from our hosts. To reduce the environmental impacts, consider using reusable, environmentally friendly items and water bottles in our pack.
After all, thinking about what we experience and what we bring home matters as much as how we travel and what we leave behind.
Happy New Year
Editor
Rajani. A
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