Over the last few years, the conversation around everything green has been growing louder. From clothing to goods to cars, the buzz word is ‘Go Green’ – lessen the carbon footprint and leave a better and healthier future for generations to come. Sustainability is the new mantra.
As the move towards sustainability and all things green gains momentum, we see a marked shift in the way people are travelling too. Sustainable travel is the calling of the season.
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL?
Sustainable travel means exploring ways that tourism can be maintained long-term without harming natural and cultural environments. It should minimise the negative impacts of tourism and ideally be beneficial to the area in which it is observed.
There are multiple facets to sustainable travel –
- The Environmental dimension: By far this is the most important element while talking about sustainable travel, implying simply judicious and mindful usage of travel modes, water and plastic, simultaneously minimising carbon footprint by recycling and reusing materials.
- The Social dimension: This involves supporting local communities and the businesses they run, the responsible tourism projects they run, supporting NGOs, charities and social enterprises.
- The Economic dimension: As the name suggests, this involves businesses being profitable in order to be sustainable. Responsible tourists should promote the government’s ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative and buy things (memorabilia) made by the locals. This also means staying at eco-friendly hotels that walk the talk of green tourism.
Having said this, it will be an eye-opener to know tourism relies on burning fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change. It is estimated that 40% of the world’s carbon emissions will be generated by tourism by 2050. To break this down, right now 72% of tourism’s CO2 emissions come from transportation, a further 24% from accommodation and 4% from tourism related activities. Added to this, the environmental fallout caused by tourism cannot be discounted.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES – THE GAME CHANGER?
Since transportation accounts for the highest percentage of carbon emissions, car rental companies are gradually resorting to cleaner alternatives such as CNG cabs and electric vehicles for short distance leisure travel.
In fact, over the last couple of years, the government has been promoting the electric vehicles industry for domestic tourism in keeping with the growing consciousness towards a clean, green and sustainable future for the country.
Several automobile companies have already launched electric vehicles (EV) in the Indian market. However, one bottleneck corresponding to the EV adoption for leisure travel is the lack of associated infrastructure such as charging and battery swapping stations on the highways. However, Tesla’s entry into the Indian market is expected to accelerate the setting up of EV infrastructure which will increase the adoption of electric vehicles for tourism.
Over the past few weeks, there have been news about hotel chains tying up with companies that will set up EV charging stations across their properties in a bid to walk the talk about going green. It is time they now turn the gaze on the cars that are rented out for their guests as well, to ensure that these are environmentally friendly.
Savaari Car Rentals, for instance, introduced CNG cabs in 2018 to provide a cleaner alternative to petrol and diesel cars for long distance roadtrips. Over the years, it scaled up its CNG inventory, which currently accounts for nearly 40% of its fleet across metro cities. Although CNG cars do not promise zero emissions like electric vehicles, the emissions are 30% lower than their petrol counterparts.
ENCOURAGING GUESTS TO TRAVEL GREEN
Let us now come to the moot question of how hoteliers can play a key part in fostering responsible tourism. It all starts with education – of their guests and their teams.
While much can be written and said about caring for the environment and travelling responsibly, one of the most important elements that has not occurred to us as people. How can we be more caring and responsible towards the environment during our trips? Does it begin and end with being responsible for plastic usage, conserving water and buying local produce? Well, honestly, there’s more to it beyond these.
Hotels can advise guests on elements like while booking an accommodation for their vacation, why they should not only choose a property that is eco-friendly but also uses electric vehicles. In this way they will automatically become part of the movement to promote eco-tourism.
Similarly, when guests want to move around for shopping or sight-seeing, they should be given the option to choose EVs wherever available. By doing so you are not only contributing to a better environment in ‘that’ destination, but also sending out a message of being an advocate and champion of green tourism.
THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media has over time emerged as a powerful tool to move mountains. If a brand is active on social media, it can use these platforms to talk about the good things in that destination, how the place makes for an ideal green getaway for other discerning travelers.
Sharing the good practices about green tourism can set an example for others to follow suit. In this way, hotleliers can be the harbinger of ‘change’ for a greener world.
Guests should be incentivised for connecting with eco-tourism hotels and using EVs to fuel a movement of green tourism. In this way, hotels can advocate sustainability among a larger section of the populace.
As social media percolates into our daily lives at a much broader, deeper level and an unprecedented pace, who knows, hoteliers can be the change-agent for others to follow suit. Every small action undertaken to make a visit to a locale green can be an example for the world to follow.
