What Is Sustainable Travel?
Sustainable travel is a form of tourism that takes into account the environmental, economical, and social effects on susceptible locations. Basically, it involves benefiting the travel spot and considering its needs, rather than our own.
There are so many magnificent places around the world that are at risk from the negative impacts of tourism, so here's our list of top sustainable travel destinations to visit!
Bhutan
The country of Bhutan is nestled between India and China and on the eastern edge of the Himalayan mountains. Bhutan is the only Buddhist kingdom left in the world and first opened to visitors in 1974. With that said, Bhutan has very structured tourism policies which helped make it the only carbon-negative country globally. To visit, you need to book travel plans and itineraries with approved partners. When purchasing permits, there's a pricey tax add-on that goes towards the government to allot to various public programs. Bhutan's minimalist way of life combined with lush greenery and stunning valleys are sure to satisfy your ecotourism appetite.
Finland
Located in the Baltic Sea, in Northern Europe, is the Nordic country of Finland. Helsinki, the capital of Finland, has already carried out numerous initiatives to improve sustainability. First, Helsinki is a member of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and its goal is to produce net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2035. Finland and Helsinki's tourism boards developed eco-conscious travel guides filled with tips, tricks, and locations to visit. The country ranks high on Yale's Environmental Perform index which classifies countries based on their quality of environmental health and ecosystems. Finally, Helsinki says no to traditional public transport and instead generates its electricity through water and wind power.
Costa Rica
The ravishing rainforest-covered country of Costa Rica sits near the south end of Central America. Costa Rica is light-years ahead of the sustainability trend as the country's conservation efforts began almost 40 years ago. They focused mainly on protecting wildlife, parks and reserves, and improving reforestation. What's more, is that the majority of those protected areas use renewable sources to produce electricity. The variety of life forms in Costa Rica is extensive as 6% of the world's species are inhabitants and so are also carefully protected. Plus, the country is undertaking many other efforts to be carbon neutral by the end of 2021.
Greece
Greece's sustainability practices fall largely on their local small producers, organic farming, family-owned food, drink industry, and preservation of culture. This dreamy Mediterranean country consists of islands scattered across Southeastern Europe in the Aegean and Ionian Seas. Among several archeological sites, most notably is the remnants of the Peristera ship. Greece has established strict policies on visiting the site, whose goal was to protect the rare monk seal and fend off robbers. Furthermore, several hotels on Paros island are participating in the Clean Blue Paros to rid it of single-use plastic-free.
Slovenia
The tiny European country of Slovenia is making big waves in the sustainability game. Situated between Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia, Slovenia has an abundant amount of greenery. This is the reason that Slovenia has launched the "Green Scheme" campaign which inspires restaurants, different accommodations, and tour operators to adopt eco-friendly actions. Whoever enrolls will have their business promoted by the National Tourism Board. The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, is an eco-minded city, filled with protected hillsides, walk-able touring, and many museums and festivals to keep the culture alive.
We advise you to do some googling because sustainable travel destinations are popping up everywhere, even in places you would never imagine! To learn more about eco-conscious traveling, check out some of our tips.
