Countries

The United Nations Declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

 

Below is a breakdown introducing the five basic principles of sustainability that you can use to evaluate a company, hotel, or any business.

 

Countries With Sustainable Travel & Environmentally Friendly
Environmentally Friendly
Practices
  • Recycling as much as possible, and reduction in the use of plastics (especially plastic water bottles)
  • Use of green, renewable energy to provide power for facilities
  • Working to reduce impacts on climate change (for example: using fuel efficient and/or electric, hybrid vehicles, using sustainable biofuels, engaging in reforestation efforts)
Countries With Sustainable Travel & Cultural Heritage
Support for Cross Cultural Understanding
  • Supporting tourism as a vehicle for peace and a platform against violence, empowering post-conflict collaboration
  • Educating visitors on positive interactions with the place and its people, and how to avoid negative impacts
  • Embracing gender equality and opportunities through sustainable tourism
Countries With Sustainable Travel & Cross Cultural
Support for Cultural
Heritage
  • Support and promotion of living cultural heritage – art, crafts, music, theater
  • Support for the protection of historic buildings, archeological sites, World Heritage sites, cultural traditions
  • Promoting “Sense of Place” and authentic engagement with the local culture
Countries With Sustainable Travel & Cultural Heritage
Support for protection of nature and biodiversity
  • Working to restore, rehabilitate, maintain and protect natural habitat, whether land or water-based
  • Establishing private conservancies in partnership with local-communities for the benefit of all
  • Protection of endangered species, support for research and on-going understanding of biodiversity and ecosystems
Countries With Sustainable Travel & Economic Wellness
Support for the Well Being of
Local People
  • Providing local employment, including fair wages and benefits, training and capacity building, and encouraging career opportunities for women, youth, and other locally disadvantaged groups
  • Support for community development initiatives in health, education, or social benefit, such as scholarships for local youth, provision of health care facilities, or ensuring clean drinking water
  • Supporting local businesses, including sourcing locally, and providing support for the development of local supply chains

Sustainable Travel Tours


For more about sustainability in individual destinations, click on the country below.