Responsible Tourism
Exploring different places by travelling definitely soothes mind and is an adventure in itself. Our adventure should not be bothersome for someone else. Responsible tourism is an initiative which should be practiced by both the traveller and the locals of the tourist place. I have travelled five different countries in the last five years. From my personal experience of travelling, I am going to jot down few points with which we can make our tourism, a better visit to places and a better place to be visited.
This image is downloaded from www.pixabay.com and is free for commercial use
We should keep this in mind that the place we are visiting may have different laws, rules and orders in place than our own native place. These may include traffic and driving rules. They may be more modest or conservative than us. They may not like public display of affection. Their dress sense may differ from us. We should respect and follow their rules in order to maintain modesty and decorum. We should not dress and act inappropriately according to their beliefs. We should not take photographs or shoot videos where they are strictly prohibited.We should not forget that we are also representing our own country/city wherever we are visiting.It is always nice to be remembered as a global citizen as well.
We should research a little about the locals of the place we are visiting so that we should be at ease with them while interacting. Hiring a local guide is certainly going to help someone earn an income while we can discover more from a local's point of view. It is a give and take in terms of respect. On the other hand, natives of the tourist place should make visitors feel at home. They should be hospitable enough and represent a perfect example of hosts.
This image is downloaded from www.pixabay.com and is free for commercial use
We should keep this in mind that the place we are visiting may have different laws, rules and orders in place than our own native place. These may include traffic and driving rules. They may be more modest or conservative than us. They may not like public display of affection. Their dress sense may differ from us. We should respect and follow their rules in order to maintain modesty and decorum. We should not dress and act inappropriately according to their beliefs. We should not take photographs or shoot videos where they are strictly prohibited.We should not forget that we are also representing our own country/city wherever we are visiting.It is always nice to be remembered as a global citizen as well.
We should research a little about the locals of the place we are visiting so that we should be at ease with them while interacting. Hiring a local guide is certainly going to help someone earn an income while we can discover more from a local's point of view. It is a give and take in terms of respect. On the other hand, natives of the tourist place should make visitors feel at home. They should be hospitable enough and represent a perfect example of hosts.
We should also be careful about our dining choices while at a destination spot. Respecting the local food is another way of respecting their culture and traditions and one should not promote cruelty when it comes to eating habits. The best way is to simply ask the locals where we can find an affordable place to dine. It is always nice to look for locally owned restaurants which helps in promoting their economy as well.
We should use local transport system to go to different places which in fact would be cheaper and easier to commute. It also helps in interacting with locals more as we'd find locals sitting next to us in the public transport. We also get to see more around in local transport system than taxi.Promoting local brands while shopping also helps the local industry to thrive. Please ensure that we are not into excessive bargaining as well because we might be saving a few rupees for us but it might be a whole day's worth of work for the locals.
We should be careful though about some rogues around who can rip us off. Keeping a close eye on our own belongings all the time would certainly help. Never leave your belongings unattended at any point of time. Taking out your wallet to give money to beggars is definitely not a smart choice. Instead, we can help the local communities by donating or working their voluntarily.
Last but not the least, reduction in the waste is one of the biggest asks in the tourism industry. We should not litter or let anyone litter while we are on our vacation. Some people tend to mark their names or messages on the spots where they visit to keep it in their memories. We should not practice such kind of devastation to the nature and other resources meant for everyone to enjoy equally.
I am blogging for #ResponsibleTourism activity by Outlook Traveller in association with BlogAdda
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