We Are The Way To Sustainable Tourism

by MEGS LUNN

Green tourism is a good practice. It is defined as tourism that respects the environment and community (Stephen Page). Like many other environmental civic group in the country, green tourism in our province is now a practice through fun run and or walk for a cause, regular clean-up drive, cycling or using local transport, eating local food, staying in an Eco-Inn and many others. These are also the same practices that our tourism promoters are encouraging our tourists and guests alike.

Tourists and visitors now a days would rather go hiking, camping, mountaineering or what we called the "commune with nature" of which is likewise best for their health, rather than staying in high rise hotel buildings. Well, except for businessmen who need to stay in a 5-star hotel, most of the visitors would opt to get a respite with nature, and or the combination of both will do, depends on the need or wish of the tourists.

Green tourism to be sustainable is considered the most relevant of which it is defined as the relationship between the visitor and the natural environment. Meanwhile, many towns and cities have adopted the Ecological Solid Waste Management into local ordinances, hoping to teach and guide the community to be responsible for their own waste materials. Mind you, the local people has major role in sustainable tourism. In both academic and economic circles, this has been also a practice for promoting sustainable tourism.

In tourism planning, we try to involve the community. Thus, the makings of laws or ordinances on environmental impacts have been drafted. It is one of the precepts of tourism development. The host community shall be responsible and visible to get themselves involved in all the decision-making, too. It is but crucial that local people should help promote sustainable tourism in their own home and community. The contribution of the local people or host community will give greater impact to visitors, so that, they in return will also respect our environment while we host them.

The awareness of pollution from smoke (the right to breathe clean air) , proper disposal of waste (ecological solid waste management), support viability of local enterprises, respect the integrity of the local environment, culture, people, infrastructure and monitor strategies for minimizing negative impacts are the best green tourism practices that we should support. The challenge of sustainable tourism is in our hands. We all have recognized the damage effects of the environment in the many typhoons that we have had. Tour operator initiatives are in progress, of promoting eco-tourism in our country.

Just recently, in our own Boracay jewel, the mountainous garbage in the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) from year 2006 to present, there is still the need to segregate. LGUs and its people are doing its best to address them.

On the other hand, a variety of niche markets from the start of 1990’s have adopted terms like "eco-tourism", "green tourism", "sustainable tourism", "nature tourism", "soft tourism", to name a few has become the integral part of marketing promotions by many tour operators in the country. Moreover, involvement of stakeholders is a must for long-term sustainable tourism.

To maintain high level of tourists satisfaction and their awareness of sustainability issues, the World Tourism Organization has outlined what sustainable tourism should be: 1. Make optimal use of environmental resources (while maintaining the essential ecological processes while helping to conserve the natural heritage and biodiversity)

2. Respect the sociocultural authenticity of host communities (helping to conserve the cultural heritage and traditional values as well as seeking to engender intercultural under standing and tolerance)

3. Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio economic benefits to all stakeholders (stakeholders should monitor the impact of tourism).

How much time would a town leader get his/her teeth to implement the ordinances that has been setting behind their desk? How many research studies our students and graduates would need in order that we see the truth behind those papers and implement them sooner? How much typhoon damage would we need to experience before we move our butts off our chair to be visible and get ourselves involved? Why many efforts have to be done in order to accept the change that we long time should have done and not wait for any political leader to show us the way? Honorable ladies and gentlemen, just in case we don’t recognize it, WE ARE THE WAY to sustainable tourism. Act NOW or NEVER! /MP