It is the twenty-first century and we are living in a highly developed world with hi-tech machines and vehicles. On the other hand, there is an unexpected rise in the sea-level, frequent floods are swiping away villages and cities alike, temperatures are hitting extreme records all around the globe. Several other alarming situations are making the eye-brows of the activists and scientists rise up in anxiousness.This is a situation that needs to be taken very seriously. For a conscious traveller, sustainable tourism is like water- necessary. Similarly, to save our planet it is required to change the way we explore and find pleasure in travelling. Especially in case of trips that take you to the lap of untainted nature, an altered outlook is the need of the hour.
Zillions of people make travel plans to visit various places throughout the year. Therefore, one needs to be informed about the biodiversity of the destinations in order to protect it. This includes the climatic conditions, natural vegetation and lifeforms, and ethnography of the place. Recently, a shift has been observed in the approach of travelling, and that is driving the mindset of the people towards having a more sensitive outlook and a wholesome experience.
While going through the many testimonials of 2-3 travel websites, I came across one of the Meghalaya tour by Thrillophilia. It was mentioned that they brought all the non-biodegradable waste products back from the trek. The reviewer also appreciated the way everyone in the trekking team helped the organisers regarding the same. This is undoubtedly a fantastic step to practise sustainable travelling, and is also a brilliant way of spreading environmental awareness.
Infact, according to a recent study conducted, 81% of global travellers as of February 2022 believe that ‘green travel’ is important, and crucial for the survival of the industry. This figure is likely to spike this year, after so many natural disasters bombarded the face of our planet. A major part of such awareness campaigns and surveys depends upon the policies as well as practices of the travel companies.
Coming back to the above mentioned Thrillophilia review, it also mentioned that the company used bamboo rafts to cross rivers instead of motorboats, and used biodegradable food plates. There was restricted use of plastic bottles, and the fuel consumption was also optimised to a great extent. Such measures are quite important to be ensured, but are mostly overlooked by organisers as well as tourists. It is commendable on Thrillophilia’s end to have observed such minute changes that could have a great impact.
Preservation of ecological balance, along with conservation of flora and fauna, are two of the many pillars of eco-friendly tourism. It was a relief to see these practices being implemented on a large scale, especially in a country like India. There was yet another general review of Thrillophilia that mentioned the company’s attempts at carrying out cleaning drives.
All in all, it would be an ideal situation if green travel became a norm of the time. In recent times, there has been an upsurge in eco-friendly tourism. With the growing concerns regarding global warming and environmental degradation, it is a positive direction that the travel industry is moving in. Maintaining cleanliness, being careful about wastage of natural resources, and safeguarding the environment are some of the basic things to look out for while travelling. Changes at such a speed are sure to make the dream of sustainable tourism come true!