Sustainable Tourism in the Canary Islands

In our series of ‘Green Talks International’ we talk with influential people working in the field of sustainable tourism. These individuals are campaigning for a greener future that is filled with enriching experiences for people to enjoy all across the globe. Recently, we sat down with Harold Goodwin, the managing director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership, to discuss the challenges that sustainable tourism faces.

In This Episode, Harold Goodwin Talks About These Responsible Tourism Topics:

What exactly is responsible tourism and how does it compare to sustainable tourism?
Where is it heading and is sustainable travel a trend or a necessary change?
What is responsible tourism’s biggest challenge and what can we do about it?
Who is responsible to make sustainable travel becomes a reality: governments, companies or the traveller?

The Importance of Sustainable Tourism:

Sustainable tourism is a term used to describe a non-invasive way of travelling. The environmental, social and economic factors of tourism are the key elements to consider when talking about the impact of tourism. To achieve sustainability, a balance must be found between these three elements so that an optimum usage of resources, funds and local culture is maintained.

The idea behind sustainable tourism is:

To bring economic prosperity into an area to boost the local infrastructure and ensure that the wealth is equally distributed between all stakeholders.
Conserve and protect the biodiversity of a destination though education on environmental issues as well as the management and preservation of natural resources.
To ensure that the cultural identity and customs of the local communities are maintained, respected and celebrated in an attempt to create a feeling of understanding and tolerance.

Why is Sustainable Tourism the Future?

Sustainability is not focussed on deterring tourists and discouraging tourist developments in areas of natural beauty. It is based on the idea of re-focussing efforts so that tourism has a positive impact on the local community and surrounding areas. Reducing carbon footprints, sourcing local ingredients, hiring local staff and recycling waste are just a few of the basic concepts that hotels are adopting in a bid to become more sustainable. The future is green and with more and more companies waking up and listening to the demands of the consumer, sustainable tourism should slowly become the norm.

Get in touch with Sustainable Tourism Expert, Harold Goodwin:

Harold Goodwin is the Managing Director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership and adviser to the World Travel Market on its Responsible Tourism programme. He is researching on tourism, local economic development and poverty reduction, conservation and responsible tourism working with the industry, local communities, governments, and conservationists.
With Green Talks International, we at Canary Green Non Profit want to spread awareness of the importance and possibilities on sustainable travel.

Get in touch with Harold Goodwin:
Responsible Tourism Partnership
Harold Goodwin Website