Sustainable Tourism in Thailand
To be responsible is to be sustainable and to be sustainable is to be responsible. Sustainable tourism is more and more important as people are increasingly aware of the environmental challenges that our plant faces.
Where you can contribute?
A long-haul flight is unavoidable for most people wishing to visit Thailand but you can still contribute to the environmental health of our world by choosing sustainably operated tours for when you are here. Book them with a company that is dedicated to responsible tourism and looks closely at the sustainability of all of its operations and office management.
Look for a tour operator that clearly states its sustainability policy, covering such matters as:
- Energy consumption.
- The favouring of land transport over flights and public transport over private.
- Promoting sustainably operated accommodations
- Showing a commitment to the wellbeing of the local people with which it works.
- Working with local partners to keep tour income in Thailand.
- Providing clients with good advice on sustainability cultural sensitivity.
Help by making the right choices
Support the efforts of your host country by choosing not only tour operators committed to sustainability but also accommodation that is operated in harmony with nature. To help you choose wisely, Thailand launched the Green Leaf programme, which served as the country’s first set of qualitative standards of sustainability for the tourism industry. The Green Leaf Foundation created checklists for their assessments and these serve as operational guidelines for environmentally conscious hotels. Typically, such properties will be helping the environment through savings in energy and water, through ecologically harmless waste disposal and by choosing environmentally friendly guest amenities. You can recognize this type of accommodation by the Green Leaf symbol; if all of the required criteria are met, the property is certified with a maximum of five green leaves. The award is now recognized throughout Thailand and is currently carried by more than 100 Thai hotels in each category.
Other examples of Thailand's commitment to sustainable tourism
As in many holiday paradises, mass tourism has already led to the destruction of offshore reefs, where often an entire underwater world was affected, resulting in long-term economic hardship for the local population. The "Green Fins" project, which was launched in 2004, aims to protect the country’s reefs and livelihoods of the coastal fishing communities.
Thailand offers ideal conditions for sustainable holidays
About 17 percent of the total land area of Thailand has some form of protected status, with more than 300 national parks, game reserves, nature reserves and marine national parks. The options for nature lovers to pursue their interests are many and varied, whether it is hiking, kayaking, birdwatching or simply admiring the beauty and abundance of tropical nature. For a traveller with a focus on adventure, Thailand offers a wide range of environmentally friendly and ecologically benign activities.
Interest in the country and its people
It is not only the environment that needs to be protected, local cultures must also be actively preserved for future generations. Get to know some of the local people, ask about their way of life and traditional culture. Show your interest so they can be proud of their cultural heritage and so strive to preserve it. Nutty’s Adventures takes sustainability very seriously and is certified for Excellence in Sustainability by Travelife.
https://www.nutty-adventures.com/social-enterprise/travelife/
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