Can mass tourism really be sustainable?

Justin Francis, the CEO of Responsible Travel thinks it can:

 “There is no reason why mainstream tourism cannot be as sustainable as niche tourism – in fact in some ways it could be more so. Densely planned accommodation in resorts can be more efficient in terms of waste, water and energy while limiting the impacts of over-tourism. Buying power could be used to support local food producers and encourage nature-friendly farming.”

In 2019 nearly 14m tourist visited Mallorca, in Sophie Lam’s recent article for the  The i Paper, she explores the steps that the Balearic Islands government and businesses are taking to become leaders in sustainable mass tourism: The island has introduced a sustainable tourism tax of up to €4 per day on visitors and regulations to ensure all tourism businesses set out circular economy measures to tackle waste, and protect workers’ rights. Whilst, leading hotel brand Iberostar Group (which has its head office in Mallorca), has a number of initiatives in place as part of its Wave of Change programme; including eliminating all single-use plastics, technology to measure food waste, colour coded recycling stations & bikes for guests.

Read the article in full here >

 At TerraVerde we believe that:  

“sustainable tourism should not be considered a special form of tourism, rather all forms of tourism should strive to become more sustainable.”

This is a quote from the OECD – OCDE (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), which we often share in workshops with our clients. 

It’s imperative that destinations, which rely on mass tourism, embrace sustainable practices, if we are to meet our global emissions reduction targets for the sector. Whether, you are starting out, or looking for ways to accelerate your progress, we have the knowledge and expertise to help with your environmental strategy