Sustainable tourism development

Indonesia Exotic is a local travel agency in Indonesia, specialized in organizing nature, cultural  and adventure tailor-made tours in Indonesia.

We love Indonesia and we respect the country. This is why sustainability and tourism is very important for us. Travel different and responsible is possible and together we can make the difference in the world of travelling.

 
According to UNWTO, the World Tourism Organization:

 
"Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities"

Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability.

Thus, sustainable tourism should:

Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.

Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary.

Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them.

Reference: Making Tourism More Sustainable - A Guide for Policy Makers, UNEP and UNWTO, 2005, p.11-12

And we would like to propose you some steps that you can take to travel in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly mode:

- Length of stay: Stay longer in the country!

Doing so will allow you to more fully experience the destination and build deeper connections. Slowing things down also decreases the amount of emissions that you would be generating by traveling between numerous countries.

- Travel off-season

 
- Avoid over-tourism.

 
- Work with local and ethical companies. For this companies respect the cultural and natural environment of the country is the most important thing. They will propose you a responsible way of travelling. Travel local!

 
- Eat the local cuisine and priorise local and cultural immersion,

 
- One or more days with no car, just relax, bike, walk…slow travel!

 
- Buy local and buy meaningful souvenirs that you will actually use.

 
- Fight animal cruelty and exploitation.

 
- Reduce all kind of waste  (food waste, plastic waste…)

¨Tourism can be a force for good in our world, playing a part in protecting our planet and its biodiversity, and celebrating what makes us human: from discovering new places and cultures to connecting with new people and experiences.¨

António Guterres - UN Secretary-General