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| ints:low-impact_tourism [2025/11/29 13:56] – [Social & cultural impacts] asimong | ints:low-impact_tourism [2025/12/17 04:30] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1 |
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| > “Despite evidence of growing public awareness of the impacts of air transport, there remains an alarming disconnection between attitudes and tourist behaviour.” — Scott Cohen et al. | > “Despite evidence of growing public awareness of the impacts of air transport, there remains an alarming disconnection between attitudes and tourist behaviour.” — Scott Cohen et al. |
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| ## What is low-impact tourism? | ## What is low-impact tourism? |
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| Last but not least, travel provides an opportunity for cultural exchange, to engage with and learn about other people, something that’s ever more important in these times of rising nationalism and isolationism. Initiatives like [Couchsurfing](https://www.couchsurfing.com/) take this one step further and out of the hands of corporations, giving travellers across the world the chance to stay with local people in their homes for free and learn about their lives first-hand. | Last but not least, travel provides an opportunity for cultural exchange, to engage with and learn about other people, something that’s ever more important in these times of rising nationalism and isolationism. Initiatives like [Couchsurfing](https://www.couchsurfing.com/) take this one step further and out of the hands of corporations, giving travellers across the world the chance to stay with local people in their homes for free and learn about their lives first-hand. |
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| Do some research on your chosen destination, find out about cultural sensitivities and local customs and try to learn at least a few words of the local language. A good tour operator will have ethics and environmental policies available and good volunteer organisations will be honest about what you can expect to do on the project. You can find out a lot for yourself online too. For example, a quick search for “shark cage diving, issues” or “volunteering in an orphanage, concerns” will pull up as many hits exposing the darker side as it does glossy advertisements, enabling you to make an informed choice. | Do some research on your chosen destination, find out about cultural sensitivities and local customs and try to learn at least a few words of the local language. A good tour operator will have ethics and environmental policies available and good volunteer organisations will be honest about what you can expect to do on the project. You can find out a lot for yourself online too. For example, a quick search for “shark cage diving, issues” or “volunteering in an orphanage, concerns” will pull up as many hits exposing the darker side as it does glossy advertisements, enabling you to make an informed choice. |
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| There are lots of low-impact activities that you can do on holiday, from [wild swimming](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/wild_swimming/), [hiking](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/walking-hiking/), [cycling](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/cycling/), [kayaking](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/canoes-kayaks/), [stargazing](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/stargazing/), [wildlife watching](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/nature_awareness/), visiting alternative technology or nature centres and animal sanctuaries, to cookery courses, [craft](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/category/craft-skills-make-mend/) and [bushcraft](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/0-bushcraft/) workshops and more. | There are lots of low-impact activities that you can do on holiday, from [[wild swimming]], [hiking](walking), [[cycling]], [kayaking](canoes-kayaks), [[stargazing]], [wildlife watching](nature_awareness), visiting alternative technology or nature centres and animal sanctuaries, to cookery courses, [craft](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/category/craft-skills-make-mend/) and [bushcraft](http://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/lowimpact-topic/0-bushcraft/) workshops and more. |
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| ### Is it more expensive? | ### Is it more expensive? |
| </figure> | </figure> |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
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| ### Here’s an idea | ### Here’s an idea |
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| > The further one goes, the less one knows | > The further one goes, the less one knows |
| > | > |
| > - Tao Te Ching | > — Tao Te Ching |
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