The Real Responsible Traveller
Your post can make a difference; call out the travel companies still failing wildlife
Let’s look at what World Tourism Day means for you and how you can celebrate it.
World Tourism Day is a yearly event aimed at promoting awareness about the importance of tourism as a global industry and its social, cultural, political, and economic impact.
World Tourism Day takes place every year on September 27th.
Celebrating World Tourism Day helps us raise awareness about the impact tourism has on us and the world around us. This includes the economic impact across the world as well as moral, ethical, and animal welfare considerations.
World Tourism Day also challenges us to question our own travel habits. It encourages us to look for ways to experience wildlife in a way that respects the animals and their needs, protecting them where necessary.
Learn more about Wildlife Heritage Areas: a global programme developed by World Animal Protection and the World Cetacean Alliance
Wildlife-friendly tourism starts with recognising the sentience of the wild animals around us. Animals experience emotions such as happiness or anxiety. They can be relaxed or afraid. Some animals even try to hide their emotions, just like humans.
Sentient animals should not (and must not) be kept in distressing or painful circumstances for human entertainment. Wildlife-friendly tourism focuses on only experiencing animals in their natural state.
Wild animal tourism increases demand for the capture and trade of wild animals. To help dismantle the wildlife trade, only book with real responsible travel companies companies that boycott exploitative or harmful practices.
Elephant Valley Project (EVP) in Mondulkiri, Cambodia is a 4000-acre elephant sanctuary and eco-tourism programme that cares for 10 elephants and an entire community, including providing schooling and healthcare.
Sustainable tourism focuses on ensuring we leave the places we visit unharmed. This means making sure that we consider the wider effects of our visit, including the economic, social, and environmental impact.
For World Tourism Day, try taking the next step. Rather than just avoiding doing harm, we can try to create a positive effect through our tourism. Research the area you want to visit or the animals you care about to understand how to help.
Visiting Whale Heritage Sites and Wildlife Heritage Areas is an excellent option. These are areas accredited by experts for their sustainability and focus on animal protection and wellbeing.
Now that you know a bit more about wildlife-friendly and sustainable tourism, here are some ways to best celebrate World Tourism Day.
Understanding animal sentience lets us understand the creatures we share our world with. It also offers a fascinating insight into the mental and emotional world of some of the most fascinating animals around us.
Why not look at some of the latest research into animal sentience for your favourite animals?
This blog post is a great place to start!
Selfies are a normal part of the holiday experience, but are your selfies animal-friendly? We’ve put together the Wildlife Selfie Code to help you promote animal welfare with your pictures.
Selfies should only include animals at a reasonable and secure distance and where they can move and act naturally.
We’re working hard to improve the effect of tourism on wildlife around the world. Join our Real Responsible Travel campaign to make a difference.
Choose travel companies that promote animal protection and real responsible travels and tell others about your decisions. Show these companies that animal welfare policies are essential for attracting customers like you.
World Tourism Day was established in 1980 by the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Wild animal tourism involves travel companies that offer entertainment or experiences that feature non-domesticated animals. This can seem harmless, but the animals involved experience significant suffering. It can also fuel the harmful trade in wild animals.
Ecotourism is travel focused on trying to minimize the impact we have on the natural world. With ecotourism, we can try to positively affect the environment, wildlife, and local people.
There are lots of ways to be an ethical tourist. A good first step is to only book with companies who share your values.
Your post can make a difference; call out the travel companies still failing wildlife
Wildlife
Together we can drive down consumer demand and expose the lies of businesses that profit from cruelly exploiting wild animals.
Heritage Sites
World Animal Protection in partnership with World Cetacean Alliance recognise outstanding destinations for responsible wild whale and dolphin watching