ETHICAL TRAVELLER: Catherine Mackon responsible tourism
RESPONSIBLE TOURISM is what it says on the tin. It is a movement to try to get anyone who travels to do it more responsibly.
"That's a bit of a waste of time, isn't it?" a friend asked when I told him I was working until all hours of the night on a master's degree in responsible tourism. "Just getting on a plane makes you irresponsible," he said, mockingly.
But responsible tourism is one of the biggest growth areas in the industry. And it is not just about aircraft. It means making sure that local people benefit from tourism.
According to Tourism Concern, a UK charity, out of every euro spent on most safari holidays to Kenya, 20c goes to the travel agent, 40c goes to the airline, 23c goes to the hotel chain, 8c goes to the safari company, 9c goes to the Kenyan government, and the Maasai, on whose lands we have our safari, get nothing.
Choosing a responsible tour operator can make a big difference. One with a responsible-tourism policy is a good start. Explore, Exodus, the Adventure Company, Gecko's Adventures, Responsibletravel.com and Tribes all take their ethics as seriously as they do their profits.
A responsible traveller is aware of cultural and social exploitation, too. Tourism is a global product, and cultures around the world are being swamped by the mass demand for sun, sea and sand. Learning a few phrases of a local language is the first step in the right direction.
But you can seek out a holiday that goes beyond the beach. From rug-weaving holidays in Marrakesh to an igloo-building holiday with the Sami in Finland, the choice is endless.
Then there is the environment. Parts of the media have hijacked the sustainable-tourism debate by focusing on carbon - "travel is evil", "holidays are guilt trips" and so on.
We must all curb our flying. Drastically and urgently. I don't fly unless absolutely necessary, and, as a result, I am a convert to slow travel. Friends still give me sympathetic looks when I say I am taking the train or ferry. They won't believe me when I say I enjoy it. It makes me stop what I am doing and watch where I am travelling. Or, as a fellow train traveller from London to Holyhead recently told me: "It's just better for my head."
Check out www.seat61.com, a website that is guaranteed to get you back on the right track.
I found my way to responsible travel through a love of travel. I am not one for guilt trips. Travel is one of life's most important, rewarding, inspiring and educational pursuits. It is never a waste of time. It just takes time to do it a bit more responsibly. And it takes lots of good tips. So watch this space for more to come.
See www.greenbox.ie, www.responsibletravel.com, www.greentraveller.co.uk, www.ecoescape.org, www.tourismconcern.org.uk, www.seat61.comand www.sailrail.co.uk