Sustainable Tourism: How to Travel Responsibly
Nepal provides an unique opportunity for the tourist with the ability to experience all Nepal offers to its visitors, including the view of the magnificent Himalayan Mountains, the lifestyle of an ancient culture, as the lifestyle of the vast majority of the population is quite plain. This is an industry that the majority of the population relies upon for their means of living, therefore it is imperative that we keep their lifestyle going, especially if we want to still have the option to travel to this lovely country someday, even if it means we travel responsibly to help leave little impact upon our planet Earth and the environment to which we shall be traveling.
How Can You support Responsible Travel in Nepal
The term used to refer to sustainable tourism is travel that respects natural and human-made environments, creating a system in which to travel is to create a healthy ecosystem between tourists and their communities or communities with whom they come in contact. For a tourist to practice sustainable tourism in Nepal, one has to support ethical practice while trekking in Nepal. The best way to practice ethical tourist roles in Nepal is to encourage ethical practice in all aspects of tourism, especially in safeguarding natural resources in tourism activities. The ideal way to practice tourism, therefore, is to look more into its long-term benefits, not profits, to avoid harming (destroying) natural and human-made resources in a country in which tourism is practiced.
1. Support to Local Communities and Economies
In helping support the businesses in the region, Responsible Tourism in turn supports the national economy by promoting the usage of ethical practices in trekking that are less detrimental to the environment.
The following are most commonly used:
Tonga, Teahouse: Locally owned/operated teahouses or lodgings where travel guests can stay one night in the same beds they were in while trekking. Local Guide, Local Porter, Local Economy. Also, the trekker would provide support to the family of a guide or porter at home by availing his services. Most guides and porters in Nepal are males. So, it is important to help these guides and porters to help their respective families by engaging in ethical trekking. So, whenever you go trekking in the Himalayas in Nepal, please engage a licensed guide as well as pay the poor man his living wage.
In addition to the above-mentioned topics, trekkers are also advised to stick by the "Leave No Trace" code of practice. Essentially, this code entails trekking parties depositing all non-biodegradable items on the trekking trail back into the environment from where they were collected, avoiding the use of plastic containers while trekking, and taking trekking routes to avoid soil erosion on the environment. The use of refillable containers and water purifiers will greatly minimize the use of plastic containers for trekking activities; The use of teahouses that advocate environmentally friendly practices will minimize the impact of trekking on the environment.
2. Protecting Nepal’s Fragile Environment
These areas extend from tropical jungles down to glaciers in alpine territories. All these areas face the threat of pollution and climate change. As an eco-traveler, one should try to conserve water and electricity, especially in areas which do not commonly receive this resource. In this respect, an eco-traveler should respect wild animals by avoiding disturbance of such fauna within national parks, in addition to keeping their hands off animal feeding in a quest to preserve biodiversity. Eco-friendly tours can contribute in some ways towards the preservation of the natural beauty of Nepal.
3. Respect for Culture, Religion, and Traditions
Nepal exhibits cultural diversity and so there exists high levels of emphasis in its religion and traditional values. Cultural sensitivity and respect in tourism activities in Nepal are highly recommended in sustainable tourism in Nepal. Every visitor shall be expected to dress modestly while visiting Nepal’s sacred temples or in the rural areas; equally important is the need for one to pursue permission while photographing persons or any other ceremony or ritual that may take place around those areas. Every visitor shall be expected to know how to greet in Nepal.
4. Selection of Eco-Friendly Accommodations and Transports
One such aspect that plays an important role in popularizing sustainable tourism in Nepal is eco-friendly accommodations. Mostly all kinds of accommodations across various centers such as hotels, lodges, etc., run on solar energy with effective waste management by using domestic items with you when you arrive in Nepal so that your carbon footprint remains minimal in accordance with nature’s laws. Public transport or vagrancy with other individuals or flights from Nepal may be abolished with your arrival in Nepal, and it will be an eco-friendly option in its own right.
5. Ethical Wildlife and Adventure Tourism
Activities involved in jungle safari in Chitwan and Bardiya National Park can be marked as significant in the wildlife tourism sector in Nepal. However, if it is a question of wildlife tourism, then it is important to ensure that the tourism is supporting an organization with animal values rather than entertainment values while visiting the jungle safari in Nepal. Adventure activities like rafting, paragliding, etc., should be done under license from the government in an eco-friendly way.
6. Reducing Plastic and Waste While Traveling
One of the plastic problems, which has recently shown its implications around Nepal’s tourist sites, is plastic pollution. Tourists must stop purchasing plastic bottles of water and opt to purchase purification tablets. Also, it will be helpful to carry bags, dishes, and other items to reuse them. Tourists must keep in mind that proper disposal of waste or bringing it back to their locations will always keep mountainous regions clean.
7. Traveling During Off-Peak Seasons
Touring in the Off-Season It is likely to ease over-tourism congestion and overcrowding in key tourism sites; therefore, it will create a better balance for overlying tourism benefits associated with tourism-related activities for Nepalese communities since over-tourism congestion and overcrowding would be relieved for these months. It is likely to create a very positive impact on tourism benefits.
So, What next?
Therefore, in order to give a precise and new definition to sustainable tourism in Nepal, it can be asserted that it is not only about restrictions on tourism in Nepal, but on one hand, it is all about tourism with full awareness. Thus, every single step you take during your stay in Nepal, about the place which you want to stay in, and about which way you want to trek, is important and can leave a huge impact on this beautiful country. Thus, by adapting ethical tourism, You can become someone who believes in Responsible Traveling and contributes to the values of Responsible Traveling.