30 June 2008
If those mid-winter blues are getting you down and you are thinking of popping over to the Pacific islands for a break, it pays to think about not only the impact the trip will have on your bank balance, but also the environmental impact it will have on your destination. To help kiwis make the right choices, The Development Resource Centre, a charitable trust funded by the New Zealand Agency for International Development, has released a new code for responsible and sustainable travel in the Pacific.
The new code, and its accompanying website, provide information on how tourists can minimise their environmental impact and support the local economy. Suggestions include refusing plastic bags and reusing water bottles, as well as things like buying locally made products and not purchasing coral as souvenirs.
It’s easy to let your good home habits slide when your are relaxing in the sun by the pool or the beach, but it’s important to remember that although tourism can bring social and economic benefits to Pacific nations, some fragile ecosystems of the islands cannot sustain the pollution that large numbers of tourists bring. Fiji, for example, received 96,755 visitors from New Zealand alone in the year ending April 2008.
Many travellers are becoming increasingly concerned about issues of sustainability, and these concerns are starting to become a key factor when purchasing travel. The website therefore also offers advice to the tourism industry on the benefits of more sustainable travel options.
Check out http://www.responsibletourism.org.nz to download the code or for more information.
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