International Travel: Why We Need to Be Conscious of Sustainable Tourism

The modern tourism industry, despite its promises of discovery and connection, has become one of the most environmentally and socially taxing forces in the world. Each year, over 1.4 billion people travel internationally, a number that has more than doubled since 2000. This growth, largely unregulated and often celebrated without scrutiny, comes at a heavy cost. The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and Sustainable Travel International have both emphasized that without a clear, enforceable framework for responsible travel, the long-term consequences will affect not only the ecosystems that travelers visit but also the local communities who live within them (“Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria”; “Why Sustainable Travel Matters”).

Venice offers one of the starkest examples of tourism run amok. With a permanent population of around 50,000, the city now welcomes nearly 30 million visitors annually. The strain on infrastructure, combined with the wake turbulence caused by cruise ships, has eroded the city’s fragile foundations and accelerated flooding. UNESCO has repeatedly warned that Venice risks losing its World Heritage status due to its inability to manage tourism’s environmental impact (Horowitz). The influx of tourists has also pushed out local residents, who face rising rents and the hollowing out of neighborhoods once filled with schools and shops but now dominated by short-term rentals and souvenir stands.

In Thailand, the once-idyllic Maya Bay, made famous by the film The Beach, was forced to close in 2018 after experiencing extreme ecological degradation. Before its closure, the site received up to 5,000 visitors per day, who contributed to the destruction of coral reefs through boat anchors, pollution, and trampling. According to Thailand’s Department of National Parks, over 50 percent of the coral around the area had died (Hodal). Although the bay has since reopened with limited access, the damage illustrates how fame can turn a natural site into an endangered one within years.

In Iceland, which has seen a 400 percent increase in tourism since 2010, the surge has overwhelmed both rural areas and national infrastructure. While tourism now contributes about 8.6 percent to the country's GDP, this boom has come with increased carbon emissions, road damage, and waste management challenges (Hickman). Many of the natural attractions, such as the Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon, are overcrowded during peak seasons, compromising both the visitor experience and the integrity of the environment.

Beyond the environment, tourism can also perpetuate economic inequality. In many developing nations, resort developments are funded by foreign investors, and the majority of profits are extracted from local economies. The Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to this model. While tourism accounts for a significant portion of GDP in countries like the Bahamas and St. Lucia, as much as 80 percent of the revenue leaks out through foreign-owned airlines, cruise ships, and hotel chains (Sustainable Travel International, “Leakage in Tourism”). This phenomenon, known as economic leakage, prevents tourism from becoming a reliable tool for sustainable development.

There are, however, clear pathways for improvement. Travelers have more agency than they often realize. Choosing accommodations that have been certified by GSTC-accredited bodies ensures that sustainability standards regarding water usage, energy consumption, waste management, and community involvement are met (“Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria”). Supporting community-based tourism, where locals operate tours, run homestays, and guide cultural exchanges, can help redistribute economic benefits while preserving cultural heritage. Programs like those in Costa Rica, where the government has partnered with rural communities to offer eco-lodges and conservation-based experiences, show that tourism can exist in harmony with the environment when managed intentionally (National Geographic).

Sustainable Travel International encourages visitors to measure and offset their carbon footprints. For example, a round-trip flight from New York to Paris emits over two metric tons of carbon dioxide per passenger. That is roughly equivalent to the emissions of driving a gasoline-powered car for six months (National Geographic). While carbon offsetting is not a perfect solution, contributing to reforestation or renewable energy projects can mitigate some of the damage caused by necessary air travel. Even small shifts in behavior, such as avoiding single-use plastics, carrying a reusable water bottle, or choosing train travel when available, collectively reduce the environmental load.

Perhaps the most powerful change comes from a shift in mindset. The desire to see it all in a single trip often leads to rushed, shallow encounters and unnecessary emissions. Embracing slow travel, spending more time in fewer places, walking rather than driving, and engaging with the rhythms of daily life offers a richer and more respectful form of tourism. It creates space for empathy and reflection, both of which are essential in forming meaningful connections across cultures. Tourism, when practiced carelessly, exploits. It reduces living cultures to commodities, treats sacred sites as photo backdrops, and transforms biodiversity into scenery for leisure. But when approached with humility, research, and restraint, travel becomes a force for preservation and understanding. The choice is not whether to travel but how. Through responsible decisions, travelers have the power to protect the places they love and ensure that future generations can experience their beauty as living reality rather than distant memory.

Sources

Global Sustainable Tourism Council. “Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.” GSTC, https://www.gstcouncil.org/gstc-criteria/.  Accessed 13 April 2025.

Hickman, Leo. “Iceland’s Tourism Explosion Is Causing Growing Pains.” The Guardian, 20 Aug. 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/20/iceland-tourism-boom-environment-infrastructure. 

Hodal, Kate. “Thailand’s Maya Bay Closes to Tourists to Recover from Overtourism.” The Guardian, 1 June 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/01/thailand-maya-bay-closes-tourists-the-beach. 

Horowitz, Jason. “Venice Tourism May Be a Victim of Its Own Success.” The New York Times, 14 July 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/14/world/europe/venice-tourism.html. 

National Geographic. “How to Be a More Sustainable Traveler.” National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/how-to-be-a-more-sustainable-traveler. Accessed 12 April 2025.

Sustainable Travel International. “Leakage in Tourism.” Sustainable Travel International, https://sustainabletravel.org/leakage-in-tourism/.  Accessed 12 April 2025.

Sustainable Travel International. “Why Sustainable Travel Matters.” Sustainable Travel International, https://sustainabletravel.org/why-sustainable-travel-matters/. Accessed 12 April 2025.