Travelling is a joy, seeing new places, meeting people, and immersing yourself in new cultures. But today, responsible travelling is no longer just a lifestyle choice; it’s a moral and environmental necessity. Every flight, cruise, or luxury escape leaves a footprint. In 2024 alone, over 1.4 billion international tourists took to the skies and seas, up 11% from the previous year. While the travel industry now makes up 10% of global GDP (around $10.9 trillion), its toll on the environment and communities is growing louder.
We’re at a tipping point: loved places are being loved to death. Think overcrowded streets, stressed wildlife, and polluted oceans. And in the background? Climate change threatens the very destinations we’re racing to see. This isn’t just about inconvenience. This is about survival.
What Is Responsible Travelling?
Responsible travelling means exploring the world while reducing harm, respecting cultures, and contributing positively to local communities. It’s a mindset shift from “how much can I tick off” to “how deeply can I experience.” You travel light, tread gently, and leave things better than you found them.
It doesn’t mean you give up holidays, it means you make smart choices: like taking the train, supporting locally owned homestays, and choosing ethical wildlife tourism over photo-ops.
Overtourism: When Paradise Cracks Under Pressure
Introduction to Overtourism
Overtourism happens when too many people visit the same place at the same time. This puts pressure on local infrastructure and resources, leading to serious problems like traffic congestion, excessive waste, water shortages, and rising living costs for residents. Natural environments can suffer from pollution, erosion, and habitat destruction, while local culture may be diluted or commercialised to cater to tourists. As a result, the destination loses its charm and authenticity, making it less enjoyable for visitors and increasingly difficult for locals to maintain their way of life.
Overtourism is a growing crisis. It happens when a destination receives more visitors than it can sustainably support. Every place has its limits. When those are crossed, the results are grim: traffic jams, litter, water shortages, rising costs, and cultural erosion.
A 2024 global survey found that locals’ top concerns include traffic congestion (38%), littering (35%), and overcrowding (30%). In Venice, tourists now outnumber locals, prompting a 2025 law introducing entry fees to manage crowds. Edinburgh during festival season and the Lake District in summer are feeling a similar strain.
Overtourism isn’t just a nuisance; it’s a slow undoing of what made a place special. Santorini’s postcard-perfect villages now struggle with water shortages and waste. In Bali, once-pristine beaches are lined with high-rises. Even Mount Everest has become a plastic graveyard.
The Carbon Footprint of Travel
Travel and tourism account for nearly 8–9% of all human-generated greenhouse gases. Between 2009 and 2019, tourism-related emissions grew at twice the rate of the global economy. Air travel alone makes up around 52% of these emissions.
To put this into perspective:
One long-haul flight can generate as much CO₂ as driving an economy car for a year.
The most responsible travelling decisions often begin with transport. Trains, buses, and shared rides emit a fraction of the CO₂ compared to flights. Reducing luggage (less fuel), flying economy, and avoiding unnecessary weekend getaways can make a real difference.
And the impact circles back: climate change is now threatening the very landscapes we long to visit. The Maldives and Seychelles are disappearing under rising seas. Ski seasons are shrinking. Coral reefs like the Great Barrier Reef are bleaching beyond repair. If we don’t act now, tomorrow’s destinations will be underwater – or unrecognisable.
Ethical Wildlife Tourism: What It Is and Why It Matters
We all love close encounters with animals – elephants, sloths, tigers. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most wildlife attractions are built on cruelty.
Oxford researchers found that 3 in 4 wildlife tourism attractions involve animal abuse. Over 550,000 wild animals are currently suffering in shows, selfies, rides, or roadside zoos. A staggering 110 million tourists unknowingly support this industry every year.
If you can ride, hug, or take a selfie with a wild animal, chances are it was taken from its family, beaten into submission, drugged, or kept in poor conditions.
Ethical wildlife tourism puts animal welfare first. That means:
- Observing animals from a respectful distance
- Never touching or feeding them
- Avoiding all “performances,” rides, and selfies
- Visiting sanctuaries or wild areas run by conservation experts
Thankfully, awareness is growing. Airbnb, Tripadvisor, and Booking.com now ban tours involving captive wild animals. As travellers, we hold the power to support only what’s kind, not what’s cruel.
Our Duty to Support Sustainable Tourism
The United Nations defines sustainable tourism as tourism that meets the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations, while also respecting culture, nature, and people.
Let’s break that down:
Protect future generations
Every unnecessary flight or luxury stay that pollutes a coral reef chips away at the world we pass on. Responsible travelling means refusing to be the reason future travellers can’t see the wonders we took for granted.
Respect local communities
Travel should benefit host communities, not burden them. Choose family-run guesthouses. Hire local guides. Spend in ways that help people, not just corporations.
Promote global equity
Wealthier nations produce the bulk of travel emissions. The top 20 emitters contribute to 75% of global tourism’s carbon footprint. Responsible travelling is about acknowledging this imbalance and correcting it through conscious, generous action.
The Planet in Crisis: Travel’s Role in the Climate Emergency
We’re past the point of ignoring travel’s role in the climate crisis. Transport, especially air travel, remains the top contributor. According to WTTC, travel made up nearly 7.8% of all global emissions in 2019, and still accounted for 6.5% in 2023, even with efficiency gains.
We must:
- Tackle emissions by flying less, choosing trains, or offsetting with verified carbon projects
- Protect biodiversity by avoiding plastic-heavy cruises and sticking to low-impact tours
- Conserve water, energy, and food by staying in Eco-friendly stays and supporting slow travel
And remember: ethical wildlife tourism also protects biodiversity by making animals worth more alive than dead.
The Economic Case for Responsible Travelling
Responsible travel isn’t only the right thing to do, it’s a powerful way to protect the future of tourism while creating long-term value for communities, businesses, and the planet. The tourism sector supports over 320 million jobs globally and makes up 10% of the world's GDP. But if the environment collapses, so does this industry. With Responsible travel:
- Local economies benefit when tourists support community-led experiences. In fact, £1 spent on ecotourism generates £9 in local income.
- Tourist demand is changing: 75% of travellers want to travel more sustainably. Destinations that meet this demand will thrive. Those that don’t risk losing visitors and reputation.
- Preserved ecosystems are long-term assets. Costa Rica, for example, earns billions through eco-tourism while protecting over 25% of its land.
Sustainable travel supports both the earth and the people who rely on tourism for their livelihoods.
How to Travel Responsibly (and Still See the World!)
The good news? You don’t have to stop travelling. You just have to travel smarter.
We’ve put together a helpful blog to make it easier for you. Our Sustainable Travel Guide for 2025 is packed with practical tips from how to pack light and reduce waste to choosing eco-conscious stays and transport. It’s simple, doable, and designed for real travellers like you. Dive in and see how small choices can make a big impact. In a nutshell, these are some of the ideas we cover in the guide:
Fly Less and Smarter
- Take the train for short-haul routes
- Fly direct, economy, and light
- Offset your flights via verified projects
Choose Eco-Friendly Lodging
- Look for green certifications
- Stay in family-run or community lodges
- Reuse towels, switch off power, and avoid buffets
Pick Off-Peak and Off-the-Map
- Travel in shoulder seasons
- Visit lesser-known places
- Skip over-loved cities and explore nearby towns
Travel Light and Local
- Avoid single-use plastics
- Eat local, shop local, support artisans
- Say no to souvenirs made from animal products or endangered resources
Respect Nature and Wildlife
- Never feed, touch, or ride animals
- Stay on trails
- Choose ethical wildlife tourism run by conservationists
Educate Yourself and Others
- Know the local laws, rules, and customs
- Share tips with friends and fellow travellers
- Use your voice to inspire change
Final Thoughts: Travelling Sustainably Is Everyone’s Responsibility
As Glenn Fogel of Booking.com puts it:
“Travel can be a force for good and today’s travellers are proving to be changemakers.”
We’re already seeing the shift. From reusing towels and turning off the AC to seeking ethical wildlife experiences and flying less, travellers around the world are stepping up.
Responsible travelling doesn’t mean giving up adventure. It means preserving it.
The world is too breathtaking to be loved into ruin. So next time you book a trip, ask yourself: Will this journey help the place I visit, or hurt it?
Because every trip is a vote for the kind of planet we want. Let’s make it one where travel, people, and nature all thrive together.