Speech on"towards joyful and sustainable tourism"
Answers
Good morning everyone present. I feel immensely privileged to have got the opportunity to express my views on ‘Joyful and Sustainable Tourism’. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well being of local people”.
Thus ecotourism or sustainable tourism is a form of travel dedicated to sustainable travel destinations. With the rise in economic prosperity, more and more people are travelling for leisure. The tourism industry is flourishing exponentially. More and more people are travelling within the country and internationally! However, this boom in the tourism has adversely affected the environment! Owning to poor waste management unplanned and reckless construction along with the increasing pressure of catering to the needs of the tourist , beautiful beaches, coral reefs, forests, sanctuaries, waterways, lakes, lagoons, hills, mountains are being polluted. These spots of pure natural beauty are also habitats for various species of flora and fauna. These species are being adversely affected due to the construction, development, and other tourism related activities. For instance, in Philippines and Maldives, dynamiting and mining of corals for resort building materials has damaged fragile coral reefs and depleted fisheries that sustain local people. In Nepal, the rapid growth of the trekking industry has increased pollution in Kathmandu and caused dangerous crowding and destruction of trails. Logging for hotel building materials and cooking fires has led to deforestation, flooding and landslides as far away as Bangladesh.
The condition of popular hill stations in India is also the same. So, ecotourism is an initiative to promote tourism without damaging the environment. The central and state governments, along with the people’s involvement must make ecotourism a popular campaign and save the environment and invaluable flora and fauna. The tourists must also ensure their travelling must not harm the ecology of the place in any manner.