Minimizing Our Footprint: Eco-Friendly Travel Practices in India

Reduce Our Footprint: Environmental Responsibility in Tourism in India

As the industry is witnessing the highest growth of tourism in India, the issues concerning the environmental footprint of tourism have more come into focus for the country. Millions of tourists visit India each year both within the country as well as all over the world, thus the environmentally friendly traveling practices reducing impacts on ecosystems, communities, and resources are getting importance. With overcrowding, pollution, and waste management problems in the country, various steps are taken to make responsible, environment-friendly tourist behavior and attitude more desirable.

The Surfing Green Wave
Tourism, or travel for the purpose of fun, also takes a route for conserving the environment and promoting heritage. Sustainable tourism is aiming to bring along the benefit of tourism along with preserving the requirement of resources for future times. Presently in India, currently more sustainable trips are becoming famous due to a travel in these times considers greatly its impact on nature. Thus, more than them, the majority of operators, hotels, and transports favor a sustainable travel activity.
Most Important: Choice of Sustainable Accommodations Options
Among all aspects for responsible traveling is also considering the choice of the type of sustainable accommodation. Good practices towards green go are followed by hotels and resorts in India that reduce their carbon footprint. The major features of sustainable accommodations will include high energy efficiency, water-saving measures, and minimization of wastes. For example, the solar panels will be used by the hotels for the supply of energy in the hotel; there are resorts and hotels that have installed rainwater harvesting systems, therefore, their source of water is reduced by minimizing the dependence on the local resources. Moreover, most of the eco-resorts are located in remote places to allow the traveler to admire the natural beauty without disturbing the sensitive ecosystems.

The most recent popular attractions are home-stays and eco-lodges. These two could entertain visitors while making them experience the cultures of the locality through community-led conservation practice. Most of the homestays are owned and managed by the local family because they focus on building efforts toward sustainability since this would work for people as well as the economy.
Transportation is one of the major carbon-emitters in the tourism industry. However, most would still want to travel using environmentally friendly transports so as not to contribute to the negative effect of the environment. Among these least harmful uses of public transport would be using the buses, metros, or train in major cities instead of using taxis and other private forms of transport. India has been improving its public transport infrastructure over the years, such as metro areas in Delhi and Mumbai, which have expanded to reduce traffic congestion and related emissions.

For longer distances, instead of flights, trains can be opted for. They consume much less energy, and hence, they create less carbon emission than a flight. There are vast networks of railways in India offering a variety of choices to tourists-from luxury trains to cheap ones-also providing an alternative to flights.

Not so long from now, electric is slowly picking up pace as a car option with big four car manufacturers following suit joining their own ride-sharing peers in turning companies like those from Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.
Sustainable transportation is a partial adoption through electric vehicles along with the special privileges and government incentives local and foreigners enjoy.

Reduce waste; responsible consumption
Waste management is another concern in all popular tourist places. The tourism in environmentally friendly travelers encourages responsible consumption, especially avoiding plastic, bringing a refillable water bottle along, and not using single-use plastics. Plastic-free initiatives have been adopted by many tourist destinations around India. Many beaches, national parks, and temples around India do not allow plastic bags and bottles.

Some cities and tourist areas are open to the concept of waste-to-energy projects. For instance, in Kerala, solid wastes are turned into biogas and electricity. This reduces the damage of the environment in the form of landfills. The tourist can start by ensuring that their wastes are properly disposed of and visiting places that support the sustainable nature of waste management.

Community Support and Conservation Programmes
Another feature of sustainable tourism in India is that it supports the locals and contributes to nature’s conservation. Responsible tourism ensures that the impacts on the local community are positively created, so it doesn’t add up to the negative impacts of mass tourism. Presently, the tourists seek experiences of indigenous people and their culture, which is further responsible for revealing deeper insights of the regional culture and the environment.

It generates huge amount of funds for protection measures in national parks and wild life sanctuaries. A part of the sales money of tickets to Jim Corbett or Kaziranga is used to fund the same programme of conservation of those endangered species. Thus, visitors also contribute towards this aspect by visiting these protected sites and showing respect towards wild life while strictly adhering to the guidelines given to him by the park authority.

Conclusion
Eco-tourism in India has more to do with necessities than it does with some fad. It happens to be an entirely different course towards tourism being done responsively and responsibly. On the increasing concerns of this environment, every traveling society drifts into becoming one green or sustainable tourism marketer. From sustainable accommodations to an eco-friendly mode of transport and waste reduction initiatives, there are so many ways through which travelers can reduce their footprints while enjoying all that India has to offer. As the country continues to prioritize sustainability in tourism, it would be very important for both tourists and the industry to get together and protect the heritage of the country for further generations.