As Australians look for their next holiday destination, spare a thought for the local communities and environment where you are travelling.

 

That is the message from Charles Sturt University (CSU) senior lecturer and social researcher, Dr Rosemary Black, co-editor of a recently released book that looks at how people living in developing countries including the Pacific Islands benefit from a sustainable tourism industry.

 

“Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange for many developing countries and has the potential to be a significant driver for economic growth in these countries. While tourism can have some detrimental impacts on the local environment and communities, it can also provide benefits,” said Dr Black, who is a researcher with CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society.

 

Dr Black has co-edited the book Sustainable Tourism and the Millennium Development Goals that includes case studies from Vanuatu, Fiji, Indonesia, Nepal, Costa Rica and the Caribbean Islands to illustrate how tourism can benefit the social and environmental situation of local people as well as its positive economic impacts.

 

Dr Black believes the publication also has an important message for tourists from developed countries such as Australia who travel overseas to enjoy the different culture and environment of a developing country.

 

“I believe the average person can make sure their holidays are sustainable and that they can minimise their impacts on the environment and local people – and they don’t need to stay in expensive ‘eco-lodges’ in the Amazon!,” Dr Black said.

 

“For a sustainable tourism experience, the first thing you can ask as a tourist is ‘am I contributing to the local community?’ Travel can be much more than simply visiting places, taking pictures and buying souvenirs. Travel can inspire cultural awareness, tolerance, and commitment to environmental responsibility,” she says.

 

“When you plan your trip, be careful to minimise your impacts on communities and the environment.

 

“Your journey to becoming a responsible tourist starts with an awareness that you are a vital part of the global tourism industry, and that you can help transform the way the world travels.”

 

Dr Black says the book highlights how sustainable tourism can help meet and support the Millennium Development Goals announced by the United Nations in 2000.