Hoping to Have Our Dream Honeymoon
Apr 18th, 2007 by Jenny
One of my biggest ‘green guilt’ dilemmas is our honeymoon. Phil and I have always desperately wanted to visit China. As soon as we talk about our honeymoon we can imagine it straight away – three weeks backpacking from Hong Kong to Beijing followed by a week in the Phillipines to dive some of the sites we have been longing to see there as well.
But of course a trip of this kind involves massive carbon emissions and is not at all a green thing to do! Should we choose a honeymoon that is less fuel hungry and miss out on our dream trip? Or can we allow ourselves our China adventure? Are there any ways our trip could make a positive impact?
I thought this all deserved a bit of background research into what makes holidays ethical or unethical. And it seems there are lots of factors to consider.
Flying is currently the fastest growing contributor to CO2 emissions, and accounts for 6% of the average British person’s annual carbon footprint. Not only that, but carbon dioxide emitted at high altitude apparently have a greater effect on climate change than emissions at ground level. Flying notches up a huge amount of carbon for a single journey and also uses a lot of fuel. There’s no getting away from it – flying is bad for the environment.
But income from tourism can be vital to developing nations. Hotel staff, guides, porters and caterers in developing areas earn their living from providing for tourists. Staying in small guesthouses and eating locally produced food on holiday is often a way of directly supporting local people who struggle to make a living without tourists.
Outside cities, many nature reserves and protected areas are also preserved by tourist money. If people did not come to visit them, some of the world’s endangered species and remote areas would not be protected from poachers and developers.
At a workshop I mentioned in this blog on March 26, I learned how eco-tourism is actually helping to preserve the forest in the Tambopata region of the Amazon rainforest. By staying at an eco-lodge that works to preserve the forest immediately around it, tourists can play a part in protecting the biodiversity in the area. Eco-lodges in the area recommended to me by the speaker, Chris Kirkby, were Inkaterra and Tambopata Eco Lodge.
I have also been reading about the responsible tourism partnership. They have produced a set of eight guidelines for responsible tourists, based on the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism of the World Tourism Organization. I will post them on the blog if anybody would like to see them.
I also found out that last year the third Responsible Tourism Awards were held in London. The aim of the Awards is to recognise individuals, companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and are providing a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation. The companies and places that won awards make interesting reading for anyone planning an eco-friendly honeymoon; download the Awards brochure to read all about them.
So it does seem that it is possible to make a positive impact by going to the developing world as well. This is borne out by previous experiences we’ve had in India and Nepal, taking part in volunteer projects and raising money for schools. I have met a lot of people whose livelihoods depend on tourists from the West.
But what about China? How can we plan our trip there to be as eco friendly as possible? Time for more research… and I think I’m now looking for responsible tourism companies that operate in China…
Hi Jenny,
As well as Ethical Weddings, I also coordinate the annual Responsible Tourism Awards for responsibletravel.com!
The Awards are now entering their fourth year and the 2007 Awards will launch in The Times on Saturday 28 April.
We’ll be looking for nominations from the public telling us all about your best responsible tourism holidays that make a positive contribution to conservation and the economies of local communities while minimizing any negative impacts of tourism.
You’ll be able to nominate online from Saturday 28 April onwards and if you do, you’ll be in with a chance to win a prize holiday to Uganda or Nepal! I’ll do a short post on the blog when nominations open.
And while you’re on the search for an ethical honeymoon, why not check out responsibletravel.com’s selection of China holidays?
http://www.responsibletravel.com/TripSearch/Asia/Country100009.htm
Good luck!
Katie
Hi Jenny,
Have you considered getting the train to Beijing on the transsiberian express? Have a look here for tips: http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm
That way you can save a large part of your carbon emissions, although it will take you a week but for your honeymoon you don’t need to skimp on time!
Good luck planning your honeymoon, sounds like a wonderful trip!
Thanks Katie and Iris! I will certainly investigate responsible travel’s china holidays. I know they have one in Yunnan which is one of the areas we most want to spend time in.
I have had a look at the trans-siberian railway before and it does look like an amazing trip! I don’t think it will work for us, because it crosses a different part of the continent to where we are hoping to be on our adventure to Beijing. But you’ve inspired me to investigate the trains and buses generally in China. Even if we have to fly to get to Hong Kong, you’re right that we can at least make sure we cross the country by ethical means when we get there ;o)
Hi Jenny,
I have lived in China for three years and have been involved in promoting ethical and responsible tourism for a long time now.
There are a few resources you can check out and also feel free to contact me for direct recommendations of small eco-tourism and community tourism projects you could visit when you are in China. The whole eco-tourism issue is contentious, with many companies using the eco-lable all over asia to sell simply adventure and nature tours. So you need to ask a lot of questions of the operator who is selling these tours.
If you offset your CO2 emissions from flying, I would suggest that the cost of the offset be spent in the destination you are visiting, eg. for renewable energy projects in China.
Resources:
1. the China travel industry blog has a responsible tourism category for news and information about China’s responsible tourism activities. http://www.ccontact.com/Blog
2. Intrepid Travel organise low impact small group tours in China off the beaten track. They won the responsible tourism awards last year.
3. Tourism Concern is a charity campaigning for ethical tourism in developing countries and helps empower communities to benefit from tourism.
http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk
There are also several local Chinese organisations that can be contacted. Train travel is one option which is very popular in China. You can also travel by bicycle across beautiful parts of China with the help of local agencies.
Feel free to contact me for details.
Best regards,
Roy
+44 20 78719886 http://www.china-contact.cn
Thanks Roy that’s really helpful! I will get in touch when we have done our homework on this.
Jenny
Jenny,
You haev hit on my main “green guilt”! I was set on cornwall or somewhere in Europe, but this will be a once in a lifetime trip and we want to go furtehr afield. I think we too will start to investigate the ethical tourism/eco-tourism route
Liz
Liz
I’m glad someone else has faced this dilemma! Let me know what you find out. I will post our plans on the blog once we’ve firmed them up.
In the mean time, if you (or anyone else!) decide that you still fancy Cornwall, there’s always South West Tourism’s Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS). Hotels and restaurants in the GTBS use local produce, grown or reared organically, with home-cooking and menus inspired by seasonal ingredients, and dishes created and served by local people using fair-trade goods. Visit http://www.visitsouthwest.co.uk/feelgood which has got everything from luxury hotels and cottages to B&B accommodation, ferries, gardens, visitor centres, pubs, restaurants and attractions.
I might keep it in mind for the next holiday after the honeymoon, as I think that one is definitely going to be a low carbon occasion!
Jenny