Degraded natural sites, animal mistreatment and an abundance pollution... As the bad sides of tourism are brought to light, more and more of us are thinking about possible alternatives to build a more environmentally friendly and ethical form of tourism together. At Villanovo, promoting sustainable and respectful travel at all levels, local populations, animals, but also the riches of nature, is a subject that is close to our hearts. Find in this article some solutions for responsible and sustainable tourism.
One of the effects of globalisation is that it now allows us to find products of all origins in one place, sometimes far more numerous than the local products themselves. Although products made abroad are much cheaper due to their low production costs, they are not local and tend to devalue the work of small artisans. We, therefore, recommend that you give preference to souvenirs made by local artisans and sold at a fairer price, as there is nothing authentic about bringing back a souvenir made in china from your trip to Mauritius.
Finding the balance of prioritising the ethical side of your travels but also allowing you to be totally immersed in a different culture and to make many discoveries, we encourage you to do your shopping, especially for food, at local farmers' markets. The quality is often far superior to the products you will buy in the big stores. Beyond benefiting from the typical products of the gastronomy of the country you are staying in, this will allow you to support the local economy.
We would also like to draw your attention to the fact that gastronomy varies greatly depending on the destination and you may sometimes be offered meat or fish dishes whose species are protected, so we recommend that you find out a little bit beforehand about the dishes cooked in your destination country and the protected species in order to decline these dishes, always with a view to preserving the environment in which you find yourself.
Are you an animal lover and being able to swim with dolphins, ride elephants or pose next to tigers is your dream? Unfortunately, the reality is far from what you expect and if you really love animals then you will have to stay away from all these attractions. Animals are often the source of a fairly successful business with tourists but this is often to the detriment of the animals. We had already warned you in a previous article about the snake charmers in the Jemaa El Fna square in Marrakech, who are often mistreated. Indeed, there are also many shelters that apparently protect the animals but in fact allow tourists to touch them, which is totally contrary to their well-being. As for zoos where you have the opportunity to carry snakes, lie next to a tiger or pose with an orangutan, keep in mind that this is absolutely not the normal behaviour for these species. They are forced into these attractions by methods that make the animals barely conscious.
We know that on a trip to Indonesia elephant rides are also a dream come true for travellers. Just like the huts and zoos, we strongly advise you to go on your way. Elephants are in almost all cases chained, mistreated and left untended after the many kilometers they travel endlessly throughout the day. However, if you are travelling in Africa, some safaris will allow you to observe wild animals without compromising their living conditions, and therefore obviously keeping your distance from them. Be careful when choosing your safari, however, as not all safaris are animal-friendly and there is still a lot of business being done on the backs of animals, so be sure to check before booking.
If you have the opportunity, why not take the train instead of the plane? More and more people are using the train when it is possible not to travel by air. This alternative allows you to reduce your carbon footprint while benefiting from many advantages. Although the journey is longer by train, it's a great way to discover beautiful scenery during your journey and start getting away from it all as soon as you travel by train. If you are travelling in Europe, train travel can, therefore, be an excellent alternative and you avoid the complications of airports such as lost luggage, long waits and the discomfort of low-cost flights, all while reducing your environmental impact. Rail traffic today offers a wide range of journeys and covers an abundance of destinations at often unbeatable prices.
Are you concerned about the impact of your home on the environment and don't want to compromise on this? At Villanovo this is absolutely not a problem, on the contrary, luxury can also be synonymous with environmentalism. Recently, we have developed a range of ecological villas for holidays in total respect of the environment. We, therefore, advise you to take a look at our selection of environmentally friendly villas. Many of them favour renewable energies with heating systems with solar panels for example or heat pumps to heat the interior spaces or private swimming pools of these villas. Some of the villas that we offer are also autonomous with water and electricity supply, enough to make you spend your holidays in all serenity and with complete environmental consciousness, a step further for sustainable tourism!
