Unpacked Podcast S1: What in the World Is Regenerative Travel?

AFAR

In this episode of the podcast, Unpacked, by AFAR, we explore the topic of regenerative travel.  Read more here: https://rebrand.ly/dg61ele  Subscribe to Unpacked: ** Apple Podcasts ** https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpacked-by-afar/id1625156097  ** Megaphone ** https://megaphone.link/AFAR6756233083  ---- CONNECT WITH AFAR Afar.com is a digital and print magazine that publishes travel tips, guides, news, and stories: https://www.afar.com  Get updates on the latest articles, travel news, and more from AFAR by signing up for the AFAR newsletter: https://afar.com/newsletters  Follow AFAR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfarMedia Follow AFAR on Twitter: https://twitter.com/afarmedia Follow AFAR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afarmedia Follow AFAR on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/afarmedia

Transcript

00:00 Hey, you're a thoughtful traveler, and we're a thoughtful destination.

00:06 In Asheville, we treasure our natural and wild places here in the stunning Blue Ridge

00:10 Mountains, and we appreciate visitors who share our values of stewardship and sustainability.

00:16 We invite you to explore the cultural legacies shaped by these high mountain peaks.

00:21 Be our guest.

00:22 Together, we can share adventures and preserve the natural beauty of Asheville.

00:27 Learn more at exploreasheville.com.

00:28 Welcome to Unpacked by a Farm.

00:38 I'm Kristi Drutman, also known on the internet as Brown Girl Green.

00:42 I tell stories about how we can solve, or at least try to solve, the big environmental

00:47 issues of our time.

00:48 And today we are focusing on the travel industry.

00:51 What exactly does sustainability and travel really mean?

00:56 Find out so much more than most of us think.

01:05 Travel is one of the most beautiful activities and privileges in the world, but it unfortunately

01:10 also comes with its own share of environmental and social impacts.

01:14 And we need to talk about that.

01:16 As we know, the climate crisis is a huge issue.

01:20 And yet for many of us, it can be so easy to set that aside in our excitement to get

01:24 back out into the world.

01:26 But given that travel is skyrocketing and has now exceeded pre-pandemic levels, there's

01:32 really no better time to figure out how we can make it better than right now.

01:37 Maybe you already think about sustainability when you travel.

01:40 If so, you're not alone.

01:42 In 2021, Booking.com released a report on the state of sustainable travel around the

01:47 world.

01:48 According to their research, a whopping 87% of travelers want to travel more sustainably.

01:54 So clearly a lot of people are talking about this.

01:58 But the reality is that only 39% of travelers actually manage to travel sustainably all

02:03 the time.

02:04 And 43% said that they sometimes, rarely, or never manage to travel in a sustainable

02:10 way.

02:11 Well, why is that?

02:13 To begin with, it's difficult.

02:15 Look, I'm an environmentalist, but I also love to travel.

02:20 And for years, I struggled to reconcile the two.

02:23 What does it mean to be a "eco-friendly" traveler?

02:27 I felt guilty about traveling and the potential negative impact it has on the environment.

02:32 There are carbon emissions to consider, single-use plastics on airplanes and hotels, and all

02:36 the little items you bring along to use only for travel but throw away and never use again

02:40 like mini deodorant.

02:42 I tried to minimize my impact by doing things like trying out soap and conditioner bars,

02:48 offsetting my flights by purchasing some carbon offsets, trying to eat less meat, and so forth.

02:53 But I had an inkling that there was more to it.

02:56 Let's get a little academic for a second.

02:59 The International Labor Organization says that sustainable tourism is composed of three

03:04 pillars - social justice, economic development, and environmental integrity.

03:10 I'd spent a lot of time focusing on environmental integrity, but hadn't considered the others

03:15 as much.

03:16 So in this episode, we'll meet two travel experts who expanded my perspective on what

03:21 sustainable travel truly means.

03:24 As I learned, sustainability goes beyond, say, choosing public transportation over a

03:28 car or choosing a metal straw over a plastic one.

03:32 It's the framework we use to travel, the decisions we make before and during our trip,

03:38 and interactions we have along the way that leave a far greater impact on the places that

03:43 we're visiting.

03:44 First, we're going to hear my conversation with Amanda Ho, co-founder and CEO of Regenerative

03:50 Travel.

03:51 Amanda works with hotels to create experiences that involve and benefit local communities

03:56 as much as possible, what she calls "regenerative travel."

04:02 Her whole mission is to figure out what a sustainable travel experience looks like.

04:06 We started by talking about what exactly regenerative travel means.

04:11 For people who don't know, what are some of the ways travelers impact the environment

04:15 and world negatively without realizing it?

04:19 Climate change is the most imminent threat to human well-being and the health of our

04:23 planet.

04:24 And tourism is actually the second fastest growing industry in the world as of 2019 and

04:29 is estimated to be responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

04:34 In order to achieve the goals set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement, the travel sector

04:38 has to implement far-reaching, rapid efforts to reduce emissions to restore and protect

04:43 our planet.

04:44 But I think what we are seeing from our perspective is really that there's a lot of mindless

04:49 travel in terms of the not intentional, not engaging with the local community.

04:55 Travelers are really not taking the time to be more respectful and introspective and also

05:01 more of an extractive mindset rather than looking at how they can contribute when they

05:06 do travel.

05:07 So we really are championing this more intentional, non-extractive, inclusive, diverse, equitable

05:13 type of travel.

05:14 Our organization, we really believe that it has to go beyond just sustainability.

05:20 We have to take into account everyone within the whole ecosystem.

05:25 Travelers are an inherent part of how they contribute when they travel to a place.

05:29 We really are trying to change the nature of how people are traveling.

05:32 I love that.

05:33 And I love what you were saying about extractive versus non-extractive travel because I feel

05:37 like that's at the root of rethinking the ways in which sustainability is done as you're,

05:43 you know, participating in tourism.

05:45 And so I wanted to know if you could dive a little bit more deep into what is extractive

05:50 versus non-extractive tourism.

05:52 Starting from the basics of just the language and terminology, we say that, you know, being

05:58 green or eco is just doing no harm.

06:02 Sustainability is reaching net zero, but regeneration is actually making something better.

06:07 We really believe that being non-extractive is creating better conditions of life for

06:12 everyone within the environment, within the community.

06:15 And this really looks at how all parts are connected through this concept of whole system

06:20 thinking.

06:21 Both humans, land, animals, wildlife, everyone is really a part of this whole ecosystem.

06:27 And we really believe that as a traveler, you have to tap into that whole ecosystem.

06:32 And we really believe that from a redundant travel perspective, any type of experience

06:38 you can have in a destination can really act as an inspiration to really connect you deeper

06:44 with nature.

06:45 So actually returning home to yourself and being more mindful, I think first and foremost,

06:49 we believe that redundant travel starts with your own intentions and your mindset and how

06:54 you want to engage with the community, the destination.

06:58 It's not just coming into a place and seeing, okay, what boxes can I check off?

07:02 I think we see a lot of this with cruising, for example, you know, going from, jumping

07:08 around from point A to point B and just, you know, maybe having an hour or half a day just

07:14 come in and it really just brings about this type of traveler that is not really deeply

07:19 engaging with the community.

07:20 You know, the dollars that they're spending when they're just on the port might really

07:25 not be reaching back to local businesses because they don't have the time to really explore,

07:30 take the time to get to know the locals and really understand what makes destinations

07:33 special.

07:35 You mentioned earlier that regenerative travel thinks about benchmarks.

07:39 How do you even develop benchmarks for that?

07:41 Could you explain that a little bit more?

07:43 Yeah, of course.

07:44 And this really came about because we realized that there was so much greenwashing within

07:49 the travel industry as sustainability really became a trend.

07:52 You know, everyone was just touting that they're sustainable, they're eco, you're green, it

07:57 goes beyond just, you know, not washing your towels every day and there's no plastic water

08:01 bottles.

08:02 Great, that should be the minimum.

08:03 But we really realized that they're, without any measurement or benchmarking, you really

08:08 have no idea what you're doing.

08:10 So we realized that we had to mandate all the hotels to then actually measure what they're

08:15 doing across environmental and social impact.

08:18 So we developed 29 metrics that connect to broader frameworks, like the UN Sustainable

08:23 Development Goals and also the VCORP certification, where they're customized for small hotels.

08:28 We measured 29 data points, looking at waste, water, energy, on the social side, inclusion,

08:34 education and distribution.

08:35 And then the last point is also legacy.

08:38 But I think, you know, as a company, as an organization, we really are trying to champion

08:43 social regeneration, so looking at how a hotel can build their operations and programming

08:49 to support underrepresented groups, to have upper management in underrepresented groups

08:54 at the top.

08:55 How much money is flowing back into the local community, how much money is being spent on

09:00 educational outreach programs or skills training for staff.

09:04 Really are trying to help hotels understand how they're uplifting their locals, uplifting

09:09 their staff, and really providing more opportunities for staff to be trained and rise within the

09:14 organization rather than having to import GMs that are not based in the destination.

09:19 And do you have any specific examples you could offer of maybe a hotel or a traveler

09:24 experience that really embodies what you're talking about?

09:27 I went to another one of our hotels last summer in Tuscany.

09:31 It's called Oasi Hotel.

09:33 I think most people don't think of forest or nature as part of a traditional Italian

09:39 experience, but Oasi is definitely one that really honors that.

09:43 It's located near Pistoia, it's about in the northern region of Tuscany.

09:47 Again, you know, being European gastronomic experience, I end up doing like cheese making,

09:53 I do wolf tracking, like the whole preserve has been honored by WWF.

09:59 So it's in partnership with World Wildlife Fund to protect the land and they're opening

10:04 up other locations around Italy.

10:05 But essentially when you go there, you're on this acres, hectares of land, and you really

10:11 are immersed in like the most local northern Italian Tuscan experience.

10:16 Oasi is also really incredible because at the base of the camp, they actually provide

10:21 schooling and education for underprivileged disabled children.

10:26 So a lot of the funds generated from the hotel actually support that organization called

10:32 Oasi Dynamo, which is, you know, they're the beacon within the community.

10:36 And they also produce their own produce, their own like cheese, jams, and so forth that are

10:41 sold to the local community.

10:42 So there's such an incredible gastronomic experience that I think people don't normally

10:48 associate with Italy.

10:49 And I think that's pretty broad and general across all of our hotels.

10:52 We really are trying to get people out to explore these destinations that aren't traditionally

10:57 associated with Italy or Portugal, or most locals of Lisbon in the cities.

11:02 Really trying to get people out of these areas that are highly trafficked and getting over

11:06 tourism to get them to explore these places that are more under the radar.

11:11 I really like that.

11:12 I wanted to know, just because people who are going to be listening to this are maybe

11:16 at the beginning of their sustainable travel journey, you know, what are some tips that

11:20 you have for people before, during, and after their trip?

11:24 The intentionality is first and foremost, but from where I know some more practical

11:28 measures it's really looking at what is your accommodation.

11:32 So how are you going to choose your hotel?

11:33 Are you going to go with Airbnb?

11:36 Maybe you're going to try and choose a more sustainable property.

11:38 I think one of the most actually basic ones is actually trying to maybe not go through

11:45 a traditional OTA like Booking.com or Expedia.

11:48 These OTAs, they charge quite a high commission rate.

11:51 Actually, if you go direct to the hotel, you actually get the hotel much more, much more

11:57 of the act, like they don't pay a commission.

12:00 For example, if you're booking a property that's supporting conservation, that allows

12:03 that, you know, 30, up to 30% commission that would normally go to the OTA.

12:08 Maybe that can be then contributed back to conservation.

12:10 You know, anything that they're supporting in terms of sustainability and regeneration.

12:15 So that's just a basic one in terms of accommodation.

12:19 I would then look at what type of tours are you going to do there and experiences.

12:24 Can you choose experiences that are really integrated locals?

12:28 I would definitely do your research.

12:30 I would say that's one of the biggest parts of this is definitely doing your research.

12:34 Are you supporting an organization that's a multinational, a big corporate brand, or

12:38 are you supporting a local, you know, mom and pop independent shop that really is run

12:45 and operated by locals?

12:46 Looking at transportation, can you take public transportation?

12:49 Can you take the bus?

12:51 Can you take a train?

12:52 Do you have to fly?

12:54 Can you rent a bike instead of maybe renting a car?

12:57 You know, there are more practical things are, can you pack to reduce waste?

13:01 Like bringing your own plastic water bottles is a simple one.

13:05 Can you bring your own conditioner and kind of reduce use of single-use plastics at the

13:11 properties?

13:12 And then lastly, you know, really essentially around, it's really just how you can immerse

13:15 yourself back into local culture.

13:18 I love that.

13:19 I think it's about like, when you are traveling, it seems based on what you're saying to travel

13:24 sustainably or, you know, thinking in this regenerative mindset, you're ultimately thinking

13:29 about what you're exchanging, whether that be like your energy, your money, your resources,

13:34 the waste that you produce.

13:36 You're thinking constantly about that cycle as you're traveling is what it sounds like,

13:41 because you realize that it's going to leave some sort of impact.

13:44 And ideally you want it to be a positive one.

13:47 That's the mindset.

13:48 Yeah, that's exactly it.

13:49 And obviously, you know, there's much more kind of more technical in terms of the environmental

13:55 side of your carbon footprint and so forth.

13:59 And we really believe that it ultimately comes back to, it's an embodied experience, ultimately.

14:06 And yes, you can choose to support certain businesses, but again, you know, whose lives

14:11 are you impacting when you're traveling?

14:12 Where is your money going?

14:13 And I think that's everything that we try to preach in regenerative travel is, you know,

14:17 our hotels just act as that transformation opportunity because they have the experience,

14:22 you know, on site where, you know, they have, you know, releasing baby turtles into the

14:25 ocean or you're like having this amazing sundowner looking at elephants and lions over the horizon.

14:32 You're like, wow, like this is incredible.

14:35 Like how can I save this for a future generation?

14:39 You know, how can I ensure that we protect this earth?

14:42 I think really travel offers that moment of realization and, you know, transformation,

14:50 but I think it's then how to translate that realization into actual steps.

14:55 Not just when you're traveling, but when you're home, when you're on your travels, you know,

14:59 how can you really embody that understanding into your own life?

15:04 You know, for some people, they may see like that trying to find sustainable travel options,

15:10 like you were saying, requires some more research and time and maybe some more money since it

15:15 is going, you know, directly back to local people.

15:19 And so for people who may see that, like, it might be a little bit more expensive or

15:23 time intensive to invest in sustainable travel.

15:25 I mean, you've already kind of hinted at it, but could you explain a little bit more about

15:29 the short and the long term benefits on both those local communities and the travelers

15:34 if they do make that investment?

15:36 Definitely get that at the end of the day, price point is, you know, can be a barrier

15:40 to making some of the decisions and supporting certain businesses.

15:44 But ultimately, you know, we really believe that travel should, it should cost what it

15:49 is, but we are ultimately supporting, like you said, we are supporting local communities,

15:55 we are, you know, paying people fair wages, we are looking at, you know, giving benefits

16:01 to people that are employed in tourism and all that has cost.

16:05 But ultimately, you know, there is a cost conservation that shouldn't, you know, it

16:09 has to be sustainable and profitable.

16:11 For example, like you just mentioned with the OTAs, that's a very simple way, it's like

16:16 instead of like looking at booking.com and trying to get that cheapest rate, that $20

16:21 that you're trying to save on booking.com, if you book directly with the hotel, that

16:25 ultimately can go back to the property and enable them to do more of the work that they're

16:29 doing.

16:30 So I think it's just trying to not think about this, you know, but you know, how much are

16:37 you actually saving in terms of choosing one over the other.

16:40 I think there's still so many things that you can do on the ground in terms of how you're

16:45 being more sustainable and more generative, like I said, with the tours, transportation,

16:50 the businesses you're supporting.

16:51 I think it really goes beyond accommodations.

16:54 Definitely I think people just have to ultimately realize that there is a cost to, you know,

17:01 investing into these new types of businesses.

17:03 And I think they should have more or have joy and appreciation for that, because you

17:09 should feel good about where your money is going.

17:12 Yeah, no, I think it's also like this idea of the kind of experience you're trying to

17:18 have.

17:19 Like you were saying, there is that very short term, insta-pic, like consumerist mindset

17:25 of like, let me go in and just like extract from this place basically to show X, Y and

17:32 Z people that like, hey, I got to experience this.

17:35 But it's like, are you really present?

17:37 Are you really engaging with the environment that you're in, with your surroundings?

17:42 Are you thinking about, you know, the impact you're leaving?

17:45 Or is it just using this up, trashing it and leaving?

17:48 That doesn't sound like something, if you do care about the environment, is worth investing

17:54 into, you know?

17:55 It's a way for you to really just to see how other people are living, appreciate their

18:02 worldview and maybe that will shift yours to really be more in tune with our society

18:09 or the global connectives of the planet and realizing that we all have such a part to

18:16 play in terms of saving our planet from climate change and just creating a more inclusive,

18:21 equitable society.

18:22 We do that every day and how we interact with people.

18:25 I think travel just offers that opportunity for us to really see that outside of our normal

18:29 environments, I think people just a bit more, you know, more at ease when they're traveling

18:34 and feel a little more open to experiencing.

18:37 I think that's just such an important part of really helping us shift our mindset.

18:43 So I definitely hope that people will continue to seek out this type of regenerative travel

18:48 experience because I really think it can really just, it has to be the way forward in terms

18:52 of how we are living our lives.

18:55 If you want to learn more about how Amanda's work is helping change the travel industry,

18:59 go to regenerativetravel.com.

19:02 Amanda opened my eyes to how easy it can be to opt into most mainstream travel experiences

19:07 without realizing the heavy environmental impact on areas that are often already over

19:13 extracted and over visited.

19:15 So regenerative travel in this way offers a simple alternative.

19:20 This also made me realize how valuable travel can be in the future as a teaching tool to

19:24 bring more people into the sustainability conversation.

19:28 We're going to take a break for a quick word from our sponsor.

19:32 We'll be back in a minute to look at a specific example of a place that has suffered from

19:36 this type of non sustainable travel and how we can instead apply a regenerative mindset

19:41 to our future trips.

19:44 Are you inspired to travel in a more responsible way?

19:56 In Asheville, North Carolina, we believe in the power of ethical travel.

20:00 We care about the protection of our distinctive natural and cultural treasures in these Blue

20:05 Ridge Mountains.

20:07 And we appreciate visitors who share our values of stewardship and sustainability.

20:12 You know, travel is transformational, and we invite you to be inspired by the creative

20:17 spirit and local flavors of our mountain home.

20:20 Be our guest.

20:21 Together, we can share adventures and preserve the natural beauty of Asheville so future

20:26 generations can enjoy these mountains for years to come.

20:30 Learn more at exploreasheville.com.

20:32 Welcome back to Unpacked by a Farm.

20:50 My conversation with Amanda made me think about my most recent trip.

20:54 In May, I spent two weeks in the Philippines, a place I know really well.

20:58 It's where my family is from and I visited and live there at different points in my life.

21:03 I've observed that many outsiders have a misconception of the Philippines as just a dirty and dangerous

21:08 place.

21:09 And because of that, they overcrowd the most travel friendly locations like Boracay or

21:14 Palawan.

21:15 On this most recent trip, I even decided to be more of a tourist myself and visited Palawan,

21:20 a highly sought out destination.

21:22 I told my family I was traveling there and my aunt found an all inclusive pre prepared

21:27 travel package for me.

21:28 I was coming off of a long work trip in Cambodia and I was all in on an experience that would

21:34 require a lot of enjoyment, but little thought.

21:36 I also assumed it was sustainable because the experience seemed to be run entirely by

21:41 locals.

21:42 But during the trip, some of my online community members shared that there are a lot of indigenous

21:47 land protectors in Palawan whose land is threatened by mining and logging operations.

21:51 They said that much of the tourism industry on Palawan actually covers up and in some

21:56 way profits from this exploitation.

21:59 I was so shocked.

22:01 I knew that my trip benefited the local economy to some extent, but to be honest, I hadn't

22:06 really done my research.

22:07 And when you grow up in a brown family and they tell you they just got the plug, you

22:11 kind of just go for it.

22:12 It felt too awkward and weird to challenge my family and demand an eco-friendly experience

22:18 when that wasn't something as readily known or accessible to them or myself.

22:22 I now know that I didn't make the most sustainable or eco-friendly decision in that moment, but

22:28 I'd like to make a better decision in the future for my next trip.

22:31 So in this next segment, as a case study, I was able to talk to a travel expert and

22:35 storyteller in the Philippines to get his advice.

22:39 For us, for myself and the team at The Grid, the real crux of sustainable travel really

22:46 is about engaging in a sustainable way with local communities so that they can develop

22:53 their model of the travel industry and have it become an income for the community and

23:00 have it last for a very, very long time.

23:02 That's Paco Guerrero.

23:03 Paco is one of the founders of Grid Magazine PH, which offers tips and advice about how

23:08 to be a more intentional traveler within the Philippines, especially when it comes to different

23:13 communities.

23:14 Paco shared that one of the things that makes the Philippines so special is the number of

23:19 indigenous people who call the islands home.

23:22 He wants to see more travelers seek these communities out, and he wants to see more

23:25 communities offer these travel experiences.

23:28 He used the island of Coron as an example.

23:31 Coron happens to be in Palawan, where I was on my trip.

23:35 But on Coron, the indigenous Tagboana people have full control.

23:40 Paco explains more.

23:41 It was given over as an indigenous territory by the Philippine government.

23:47 So this means that any development or any tourism that happens in Coron is actually

23:52 planned, controlled, monitored by the indigenous group.

23:57 Now that also means that the profits go directly to them, which is a big help to the community.

24:02 And it's an interesting model because it was a long fight to get to that point where they

24:07 could control their own island.

24:09 But now it's one of the Philippines' best tourism destinations.

24:14 And to stress the fact, one of the reasons it is the best is because it is purposefully

24:20 kept underdeveloped.

24:23 Basically the indigenous people that have limited the access of travelers and developers

24:29 to the island.

24:30 So you go to Coron on their terms, not on your terms.

24:35 So they give limited access to the beaches and the lagoons.

24:39 It's controlled as far as the number of people who are allowed every day.

24:43 And also there are no large hotels or big structures on the island.

24:47 Indigenous people have chosen to keep the structures there, built with natural materials

24:53 and in the local way of constructing, you know, the very famous Nipa huts you see from

24:58 around the Philippines.

25:00 And it's one of the most photographed islands in the country because you have these beautiful

25:05 limestone cliffs and then this really quite, very beautiful, original Nipa hut, which is

25:12 just made out of bamboo and some weeds.

25:16 That's a good example of how this sort of tourism can really succeed.

25:22 But it's not like travelers have to choose Coron over, say, a more packaged experience

25:26 in Palawan.

25:28 The travel industry does support local communities.

25:31 The reality is the Philippines actually is also a very densely populated country.

25:36 So employment and economic development is definitely at the forefront of any push the

25:43 government or the industry might have.

25:45 That's a good thing.

25:46 I mean, I think we all agree on that.

25:48 So certain areas necessarily will be, what we would say, overdeveloped.

25:54 But there's a lot left out there, small communities that are trying to develop their own form

26:01 of tourism.

26:03 And I think as a traveler, if when you book your trip, right, if you try and do a little

26:08 bit of both, you know, yes, do the five star resort, enjoy your time and then try and find

26:15 something off the beaten path, try and find something that's community based.

26:19 I mean, I don't think for the traveler it should be an either or situation.

26:24 When travelers look for, ask for and book these experiences, it can create demand that

26:29 also helps communities refocus on their natural resources.

26:32 Paco shared that the Philippines has a problem with people using dynamite and cyanide to

26:36 fish in the coral reefs.

26:38 But outsiders supporting the tourism industry can help.

26:42 As a traveler, I think what you can bring is yourself, right?

26:47 The local community and there are many stories like this around the Philippines where local

26:51 communities where we're poisoning the reefs with cyanide and dynamite and discovering

26:57 that there's a dive site nearby transforms them into tourism.

27:01 Yes.

27:02 Why throw dynamite into this water when I have, you know, these divers are willing to

27:08 come here, stay in a small hut, a resort, open a dive shop, and they'll hire me as their

27:14 boat guy.

27:15 So the more they see these things happening, these success stories happening, the side

27:20 effect is sustainability, right?

27:23 In these rural communities that are struggling with poverty, struggling with access to resources,

27:29 sustainability really isn't the primary goal.

27:31 It's always a side effect of sustainable development first.

27:36 Paco shared one of the ways the pandemic and the lack of tourism unexpectedly affected

27:41 the Philippines negatively.

27:42 I heard anecdotally, not the statistics yet, from several friends who are conservationists,

27:47 marine biologists, and they were saying that sadly because of the COVID lockdowns, well,

27:53 there are no tourists traveling around the Philippines.

27:56 So they were seeing more evidence of poaching in marine protected areas.

28:03 Wow.

28:04 Because the local communities had no money, they had no jobs, there was no tourism, and

28:10 they needed to feed their families.

28:12 So it sounds horrible, but that's the reality of it.

28:16 So you see, conversely, you can see that with tourism operations and with profits from the

28:21 tourism industry, it does have a direct impact.

28:24 It can have a direct impact on sustainable practices.

28:30 I shared my Palawan experience with Paco and this tension that can exist between relaxing

28:35 and enjoying a place while also caring about being a good steward of it.

28:39 I've realized more and more that in the face of the climate crisis, we must be active rather

28:44 than passive observers.

28:46 To build on what you said, I think the strongest role a traveler has in this issue of sustainable

28:51 travel is exactly where they spend their money on.

28:54 That's the most powerful.

28:55 I mean, you can, you know, pick up trash, you can travel with your own bottle, not use

29:00 straws.

29:01 Really, the power you have is in your pocket.

29:04 And if other businesses see that the resorts and the tours and the islands that are pushing

29:13 sustainability are making a profit, then it becomes a logical choice.

29:18 Paco talked about how tourism in the Philippines really originated in Boracay, an island that's

29:24 become one of the country's top destinations for travelers.

29:28 All the other islands and mayors and communities who wanted to start a tourism program, the

29:33 only model they had to look at and to study and to emulate was Boracay, which, you know,

29:40 had a lot of failings.

29:41 Sewage, energy, waste, very unsustainable.

29:45 But those weren't issues when the island started to develop.

29:47 So what happened?

29:48 It's a model that's been extrapolated to many other communities around the Philippines and

29:53 tourism destinations.

29:54 And now they're suffering the same problems Boracay has.

29:58 But there are resorts, resort developers, restaurant owners and other communities that

30:05 are showing a different model, showing a different way of doing it.

30:09 If you want to learn more about Paco and his team, visit gridmagazine.ph.

30:14 Now as we wrap up this episode, I want to share what I've gathered from our guests.

30:18 First, yes, environmental protections are so important, but sustainable travel comes

30:25 down to acting with intentionality and honoring and respecting the places that we visit.

30:30 We can all aim to be the traveler who leaves the land, people and waters that we visit

30:35 better than they were before you arrived.

30:38 Second, traveling sustainably can add more curiosity, joy and connection to your travel

30:43 experience.

30:44 That's because you're not just purchasing or buying into the first activity, item or

30:49 option you see.

30:50 Yes, it may take a little more time, but by being mindful and evaluating the options in

30:56 front of you, you can actually consider the ecosystem of the place and how to make a positive

31:01 impact on it.

31:02 That might mean buying locally made products and food or reading literature or watching

31:07 movies about the treatment of land and indigenous peoples in that area.

31:12 And third, it doesn't have to be perfect.

31:16 Even if your trip isn't 100% supporting the local economy, that's okay.

31:21 As long as you intentionally try to invest some of your dollars, time and effort into

31:26 locally driven sustainable tourism, you're ultimately shifting the tourist economy.

31:32 Increased demand for these experiences and increased efforts to protect local labor really

31:37 can make all the difference.

31:40 Thanks so much for joining me on this episode of Unpacked.

31:43 If you'd like to learn more about me and my work, including my own show, Brown Girl

31:48 Green, head over to browngirlgreen.com.

31:50 Podcasts, videos and blog posts discussing a wide range of environmentally conscious

31:56 topics.

31:57 We also have a green jobs board if you're looking to build a career in the sustainability

32:01 space or find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

32:05 I'm @browngirlgreen.

32:11 Ready for more unpacking?

32:13 Read more at afar.com/unpacked and be sure to follow AFAR on Instagram and Twitter.

32:18 We're @afarmedia.

32:19 If you enjoyed today's exploration, we hope you'll come back for more great stories.

32:25 Subscribing makes this easy.

32:27 You can find Unpacked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.

32:31 And please be sure to rate and review the podcast.

32:34 It helps other travelers find the show.

32:38 This has been Unpacked, a production of AFAR Media and Boom Integrated.

32:42 Our podcast is produced by Aislinn Green, Adrienne Glover, and Robin Lai.

32:47 Host production was by John Marshall Media Staff, Jen Grossman, and Clint Rhodes.

32:52 Music composition by Alan Koreshia.

32:55 And remember, the world is complicated.

32:57 Being an ethical traveler doesn't have to be.

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