Responsible travel

Responsible travel is a new practice that is growing, especially thanks to the awarness of tourists. The awareness of the current climate situation, pollution by greenhouse gas emissions emitted by the tourism industry, and the fragility of the environment the government and local authorities have demonstrated that they are implementing a sustainable tourism development plan. You can very well direct your responsible trip towards ecotourism, more respectful of nature and focused on the environment. But you can also give priority to local people, by practicing solidarity tourism, to help them in a project or to ensure that the local population directly recovers part of the financial benefits of your trip.

What is responsible travel?

A responsible travel is a mode of travel that takes into account the ecological, social and economic impacts of the tourism industry on destinations visited, in order to reduce negative impact and increase positive impact on local communities and the environment. This may include different choices for the treveller, including accomodation, restaurants and purchasing local products to support the local economy. It also means minimizing carbon impact by choosing more sustainable modes of transport, such as trains or buses rather than planes. Responsible travellers also seek to discover the culture and life of local people rather than engage in activities that disrupt local life through mass effect. This may also include the selection of destinations that have already implemented sustainable environment practices, such as sustainable management of natural resources and protection of biodiversity.

Why travel responsibly?

Today, we take the measure of the need to travel responsibly whether in France or abroad, for various reasons, for the environment, local communities or just for yourself. Reducing the negative impacts on the environment, water and air pollution, as well as habitat destruction and overpopulation, are the challenges of responsible travel for presersing tourist destinations for future generations. By choosing more sustainable transportation and supporting local environmenal initiatives, you can contribute to a healthier and more sustainable planet. Responsible travel can also benefit local communities, including the local economy, and preserve local cultures and traditions by enabling communities to retain their cultural identity. It can be beneficial to the travellers themselves by providing a more authentic and richer experience, allowing them to step out of their comfortzone and discover new perspectives, which can be very enriching personlla. It also means contributing to a more just world by ensuring that the benefits of tourism are shared equatably and by supporting local social and environmental initiatives, support for projects that improve the living conditions of local communities or protect human rights and preserve fragile ecosystems.

How to travel responsibly?

To travel ethically and responsibly, turn to one of the forms of sustainable tourism. Choose the one that best suits your principles and values. As with all responsible travel, the choice of destination, accomodation, catering and activities is very important. This choice must be made on committed establishments that respect the environment.

Ecological or eco-responsible travel focuses primarily on the environment and its protection, while solidarity travel focuses on the relationship between the traveller and the local population. No matter which practice you choose, the objective is common to all: the protection of the environment and the preservation of local cultures and communities. Labeled Sustainable Innovation Destination, Marseille is the ideal city for practicing responsible tourism, it has a developed transport network and supports establishments that embark on a labeling process. For your travels, it is necessary to favor public transport or low-carbon sustainable transport, other than the plane, such as the train or carpooling for long journeys and cycling or walking for shorter journeys. To go further, do not hesitate to consult our Marseille explorer’s guide. guide de l’explorateur marseillais.