Hello! Welcome to my travel blog where I write about the places I've explored and rate their sustainability efforts.
Nature is beautiful and it is vital that we travel responsibly in order to preserve that beauty. Many hotels and resorts claim that they are eco friendly, but they do not actually have sustainable policies in place. This blog is meant to highlight some wonderful travel destinations while also being an informative resource for ethical travelling.
I use a rating system to give each travel destination a score out of 100. I developed a rubric based on a research paper titled "What should be included in an ecotourism rating system for protected areas?" The research paper surveyed various people visiting the website of South African National Parks in 2013 to find out which sustainable practices of hotels and resorts were most important to them. I chose the most important ones and weighted them according to how important the general public thought they were.
| Component 1: Conservation of Nature | /30 | |
| Building materials are environment-friendly | /10 | |
| Noise is limited in natural areas | /10 | |
| The water sources are protected | /10 | |
| Component 2: Responsible Tourism Practices | /39 | |
| That water usage is limited by means of implementing, for example, showers instead of baths, water saving showerheads and dual flushing toilets | /10 | |
| That biodegradable products are encouraged, such as biodegradable soap | /5 | |
| The correct disposal of waste, including cigarette buds, into allocated waste bins is encouraged | /7 | |
| Solar heating systems are in place | /7 | |
| Paper and other materials are recyclable | /10 | |
| Component 3: Environmental Education | /31 | |
| Tourists be informed of benefits of conservation | /7 | |
| Tourists are aware of the impact they have on the environment | /7 | |
| Tourists are told not to touch or disturb birds and animals | /7 | |
| Tourists are encouraged to keep on the walking trails | /10 | |
| /100 |