What is sustainable travel and why is it important?
Sustainable travel involves making conscious choices to minimize environmental impact and promote cultural and economic benefits for local communities. It’s crucial for preserving natural resources and ensuring that future generations can also experience and enjoy the world’s diverse destinations.
Traveling sustainably is becoming increasingly important for many travelers who want to reduce their carbon footprint and support local communities. However, there are still some roadblocks that prevent travelers from booking sustainable holidays. The World Economic Forum and Accenture have identified six of these roadblocks. In this article, we will address each one of them and show how Impactful Travel makes it easy to book sustainable tours and trips.
Roadblock 1: Limited availability
This roadblock refers to the challenge of finding sustainable travel options that are available and accessible to travelers. However, Impactful Travel has a wide range of sustainable tours and experiences that are readily available for booking. With over 100 tours that can be directly booked online and a plethora of custom itineraries that are tailored to meet the needs of each traveler, Impactful Travel offers a diverse range of sustainable travel options. Furthermore, many of these tours are excellent alternatives to less sustainable options, making it easy for travelers to choose sustainable travel without compromising on their experiences.
Roadblock 2: Lack of awareness
This roadblock pertains to the challenge of raising awareness about sustainable travel among travelers. However, at Impactful Travel, sustainability is at the core of everything we do. We are committed to promoting sustainable tourism and ensuring that our trips and tours leave a positive impact on the people and destinations we visit. We believe that by educating our travelers about sustainable travel practices, we can help them make informed decisions that benefit both themselves and the local communities they visit.
Roadblock 3: Low credibility
This roadblock relates to the challenge of establishing credibility and trust among travelers when it comes to sustainable travel. However, Impactful Travel has been developing sustainable tourism since its inception in January 2009. Our founder, Guido, has been working in community-based tourism in Peru since January 2002, and our team is passionate about making sure our trips and tours have a positive impact, now expanding its reach to more countries and destinations across Latin America. Additionally, our tours have a Sustainability Score, which provides transparency and accountability to our travelers about our sustainable practices.
Roadblock 4: Price premium
This roadblock refers to the higher cost associated with sustainable travel options compared to unsustainable ones. However, at Impactful Travel, we believe that sustainable travel is a worthwhile investment. We pay fair wages to our personnel, support local communities through tourism, and offer unique experiences that are often off the beaten path. By choosing sustainable travel options, travelers are not only making a positive impact on the environment and local communities, but they are also investing in their own experiences and creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Roadblock 5: Cumbersome purchasing experience
This roadblock pertains to the challenge of booking sustainable travel options easily and efficiently. However, Impactful Travel has made booking sustainable travel easy and hassle-free. Our brand new platform allows travelers to book tours online easily, with availability checks and online payments available through their personal Dashboard. For custom itineraries, our travel designers work with travelers to create a personalized itinerary that meets their needs, with flexible payment options available. Throughout the booking process, we provide ongoing support and guidance to ensure that travelers have a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Roadblock 6: Lack of rewards
This roadblock refers to the challenge of incentivizing travelers to choose sustainable travel options. While Impactful Travel does not yet offer formal rewards programs, we believe that the rewards of sustainable travel are many and varied, from supporting local communities and preserving the environment to creating unique and memorable travel experiences that are often more meaningful than traditional tourism. By choosing sustainable travel options, travelers can feel good about their choices and make a positive impact on the world around them.
What’s your next move?
If you’re set on making a positive impact in Peru, Ecuador, or Costa Rica during your holidays, visit our Destinations page to find your ideal tour or tailor your own itinerary.
For those who have a clear travel preference, consider exploring our diverse Travel Styles categories to find experiences that match your way of traveling.
Additional note: For those interested in learning more about sustainable travel, we highly recommend following our friends at the Good Tourism Institute, who inspired this post. Additionally, consider subscribing to our newsletter to stay informed about sustainable trips with Impactful Travel.
