What is Sustainable Travel?

Webster's dictionary offers this definition for travel. Main Entry: 1trav·el Pronunciation: \ˈtra-vəl\ Function: verb Inflected Form(s): trav·eled or trav·elled; trav·el·ing or trav·el·ling \ˈtra-və-liŋ, ˈtrav-liŋ\ Etymology: Middle English travailen, travelen to torment, labor, strive, journey, from Anglo-French travailler
Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1 a : to go on or as if on a trip or tour : journey b (1) : to go as if by traveling : passed fast, (2) : associate s with a sophisticated crowd; c : to go from place to place as a sales representative or business agent
2 a (1) : to move or undergo transmission from one place to another ing by plane; (2) : to withstand relocation successfully & well; b : to move in a given direction or path or through a given distance  in a groove; c : to move rapidly 
3 : to take more steps while holding a basketball than the rules allow transitive verb 1 a : to journey through or over b : to follow (a course or path) as if by traveling 2 : to traverse (a specified distance) 3 : to cover (an area) as a commercial traveler
   — travel light : to travel with a minimum of equipment or baggage

SInce travel consists of individuals moving from one place to another, there is a variety of industries that support these individuals in their travail, which in french means to work. If travel is work, to what end? Pilgrimages, explorers, traders, armies, and displaced due to famine, war and disease are many of the travelers through history, only in the last 200 years have tourism become the main driver for today's travelers.


The evolution of awareness to the impact of travel and tourism on local people and the environment has moved the travel industry toward adapting some of the most stringent sustainability practices in the global economy. The push comes from the travelers and the local stakeholders of the destination seeking a balance between the common good and personal gain, be it enrichment of travel experiences or financial portfolios. Sustainable travel utilizes the Triple Bottom Line and lies equally in the hands of the individual and the organization. 

Sustainable travel focuses on reducing the environmental impact of travel and preserving cultural heritage. It generates income and employment for travel destinations while protecting local ecosystems and preserving local culture. Sustainable travel encompasses a holistic approach to the business of travel that creates value for the traveler, economic opportunity for local communities and business opportunities for the industry.