A commendable progress and recovery of the global tourism sector post the Covid-19 pandemic is great news to sector players and nations generally.

It is, however, a no brainier that quenching the wanderlust millions have held on to over the two years of the pandemic comes with an inevitable strain on the environment and other ecosystem aspects.

Much as tour and travel contributes directly and immensely to numerous nations’ GDP, the various activities involved can be detrimental to the environment and the host communities in the long run.

Globally, travel and tourism’s direct contribution to GDP was approximately 5.81 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021 according to statista, a market and consumer data firm.

This figure is indicative of the rich industry tourism is globally but also foretells the dangers the core aspects of tourism such as the environment, wildlife among others stand to face if the sector players do not embrace conservation and sustainability measures.

For example, in the 2019 United Nations report “Transport Related Carbon dioxide Emissions of the Tourism Sector”, tourism was shown to be a significant contributor to climate change. To counter this, it is imperative that strategies and practices towards sociocultural, economic and environmental sustainability are put in place.

What is sustainable tourism?

With a myriad of definitions, generally sustainable tourism establishes a suitable balance between the environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development while fronting biodiversity conservation.

The ideal of the concept is to minimize the impact of tourism on the environment and local culture so that it will be available for future generations, while contributing to generate income, employment and the conservation of local ecosystems.

Sustainable tourism envisions the idea of creating travel opportunities with minimal impact on the environment and positive benefits for destinations and their communities.

Aspects of sustainable tourism

Protection of the environment and wildlife

It’s not debatable that among the core tourism industry products are the natural physical features and the wildlife in its various species.

For tourists in the coming generations to be able to know about what the current generation travels far and wide to see and experience, conservation of the environment that supports the wildlife and beyond must be done.

Otherwise, with animal species getting endangered and others extinct, rivers drying up due to human activities, the coming generations might see mountain gorillas only in movies like we do dinosaurs.

Providing socio-economic benefits for host communities

While the monetary benefits and the national statistics on tourism sector contribution to the economy might seem appealing and promising, the question remains, who really is benefiting from the thousands of tourists that jet in at Entebbe Airport monthly?

For the tourism industry to be sustainable, local communities in the peripherals of Mgahinga National Park or Queen Elizabeth National Park must be supported be it; tourist buying food items directly from the local vendors and markets, engaging local tour guides or supporting local handicraft and souvenir shops among others.

By doing so, the local people in the host communities are empowered to improve their livelihoods, take children to school all while making their contribution to the tourism industry.

Conserving culture and heritage

When tourists get to destinations with rich culture; delicacies, dances among other practices, the experience they get, whether it’s participating in a dance or prepping a certain dish, is worthwhile.

By conserving the culture and heritage of a people and community, there will always be reason for an outsider to have an urge to visit that place or interact with a certain tribe to experience the beauty, authenticity and specialty that make it stand out.

Through conservation of heritage including architecture and natural sites, employment is created for the local people managing the sites or renovating architectural monuments while preserving the history of that particular place that will draw in tourists.

Creating strategies for gender inclusive tourism

For a sector that has largely been dominated by the males, at least in the last few centuries, both in the work force and in the actual concept of who a tourist or explorer is, gender inclusion, as has been adopted by numerous tour and travel companies in the recent past, is an intervention that speaks to the ideals of economic and social sustainability in tourism.

A gender inclusive tourism industry stands to create impact on women-led organisations and start-ups whose ripple effect transcends the possible achievements of a gendered industry.

Through female focused tour and travel initiatives, women from different parts of the world have a chance to meet and exchange skills and knowledge on various developmental cases considering the fact that one of the core values of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development is a positive experience for the local people, tourism companies and the tourists themselves.

Sustainable Tourism Goals – a Case for Uganda

Local Prosperity

According to the World Tourism Organisation and United Nations Environment Program list of sustainable tourism goals, local prosperity was given priority. In a sustainable tourism setting, tourism activities should help local communities thrive economically and retain a large amount of the economic contribution.

For example, when tourists visit Kalangala Island, the local fishermen should benefit from direct sales of fish, the local tour guides who conduct sport fishing should wind down their day with some shillings in their pocket, the handicraft makers on the oil palm fields should make even double sales, the local eateries and bars should be in for a hefty cheque too.

This can be done through collaboration with tour companies so that if there is a camping tent supplier in the beautiful Dolwe Island, tourists don’t have to ship tents all the way from Masaka to the Islands. The locals should be in position to retain a portion of the tourists’ general contribution to the economy.

Quality Employment

Sustainable tourism seeks to increase the number of jobs with in the sector that offer a descent pay and avails fair working conditions for the workers.

For example; for a company that conducts the abseiling activity at Sipi Falls in Kapchorwa, training the local people in what is required of an abseiling instructor, equipping them with the necessary skill and absorbing them into the work force not only empowers the individuals but their families and community as a whole.

Visitor Fulfillment 

As mentioned earlier, sustainable development seeks to ensure that the development in the industry is a positive experience for the local people, tourism companies and the tourists.

To create a safe and fulfilling holiday experience for tourists, a country like Uganda, in addition to having hospitable people, must have a level of acceptance and non-discrimination policies that cater for marginalized groups of people such as the disabled. Putting in place mechanisms for such people, irrespective of their disability, to be able to access their hotel room at the 11th floor, will leave them fulfilled.

Doing away with biases on race, gender and sexuality among others is one of the drivers of visitor fulfillment.

Environmental Purity

Uganda will lose a huge portion of her annual tourist numbers if National Parks like Mgahinga or Bwindi Impenetrable Forest are set ablaze. These are home to approximately half of the World’s Mountain Gorillas and they draw in a sizable number of tourists who trek these gentle giants.

To be able to maintain or increase the number of tourists jetting in to Uganda to have this amazing experience, their habitats must be protected and conserved at all cost.

Protecting the land, air and water from pollution, littering and other waste is a responsibility of both the locals, tour companies and the visitors for mutual benefit.