Foreign travelers are more willing to experience sustainable tourism than Mexicans… in Mexico!
Only between 5 and 10 percent of domestic travelers are willing to engage in sustainable tourism, according to Adventure Travel Mexico (Atmex).
However, in the case of foreign tourists this figure rises to 20 percent, said Antonio del Rosal, general coordinator of the network of adventure tourism operators, in an interview on the subject. This is due to the change in awareness of tourists from other nations, who demand this type of travel, added the specialist.
“The educational process and technological advances have led more developed countries to be more aware of these types of things than emerging nations,” said Del Rosal.
Sustainable tourism, which is based on the three Ps: people, profit and planet, must include respect for the local communities in each area explored, must be profitable for everyone and must prioritize care for the planet. Del Rosal explained that preferring or discarding the idea of carrying out sustainable activities responds to factors that have to do with the fact that people are not always willing to suffer possible inconveniences that may arise when visiting natural spaces. Ian Poot, facilitator at Earth and Life University, commented in a separate interview that sometimes people demand more all-inclusive hotels. “People’s hedonism (attitude based on the search for pleasure) does not allow for other activities to be generated; we are very focused on always wanting all the comforts, where this is above the planet,” said Poot, who is president of the Experts in Tourism group. Developing tourism with greater contact with nature, for example, can require traveling six hours or more to go to a store, or using ecological toilets that use sawdust and lime instead of water, aspects that some people are not accustomed to, Del Rosal explained. If the aim is to preserve as many amenities as possible, tourists would have to be willing to pay an extra cost of between 5 and 10 percent, since in certain places technologies are used that require greater investments, such as solar panels, wastewater management or support for the communities in which they are located, Del Rosal added. Poot, from Earth and Life University, said that within the field of sustainability, regenerative tourism is a new trend that not only seeks not to harm the environment, but also to restore part of it; for example, visits to monarch butterfly sanctuaries can be combined with tree planting. Of the total tourism in Mexico, less than 10 percent falls into the sustainability category, so offering experiences of this type becomes an area of opportunity and growth for the country, Del Rosal said.
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