GLOBE-Net - The world is awash with tourists visiting exotic places in search of dream vacations. They’re off to Botswana’s Kalahari Desert, Mexico’s Mayan ruins and Canada’s Rocky Mountains.  Many leave trash on pristine beaches, carve their names on the walls of Roman aqueducts and squeeze through the hallways of ancient castles. Last year over 900 million people traveled to international destinations and the World Tourism Organization expects 1.6 billion to do so by 2020.

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Their ever-increasing numbers endanger the survival of the places they love to visit.  Without realizing it, they have fostered an “industry without smokestacks,” an industry that requires roads, parking lots, hotels, groomed trails and restaurants.   The profit generated from the tourism industry breeds more development which, if improperly managed, disturbs wildlife, pollutes waterways and destroys the scenery.

To counter this threat, various experts have issued certification programs over the years to reward businesses that provide environmentally sound operations and help tourists looking for eco-friendly experiences.  In theory, tourists who want to lessen their carbon footprint choose from lists that indicate which hotels or tourism suppliers offer the greenest experiences.  Unfortunately, so many certification programs exist that travelers get confused by this array of choice.  The confusion fosters the emergence of “free riders,” companies that claim to be eco-friendly without really having any paperwork to back it up.

As a result, industry experts have pushed for a global accreditation body to harmonize green tourism guidelines.  On October 6^th, 2008 the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria launched a series of voluntary guidelines at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona.   A coalition of 32 organizations, including the Rainforest Alliance and Ted Turner’s United Nations Foundation, set up a list of eco-friendly practices that tourism businesses should aspire to follow.

A travel agency, for instance, might look for tour guides who establish a code of behavior among visitors so that they minimize their impact on historically-sensitive sites.  A hotel might switch to less harmful swimming pool disinfectants to prevent the buildup of bacteria in the water.

“Sustainability is just like the old business adage: ’You don’t encroach on the principal, you live off the interest,’” says philanthropist Ted Turner.  “Unfortunately, up to this point, the travel industry and tourists haven’t had a common framework to let them know if they’re living up to that maxim.  But the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria will change that.  This is a win-win initiative - good for the environment and good for the world’s tourism industry.”

The guidelines were developed over the last 15 months by experts who poured over 4,500 criteria already implemented around the world.  More than 1,500 people, including conservationists, industry leaders and government authorities provided their opinions on the issues.  All agreed that one day the unified standards could be as widely recognized as the Forest Stewardship Council label for wood products or the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED designation for environmentally-friendly buildings.

The trick, of course, is that anyone who has been to a destination that labels itself green has to wonder if it can be truly sustainable.  Take the 75-kilometer West Coast Trail that hugs parts of Vancouver Island in British Columbia.  A few years back you could spend days alone in this pristine Canadian wilderness.  Now you need to reserve a spot weeks in advance if you want to hike on it during the summer season.  The rules prevent too many tourists from ruining everyone’s experience with nature, but how long can this ever-growing green destination last unhindered?

This is especially true when you consider nature-related tourism is the fastest-growing segment in the industry.  According to the Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization based in Washington D.C., sustainable tourism accounts for one percent of all tourism operations.

Although the figure may seem small for now, it will grow over time as travelers seek ever-greener pastures.   Businesses that have latched onto the recently-announced sustainable tourism criteria will likely turn out winners in this increasingly competitive industry.

In the final analysis we’ll all benefit. And those special places we want to visit throughout the world will be protected.