Quick Highlights:
- Sustainable tourism focuses on maintaining environmental preservation, supporting local communities, and promoting cultural heritage while achieving economic growth.
- A hospitality degree equips students with knowledge about sustainability, such as reducing waste and water consumption, which are crucial for eco-friendly tourism practices.
- Sustainable tourism benefits the environment, boosts local economies, and provides meaningful guest experiences. However, it faces challenges like high initial costs and resistance to change.
Sustainability is an important and popular topic today. More and more people are thinking about how their daily lives impact the environment, and that’s great news. For a hospitality major, finding a way to work in sustainable tourism is a good way to put their education to use in a field that will have a positive impact.
Using a hospitality degree in sustainable tourism will lead to a career that brings you great pride. Now that sustainable tourism practices are more common than in the past, countless opportunities can be found with a little effort. Let’s use this page to explore some of the options in this field.
Related:
- Top Master’s in Hospitality Management Online
- Unconventional Career Paths with a Master’s Degree in Hospitality
- What are the Main Specialization Areas in Hospitality Management?
- 5 Great Reasons to Study Hospitality Management
- Best Online Degrees in Travel and Tourism
What is Sustainable Tourism?
Sustainable tourism is a term that refers to tourist operations that maintain a focus on the future of the planet. This doesn’t mean that the tourism experience is sacrificed, only changed to embrace sustainable practices. Eco-friendly tourism careers are found in facilities and organizations that value the importance of sustainability.
There are a few goals included within sustainability in the hospitality industry. For one, environmental preservation is very important. Damaging as little of the environment as possible is a top priority. Building a lodge within the forest, for instance, rather than clear-cutting that forest to great the resort, is a good example.
An element of social responsibility also comes into play. Tourist activities often take place in locations with a deep and rich cultural heritage. Embracing that heritage and trying to add to it in a positive manner is another component of green hospitality management.
All of this environmental conservation in tourism can happen alongside economic growth. One does not have to be sacrificed in favor of the other. Taking a holistic approach and trying to serve the environment and travelers at the same time is what makes sustainable travel initiatives both challenging and exciting.
Why a Hospitality Degree is So Important
Working in hospitality and eco-tourism is far more achievable when you hold a hospitality degree. It’s possible to get some jobs in this industry without that education but your potential will be limited. In addition to learning the fundamentals of hospitality, many programs are now adding courses around sustainability.
Reducing waste in tourism is one of the many concepts you may learn about in such a program. Waste is a huge issue in tourism and the industry as a whole creates a massive amount of trash each year. By implementing strategies that reduce waste and rely on eco-friendly products, hospitality professionals can make a positive impact.
Water conservation in hospitality is another important topic, especially in places around the world where water is particularly limited. Supporting local communities through tourism is great but not when it comes at the high cost of precious natural resources. Changes in management strategies and property design – such as using no-water landscaping features – can serve the local environment well.
You are likely to learn about these topics and more on your way to a hospitality degree from a quality institution. If you are still picking a school and have a passion for sustainability, make sure the program you select focuses some of the curriculum in this direction.
How Sustainable Practices Are Applied in Tourism
We already mentioned reducing trash and cutting water consumption as ways sustainability can be applied in tourism. Those are only a couple of ways you’ll be able to use your sustainable tourism education, however.
Another useful application of this line of thinking is to source products locally. Often, large tourism companies ship supplies all over the globe to serve their guests. This is a wasteful practice that also fails to support local businesses. By switching to sustainable local sourcing, the nearby community benefits, as does the environment as a whole.
Eco-tourism degree programs may also help you understand how to craft tours that are as educational as they are entertaining. If a guest leaves your property with a deeper appreciation for sustainability and the local environment, that could be your greatest impact. Finding a way to blend environmental education with sightseeing and adventuring is an exciting challenge and may prove to be a career highlight.
Many Benefits, and a Few Challenges
It’s easy to assume that the only benefit of sustainable tourism is to protect the environment. That’s the primary goal, and it’s an important one, but it is actually just the start. In addition to serving the earth as a whole, other benefits are waiting to be enjoyed.
For one thing, the local economy can receive a notable boost through sustainability. Many sustainable practices center on keeping goods as close as possible to where they were created. That means buying from local producers and limiting long-distance freight. This will help people who live in the area and also provide a strong base for the community that surrounds the tourist destination. That’s good for everyone in the long run.
There is also the social benefit of delivering a meaningful experience to your guests. You won’t just be providing a great time – which is still important – but you’ll also be sharing something memorable that might impact the way they live once they return home.
On the other side of the coin, sustainability efforts frequently encounter two primary challenges – cost and resistance to change. It can be expensive at first to switch over to more sustainable practices, although those costs tend to level out and even lead to savings down the line. Convincing management to invest in sustainable measures is difficult in some organizations.
Many humans are simply resistant to change and will be hesitant to embrace sustainable ideas. This includes both employees and guests. Getting past this resistance usually comes down to proper education to make sure everyone understands the goals of any new measures.
The Possibilities Are Endless
Careers in sustainable tourism used to be few and far between, but times have changed. Today, this is a popular field, and more and more tourist destinations care about being eco-friendly. Working in this niche could allow you to develop green tourism strategies and help the industry grow even further.
Whether you work for a company that is already eco-friendly or you make it your mission to improve a standard tourism company, big things are ahead. Hospitality degrees can take you to many exciting places and allow you to make a positive impact on both people and the environment. Good luck as you get started on your career journey!