The latest concept that is making its way into the sector is that of regenerative tourism, a very ambitious (although somewhat utopian) proposal that will One step beyond sustainabilityIs it possible for tourists not only not to degrade a destination with their visit, but to contribute to improving it?
Regenerative tourism, positive tourism
When talking about sustainable tourism, the emphasis is placed on what tourists should not do in order not to degrade the territory: not to disturb local life, not to dirty the environment, not to participate in activities with animals, etc. From this point of view, it is as if the tourist needed a sort of restrictive paternal or maternal figure because he has not yet matured enough and He doesn’t know how to distinguish between good and evil.
Regenerative tourism, however, tries to go a step further: it must contribute with its actions to regenerate the territory to which it travels, starting from this question that every traveler must ask themselves:What can I do? during my stay to improve the living conditions of the locals, as well as the environmental conditions of the destination?
Therefore, and always from a theoretical point of view, regenerative tourism is a positive tourism that incites action, not censorship. responsible tourism (and for adults) who consider travel as something more than leisure, vacations and photos.
Thus, while sustainable tourism focuses on “not touching” and “leaving things as they are”, regenerative tourism invites us to touch where it is necessary and to analyze the things that do not work, it perceives the tourist as an active figure and with reasoning capacity, capable of contributing unilaterally to the improvement of the territory.
In some ways it is the difference between someone who bends down to pick up a can from the floor and puts it in the trash can, and someone who thinks, “Well, a cleaning employee will take care of it, that’s what I pay taxes for, it’s not my job.”
How can a tourist ‘regenerate’ a destination?
As we see, from a theoretical point of view, regenerative tourism is presented as an interesting future path that can be integrated into the tourism industry to promote a type of travel that focuses on understanding the territory one who travels more for consumption and leisure.
But how many travellers who come to Spain to enjoy its sun and beach from their sinister latitudes are interested in deepening their knowledge of our cultural and socioeconomic reality? Because visiting the Prado Museum and taking some photos with the I don’t know how many European Cups of the real Madrid It is not enough to understand each other.
Are tourists aware of the very serious housing problem that we have in this country to which their activity and their stay in more or less legal tourist apartments contribute more or less directly? Can they do something about it?
And when we travel abroad, to Thailand, Peru or Morocco, do we delve into the local culture during our stay? Can we say that we have contributed to improve local life spending a few euros and exchanging a few kind words with some locals?
So, what can we do at the destination to be a regenerative tourist? Moving from theory to action is not easy as it requires time and effort, prior to the trip, studying the destination beyond what the travel guides indicate.
For example, it is about sacrificing a visit to a must of your destiny and replace it with one stay in a depressed area who need help. To do this, you should first contact local organisations so they can advise you on where they can go and what you can do for them.
But if you don’t have enough time at your destination to take part in an action of this magnitude, you can also contribute to the regeneration of the territory with simpler actions: why not clean up a beach after enjoying it? Again, the difference between passive and more or less sustainable tourism (do not litter) and active and regenerative tourism: clean.
Because, as explained in This articleit is no longer about “not damaging” the environment, but about revitalizing and regenerating it so that Don’t let it happen like in Bali where hiking has been threatened by the “scandalous” attitude of visitors. But you don’t have to go that far to see that nature tourism is also It is perceived as negative by locals.
At the end of the day, we want to keep traveling because We have the right to itbecause it is an essential part of knowledge and the intellectual development of the human being, an affirmation of the freedom of the individual as stated by the Vienna Charter: But all freedom implies responsibility and, in this case, the ability to transform our trips into something more than museums, sunsets and endless photos.
