We can spread awareness

I mentioned in an earlier post that the media play an influential role in our decisions about where to travel and how we choose to travel. Travel agencies and the media portray countries as beautiful picturesque destinations, however these images are isolated from the true reality of the country.

It is easy to believe that the images on websites such as Expedia and Travelocity are true, especially if you are an inexperienced traveler. These images appear to be accurate images of the destinations, however it is merely a secluded view that is separated from reality. This view does not incorporate the history, turmoil and local culture of the country.

Perhaps it is fair to give tourists the benefit of the doubt--they were persuaded by the surrounding media. They were persuaded to believe that the nirvana they are experiencing is the reality in that country.

This tactic is being used by travel agencies in order to make the customer as comfortable as possible. This entails placing them in a location similar to their lifestyle. The travel agency opts out of providing opportunities for their customers to learn about and experience the country in order to generate a higher revenue.

By visiting other blogs or doing more research online, travelers will be able to find images of the real country--poverty, filth and all. These are the images that portray real life without a filter.

It is possible to find responsible travel on blogs and non-profit organization websites, however, mainstream travel agencies, like Expedia and Travelocity, never advertise responsible travel anywhere on their website.

Someone who is explicitly interested in volunteer travel has to search for it online. The option is not readily offered through many outlets.

We can spread the idea of responsible travel easily by word-of-mouth and by utilizing social media to create awareness about this new trend. The trend is emerging amongst the younger generation (teens and 20s) so by utilizing our resources, we will be able to help speed up this trend.


Sources:

www.expedia.com
www.travelocity.com

You can still stay in your comfort zone.

There has recently been an increasing trend in travel (versus tourism), especially amongst the younger generation.

More and more people are participating in volunteer abroad projects through programs such as International Student Volunteers (ISV) and the Peace Corps.

The average age for a Peace Corps volunteer is 28 years old and at least 90% have at least an undergraduate degree.

International Student Volunteers is a similar, though much shorter program for college students to participate in. It involves only two weeks of service followed by two weeks of being a responsible tourist during an adventure tour.

However, the Peace Corps and even International Student Volunteers is an extreme example of practicing social responsibility in tourism.

Websites such as responsibletravel.com offer alternative ways to travel responsibly. It offers categories for types of travel (i.e.: honeymoon, adventure, cultural, luxury, short breaks, etc.) in order to satisfy your travel needs.

I recommend exploring different avenues such as responsibletravel.com that offer deals and itineraries while still promoting eco-tourism. This site coordinates lodging at eco-friendly lodges and hotels that will help sustain the local economy in the country that you would like to visit.

I stayed at a family-owned hotel, called Casa Bonita, while in the Dominican Republic. Certain family-owned hotels such as Casa Bonita are even more beautiful than resorts because it is in a quiet, isolated city and still offers great amenities.

Here are some pictures I took of Casa Bonita during my stay in August:


(Photos by Sapna Patel)

Practicing responsible tourism does not have to mean foregoing a relaxing vacation. It does not require volunteering or even living like the locals if that is not what you want during your vacation. It can simply mean spending your hard-earned money at a local business and on local food.

Maybe the next time you plan a vacation, you will choose to utilize websites such as responsibletravel.com in order to become a responsible traveler.


Sources:

http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=about.fastfacts

http://www.responsibletravel.com/

http://www.isvonline.com

A picture is worth a thousand words

I have already questioned why Americans choose to go to resorts, however, for this post, I decided that it would be only appropriate to research how hotels and resorts advertise their services and influence potential tourists.

I discovered that videos actually have a strong influence on people because it makes the experience tangible. People can see the beauty of the country (whether that beauty is real or created for the tourist) and they can almost imagine being there.

The Hyatt has made multiple promotional videos for their hotels in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Amman, Jordan and Delhi, India. The videos feature different music which seems to capture the atmosphere of the city. The videos are also tailored to each city because they depict the sights and experience a tourist may have during their vacation.

Dubai is a fast-paced city that is becoming more popular. Tourism is the largest part of the country's revenue. It is known for the retail industry and the architecture which generates many tourists from all over the world.

Amman, Jordan is one of the most historical and cultural countries in the world.

Delhi, the capital of India, is one of the most populous cities in the world. It has one of the largest retail industries in the world which can entice many tourists.

Each city has its unique aspects which can influence travelers. The videos show each city at its finest -- there's no sign of the heat in Dubai or the slums in Delhi. The Hyatt tries to persuade people to stay at their hotel where they can create this image of perfection, which is simply false reality.

I found it interesting how ingenious the travel industry actually is because travel agencies, hotels and airlines have learned how to work together to create an idyllic getaway setting for the "overworked American". Are Americans really that easily manipulated though?


Sources:
http://www.youtube.com

Have an experience...

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” -- Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou could not have been more correct -- though we all come from different places, we still have many things in common. During my trip to the Dominican Republic I was fortunate enough to not only interact with the locals but also to befriend them. Despite a language barrier and cultural differences, we managed to communicate and laugh together, just as Maya Angelou described.

Here are some pictures of the friends I was fortunate enough to make in the Dominican Republic:


(Pictures by Sapna Patel)
My opinion stems from more than just one trip though. This summer I was also fortunate enough to travel to Fiji. I stayed in Suva for three days and lived with locals. The next three days I stayed at a resort in Nadi where the only locals to be found were the ones who worked at the resort. Though it was a beautiful place, I saw more Americans and Australians than I did Fijians.

Though resorts are a beautiful getaway, they keep you from making important connections with the locals. They place you in an ideal world away from the reality and history of the country that you're visiting.

The travel industry plays a large part in the way people view travel. The industry paints an ideal picture of the developing countries in order to generate revenue from tourism. And it works. People travel to developing countries for the picturesque scenery which has simply been created for foreigners.

But in the end, what is the point of traveling all the way to a foreign country just to hang out with other Americans?

I'm a traveler. What are you?

I recently spent five weeks as a traveler and volunteer in the Dominican Republic and since then I have vowed to never be a tourist again.

But what exactly is the difference between a traveler and a tourist? A traveler and a tourist are differentiated by the experiences that they have. My volunteer project leaders defined a tourist as someone who goes to a foreign country to be entertained by images and experiences created especially for a tourist market. However, a traveler visits to learn and experience the culture and environments within the host country.

We each make our own decisions when we travel. We decide what souvenirs to buy, what food to eat, and how to travel. For example, our travel group chose not to buy souvenirs made from coral in the Dominican Republic because it is an endangered organism.

Tourism has positive and negative social and environmental effects on every country. Examples of positive tourism include generating revenue, creating jobs, and a spread of knowledge about languages and cultures.

On the other side though, negative tourism includes carbon footprints, lack of education amongst the locals, and the increase of irresponsible waste and consumption of resources and energy.

Every person who visits another country leaves an impact -- we simply choose whether to impact it in a positive or negative way.

I saw how I affected the Dominican Republic through the choices I made during my five week stay. By "taking only pictures, leaving only footprints and wasting only time" I learned to be a traveler.

To read more about tourism's effect on the environment, read Theodore Koumelis' article in Travel Daily News.


Sources:
www.isvoline.com
www.traveldailynews.com