I am based in New Zealand – probably the best place to be in the world right now (but I would say that!). All international travel has been suspended in the meantime, and a visit to NZ also entails 2 weeks in managed isolation (if you can get a booking).
Before Covid many New Zealanders were wondering if we were overdoing tourism – many places were overrun with international tourists, with locals simply staying away. Small settlements like Akaroa (population <700) were being overrun by visitors huge Cruise ships.
In the midst of this there is Climate Change and the question of the Around 2.4% of global CO2 emissions come from aviation.
Cruise ships are like Hotel Chains – not much in it for the locals, and huge carbon and waste footprint
“Travelling to New York and back on the QEII, in other words, uses almost 7.6 times as much carbon as making the same journey by plane.” From Guardian article here
One thing New Zealanders are really enjoying is getting out and about in NZ exploring hotspots without being overrun by international tourists – something I write about on my womentravelnz page.
Enjoying what is locally available is one way of travelling sustainably. I am certainly loving discovering magic within a two hour drive of where I live. I have been re-reading what I wrote a year or so ago about Five Climate Friendler ways to travel and it still rings true:
- Travel Domestically
- Go somewhere overseas and stay a while
- Stay as local as you can – support local economies
- Use local guides and Travel companies and eat local
- Try alternatives to flying and avoid large Cruise ships
