Take Action: How to Be a Responsible Tourist
Tourism is one of the world's biggest and fastest growing industries. This means it has the potential to bring enormous benefits - or enormous harm - to some of the world's most endangered animal environments and deprived communities.
2. Think About Animal Welfare
3. Responsible Ecotourism
4. Report Endangered Species Products You See
5. Help Us Spread the Word
1. Support the Local Economy
If you really want to buy souvenirs, why not choose locally made handicrafts that benefit the local community? Beaded jewelry, wood carvings, paintings: items not made from animals. Better still, spend your money on donating to, or visiting, projects that work to conserve habitat and protect endangered species, such as animal sanctuaries.
Buy Alternative Souvenirs
Back to Top
2. Think About Animal Welfare
Don't take part in any activity which is cruel to animals or promotes the
poaching of species from the wild. Examples include hunting, having your
photograph taken with chimpanzees or other performing animals, visiting circuses
or bullfights, or taking rides on sick, over-worked or badly treated horses,
donkeys, elephants or camels. It may look harmless, but all these
activities lead to the over-explotation and trade in
wildlife.
Back to Top
3. Responsible Ecotourism
Ecotourism is tourism that has the least possible
impact on the environment - although some tour operators and
hotels use the label "ecotourism" simply because it is fashionable,
when in fact their operations leave much to be
desired.
If possible, try and ensure the hotel or lodge you stay employes local people, uses local food and other products such as building materials and/or contributes to the local community in some other way. The resort should also have minimal environmental impact and use water and other precious resources wisely.
Try and learn as much as possible about the culture,
language and wildlife of the country you are visiting. Be respectful of local
cultures and traditions and embrace the experience while expanding your
view of the incredible, diverse world we all
share.
Back to Top
4. Report Endangered Species Products You
See
If you suspect you have seen or been offered an endangered species product:
When on Holiday
Notify the local police, your hotel management, tour operator or the
local tourist board – and warn your fellow travellers.
Take pictures of items you think are made from animals. Send them in
and we will post them on our site, so future travelers know what to watch out
for.
At Home
At home, notify your local police. Explain the dangers of buying
products made from endangered species to your friends and family.
Ask
friends and family to set an example by giving any endangered species products
they may have bought in the past to the police to be destroyed.
Learn
more about endangered species and the work IFAW is doing to protect them
globally through our various campaigns by exploring our website
further.
Back to Top
5. Help Us Spread the Word
Help IFAW spread the message - Think Twice, Don't Buy Wildlife
Souvenirs. Together we can make a difference and help stop the illegal
trade in wildlife. Working together we can ensure that wildlife are left
in wild. If we don't buy, they won't die.
Click to our resources page and download posters, pamphlets and other information. Hand out the material to fellow travellers and friends, take a poster to the local travel agency and ask them to hang it in their shop or ask them to contact IFAW to find out how they can help.
Do you have a website? Host one of our banners to help spread the
word. Click
here to download one of our banners!
Back to Top
