Reimagining Responsible Travel

Written by: Renee Bailey
Western Washington University Alum

About the author: My name is Renee Bailey, I use she/her pronouns, and I am a LEAD Board member and the LEAD Board representative for the Executive Committee of InPlace. As I collaborated on InPlace’s vision and direction for the future, I became fascinated with current conversations around environmentally-conscious study abroad models and ethical tourism. Knowing InPlace centers the principles of responsible travel, I wanted to take the opportunity to explore ways we might put these ideas into practice. By opening this conversation to prospective students, global partners, and educators interested in InPlace’s mission, I hope we can find even more innovative ideas to implement in its programs.

Photo Description: Renee on the coast near her home as a child with a gooey duck clam native to the coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest

A new reality calls for new ideas.

What are the tourism practices we can use to mitigate escalating climate change? The ongoing global health crisis of COVID-19 is urging us all to answer this question as economies, livelihoods, and our environment battle its repercussions. Like many of our partners, communities worldwide are navigating travel bans in a global economy sustained by tourism and travel. I believe that InPlace’s current study abroad program model coupled with a more integrated strategy of ‘locavism’ can contribute to the reimagining of intercultural exchange and co-learning.

Why do we support a transformation in the tourism economy? 

There is no denying that economic growth and travel have a direct relationship with pollution and climate change. Traffic pollution, mainly air travel, continues to be the primary nitrogen dioxide emitter. Additionally, the creation of resorts and sightseeing accommodations remains a key contributor to the destruction of natural habitats. As climate change surges, increasing numbers of natural disasters like COVID-19 ensue. 

We are already observing the consequences of tourism-dependent economies around the world as the pandemic forces travel restrictions to remain in place, including within our global partner communities. If tourism continues employing 1 in every 10 people globally, these disparities will worsen as rapidly as climate change. From the pandemic alone: 

• 100 million direct tourism jobs were put at risk--the majority are women, migrants, and youth.

• Global shutdowns equated to a loss of income for protected areas and surrounding communities, which plays a part in the overexploitation of natural resources.

• Heritage and cultural protectors’ livelihoods are especially affected, primarily in Indigenous and local communities who operate in informal sectors.

Susan Houge Mackenzie and Jasmine Goodnow from the Leisure Sciences Journal propose that it is vital we “reimagine adventure.” Even if COVID-19 vaccinations were accessible to everyone, the negative effects of tourism and travel on climate change will remain. With this, we cannot abandon our global partners by suspending all international travel--this would reduce the capacity of intercultural exchange and education while creating great barriers to collaborating with our partners on sustainable development and environmental justice. Transforming the tourism industry to sustain and strengthen local economies is vital to InPlace’s work centering partner communities in program creation.

I believe InPlace’s study abroad model can transform the tourism economy by leading its transition to adopt ethical and sustainable practices. Comparing my own experience studying abroad outside of InPlace, I know it has some of the most socially and environmentally conscientious study abroad programs available. Its program model’s success is built on the foundation of co-planning curriculum, community engagement, and travel accommodations with partner community stakeholders while continuing to look for ways to improve its practices. I am eager to see how InPlace continues integrating its principles of responsible travel while building a more resilient collection of programs responsive to this new call to action.  

Photo Description: Renee kayaking on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon and enjoying one of many bioregional tourist activities the area has to offer

Why ‘Locavism’? 

Locavism is defined as “bioregional tourism undertaken close to home.” This approach highlights microadventures, which Mackenzie and Goodnow define as:

• “adventure from being ‘out there’ (i.e., remote, time and resource intensive) to ‘right here’ (i.e., local, attainable)”

•  A reflection of “broader calls for locavism: short distance, lower-carbon travel that retains financial and social capital locally.”

Modern travel practices encourage tourists to embark on resource-intensive, exploitative travel in remote areas and communities. How can we progress responsible travel within our organization to reduce these negative impacts outside of just carbon offsets? Many travelers have started to embrace locavist values as a response to COVID travel bans. However, Mackenzie and Goodnow argue that ‘locavism’ has the power to extend beyond temporary practices by redefining responsible travel in a post-pandemic world. This is because of the approach’s ability to address traditional travel’s critiques while also providing comparable psychological benefits. 

Domestic Programs Coming Soon!

The InPlace team has been eager to incorporate ‘locavism’ and microadventures in its responsible travel practices. In addition to valuing long-term relationships with partner communities, its model’s success is predicated on finding innovative ways the team can expand its capacity to travel responsibly. We are excited to offer domestic programs very soon that have been in the making for quite some time. For more information for our first domestic program, check out our new Salish Sea program!

Would you like to see more domestic programs from InPlace? Have more ideas InPlace can use for programming and improving responsible travel? Tell us what you think!

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