Post-Corona future ecotourism

• Johan Van Rensburg
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Post-Corona pandemic change is inevitable, but how we adapt to it is crucial for our survival.

The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted in untold misery and disaster for the human race but paradoxically resulted in a welcome boost for nature. For once, after decades, the Earth can ‘breathe’ again. The signs are there. The air over Europe is 40% improved after a few weeks of rest, and the murky waters in the Venetian canals are clear again with dolphins present. In Asia, the summits of the Himalayas are again visible, the first time in human memory. This all because of a massive drop in human activity and actions.

It is prudent to take stock of where we stand and where we are going to.

It is painful and also disgraceful to admit that this catastrophic event is mostly self-inflicted caused by human actions or neglect to act in other instances. To only blame the Chinese for this disaster because of their disregard for animal rights and destructive ecological practices is disingenuous. We, the rest of the world, is equally to blame. We only have to look at pollution (air, water, environment), overpopulation, habitat disruption, harmful policies, health and hygiene standards coupled with civil disobedience to understand the cumulative effect on the pandemic.

Charles Darwin aptly said, “adapt or perish.”

Before the pandemic world/international travel was one of the fasted growing industries and ecotourism, responsible tourism was growing even faster.
Post Corona, the tourism landscape will transform dramatically. With the newfound realisation of social responsibilities combined with less disposable income, tourism will never be the same. 
We can safely predict the ‘new’ tourist will become more discerning and demanding how their hard-earned money will be spent.
This new (or not quite so new) trend, places exciting new challenges for both the consumer and the service provider.

Our carbon footprint can be either uplifting or destructive, depending on our choices and actions.

As the responsible traveller, we must adhere to strict eco principals and standards. It starts with our choice of accommodation and transport. We have to verify or check to see if the lodge/hotel or reserve comply with responsible and eco standards. Relying on promotional marketing claiming ‘eco’ is not sufficient. We must check their credentials and grading (eco grading) we have to be alert to identify the ‘green washer’ who falsely proclaim to be eco for marketing reasons. We must take care to select locations or establishments who respect and improve nature as well as uplifting the local community. Also important to determine if their facilities and practices are truly and genuinely eco-friendly.

Eco-standards and grading

The service provider, on the other hand, has different challenges and opportunities to comply with. The current lull in local and international tourism is the ideal opportunity to get the ‘house in order’ and improve the infrastructure to comply with eco-standards and responsible tourism. Looking for, or improving renewable and energy-saving strategies, implementing water-saving policies, re-looking at amenities in the rooms and prioritise kitchen and catering standards to improve eco ratings. Use the available time to implement bush clearing of invader plants and trees and utilise the wood thus harvested for fire-making. What a better opportunity to rope in the already struggling local community, to render cultural and other uplifting activities to the establishments for the benefit of the guests. Planning new activities like birding, game drives and cultural visits, can be stimulating for the owners and also enhance their reputations. This is but a few examples, but the list can be much more extensive.

We have no choice but have to adapt to survive.

The current time is the best opportunity for all involved parties to unite their efforts to establish a true eco-community and grading for our tourism market. Here we include service providers, consumer individuals and groups combined with other involved experts to set a credible standard and grading process to guide the tourist in their decision making as well as the service provider in understanding the expected standards.