Sustainability is everywhere right now. New European legislation is encouraging businesses to be far more careful about how they use words like “green”, “eco-friendly” and “sustainable”. I think that’s a good thing. Transparency helps all of us make better decisions.
But, while these new rules focus on environmental claims, they’ve also made me wonder whether we’re missing part of a much bigger conversation. What does sustainable tourism really look like? Because perhaps the conversation needs to extend beyond our environmental footprint and include the people and businesses who make tourism possible.
Across Africa, sustainability is no longer a niche concept; it has become part of everyday tourism. Almost every lodge, safari operator and tourism business I work with can tell you about their conservation initiatives, solar power, water-saving measures, recycling programmes, reduced plastic use or the community projects they support. The industry has embraced the responsibility of protecting the extraordinary landscapes, wildlife and cultures we are showing off to the world.
These are all important steps and they deserve to be recognised. At the same time, I sometimes wonder whether we have unintentionally narrowed the conversation. Sustainability has become almost synonymous with being green when, in reality, it is about so much more than our environmental footprint.
I believe that sustainable tourism rests on three equally important pillars:
- Protecting the environment
- Supporting local communities
- Building businesses that are economically sustainable
We speak often about the first two but the third is too often overlooked even though it is the foundation that allows everything else to exist.
Many of the owner-managed tourism businesses I work with are exactly the kind of companies we celebrate as responsible tourism. They employ local people, buy from local suppliers, support and build conservation and community projects while creating deeply personal experiences that guests remember long after they return home.
Yet many of these same businesses are operating under increasing financial pressure. Like every business in the tourism value chain, they need to be commercially successful.
Commission has an important place in our industry and every partner deserves to earn a fair return. But I sometimes wonder whether we’ve reached a point where we expect the businesses creating the experience to absorb more and more of the pressure. When commission structures increase while rates are expected to remain low, something eventually has to give.
Too often it is investment in people. Staff training is postponed, salaries cannot grow as quickly as they should, maintenance is delayed or conservation and community projects receive less support. These are not choices business owners want to make; they are often the reality of operating with very little room to reinvest.
Fair pricing should not be about making travel more expensive. It should be about recognising the real value of the people behind the experience. It means guides, chefs, housekeeping teams, drivers and maintenance staff can earn fair wages, build meaningful careers and continue sharing their knowledge and passion with travellers. It allows small businesses to retain experienced staff, invest in their communities and continue protecting the places that make their destinations so special.
Perhaps sustainability is not only about the footprint we leave behind but also about ensuring that the people and businesses who make these experiences possible are still thriving in 10 or 20 years’ time. Without economically healthy tourism businesses, there is very little left to conserve and the communities and landscapes we all care about become far harder to protect. Maybe it is time to broaden the conversation and recognise that sustainable tourism rests not only on caring for the environment but also on creating a tourism industry where nature, people and businesses can all flourish together.
