How PR can help promote more than just your destination to eco-conscious travelers

As we globally become more aware of climate change, many people are actively pursuing a life that takes into consideration how their travel affects our planet. This means more and more travelers are looking for ecotourism spots for their next adventure. As an ecotourism public relations agency, we’ve been keeping an eye on this shift.

According to a 2019 sustainable travel report from Bookings.com:

• 72% of travelers believe that we must act now and make sustainable travel choices to save the planet and future generation
• And 73% of global travelers intending to stay at least once in an eco-friendly or green accommodation when looking at the year ahead

With ecotourism growing in demand, your ability to effectively and ethically promote your ecotourism spots can mean even more prosperity for the region (and can even help create awareness for endangered animals in some instances). But it’s important that you consider public interest and develop a message that will not only properly promote your ecotourism endeavors but also educate travelers on the importance of ecotourism and the greater good they are contributing to when they travel to your destination.

According to The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), “Ecotourism is about uniting conservation, communities, and sustainable travel.” TIES encourages organizations that participate in market ecotourism activities to follow these ecotourism principles:

• Minimize physical, social, behavioral, and psychological impacts.
• Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect.
• Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts.
• Provide direct financial benefits for conservation.
• Generate financial benefits for both local people and private industry.
• Deliver memorable interpretative experiences to visitors that help raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climates.
• Design, construct and operate low-impact facilities.
• Recognize the rights and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous People in your community and work in partnership with them to create empowerment.

Tourism at its heart is a people business, and in addition to matching the right adventure with the right tourist, the ecotourism community must be prepared to address questions from eco-conscious travelers before they book their stay. Who benefits from me visiting this location? What is the impact of my stay? Where does my money actually go? These are just a few of the questions tourists are going to ask before they book a stay, and the principles outlined by TIES are a great starting point when formulating your communications strategy with the public.

If you’re looking to get more exposure for your ecotourism efforts in 2020, we’d love to talk with you more about it. We’ve made it our mission to use our public relations experience and knowledge to help other businesses that share our values, and we see the opportunity to help make ecotourism a standard in a world increasingly threatened by climate change.

Contact Orange Orchard today to learn more.