The world was termed a “global village” as early as in the 1960s, when Marshall McLuhan coined the concept. The idea underlying it was a shrunken world wrought by a huge rise in transport and communication facilities. Its effects, however, are most pronounced today. The availability of motorable transport to nooks of the globe, communication facilities that follow us like a loyal dog and a rise in purchasing power—these are a perfect recipe for us to travel like never before.
And why not? After all, a person who has not travelled has just read one page of the book. Travelling is much more than just recreational. It is experiential, spiritual and most of all, holistic. Sadly, this journey of self-discovery has now become another means of consumption. Sample the ways every state and country hamstring each other out in soliciting tourists with catchy phrases. Corporates are not far behind. Crossing the seven seas is no more arduous.
But should travel essentially work at cross-purposes with the larger ideal of sustainability? Definitely not. Avarice for exploration has increased manifold, so have the by-products of the avarice. The footprints of consumption adorn even the darkest of jungles and the deepest of oceans. You may fail to spot a wild animal in a jungle safari. But you are most sure to spot a broken plastic bottle. A sunset on a sea beach may elude you. But heaps of trash coughed up by each successive wave won’t.
Is it not insensitivity towards those inhabitants of that hill station or coastal hamlet, that they are left to deal with all the trash dumped on them? It is unreasonable to wait for civic authorities to salvage the situation. A lot can and should be done by civic society. “Travel, but sensitively” should serve as the mantra for any globetrotter. Individuals and family should internalise responsible travelling. Eco-friendly packaging and disposal practices should be internalised.
‘Ecotourism’ is itself an oxymoron, as tourism involves using non-renewable energy for travel, conversion of lands into resorts and roads, and an intrusion into the fragile food chain. So it is desirable that the world over, certain zones be precluded from tourism. But in those areas harnessed as tourist destinations, there is a serious and urgent need for communities to inculcate a travel sensitivity, lest the journey lead to the destination called destruction.
(Views are personal)
Rohini D. IRS, rohini.divakar@gmail.com