Carbon Footprints

A sense of balance

Those of you who have known Island Holidays Plus over the years will be aware that we were one of the first companies to bang on about environmental responsibility - you will have received more re-used envelopes than you know what to do with and heard us go on and on about sustainable tourism. I think we were one of the first companies ever to adopt a carbon offset scheme, so much ahead of our time that we had to give it up due to lack of support. Of course we now have a new scheme in place and I could only wish that more than a mere 20% of clients would contribute!

So it is against this background that I would like to express my concern about the current media war against air travel and to put the case for "responsible travel", as opposed to "no travel". Too many people are being made to feel guilty about going on holiday and that, quite honestly, is just plain stupid! What the pundits need to do is stop to think a little of the effect on poor communities elsewhere in the world if they lose their tourism. Bear in mind that it is those people who are already careful of the environment and reducing their own "carbon footprints" in the way they live from day to day who are most likely to be deterred from the kind of tourism which benefits other countries and communities. If these people stop visiting these places, then the folk who are fighting the same battles as us to conserve habitats and species will go out of business and lose their strong voice for good.

It's difficult to express what I'm trying to say but basically it boils down to having a sense of balance and proportion in what we say, think and do. And just think: if you fly to the Caribbean in the winter, would the damage caused by the flight be offset by the fact that you're saving on heat and light in your own home and the fuel you would be using to get around? Like I say, what we need is a sense of balance.

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