We understand tourism as an opportunity for guests not only to understand, but to apprehend from the destination they are visiting. Nowadays, tourism has been popularized in such a way that resources are being exploited to meet a demand that keeps growing exponentially. It is an activity that has been categorized as highly impactful in climate change, due to the impressively high amounts of carbon dioxide produced as a direct consequence, the deforestation generated and the mass consumption it causes.

There is a pressing need for the travel industry to take action and redefine tourism. Responsibility is now in our hands to build hotels from a clear building block, which is the respect that our ecosystems and communities deserve. Responsible tourism means not allowing traveling experiences to affect the natural balance in a supply chain that exists in any given destination. It means adapting the system in such a way that the travel experiences we create are enhancing the destination and allowing it to place itself. 

A clear path for a hotel to become responsible is becoming locally based, because by doing so, it helps to maintain the balance around it and does no harm to the precious ecosystems we are responsible to protect. We are inspired by hotels that successfully focus on sustainable supply chains and design, and that show us how the travel industry can be a protector of regions and defenders of our planet. We’d like to bring up 5 specific examples; Tierra Patagonia Hotel in Torres de Paine, Chile; Adrere Amellal in Siwa, Egypt; Campi Ya Kanzi in Mtito Andei, Kenya; Azulik in Tulum, Mexico, and finally; White Pod Hotel in the Canton of Valais, Swiss Alps. By choosing local, a travel experience becomes an important example of sustainability, of responsibility and of hope to our beloved planet.