Flanked by beautiful marine reserves, huge pastoral lands, lush mountains and jungles, and sleepy coastal cities,Palawan is an impeccable journey vacation spot for these looking for a refuge and oneness with nature. Dubbed because the “Final Frontier” of the Philippines, Palawan has made its mark on the world map as among the best islands on this planet, attracting hordes of vacationers. Whereas that is good for the native economic system, the as soon as laidback island is now in peril from irresponsible tourism practices, overdevelopment, overconsumption of pure sources, destruction of the atmosphere, air pollution, and disturbance of wildlife.
Fortunately, there are additionally methods to assist decrease our environmental influence. As vacationers, we may help contribute to a bigger sustainable tourism motion by means of accountable tourism practices. What we do throughout our travels as we speak is essential in shaping the way forward for tourism.
RESPONSIBLE TOURISM IN PALAWAN
Sustainable tourism and accountable tourism are sometimes used interchangeably, however there’s a distinction between the two phrases. Sustainable tourism refers back to the long-term sustainability of tourism trade, the duty is shared amongst tourism stakeholders, corporations, and political leaders. It goals to reduce the destructive impacts of tourism exercise whereas conserving sources to keep up their long-term sustainability. Whereas, accountable tourism are the precise actions and methods that people, companies, tourism stakeholders, and communities, apply to assist decrease the destructive influence of their tourism exercise.
(Strolling in Sabang, Puerto Princesa, Palawan)
To be sincere, once I dreamed of touring across the Philippines over a decade in the past, I used to be so targeted on my aim that I failed to contemplate the footprints I’d go away to the atmosphere. However my latest journey to Palawan, helped me perceive extra about sustainable and accountable journey.
Let me share to you my very own expertise in Palawan and a few methods we generally is a accountable traveler in our personal little approach. Allow us to all the time do not forget that the alternatives we make on how we spend our cash throughout our journey can have a optimistic or destructive influence to households, communities, wildlife, and vacation spot we’re visiting. In any case, if we’re privileged sufficient to journey, we also needs to be accountable sufficient to honor, look after, and shield the locations we’re visiting.
1.Plan your journey forward and put together.
I like taking impromptu journeys every now and then, it excites me and sometimes leads me to stunning paths. It permits me to embrace my sense of journey and curiosity. There’s one thing about it that teaches me to belief my intestine and reside within the second. Nonetheless, once I need to save time and I need to journey safely and hassle-free, I favor planning my journey forward. I discovered that if I need to journey responsibly, planning forward is important- creating my itinerary, reserving my lodging and excursions upfront, researching in regards to the locations, together with its historical past and native cultures. It allows me to journey safely and decrease the injury to pure and cultural sources. So the subsequent time you go on a visit, take into account getting ready and planning forward that will help you make knowledgeable selections that may have an amazing influence on the tourism trade. You possibly can browse my detailed journey guides and itinerary on this weblog that will help you plan your journey.
2.Keep in an eco-friendly lodging.
Supporting eco-friendly accommodations and resorts is one method to contribute to accountable tourism. I perceive it may be mind-boggling to search out an lodging in your journey, however selecting lodging which have practices that assist shield the atmosphere and actively work with the native communities (e.g. make use of employees from the village or close by village, practice their employees to enhance their expertise, and so forth.), it’s value it. Eco-friendly lodging needs to be rewarded for his or her further effort.
(Daluyon Seaside and Mountain Resort in Sabang, Puerto Princesa)
Throughout our latest journey to Puerto Princesa, we stayed at Daluyon Seaside and Mountain Resort, an award-winning eco-friendly resort blissfully situated in Sabang, Puerto Princesa. What I like about this resort is its effort to cut back its environmental influence, akin to offering wooden toothbrushes, ramping up recycling, and utilizing 3 trash cans to encourage visitors to segregate their trash, utilizing reusable cutlery, and dishes, paper straws, water bottles, and utilizing energy-efficient lighting. Additionally they encourage visitors to reuse towels and supply indicators to remind visitors to show off the lights and tap when not utilizing, encourage donations to WWF, and so forth. To not point out, the staff are village residents, which is helpful for the neighborhood.
Sabang space is an effective base when in Puerto Princesa as a result of it’s inside strolling distance to Sabang Port, the jumping-off level to Puerto Princesa Underground River. It’s also a stone’s throw away from some vacationer spots so we have been simply strolling to Sabang seashore, Sabang Mangrove forest, and the zipline on the seashore to assist decrease the influence on the atmosphere. I did take pleasure in our leisurely stroll because the rugged street there’s fringed by swaying palm timber exuding a laid-back, tropical island vibe.
3.Reduce your carbon footprint.
(Balayong Folks’s Park, Baker’s Hill, Sabang Seaside, & Vietnamese Village in Puerto Princesa)
In case you are steadfast to serving to protect the atmosphere, select public transportation as a substitute of renting a automotive, it’ll assist decrease your carbon footprint. Journey time could take longer, however it’s a small sacrifice for Mom Earth.
One other approach to assist cut back our carbon footprint is by incorporating native adventures in your travels, akin to, strolling in unexplored corners of your locations and visiting inexperienced parks. Take Balayong Folks’s Park, a brand new city tree park in Puerto Princesa Metropolis. It goals to advertise a greener surrounding within the metropolis and planting endemic timber akin to Nara, Ipil, Kamagong, and so forth. Baker’s Hill is one other green-friendly park in Puerto Princesa. It’s dwelling to many crops and big ferns. I used to be actually excited to see big staghorn ferns hanging superbly from towering timber there. In the meantime, the Viet Ville Restaurant in Puerto Princesa, which was once dwelling to 2,000 Vietnamese refugees, stays a neighborhood enveloped by greenery and age-old timber.
4. Dispose your trash correctly.
Don’t you adore it when the place you’re visiting is trash-free? Dispose your trash correctly each time touring. In case you can’t discover a trash can, take your trash with you and dispose it when you discover a trash bin. In case you’re mountain climbing within the mountains or going island hopping, deliver a reusable or biodegradable trash bag and take your trash with you to the mainland, till you discover a trash bin and dispose correctly.
5.Observe plogging, plalking, and pliking in your travels.
You usually hear the precept “Depart No Hint” when touring, however most probably throughout your journeys, you’ll encounter trash. And that’s saddening. We should take into account the impacts we go away behind throughout our journey as a result of they may have an effect on the neighborhood, water, and wildlife of the locations we’re visiting.
We may help hold the vacationer vacation spot litter-free when touring by plogging, plalking, or pliking. PLOGGING is a sustainable initiative that originated in Sweden, which mixes working and jogging with selecting up trash. PLALKING is strolling whereas selecting up litter and PLIKING is biking and litter clear up. Let’s make them a brand new development in touring!
(Plogging whereas touring)
I’m glad that in my latest Palawan journey, I didn’t encounter the same old trash I see when touring. Nonetheless, the seashore is swamped with sargassum (seaweed) each morning. Seaweed like seagrass play a significant position within the ecosystem. However thick mats of floating sargassum can even kill surface-breathing wildlife akin to turtles and dolphins as they grow to be impenetrable and forestall these animals to go to the floor to breathe. They may also be trapped in fishing nets making it arduous to catch fish, and should stop fishermen from launching their boats as they get trapped in propellers. Stinking useless seaweed washed up on shores can even appeal to bugs, pose dangers to human well being, and should hinder beach-goers, an financial pillar to many coastal communities. You possibly can assist by cleansing up the shore with useless sargassum. Then, the collected useless seaweed could be was plant fertilizers.
6.Assist native conservation efforts and the native economic system.
In case you’re having fun with a vacation spot your visiting, why not give again to the native economic system? Spend a portion of your journey cash on native companies.
(Binuatan Creations)
Purchase locally-made items or souvenirs, go to the native market, volunteering in a tree-planting drive, or animal shelters (if there are any). Dine in native eating places and cafes, buy arts and work from native artists, and so forth.
Throughout our journey to Puerto Princesa, we visited Binuatan Creations, a store that manufactures handloom woven luggage, dwelling decors, placemats, and so forth. from pure grasses and fibers. In case you’re searching for a memento to take dwelling to your loved ones and pals, that is the place to be. It’s also possible to strive your hand at hand weaving placemats with the steerage of native proficient weavers.
And talking of supporting the native economic system, when selecting tour suppliers, and locations, take into account those that work to guard the atmosphere, present monetary advantages and empowerment to native communities and contribute to the conservation of native sources. Hiring native guides which can be educated to supply correct info additionally helps.
(Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Nationwide Park)
Fortunately, we have been capable of expertise the 2 extremely really helpful eco-tourism and community-based tourism locations in Puerto Princesa – the famed Puerto Princesa Underground River and the Sabang Mangrove Forest.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Nationwide Park is a must-visit when in Palawan. This spectacular cave system options jaw-dropping stalactites, stalagmites and a number of other chambers. The park boasts of limestone karst landscapes, well-preserved age-old forest, and diverse wildlife. It’s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Web site and New 7 Wonders of Nature. This protected park is a good instance of sustainable tourism within the Philippines. The property is roofed below the Nationwide Built-in Protected Space System (NIPAS) to make sure its authorized safety and conservation. Puerto Princesa River Nationwide Park’s tourism program goals to boost customer’s expertise with nature whereas defending the pure values.
(Sabang Mangrove Forest Tour)
After our journey to the Puerto Princesa Underground River, we additionally skilled the Sabang Mangrove Forest Tour, simply strolling distance from Sabang Wharf. The Sabang Mangrove Forest was based to empower native communities, present extra revenue to residents, foster environmental consciousness, and supply sustainable tourism exercise that minimizes destructive influence to the atmosphere. I’ve an in depth blogpost about it (see hyperlink under), if you wish to know extra about it.
ALSO READ: SABANG MANGROVE FOREST TOUR
(Sabang Mangrove Forest)
7.Go to agri-tourism farm.
(Yamang Bukid Farm)
We additionally visited Yamang Bukid, an agri-tourism farm. It was based to make farming each sustainable and worthwhile, and assist farmers to be financially unbiased. Curiously, Yamang Bukid helped eradicate unlawful logging actions within the village by remodeling former unlawful loggers to farmers. The agritourism farm additionally supplies college allowance for the children of their farmers and farm workers, they usually additionally help highschool and faculty students. Apparently, Yamang Bukid can fund all this as a result of they’ve a worthwhile enterprise manufacturing natural teas and dietary supplements in addition to 2 eating places the place uncooked supplies are organically and ethically sourced from their farm.
(Yamang Bukid Farm in Puerto Princesa)
As somebody who loves crops and gardening, Yamang Bukid is heaven for me. Sadly throughout our go to, we discovered that the farm was devastated by Storm Odette. Additionally they suffered nice loss through the pandemic since there have been no vacationers. Yamang Bukid is now ranging from scratch, so while you journey to Puerto Princesa, don’t overlook to drop by, dine in, plant and donate seedlings, and take dwelling their natural merchandise as souvenirs. In case you’re into farming, you may even take up brief programs in natural farming, vermicomposting, and so forth. This fashion, you’ll acquire a brand new expertise and on the identical time assist the farmers and area people.
8.Respect wildlife.
(Palawan Wildlife and Rescue Middle)
Many people will get excited each time we encounter wildlife. However we should always not overlook to be respectful to them. Don’t disturb wildlife or crops simply you get a greater look or a greater photograph, as a substitute, observe quietly from a distance so that you received’t scare them. Keep away from becoming a member of giant noisy group excursions, go for smaller tour teams to reduce your influence. Don’t feed, contact, get too shut or choose up wild animals. Feeding animals is fairly frequent within the nation (e.g. feeding fishes throughout snorkeling), however is it typically a nasty concept. Human meals isn’t heathy for wild animals, and if these animals get accustomed to individuals feeding them, they might lose their concern of people and might grow to be aggressive.
9.Be respectful of native cultures, traditions, and etiquette.
We’re simply guests, subsequently, let’s be respectful of the native tradition, faith, and traditions. Analysis in regards to the gown code, particularly in case you are visiting temples and different spiritual websites, in addition to cultural websites. Observe how the locals gown, and take your cues from them. By no means take offensive footage. Ask permission when taking footage of indigenous individuals, and locals on the whole. Each nation has totally different guidelines for etiquette, a fast Google search ought to offer you some fundamental info on what is taken into account taboo or impolite in sure nation or locations. Not understanding these guidelines can even hurt you, so greatest to be ready earlier than your journey. In case you’re uncertain, ask the locals.
10.Convey reusable straw, utensils, water bottle, and so forth.
(Reusable journey necessities)
As talked about above, it’s vital to plan your journey forward, to assist decrease your destructive influence to the atmosphere. Planning your journey forward isn’t restricted to creating itineraries, reserving lodging and excursions upfront, it additionally entails planning to lower your plastic utilization throughout your journey. Single-use plastics like water bottle, straw, plastic bag, and so forth. are sometimes the trash that I see throughout my travels. You possibly can assist cut back your plastic trash by bringing your individual refillable water container, it would additionally prevent a couple of dollars as a result of as a substitute of shopping for bottled water each time you’re thirsty, you may ask to refill your reusable bottle with filtered water out of your resort, restaurant, and so forth. As a lot as potential, keep away from utilizing straw, if you actually need one, deliver different alternate options akin to bamboo, steel, or paper straw. It’s also possible to assist the atmosphere by eating in as a substitute of taking out your meals. Carrying your individual fabric or jute purchasing bag additionally helps decrease using single-plastic bag. I’m so used to this as a result of in our city, plastic luggage are banned from shops, grocery store, and grocery. And lastly, skip the free travel-size shampoos, soaps, and lotions offered by your resort or resort, as a substitute, deliver your individual toiletries.
By the best way, Division of Tourism has an ongoing marketing campaign referred to as “KeepTheFunGoing” the place individuals are inspired to do easy and enjoyable gamified sustainable challenges akin to “zero-waste warrior”, “licensed foot soldier”, “restourism advocate problem”, and “eco staycationer”. For extra details about the challenges and extra methods to be a sustainable vacationer, go to https://philippines.journey/saveourspots
