Ecotourism: How to Be a More Eco-friendly Tourist

We are a proud ecotourism tour operator here at Ireland Walk Hike Bike. We care hugely for our planet, country, environment, responsible travel & sustainable tourism. This is why everything we do is operated through an eco-friendly ethos, throughout the company, from the operations in our head office to our hikesbikes & self-driving tours.

It is our mission & our duty to adhere to responsible tourism regulations, that go hand in hand with our passionate advocacy for a greener planet, that we inform, educate & inspire our guests who visit the island of Ireland, on leaving only footprints behind; ensuring minimal impact on our country & maximum enjoyment on your holiday.

Sometimes, we all have the enthusiasm & will to be an eco-friendly tourist, but more often than not, we need a helpful guide to show us what to do & what not to do, which is why we have compiled the following list of ways in which you can be a better eco-friendly tourist which in turn, helps ecotourism overall.

 

Keeping Ireland Green – Leave No Trace

The first rule in ecotourism is, no matter where you travel to; the only thing you should ever leave behind in any place is footprints. We are proud members of ‘Leave No Trace’ Ireland (leavenotraceireland.com) who are an Irish organisation promoting Ireland as an ecotourism destination. Over time, our collective mark on the environment & on the planet as a whole has increased which affects our planet, our emissions, our wildlife & our future drastically.

To leave no trace means to leave no litter or belongings with you, whilst out & about, exploring our beautiful green island.

Ireland in Autumn - Ecotourism

Eat Local & Drink ‘Near Beer’

When you are travelling to Ireland & even if you’re not travelling at all, a key way to be an eco-friendly tourist or simply an eco-friendly advocate is to eat out & buy food in the local communities. In doing this, it means that no one drove or flew or shipped these goods across the country or across the earth to get onto your fork.

Eating & buying local produce also helps to sustain local businesses which keep the local economy ticking & keeps the business owner in business. We pride ourselves on recommending local restaurants & taking our guests to eateries whereby the food is completely sourced locally.

Believe us, there is no better way to travel than to experience the local food! Drinking a ‘near beer’ is a relatively new concept, which means to drink the beer & drinks that are brewed & manufactured locally. Now, you’re coming to visit Ireland; must we need to prompt you with the Guinness?

Local Irish Food - Ireland Walk Hike Bike

Choose a Carbon Offset Adventure

Ok, so not all carbon emissions can be evaded whilst travelling but some companies are committed to the environmental & long-term health of the location in which they operate. We are, here at Ireland Walk Hike Bike, one of these companies’ & because of this passion & advocacy, we have partnered up with International NGO ‘Sustainable Travel International’ to calculate the emissions generated from all of the trips we offer each year. Once these emissions are calculated through our carbon calculator (here), we then offset these emissions. Just another reason to book with us!

Ireland Cycling Holiday - Ireland Walk Hike Bike

Use Public Transportation

We encourage our guests to, as often as they can, carpool or use public transportation when visiting us here in Ireland. This is to minimise our carbon footprint & emissions. Obviously, when on a self-drive tour or hiring a car, these emissions cannot be helped, but we still do, however, advocate that to be an eco-friendlier tourist, we advise to carpool or travel with others as often as you can.

Dublin Bus - Eco-friendly Tours

Avoid Bottled Water

Plastic bottles account for a lot of waste around the world & so we advise, regardless of where you are travelling to or from, that you refrain from buying plastic bottles of water & that instead, you use a reusable bottle. We recently branded some pretty aluminum bottles for our guests – Check them out!

Ireland Walk Hike Bike Bottle

 

Pack Lighter

Every kilogram adds up when you are travelling. The more that your plane weighs, the more carbon emissions it produces we advise anyone who is trying to be a more eco-friendly tourist to pack lightly & only pack what you need when you are travelling. Our future generations & our planet will thank you!

Hiking pack contents

The Importance of Ecotourism & Sustainable Travel

Becoming a more eco-friendly tourist is something we should all be striving to be when we travel. Our planet, our countries & our future generations will thank us for it. We hope you liked our guide on how to be a more eco-friendly tourist. We pride ourselves on being an ecotourism organisation, so we like to share & inspire guests to take care of the environment; especially when on a tour with us.

Our future plans within the eco-tourism industry are exciting & we are excited to be able to share these plans with you, as & when they unfold. We will always put the planet & our environment first & even go out of our way to do regular clean-ups around Co. Kerry in our free time.

Eco-tourism is a subject dear to our hearts & we hope you feel the same way & are now better equipped with some tips on how to be a more eco-friendly tourist.

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