Flanked by attractive 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 probably the greatest islands on the earth, attracting hordes of vacationers. Whereas that is good for the native economic system, the as soon as laidback island is now at risk from irresponsible tourism practices, overdevelopment, overconsumption of pure sources, destruction of the setting, air pollution, and disturbance of wildlife.
Fortunately, there are additionally methods to assist decrease our environmental affect. As vacationers, we might help contribute to a bigger sustainable tourism motion by accountable tourism practices. What we do throughout our travels at present 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 accountability is shared amongst tourism stakeholders, corporations, and political leaders. It goals to reduce the detrimental impacts of tourism exercise whereas conserving sources to take care of their long-term sustainability. Whereas, accountable tourism are the precise actions and techniques that people, companies, tourism stakeholders, and communities, follow to assist decrease the detrimental affect 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 centered on my aim that I failed to think about the footprints I’d go away to the setting. 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 is usually a accountable traveler in our personal little means. Allow us to at all times do not forget that the alternatives we make on how we spend our cash throughout our journey can have a optimistic or detrimental affect 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 once in a while, it excites me and infrequently leads me to shocking 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 dwell within the second. Nevertheless, once I need to save time and I need to journey safely and hassle-free, I want 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 concerning 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, think about getting ready and planning forward that can assist you make knowledgeable selections that can have an incredible affect on the tourism trade. You may browse my detailed journey guides and itinerary on this weblog that can assist you plan your journey.
2.Keep in an eco-friendly lodging.
Supporting eco-friendly lodges and resorts is one method to contribute to accountable tourism. I perceive it may be mind-boggling to search out an lodging on your journey, however selecting lodging which have practices that assist shield the setting 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 many others.), it’s price it. Eco-friendly lodging must be rewarded for his or her further effort.
(Daluyon Seashore and Mountain Resort in Sabang, Puerto Princesa)
Throughout our latest journey to Puerto Princesa, we stayed at Daluyon Seashore 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 scale back its environmental affect, similar 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 many others. To not point out, the workers are village residents, which is helpful for the neighborhood.
Sabang space is an efficient 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. Additionally it is 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 affect on the setting. I did take pleasure in our leisurely stroll because the rugged highway there may be fringed by swaying palm timber exuding a laid-back, tropical island vibe.
3.Decrease your carbon footprint.
(Balayong Folks’s Park, Baker’s Hill, Sabang Seashore, & Vietnamese Village in Puerto Princesa)
In case you are steadfast to serving to protect the setting, select public transportation as an alternative of renting a automobile, it’ll assist decrease your carbon footprint. Journey time could take longer, however it’s a small sacrifice for Mom Earth.
One other means to assist cut back our carbon footprint is by incorporating native adventures in your travels, similar 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 similar to Nara, Ipil, Kamagong, and many others. Baker’s Hill is one other green-friendly park in Puerto Princesa. It’s house to many vegetation 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 house 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 might be visiting is trash-free? Dispose your trash correctly each time touring. When you can’t discover a trash can, take your trash with you and dispose it when you discover a trash bin. When you’re 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.Follow plogging, plalking, and pliking in your travels.
You typically hear the precept “Depart No Hint” when touring, however most definitely throughout your journeys, you’ll encounter trash. And that’s saddening. We should think about the impacts we go away behind throughout our journey as a result of they are going to have an effect on the neighborhood, water, and wildlife of the locations we’re visiting.
We might help preserve the vacationer vacation spot litter-free when touring by plogging, plalking, or pliking. PLOGGING is a sustainable initiative that originated in Sweden, which mixes operating and jogging with choosing up trash. PLALKING is strolling whereas choosing up litter and PLIKING is biking and litter clear up. Let’s make them a brand new pattern 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. Nevertheless, the seashore is swamped with sargassum (seaweed) each morning. Seaweed like seagrass play a serious position within the ecosystem. However thick mats of floating sargassum may kill surface-breathing wildlife similar to turtles and dolphins as they change into impenetrable and stop these animals to go to the floor to breathe. They will also be trapped in fishing nets making it exhausting to catch fish, and should stop fishermen from launching their boats as they get trapped in propellers. Stinking useless seaweed washed up on shores may appeal to bugs, pose dangers to human well being, and should hinder beach-goers, an financial pillar to many coastal communities. You may assist by cleansing up the shore with useless sargassum. Then, the collected useless seaweed could be became plant fertilizers.
6.Help native conservation efforts and the native economic system.
When 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 many others.
Throughout our journey to Puerto Princesa, we visited Binuatan Creations, a store that manufactures handloom woven luggage, house decors, placemats, and many others. from pure grasses and fibers. When you’re searching for a memento to take house to your loved ones and buddies, that is the place to be. It’s also possible to attempt your hand at hand weaving placemats with the steering of native gifted weavers.
And talking of supporting the native economic system, when selecting tour suppliers, and locations, think about those that work to guard the setting, present monetary advantages and empowerment to native communities and contribute to the conservation of native sources. Hiring native guides which are educated to offer correct data additionally helps.
(Puerto Princesa Subterranean River Nationwide Park)
Fortunately, we have been in a position to expertise the 2 extremely advisable 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 several other chambers. The park boasts of limestone karst landscapes, well-preserved age-old forest, and different wildlife. It’s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Web site and New 7 Wonders of Nature. This protected park is a superb instance of sustainable tourism within the Philippines. The property is roofed beneath 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 reinforce 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 further earnings to residents, foster environmental consciousness, and supply sustainable tourism exercise that minimizes detrimental affect to the setting. 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. Apparently, Yamang Bukid helped get rid of unlawful logging actions within the village by remodeling former unlawful loggers to farmers. The agritourism farm additionally gives college allowance for the youngsters of their farmers and farm workers, and so they additionally assist 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 vegetation and gardening, Yamang Bukid is heaven for me. Sadly throughout our go to, we discovered that the farm was devastated by Hurricane Odette. Additionally they suffered nice loss in the course of 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 house their natural merchandise as souvenirs. When you’re into farming, you’ll be able to even take up quick programs in natural farming, vermicomposting, and many others. This manner, you’ll achieve a brand new expertise and on the similar time assist the farmers and local 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 vegetation simply you get a greater look or a greater picture, as an alternative, observe quietly from a distance so that you gained’t scare them. Keep away from becoming a member of massive noisy group excursions, go for smaller tour teams to reduce your affect. Don’t feed, contact, get too shut or decide 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 will not be heathy for wild animals, and if these animals get accustomed to folks feeding them, they could lose their worry of people and may change into 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 concerning the gown code, particularly in case you are visiting temples and different non secular 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 folks, and locals on the whole. Each nation has completely different guidelines for etiquette, a fast Google search ought to provide you with some primary data on what is taken into account taboo or impolite in sure nation or locations. Not understanding these guidelines may hurt you, so greatest to be ready earlier than your journey. When you’re uncertain, ask the locals.
10.Carry reusable straw, utensils, water bottle, and many others.
(Reusable journey necessities)
As talked about above, it’s essential to plan your journey forward, to assist decrease your detrimental affect to the setting. 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 many others. are sometimes the trash that I see throughout my travels. You may assist cut back your plastic trash by bringing your individual refillable water container, it should additionally prevent a couple of dollars as a result of as an alternative of shopping for bottled water each time you might be thirsty, you’ll be able to ask to refill your reusable bottle with filtered water out of your resort, restaurant, and many others. As a lot as doable, keep away from utilizing straw, if you actually need one, deliver different options similar to bamboo, metallic, or paper straw. It’s also possible to assist the setting by eating in as an alternative of taking out your meals. Carrying your individual material or jute procuring bag additionally helps decrease the usage of 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 an alternative, 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 similar 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
