In today’s travel landscape, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a necessity.
Engaging in sustainable practices achieves more than protecting natural and cultural resources — it also attracts conscientious travelers, strengthens economies, and sustains communities. By partnering with Leave No Trace, tourism destinations tap into resources and insights that will enhance traveler experiences and safeguard the assets that will draw visitors for years to come.
Here are five steps to guide you on this journey.
- Assess Your Issues
Begin by evaluating how tourism affects your location’s environment and community. Identify areas where visitor activities may be causing harm, such as trail erosion, wildlife disturbances, or cultural site degradation. Every destination experiences these issues to some degree, but understanding their extent in your location is crucial for developing effective mitigation strategies. Leave No Trace deploys a two step approach to this evaluating these conditions via our current education strategies; first with a Stakeholder Survey to assess impact levels and resource needs of the community. Next the Gold Standard Designation is utilized to assess current Leave No Trace implementation. This assessment tool is available for destinations to use for free and provides a rubric to achieve the highest levels of destination stewardship and minimum impact education. (Want to see how your location stacks up? Go through the Gold Standard assessment yourself, available for parks and protected areas, education programs, youth programs, hospitality entities, and outfitters or guides.) - Educate and Engage Stakeholders
Sustainability is a collective effort. We help destinations engage local businesses, community leaders, and residents with educational programs explaining both the effectiveness and implementation of sustainable practices. As a Leave No Trace tourism partner, you can utilize a customized, location-specific version of the well-known Leave No Trace Seven Principles. Here’s how one of our tourism destination partners displays this customized information for visitors. - Foster Sustainable Practices Locally
We help you encourage local businesses and organizations to support behavior that fosters minimal-impact tourism. This includes guiding your stakeholders on how to educate their guests about the importance of sticking to marked trails, respecting local wildlife, the best ways to dispose of waste properly, and sharing outdoor spaces with others. Connect visitors with sustainable local businesses and conservation organizations so that they can give back to the places they love. - Promote Responsible Visitor Behavior
A recent survey by Statista revealed that over 80% of global travelers consider sustainable tourism essential and are willing to adopt sustainable travel practices. Leave No Trace guides your destination on best practices for educating and encouraging visitors to adopt sustainable behaviors. Key elements include clear signage, engaging media, and hosting interactive workshops. The outcome is that visitors learn how to protect natural and cultural resources from an educational approach that avoids the pitfalls of sounding preachy or judgemental. - Feature Leave No Trace Resources
Collaborating with Leave No Trace provides access to resources tailored to the outdoors and sustainable tourism. As a destination partner, you’ll receive educational materials, staff training, and the opportunity to co-develop custom programs. Our partnerships bolster your stewardship efforts and signals your commitment to responsible tourism.
We invite you to schedule a consultation with our tourism team to explore how a partnership with Leave No Trace can benefit your destination. Together, we can craft a customized plan that aligns with your strategic goals and enhances the appeal of your destination to mindful travelers.