What is ethical tourism?

In 2023, I took some high schoolers at the school I worked at to for a trip to Iriomote Island in Okinawa, Japan.

Most school community service trips give students the opportunity to travel to another country to build something for the local community. Although the intention is good, these projects are often not sustainable because no one goes back to maintain what was built.

So instead, we decided to collaborate with an organization to provide a more meaningful experience, where students can enjoy being a tourist at the location we visit, but also provide activities that promote discussions on what it means to be an “ethical” tourist.

Before the trip, we made sure the students learnt about the island’s traditions and its biodiversity, making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.

On our nature-focused day, we hiked up a mountain, kayaked through the mangroves, and even jumped into the river at the base of the waterfall. The local guides shared with us the roles of each organism in the ecosystem and how they all create balance. However, they also told us how the introduction of foreign species and tourism has endangered native species and disrupted the biodiversity of the island.

We also took part in a beach cleanup. We spent hours collecting and sorting the garbage, and while we felt a sense of accomplishment once we saw the clear shoreline, we soon learned that our efforts does not lead to a solution. The island doesn’t have an effective waste management system, meaning the rubbish we collected had to be paid to be shipped to the main island of Okinawa to be disposed. In addition, although some of the rubbish comes from tourists, much of the rubbish were washes up from all over Asia. But it wasn’t about blaming others, since garbage from Japan washes up on islands like Hawaii. Therefore, unless the root problem of excess waste is fixed at a global level, the garbage on beaches will keep coming back.

On our culture-focused day, we visited a local woman who dyes fabric with mangrove roots and indigo leaves. She led a workshops for us where she taught us the traditional methods of dyeing cloth which the people of the island has been trying to protect. Afterward, she led a meaningful conversation about the impact of fast fashion and how that has led to traditional ways of creating to diminish. She spoke about how we now buy clothes without thinking about where they come from, who made them, or what chemicals might be used. One of my students even started crying, realizing just how unethical the world can be when it comes to mass production and consumption.

Through this trip, we didn’t want the students to have a typical experience where they simply “do something” for a community and feel like they’ve made a difference. Instead, we wanted them to participate in touristy activities, but also think about the ethics behind their actions as tourists, since being a tourist is something they will continue to do in their lives.

After the trip, we had a discussion on what it truly means to be an ethical tourist.

Being an ethical tourist isn’t just about visiting a place. It’s about learning about and respecting the culture, understanding the impact you will have on the environment, and being mindful of the choices you make on your trip, such as where you choose to spend your money.

I hope you keep this in mind the next time you travel :)

Students on the “GO ETHICAL Ethical Book for Travelers 2024” by Us 4 Iriomote!