New fads and trends in travel come and go, but one that I kind of hope sticks around awhile is something called Geotourism. The term was introduced (or partly so) in 2001 by the magazine National Geographic Traveler and basically is a type of tourism that (taking a breath) sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place-its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. (whew).
What this basically means is that when you travel, you need to invest yourself in the place a little bit, you need to visit with an attitude of protection and preservation….in other words, don’t go looking for a Taco Bell, don’t buy all the cheesy tourist crap you can find and by all means don’t lambaste the locals for NOT taking American dollars.
The site says that Geotoursim has taken off…even through there are just three countries so far who have signed the so called Geotourism Charter, the document that lists principles for good destination stewardship and enriching travel experiences. And it’s a rather odd assortment of countries at that: Norway, Honduras, and Romania. But as I said, it’s a great concept in theory, and now lets see all travelers try to live up to it.