Students, travelers can practice sustainable tourism

Jonathon Day
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As thousands of college students across the nation prepare for a week of fun in the sun during spring break, Purdue Professor Jonathon Day reminds them to take along their good habits.

Day is an associate professor of Hospitality & Tourism Management, an expert on vacation marketing, and a leading voice in sustainable tourism. His professional and academic experience has made him a distinguished voice promoting sustainable travel. Day has a website based on his book “Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Travel.”

“Getting a spring break vacation is important, and students should have as much fun as possible,” Day said. “But when you travel take your good habits as well. So, if you visit Florida there’s no excuse not to recycle. I encourage people to shop locally. They can enjoy the farmers market and get local fruits and vegetables. Even beyond that they should see if they can find some of the local arts and crafts and put that money for souvenirs back in the destination’s economy.”

Day said students, or any traveler, should travel with good sense. “I think sometimes all travelers have this tendency to pack their brain in their bag and not think about what they’re doing. Travelers need to take a little bit of time to be mindful while on vacation,” Day said.

The thought process behind sustainable tourism is rather simple. “Sustainable tourism is all about making sure tourism actually benefits the community it’s happening in,” Day said. “It should benefit in ways that help the people celebrate their cultures, bring money into the community so that the community can be enriched by the visitors, and also help the community protect the environment that makes it so special.”

Day has advice for destinations as well as travelers. He encourages leaders in destinations to plan for the good and bad that tourism can bring. “Many destinations are excited about the opportunity for tourism. People love to show off their community, and they’re very excited about it,” Day said. “With that comes a need to think about the costs associated with tourism as well. The negatives can be overcome but it takes planning and forethought.

“I’m all in favor of experiencing the sights as much as you possibly can. I love the experience of strolling through ancient heritage sites or exploring wilderness areas, but if 100,000 people are going to be walking through that place you have to be thinking about how you can protect it so future generations can visit. It’s not about closing these places off and preserving them behind a glass shelter; it’s about thinking through things so that you’ve got it in the future.” 

Writer: Howard Hewitt, 765-494-9541, hhewitt@purdue.edu

Source: Jonathon Day, 765-496-2084, gjday@purdue.edu