I have worked in tourism since 2015, and outdoor education since 2007. I had made lots of people lots of money and burnt thousands of litres of oil in the process. But did I ever make the world a”better place”. Probably. In that moment for those people. But I knew there was more to this. I realised there was space for improvement.
In 2020, Covid paused the tourism markets. It stopped global travel. My job as a Go-Kart tour guide quickly halted. I started working as an English teacher at a school north of our home in Tokyo. I loved it and was happy. But I missed tourism. I missed thinking about how I could make the world a better place by using tourism.
So I started an MSc in Responsible Tourism Management.
In June 2025, I graduated from Leeds Beckett University and am pleased to say not only did I learn a huge amount, but I actually did the job along the way, taking a year out of my studies to be a tourism development project manager in Scotland.
So what does this mean? What do I know? How can I help the world? How can I help you?
Everything I do is responsible.
Tourism has the power to create jobs, support communities, protect landscapes and connect people with places. It is, by some measures, the largest and most important industry on the whole planet.
But tourism also has impacts. These are well documented and very obvious.
Responsible tourism is about understanding those impacts and making better choices — maximising the benefits of tourism while reducing the negative effects on people, places and the environment.
Making things better.
What is responsible tourism?
Responsible tourism is an approach to tourism that asks a simple question:
How can we make tourism better for everyone?
It considers the environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts of tourism and encourages everyone involved — businesses, destinations, communities, governments and visitors — to take responsibility for the part they play.
It isn’t about stopping tourism or making travel less enjoyable.
It’s about creating tourism that works for the people who live in a place, the businesses that depend on visitors, the environment that makes the destination special, and the visitors who come to experience it.
Why responsible tourism?
Tourism doesn’t happen in isolation.
A visitor attraction depends on its landscape. A hotel depends on its community. A tour operator depends on the destination. And a destination depends on all of them working together.
Responsible tourism helps us look at the bigger picture.
Protecting the environment
Tourism depends on healthy landscapes, wildlife, coastlines, forests and cultural heritage.
Responsible tourism seeks to reduce environmental impacts, use resources wisely and protect the natural and cultural assets that make destinations special.
Supporting communities
Tourism should create opportunities for the people who live in a destination.
That means supporting local employment and businesses, respecting local culture and ensuring that communities have a meaningful voice in how tourism develops.
Creating economic value
A successful tourism industry should generate lasting value rather than simply increasing visitor numbers.
Responsible tourism encourages money to stay within the local economy, supports quality employment and helps create diverse, resilient businesses and communities.
Creating better experiences
Responsible tourism can also mean better tourism for visitors.
Authentic experiences, meaningful connections with local people and places, and a deeper understanding of a destination can create memories that last far longer than simply ticking attractions off a list.
The Triple Bottom Line
Responsible tourism is about finding a balance between people, planet and prosperity.
The Triple Bottom Line provides a useful framework for thinking about that balance.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Protecting natural and cultural resources, reducing environmental impacts and ensuring destinations remain healthy and resilient.
SOCIAL
Supporting communities, respecting cultures, creating inclusive opportunities and ensuring local people benefit from tourism.
ECONOMIC
Creating viable businesses, quality employment and long-term economic value that stays within the destination.
Where these three areas overlap, tourism can become a genuine force for good.
It isn’t enough for tourism to be economically successful if the environment is being degraded or local communities are being left behind.
Equally, environmental protection needs sustainable economic activity and community support if it is going to endure.
The aim is not perfection.
The aim is better decisions and holistic thinking.
Responsible tourism is everyone’s responsibility
Responsible tourism isn’t something that only applies to tourism businesses.
Destinations can plan for tourism that works within environmental and community limits.
Businesses can reduce their impacts, strengthen local supply chains and create better employment.
Communities can help shape the tourism that takes place in their own neighbourhoods.
Visitors can make choices that support local businesses, respect local cultures and reduce their environmental footprint.
And policymakers can create the conditions that allow responsible tourism to flourish.
From principle to practice
Responsible tourism shouldn’t sit in a strategy document or appear as a statement on a website.
It should influence decisions.
Where should visitors go?
How should they get there?
Who benefits from their spending?
What pressure does tourism place on local communities?
What happens to the environment?
What kind of jobs does tourism create?
And what will this destination look like in 10, 20 or 50 years?
These are the questions that turn responsible tourism from an idea into action.
My approach
I help tourism businesses, destinations and communities move from good intentions to practical action.
That might mean developing a responsible tourism strategy, improving a tourism product, engaging local stakeholders, identifying opportunities for sustainable transport, or helping organisations understand where they can make the greatest difference.
My experience working in the industry has taught me that academic credentials and top-level reports aren’t going to change anything. But neither are flitting opinions and one-size-fits-all systems. I create practical action plans, realistic, with timescales, costs and funding options, desired solutions, links and contacts and above all else, the support and answers of how to get there.
If you’re looking for consultancy on Green Tourism, B Corp status, Carbon Offsetting, how to meet funders’ goals or anything else, I can help.
I don’t believe responsible tourism has to mean choosing between people, planet and profit.
Done well, it can mean creating tourism that delivers all three.
