Nothing there? “Depending upon the resort, there are all sorts of questions a traveler can ask that may not necessarily have to do with wildlife,” said Carr. You can take the temperature for a place’s ethos by asking whether they recycle, provide reusable water bottles, hire local staff, and so on. Chances are a company will operate thoughtfully across the board, or not at all.
Support Local Businesses, the Right Way
Don’t feel pressured by local guides to go to quote-unquote animal parks, advised Sano. “Often times they’re getting kickbacks, so go through more established tour operators and raise your antenna higher if you’re booking locally.”
Do seek out places that empower locals instead. “If traditional communities benefit, they are more likely to support anti-poaching efforts,” said Carr. So make sure that your operator employs or trains locals as guides and considers them for management positions; this demonstrates a commitment to social justice. And ask whether locals are allowed to enjoy the benefits of the area’s conservation—beyond the financial. “At Gorongosa Park we bring local students and teachers to the Park every day in small vans, so they can be ‘tourists’ and enjoy their national park. In fact, the No. 1 demographic group that visits Gorongosa is people from neighboring communities,” said Carr.
Do Your Due Diligence—or Outsource It
“The internet is a vast resource, and travelers should use it,” said the WWF’s Henry. It sounds like an obvious point, but it’s one worth making. “If anyone over the last five years had Googled the tiger temple in Thailand,” she elaborated, “they would have known that something was going on. There were countless articles, including ones from us, about concerns with that facility.” Don’t want to do the legwork? Task your travel agent with a little recon.
Think Big Picture
“Ask yourself this big question,” suggested Carr. “Will tourism lead to greater protection of this landscape by providing an economic value to the region maintained in its wild state? If so, you are part of the solution.”