Encouraged by the global movement to combat climate change and conserve our natural world, environmentally-conscious travelers are ditching traditional holidays in favour of trips with an eco-tourism flavour.
Debora Kocak, one of the co-founders of Australian-based coral reef protection group Hiri, has recently launched internships for people wanting to do their bit to help save the earth, while experiencing a diverse lifestyle and culture.
Hiri works with communities all through the Pacific, educating them about coral gardening and raising awareness of the importance of coral reefs. The company also uses coral gardening techniques to help replenish areas affected by overfishing or other damage.
According to a survey by travel booking site booking.com this year, 70 per cent of travelers would be more likely to book accommodation knowing it was ecofriendly, 62 per cent would feel better about staying in accommodation with an eco-label, and 71 per cent felt companies should offer consumers more sustainable travel choices.
Kocak, who juggles her work with Hiri alongside studying at Bond University on the Gold Coast, said there had been a definite shift in trends among holidaymakers.
“A lot of people are more interested in actually doing something with their holiday that is more meaningful and impactful in some shape or form, so we give people the opportunity to not only have a nice holiday but also do something to give back to a community or save the planet in some little way.”
Hiri was offering the opportunity for holidaymakers who sought to make a difference to come along with them on one of the company’s coral restoration trips.
“You get to go with us to a village, or to a community and we run them through the whole process of reforestation, so it’ll be from A to Z learning, everything to do with the importance of coral reefs, all the way through to the planting process,” Kocak said.
