Rough Guides: Eco-tourism can be affordable

It is a myth that environmentally friendly holidays have to be expensive, according to Rough Guides.

Jeremy Smith, one of the company's writers and co-author of the Clean Breaks guide, said this commonly held belief results from the fact that many people consider 'green' foods and clothing to be less affordable than traditional products.

He claimed that this "doesn't need to be the case at all with tourism".

"Staying in a hotel that is responsible doesn't mean that it is more expensive," Mr Smith said.

"Staying in a homestay can be one of the cheapest ways to travel."

The Rough Guides spokesman also offered the example of "couch surfing" - staying in people's homes for free during gap year breaks - describing it as "an extremely ethical thing to do".

Some of the leading destinations for eco-tourism, according to Mr Smith, are South Africa, Laos and Costa Rica.

Rough Guides' Clean Breaks book covers hundreds of responsible tourism experiences around the world, including a train-hotel journey from Paris to Madrid and watching the zebra migration in Botswana.

Posted by Paul, 12 February 2010 11:26

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• Madrid