Maybe you never considered yourself an export commodity. You may romantically dream of skipping from one exotic paradise to another below the bureaucratic radar screen without leaving a paper trace, but remember that whatever you do, you will leave behind what is referred to as your “ecological footprint.”

In the 1970s, the 20km-long island of Cancun, Mexico was home to 12 families. Today, it has more than 20,000 hotel rooms, 2.6 million visitors a year and a permanent population of 300,000, of whom only 30 per cent lives in neighborhoods with sewage treatment. Every day, 450 tons of rubbish ends up in Cancun's landfill. Degradation is not a problem exclusive to less developed countries. Holiday makers are incredibly democratic in their bad habits, as thoughtless at home, as they are abroad.

The Mediterranean basin attracts 200 million tourists annually, a figure projected to increase to 350 million by 2020. 25,000 kilometers of the 46,000 km-long Mediterranean coastline are now urbanized. In Italy, only six stretches of coast over 20km are free of construction. Even the tourist industry giants are starting to reflect. In a recent hospitality sector publication Harinakshi Nair, of the consulting firm HVS International, asked, “Where is all this going to stop? More importantly, when is it going to stop? And most importantly, who is going to stop this?” 

The tourist makes his choices within a minimally regulated framework worldwide, but if tourists collectively generate between 3.6 and 10.3 per cent of the world’s GDP, they constitute the world’s largest and most powerful consumer collective. If many economies are dependent upon tourist revenue, the tourist is in a position to demand the very best for him and the planet in general. If you think about it, it’s dead easy. We could transform the entire planet while on holiday. Already some very interesting projects are underway.

The World Wildlife Fund is currently working with developers, cork farmers and the regional forestry industry in Portugal on a 1 billion euro project it describes as “the world’s first-ever integrated sustainable building, tourism, nature conservation and reforestation program.” “Mata de Sesimbra” is an alternative to eleven other proposed projects for high-density tourist development. It is designed to recover and protect areas now suffering environmental degradation. There is no doubt that Mata de Sesimbra is the future, but where can the forward-looking tourist go this year? Keeping your conscience and the environment clean is not that difficult if you deal with the right people.

“Eco”, “green”, “bio”, or "responsible” tourism can mean opting to keep the same towel two days, better working conditions for employees, organic cuisine or a zero carbon energy initiative. There are various certification programs and public and private partnerships you can consult on the web. Harinakshi Nair is director of HVS´ Ecotel program that has certified luxury hotels in the Americas, Asia and Africa. Responsible Travel, Tourism for Tomorrow, the Smithsonian and various other organizations monitor quality, innovation and business ethics, awarding prizes every year to the best destinations and providers around the world. Tourist Concern publishes a great ethical tourism guide and the Slow Food Movement will steer you to fabulous eco-gourmet experiences in Italy and other countries that have slow food “econviviums”. Choose your travel agency well. Epic Adventures, an agency that offers 10,000 destinations worldwide, pledges that 20% of their web-generated revenue goes directly to protecting wild lands and creating new parks and trails.

If skiing is your passion, the Ski Club of Great Britain has done your work for you. Their online guide www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/resorts/greenresorts covers more than 200 ski resorts worldwide, rating each destination for its construction, sewage, energy and waste management and transportation.

www.biohotels.info offers 17 hotels in Austria, Germany and Italy with organic cuisine, spa and health services in an alpine setting. www.biospherehotels.org lists eco hotels in the Spanish-speaking world, the majority in the Balearic and Canary Islands. One of the most beautiful and unique eco-resorts on earth is Hoshino, in Karuizawa, an hour’s travel from Tokyo, which includes a natural hot spring spa, a bird sanctuary and a wedding chapel. You can find information in English at www.japanfs.org/en/business/corporations26.html .

The best part of these places is the company you keep there. If you think that ecology-oriented tourists are a bunch of disenfranchised Luddites, you will be pleasantly surprised to know who else is thinking green. You could find yourself in the company of a NASA scientist, a Tuscan vintner or an international investor with a great post-peak-oil portfolio. Harinakshi Nair is correct in asking who will stop unsustainable tourism, but the answer is obvious: those who switch to, and stay with, a more sustainable model.