Pollution from tourism—a sector often taken for granted as a "green industry"—should not be neglected. Sheng Xuefeng, a research fellow at the Huangshan Tourism Research Center, said that although tourism is widely considered to be "green," its carbon emission amount is not low among tertiary industries.
Carbon Emission Alert
A report by the World Economic Forum in May 2009 found that tourism was responsible for 5 percent of the world's total carbon emissions, including 2 percent from the transportation of passengers and 3 percent by other means.
"Travelers would consume astonishing large amounts of water and power in hotels. Therefore, sight-seeing activities have created a huge pressure on the environment and has contributed its share of carbon emissions," Sheng Xuefeng was quoted as saying by the Xinhua News Agency.
Hotels are recognized as heavy polluters. Recent data from Huangshan Shilin Hotel showed a one night accommodation of a single person at the hotel produced 10-30 kg of carbon dioxide, equal to the emission of automobile driving 60 to 180 km. Water consumption at hotels is five times more than what ordinary residents expend.
The recent overcrowded eight-day national holiday exacerbated pollution in top tourist attractions. Tourists overwhelmed top attractions like Shaanxi-based Huashan and Shandong-based Taishan mountains. The Great Wall and the Imperial Palace in Beijing were "beset" by over 100,000 tourists each day during the holiday, creating an overflow of garbage.
Each sanitation worker picked up the equivalent of 200 km of garbage at Huangshan Mountain in east-China's Anhui Province during the weeklong holiday from September 30 to October 7, which combined both the National Day holiday and the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.
What challenged workers most was carrying the garbage down the 1,800-meter high mountain. "I had to be careful each time because my life would be lost if I was careless," said Li Peisheng, a sanitation worker at Huangshan, quoted by Xinhua.
Sheng noted that the tourism industry should do more to promote low carbon travel to save energy and mitigate pollution in an effort to reform the way travel is done within China.
"Tourism in China should undergo a transformation. Low-carbon tourism should be carried out when it comes to food, accommodations, group touring, shopping and entertainment. After all, China's travel ecology is too fragile to be hurt," Sheng said.
Low-carbon travelers
Low-carbon travel is becoming an international trend, promoting travel oriented more toward nature than luxury.
On October 3, 48 tourists from France visited to Yixian County, a world cultural heritage site in east China's Anhui Province. They traveled by bicycle between the county's villages and towns. There, they enjoyed picturesque mountains and rivers, listened to local music and communicated with ordinary people.
That same day, Li's three family members visited Yixian on bike from neighboring Wuhu City. "Despite having vehicles at home, we decided to travel by bike in order to save on gas and avoid any difficulties finding parking," Li said.
"We not only had a pleasant travel experience but got some good exercise at the same time," said Li, adding that low-carbon travel not only saves money but also allows travelers to get in touch with nature.
