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Green bags, green dresses, green homes are a passe, its time for "Green Passport." Not exactly a passport, Green Passport launched by the United Nations for tourists aims to save and protect the environment.
"Green Passport," an Internet campaign aimed at tourists, holidayers across the globe, guides and gives them the message of taking environment along, while they travel and have fun. The campaign encourages and guides tourists while they are vacationiing to do things, which are right environmentally and do not impact adversely on the surroundings.
The site has been launched by United Nations Environment Programme in cooperation with tourism ministries of France and Brazil to coincide the Berlin Tourism Fair. Green Passport introduces potential travellers to do things they can do to make tourism sustainable and help in the social and economic development of communities that host them, the website says.
Among other things, it advises the tourists to prefer destinations that have demonstrated responsible practices like human and environment conservation records, commitment to peace and pay fair wages to hotel workers.
"Packing a Green Passport along with airline tickets, the swimming costume and the sun lotion means tourists no longer need to leave their green credentials at home but can make them part of the holiday of a lifetime," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said at the fair.
By 2020, Steiner noted, the number of international arrivals by air and by sea could reach 1.6 billion annually. Among the other things, the Green Passport advises tourists to choose responsible service providers, reduce the consumption of energy in transit or in hotels and buy locally made, environmentally-friendly souvenirs.