RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
TRANSFORMING A LOCAL QUEST INTO A GLOBAL MOVEMENT
CENTRAL COAST, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA
Photo: Destination Central Coast
Here is a new habit to adopt whether you are exploring your home neighborhood or traveling to a new place: simply remove three pieces of litter from the environment. The positive impact would be tremendous if we all did this as a normal part of our day. This concept grew from a movement that first began on the Central Coast in New South Wales and is now inspiring people to care for destinations globally.
What's
changing
When a community and its leaders come together around common causes they care about, they can drive cultural change and foster a more positive and sustainable environment that benefits both the health of their own home and inspires respectful changes in visitors’ behavior.
What's already
possible
On the Central Coast, a natural partnership has grown between an organization called Take 3 for the Sea, that has been spreading awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans since 2009, and the region’s tourism management organization, Destination Central Coast (DCC). These organizations encourage visitors to protect the environment by taking at least three pieces of discarded litter home with them when they visit the area’s abundance of natural areas. The simple idea has spread throughout the community, state, country and the world, facilitated by a passionate community of environmental stewards living in this coastal region of Australia.
Seizing
the opportunity
Caring for the environment has always been a cornerstone of the Central Coast's culture, with DCC leading the region to become one of Australia’s first certified ECO Destinations in 2022. This achievement followed a 3-year collaboration between the local council, national parks, land managers and the tourism industry. DCC's dedication to conservation and sustainable tourism is strengthened by partnerships with organizations like Take 3 for the Sea. Together, they spearhead anti-litter campaigns directed at visitors and promote responsible fishing practices. Beyond ongoing communication, Take 3 excels in teaching schoolchildren and businesses about the causes of plastic pollution, preparing them to be leaders in the fight against this global challenge.
Standout
tactic
DCC supports Take 3 with their GroundSwell Litter Lab that teaches tourism businesses in New South Wales how to reduce litter in their operations and popular tourist spots. This free program gives businesses the tools needed to lead litter prevention, be better environmental stewards and act in alignment with the Central Coast’s ECO Destination commitment.
How
it helps
Take 3 has such strong community support on the Central Coast and beyond that the organization reached its 2025 goals a year early. The organization prevented 56 million pieces of litter from decomposing in the world's oceans, educated over 1 million students and recently expanded educational programs to schools in 11 countries on four other continents. Both DCC and Take 3 have won awards recognising their sustainability in action on the global stage. DCC has also incentivised several new ECO Certified experiences to emerge including an alpaca farm, whale watching tours and NSW’s first ECO Certified oyster farm as part of its ongoing support for responsible tourism.
Diving
deeper
How can organizations like Take 3 ensure their sustainability initiatives effectively address the causes of plastic pollution without disproportionately placing the burden on individuals? How can they balance raising awareness with advocating for systemic change?
Increasing
impact
Sustainably minded organizations like DCC and Take 3 can continue to increase their impact by working together to advocate for stronger regulations on plastic use, encourage responsible destination stewardship or lobby enterprises to change their packaging.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
