Learn more about ways to enjoy an authentic experience and be an ethical visitor.
When visitors choose to stay in a self-catering cottage, they’re often looking for an authentic experience for their stay. They’re also making a choice that can significantly impact the local community and environment. Ethical tourism is all about being conscious of the environment, culture, and economy of the destination you’re visiting. By supporting businesses and practices that are in harmony with these values, you ensure that your holiday benefits both you and the area you’re visiting. If you want to make a positive difference while enjoying a well-deserved break, here are 8 recommendations for embracing ethical tourism when booking your next holiday.
Choose Local
One of the most important ways to ensure your tourism is ethical is by supporting cottage owners who live in the area. When owners are part of the local community, their business directly supports the local economy and ensures that the money you spend stays within the region. Local owners are also more likely to have a strong commitment to preserving the area’s heritage, natural beauty, and culture. They may also be more knowledgeable about local issues, sustainability initiatives, and can guide you to ethical and environmentally responsible activities during your stay.
Before booking, take the time to read about the property’s owners on the website or through reviews. You’ll find that some self-catering cottages are family-run or locally owned, which is a clear sign of a business that invests in and cares about its community. Apart from Dornie Croft, there’s also Three Lochs View, Dornie Wigwams, Glas Eilean View, The Red House and more. That way, your hard-earned money doesn’t drift to owners who live outwith the area, and even overseas.
Book Directly with the Cottage Owners
Fàilte! Welcome!
Booking your stay directly with the owners rather than through third-party booking websites is another way to practice ethical tourism. When you book directly, you avoid additional booking fees charged by third-party platforms like AirBnB, Booking.Com and Vrbo, meaning more money stays with the local owners. This approach allows the owners to maintain better control over the pricing and can often result in a more personalized and authentic experience.
In addition, booking directly can lead to greater transparency in how the business operates. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions about the cottage’s environmental practices, such as waste disposal, water conservation, and energy use, which may not always be as clear when booking through large agencies.
Shop Locally for Food, Supplies and Gifts
One of the most rewarding aspects of staying in a self-catering cottage is the opportunity to prepare your own meals with fresh, local ingredients. Ethical tourism goes hand-in-hand with supporting local farmers, shops, and markets. Instead of ordering your shopping from large supermarket chains who leave no money in the local economy, take time to explore local shops such as Lochalsh Butchers, Fisherman’s Kitchen, Manuela’s Wee Bakery or some of the local distilleries – Isle of Raasay Distillery, Torabhaig Distillery or Isle of Skye Distillers.
Supporting local businesses also helps support arts and crafts, boosts the local economy, and reduces the environmental impact of transporting goods over long distances. It’s a simple yet effective way to make your stay more sustainable and enrich your holiday with authentic experiences. Right next door to Dornie Croft is the amazing jeweller Lindsay Johnston. Further afield you’ll find beautiful landscapes by Cath Waters, luxury sheepskin rugs and many other items at SkyeSkyns and all sorts of handwoven tweeds in Skye Weavers.
Use Public Transport or Eco-Friendly Transportation
While driving around a picturesque destination can seem tempting, using public transport or eco-friendly modes of transportation, such as bicycles or electric vehicles, is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Read our blog on using public transport for ways to have a day out or even get to Dornie without the need for a car.
Leave No Trace
One of the simplest and most impactful ways to be an ethical tourist is to leave no trace of your visit. This means being mindful of the environment during your stay—whether you’re hiking in the hills, enjoying the coast, or exploring local woods. Respect nature by disposing of rubbish properly, using eco-friendly products (such as biodegradable soaps), and ensuring you don’t disturb wildlife or damage fragile ecosystems and don’t start fires in the outdoors. Small actions, like picking up litter or staying on marked paths while walking, can have a big impact on preserving the beauty of the area for future visitors.
Support Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Accommodation Practices
When selecting a self-catering cottage, look for properties that embrace sustainability practices. Some cottages may have solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, water-saving measures, or composting systems. These practices help reduce the environmental impact of your stay and ensure that the property is working towards sustainability. If you find a property that has these features, consider making them a key factor in your decision-making process.
You can also look for cottages that follow the principles of green tourism, which often means minimising waste, reducing energy consumption, and prioritizing local materials for construction or renovation. Eco-certifications and sustainability awards are a good indicator of these efforts. We were delighted to achieve Gold standard from Green Tourism for our cottages.
Learn more about local languages, culture and traditions
Ethical tourism isn’t just about the environment—it also includes respecting the local language and culture, heritage, and way of life. When visiting a new destination, take time to learn about the history and traditions of the area. Whether it’s through conversations with locals, visiting museums, or attending cultural events, you can enrich your authentic experience by understanding the context of the place you’re visiting.
Our indigenous language, Gaelic, is under threat of extinction. You can see it on road-signs and in place-names as well as on the Scottish BBC ALBA tv channel. There’s more information on Gaelic and the area in the cottages and on our website. Wherever you go, treating the community with respect ensures that tourism has a positive impact on the locals, rather than a disruptive one.
Encourage Responsible Wildlife Viewing
As we are located in a wildlife-rich area, we encourage our guests to adopt responsible wildlife viewing practices. This means staying at a safe distance, avoiding loud noises, and not feeding animals. Ethical wildlife tourism encourages visitors to appreciate animals in their natural habitat without disturbing their daily routines or harming the ecosystem. There are tours and excursions led by local guides who are committed to wildlife conservation and we particularly recommend Calum’s Seal Trips in Plockton. These tours are designed to ensure that tourism does not harm the animals or their habitats. When booking any wildlife-related activity, ensure that the tour operator follows these principles.