Discover the operation
Every year, more and more tourists visit the world.
There were 25 million travellers in 1950 compared to 1.5 billion in 2023 according to the World Tourism Organisation. That is 60 times more than 70 years ago.
This growing influx will have terrible consequences for hundreds of places still preserved from any human presence: ecosystems will be disrupted, species threatened, natural sanctuaries destroyed.
For all these reasons, Tao Guides, the first travel guides committed to sustainable tourism, have decided to act by launching the « Hate To Protect » operation.
The objective is simple: preserve fragile natural sites from tourism by making them undesirable.
When choosing a destination, most travellers rely on internet reviews.
To discourage tourists from visiting these places, we troll their online reputation by posting negative reviews on the most popular review sites.
We have selected natural places that are likely to be exposed in the coming months to a large influx of tourists, which could cause irreversible damage to ecosystems and endemic species.
Far from simply discouraging travellers, the operation also serves to redirect them to sustainable destinations and addresses that respect the Tao Guides' charter. In this way, travellers are advised on destinations suitable for their visit.
What are the Tao Guides?
Tao Guides were created in 2008 to enable people to travel the world in a sustainable and ethical way.
How do we do this? By only selecting addresses that meet ecological and societal criteria and by offering tips to encourage travellers to take the most responsible approach possible.
All this with one goal in mind: to create a virtuous tourism where travellers contribute to respecting our planet and its inhabitants rather than degrading its riches.