Mass tourism having negative impact on the environment and local community. The solution is a tourist and environmental awareness project in schools, whose main objective is to work on environmental awareness in the community. The benefits were e.g. Practical activities with schools: on the topics (Solid Waste Management, Dunes, Beaches, Traditional Activities of the destination, Culture, Tourism, Regional Biodiversity), Awareness of the local population regarding environmental preservation or the work on a proposal for Environmental Education in a continuous and permanent way, as foreseen in the PNEA with the inclusion in the PMT – Municipal Tourism Plan of Tibau (2022-2026).
The city of Tibau is one of the most popular destination on the White coast of the State of Rio Grande do Norte/Brazil, and it is raising concerns that it may negatively impact its environment and local communities. The Environmental Education Week in Tibau Schools was developed in 2021 as a way to strengthen environmental education working with local pupils. Raising awareness amongst the younger generation in a destinations were tourism has so much importance is a way to ensure a sustainable future and preservation of the environment.
Keywords: Overtourism, tourist and environmental awareness, community, children, school education Developing sustainable tourism Nature conservation, Tourism impacts on nature, Community involvement in planning, Avoiding Overtourism