Sustainable
tourism
Have
you ever been “disturbed” whilst soaking up the
sun’s rays on some far-off sandy beach by someone trying
to sell you something you preferred not to see? Or perhaps you
have been fortunate enough to trek up to Machu Picchu in Peru and
left your toilet paper dangling from a bush somewhere?
There
are so many examples of non-sustainable practices and equally
high-profile
case studies, particularly those that are now looking
at community development programmes vs. wildlife and game viewing – the
message goes out on the airwaves that a lion has been sighted,
and before you can get your zoom lens ready, at least 15 mini-busses
have skidded to a halt in front of one bemused cat! There is also
the increasing antagonism between the big UK tour operators vs.
the small tour operators from developing destinations, as well
as the high profile case of a destination that dared to impose
an eco-tax, that all went horribly wrong. I could not hope to do
all of this justice in one article alone.
This
article takes a brief look at sustainable tourism and attempts
to strip
some of the layers of jargon and “environmental
speak” that makes it hard to understand and even harder to
include in tourism strategies without it sounding empty and meaningless.
Sustainable
Tourism – a definition:
Sustainable tourism in its purest sense is an industry which attempts
to make a low impact on the environment and local culture, while
helping to generate income, employment, and the conservation of
local ecosystems.
It is responsible tourism which is both ecologically and culturally
sensitive.
Increasing evidence shows that an integrated approach to tourism
planning and management is now required to achieve sustainable
tourism. It is only recently that there has been a growing recognition
of the importance of combining the needs of traditional urban management
(transportation, land use planning, marketing, economic development,
fire and safety etc.) with the need to plan for tourism.
Unfortunately,
in so many destinations, the short term approach prevails, with
architects and developers’ plans coming before
local communities, environmental concerns (especially water consumption)
and employee development.
Some important principles of sustainable tourism development:
• Tourism
should be initiated with the help of broad-based community-inputs
and the community should maintain control of tourism
development. It should not be developed and managed from afar.
• Tourism
should provide quality employment to its community residents
and a linkage between the local businesses and tourism
should be established. The locals should do more than just clean
up after the tourists, and be badly paid for their tasks.
• A
code of practice should be established for tourism at all levels
-
national, regional, and local - based on internationally
accepted standards. Guidelines for tourism operations, impact assessment,
monitoring of cumulative impacts, and limits to acceptable change
should be established.
• Education
and training programmes to improve and manage heritage and natural
resources should be established.
Source: Jamieson, Walter and Alix Noble, "A Manual for Sustainable
Tourism Destination Management" CUC-UEM Project, AIT, 2000
So what does it all mean? How can you apply these lofty principles
to your business?
I suggest you start by trying to answer the questions laid out
below. If you answer yes to at least three of them, you are already
a long way down the sustainable trail.
Is your communication informative? Travellers not only learn about
the destination, they learn how to help sustain its character while
deepening their own travel experiences. Residents learn that the
ordinary and familiar may be of interest and value to outsiders.
Does your business support integrity of place? Destination-savvy
travellers seek out businesses that emphasize the character of
the locale in terms of architecture, cuisine, heritage, aesthetics,
and ecology. Tourism revenues in turn raise local perceived value
of those assets.
Does your business benefit local residents? Travel businesses
do their best to employ and train local people, buy local supplies,
and use local services.
Does your business conserve resources? Environmentally aware travellers
favour businesses that minimize pollution, waste, energy consumption,
water usage, landscaping chemicals, and unnecessary night time
lighting.
Does your business respect local culture and tradition? Foreign
visitors learn about and observe local etiquette, including using
at least a few courtesy words in the local language. Residents
learn how to deal with foreign expectations that may differ from
their own.
Do
you abuse your product? Stakeholders anticipate development pressures
and
apply limits and management techniques to prevent
the "loved to death" syndrome. Businesses cooperate to
sustain natural habitats, heritage sites, scenic appeal, and local
culture.
Do you strive for quality, not quantity? Communities measure tourism
success not by sheer numbers of visitors, but by length of stay,
money spent, and quality of experience. Of course it means great
trips. Satisfied, excited visitors bring new knowledge home and
send friends off to experience the same thing - which provides
continuing business for the destination.
Source: National Geographic Online
One of the most practical examples of a low-impact solution to
the supposed saboteur of package tourism took place in the Gambia
just over three years ago.
Beach
traders used to ply their wares every day, up and down the beach
and “hassling” guests
of the large hotels who had ventured out onto the beach when
they thought the coast was
clear (of traders). This had predictable results in that the local
traders became resentful of the large international hotels and
their guests as they were unable to share in the economic bounty
that was tourism. Tensions built up and thanks to enlightened thinking
by the tourism authorities, the hotel owners and operators were
forced to meet with the traders to try and find a way forward,
without inconveniencing the guests, of course!
The result was a series of weekly markets, held in the grounds
of each of the hotels, thus giving the traders access to the tourism
pounds, the tourists access to the local traders in a safe, non-threatening
environment and the international hotels took on their share of
responsibility.
It is very easy to find examples of best practice in developing
markets, but not so easy to find information in England.
If you
have any sustainable projects you are involved with or would like
to share your experiences, please get in touch with me, Mary Tebje
mary@tourismleisure.org.
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