sustainable tourism: managing paradise

Sustainable Tourism:Managing Paradise

Richard Farrcapacify.wordpress.com

Contents

•What’s the problem?

•How can we reduce the impact of tourism?

•Galapagos Islands case study.

•Understanding and responding to the ‘green customer’.

•Greenwash...

•...and how to avoid it.

•Let’s plan a sustainable holiday.

•Closing remarks.

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The Triple Bottom Line

• “People, Planet, Profit”

• An activity can only be sustained (done long-term) if it is socially acceptable, environmentally friendly and economically viable.

• This is true if you’re operating a tourism business, or any business.

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Our environmental impact

• Calculate your own ecological footprint at www.myfootprint.org

• How might you measure the ecological footprint of the tourism industry?

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Angkor Wat Cambodia

Not quite what you were expecting?

The challenge

•We need to protect sites that are of particular interest.

•We need to understand that there are powerful arguments against tourism (and other activities). Our activities need to be as sustainable as possible, to avoid getting a negative image.

•The industry will need to adapt...

Galapagos Islands Ecuador

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Galapagos Islands

•An archipelago of volcanic islands famed for their biodiversity, visited by Charles Darwin in 1835, and contributing to his theory of evolution.

•Part of Ecuador, but 575 miles to the west, in the Pacific Ocean.

•Population: 25,000, land area 2,967 mi2.

•The government declared 97.5% of the archipelago’s land area a national park in 1959.

•There are only 116 visitor sites in the Galapagos (54 on land).

•Small groups are allowed to visit a site in 2 – 4 hour shifts only, to limit impact on the area.

•All groups are accompanied by licensed guides.

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How do we make tourism more sustainable?

•Limit tourist numbers to a level that won’t disrupt the natural systems or communities in an area.

•Consult communities and respect their wishes, in regard to tourism and associated industries.

•Have an ‘off season’ when keyplaces are closed to visitors.

•Improve transport links: modernsystems are likely to be muchmore “green”.

•Good science: understand modesof harm, levels of risk, and thevalue of what is being lost. capacify.wordpress.com

Understanding and responding to the ‘green customer’

•You won’t necessarily be involved in ecotourism, and you may not work for a particularly ‘green’ company, but...

•You will need to comply with the law – which varies from country to country.

•You may still need to be able to defend your company and its operations against criticism.

•It’s easy to demonise air travel because of its immense carbon footprint, but let’s have a look at how we might be able to deflect criticism.

•Imagine you’re being interviewed on the radio, and there’s also a critic in the studio. How do you respond...?

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Greenwash

•“Disinformation disseminated by an organisation so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.”

•The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is receiving a growing number of complaints about environmental claims.

•Why does it matter to you?

•Procurement: you may need to buy from ethical sources.

•You may want to compete on how ‘green’ you are.

•Corporate Social Responsibility: you may need to justify your actions.

•Customers: you may be asked about ‘green’ performance in information requests.

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Classic Greenwash...

“Disinformation disseminated by an organisation so as

to present an environmentally responsible public image.”

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Top ten signs of a Greenwash

So how do we avoid a Greenwash?

•Truthful – accurate and able to be substantiated.

•Relevant – to the product and the environment issue associated with it.

•Clear – about what issue or aspect of the product is in question.

•Explicit – about the meaning of any symbol used in the claim.

•In plain language – so anybody can understand what is being claimed.

Let’s plan a sustainable holidayPart 1: where are we taking people?

•The Swiss Alps.

•Dubai.

•Thailand.

•The Falkland Islands.

•Botswana.

•The Florida Everglades.

•Bhutan.

•Svalbard.

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Let’s plan a sustainable holidayPart 2: where will our guests stay?

•Farm stay with a host family.

•On a cruise ship.

•Camping in the wilderness.

• In an inner city five star hotel.

• In a bed and breakfast guest house (in the suburbs).

• In a four star hotel, inside a national park.

• In a hotel constructed entirely from ice.

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Let’s plan a sustainable holidayPart 3: what will our guests be doing?

•Cross-country skiing.

•Heli-skiing.

•Hunting deer.

•Rock climbing.

•Snorkelling.

•Horse trekking.

•Playing golf.

•Sunbathing on the beach.

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Let’s plan a sustainable holidayPart 4: where will our guests eat?

•At an all-you-can-eat buffet.

•Eating out in city centre restaurants.

•A barbecue.

•Vegetarian restaurant.

•The accommodation is self-catering.

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Closing remarks

•Ethical tourism is on the increase.

•You may need to defend and justify your company’s actions.

•Competing to be cheapest just cuts into your profit margins... competing on being greenest may actually save you money.

•Always look at the triple bottom line:

•People – be safe, fair and respectful of local communities.

•Planet – save energy, save water and reduce waste.

•Profit – Always make sure your ‘people & planet’ solutions make you money as well (or you’ll stop doing them when times are hard).

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Thank you for your attention

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