green and gold tourism: promoting eco-adventure and ......green and gold tourism: promoting...

Green and Gold Tourism: Promoting

Eco-Adventure and Cultural Tourism

for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth OSCAR F. PICAZO

DAVAO CITY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

2 major flanks of tourism

Mass or mainstream tourism

Conventional, standard, large-

scale tourism

Tends to be capital-intensive and

large-scale and, therefore, less

inclusive

Corporate-oriented

Alternative tourism Non-traditional activities, non-

standard, often small- or medium-scale

More pro-poor tourism in that it generates more net benefits for the community

Does not promote a specific product or sector but an overall approach

“Rather than aiming to expand the size of the sector, pro-poor tourism aims to unlock opportunities for economic gain, other livelihood benefits, or engagement in decision-making for the poor” (Ashley, Goodwin, and Roe, 2001)

What is ‘green’ tourism?

International Ecotourism Society: “Ecotourism is the purposeful travel

to natural areas…

to understand the culture and natural history of the environment

taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem

while producing economic opportunities

that make the conservation of natural resources beneficial to local

people”

Why ‘green’ tourism? (Goeldner and Richie, 2003)

Provides jobs and incomes for local people

Makes possible funds for improving protected or natural areas to

attract more ecotourists in the future

Provides environmental education for visitors

Encourages heritage and environmental preservation and

enhancement

Illustrative activities of ‘green’

tourism (1 of 4)

Ecotourism – travel

involving mountain/volcano

climbing and trekking, camping,

rainforest trekking and canopy

tours, zipline riding, mangrove

tours, garden tours, bird-watching,

animal encounters (whales,

whale-shark, dolphin, penguin),

fireflies, butterfly and bee farm

visits, etc.


tourism (2 of 4)

Adventure

tourism – travel involving

rainforest trekking, mountain

climbing, camping, hang-gliding,

bungee jumping, white-water

rafting, desert sand or beach

boarding, scuba diving,

snorkelling, skywalking, and

helicopter rides over large

waterfalls/canyons and other

scenic places


tourism (3 of 4)

Agro-tourism – travel to farms, ranches,

estates, plantations, homesteads, and orchards and

includes such examples as growing, harvesting, and

processing of crops and produce, e.g., coffee farming,

tea estates, fruit plantations, pick-your-own-fruit

harvesting


tourism (4 of 4)

Safari tourism – travel to see

wild animals in their natural habitats, e.g.,

‘Big Five’ in Africa, komodo dragons

(Indonesia), orang-utans (Borneo), tigers

(Sumatra)

Why ‘gold’ tourism?

Festivals and events appeal to a very broad audience; they also

spread tourism geographically and seasonally, and therefore have

a large potential inclusive impact

Feasts and special events give communities a sense of pride and

ownership, enhancing social capital and therefore inclusiveness

The older generation of tourists were attracted to European cradles

of civilization, but the younger generations are seeking out ‘newer’ cultural destinations in emerging economies

Immigrants and their descendants are trying to rediscover their roots

Era of multiculturalism has launched massive tourism potential of

minority cultures

Illustrative activities of ‘gold’

tourism (1 of 4)

Ethnic tourism –

travel for the purpose of observing

cultural expressions and lifestyles of

truly exotic people, e.g., hill tribes

in Thailand; indigenous people

around Lake Sebu


tourism (2 of 4)

Cultural tourism –

travel to experience and, in some

cases, to participate in a vanishing

lifestyle, and to see physical

artifacts of such a way of life, e.g.,

town fiestas, Batak in Sumatra,

Incas of Peru


tourism (3 of 4)

Historical tourism – travel that stresses the glories of

a country’s or a region’s past,

usually seen in its museums, forts,

palaces, gates, churches, and

mosques

Pilgrimage

tourism – travel for a

religious purpose


tourism (4 of 4)

Festivals and events tourism – travel to a specific location to witness or participate in

a specific festivity held during a particular date, e.g.,

Kadayawan Festival

Core indicators of sustainable

tourism (1 of 3) (WTO 2003)

Indicators Specific Measures

Site protection Category of site protection according to IUCN index

Stress Tourist numbers visiting the site (per annum or peak

month)

Use intensity Intensity of use in peak period (persons/hectare)

Social impact Ratio of tourists to locals (peak period over time)

Development

control

Existence of environmental review procedure or formal

controls over development of site and use of densities

Waste management Percentage of sewage from site receiving treatment


tourism (2 of 3) (WTO, 2003)

Indicators Specific Measures

Planning process Existence of organized plan for tourist destination region

Critical ecosystems Number of rare/endangered species

Consumer

satisfaction

Level of satisfaction by visitors (questionnaire-based)

Local satisfaction Level of satisfaction by locals (questionnaire-based)

Tourism contribution

to local economy

Proportion of total economic activity generated by

tourists only


tourism (3 of 3) (WTO, 2003)

Composite Indices Specific Measures

Carrying capacity Composite early warning measure of key factors

affecting the ability of the site to support different levels

of tourism

Site stress Composite measure of levels of impact on the site

Attractiveness Qualitative measure of those site attributes that make it

attractive to tourism

Concerns and issues about ‘green’

and ‘gold’ tourism (1 of 2) (AHRRC, 2011)

What are the stakeholders’ main concerns in eco-adventure and

cultural tourism?

What is the level of knowledge of stakeholders on inclusivity and

environmental sustainability issues? What is their source of

information about these issues?

Do stakeholders have inclusivity and environmental sustainability

goals, strategies, policies, or plans? What are the main factors driving the inclusion (or exclusion) of these considerations? How are

they communicated to employees, tourists, or community

members?

Concern and issues about ‘green’

and ‘gold’ tourism (2 of 2) (AHRRC, 2011)

What are the biggest barriers in developing appropriate strategies

and practices in pursuit of inclusive and environmentally sustainable

eco-adventure and cultural tourism?

What are the most common and effective inclusivity and

environmental sustainability strategies or activities that stakeholders

actually conduct or get involved in? What have stakeholders heard

about inclusivity and sustainability that they want to try or adopt, if

they had the means to do so?

What changes would stakeholders want from the tourism status quo,

if they had their way?

Emerging good practices in

inclusivity and sustainability (1 of 4)

Volunteer travel – service-

oriented vacation, humanitarian

vacation, and ‘gap year’ travel

among the young in industrial

countries

Promotion of home stays –

provides opportunities for local

residents to use existing assets

(their homes) as lodging places

and thereby earn additional

revenues and experience a sense

of pride



Community organized-

and –owned tourism

activities – gaining traction in

RP mainly through DENR and

environmental NGOs: firefly tours,

mangrove tours, whale-shark

watching, dolphin watching,

trekking



Establishing non-mainstream or ‘new frontier’

tourist routes and destinations – focuses on

finding, arranging, and marketing ‘off-the-beaten-track’

routes and destinations, e.g., unexplored waterfalls, caves,

trails known only to local residents; local cuisine or food

trips; etc.



Tourists’ involvement in cultural

preservation and eco-

rehabilitation – focuses on endangered

cultural sites and cultural or ecotourism sites

that have been destroyed by natural or man-

made disasters, including vandalism

What can be done at the

collective level? (1 of 2) Official identification and listing of cultural heritage sites, historical

buildings, fragile ecosystems, etc.

Adoption by respected institutions of cultural and environmental sites for rescue and preservation

Formulation of Codes of Conduct for players within the industry

ASTA Ten Commandments of Ecotourism

APEC/PATA code of environmentally sustainable tourism

Formulation of Codes of Ethics and Practices for Tourists

Canadian tourism industry

National Audobon Society’s Travel Ethics for Environmentally Responsible Travel (1989)

Save Our Planet’s Guidelines for Low Impact Vacations (1990)

Center for Responsible Tourism’s Tourist Code of Ethics

What can be done at the

collective level? (2 of 2)

Formulation and enforcement of industry regulatory standards

Conduct of environmental assessment

Environmental audits of practices

Compliance with international conventions and national laws and

local ordinances

Promotion of community approaches and processes, and provision

of relevant capacity-building to them

Formulation of appropriate indicators for monitoring and evaluation

(M&E) and conduct of impact evaluation (IE)

Information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns for

individual tourists’ responsibilities

green and gold tourism: promoting eco-adventure and ......green and gold tourism: promoting...

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