Tour Operators And The Awareness Of Sea Turtle Conservation

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SEA TURTLE BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION. Mazatlan, MEXICO. March 1998

TOUR OPERATORS AND THE AWARENESS OF SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION AT THREE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN TOURIST DESTINATIONS Roger, HC, Poland 1, Graham B, Hall1, James A, Scott and Lily, Venizelos2 1Biology Department, King‘s College, Taunton, Somerset, UK TA13DX. 2MEDASSET (Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles), c/o 24,Park Towers, 2 Brick Street, London, W1Y7DF, UK. BACKGROUND This survey was prompted by questions asked by delegates at the European Coastlines Conference at Swansea University UK, in 1994, (Poland, R., Hall G. & Venizelos, L. 1995) after a report on an investigation into the knowledge and attitudes of English speaking tourists towards Turtle/Tourism issues on the Greek Island of Zakynthos.

The Mediterranean populations of Green (Chelonia mydas) and Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) are very small but constitute unique genetic races ( Bowen, B., et al 1993). The three sites were chosen because of their importance to loggerhead turtle breeding and as tourist resorts. The tourist industry has been a major factor in reducing sea turtle populations in the Mediterranean.

The three sites show important differences. Zakynthos is the most important because it has the largest known nesting density of Loggerhead in the Mediterranean (1995: 2,080 nests on a total of 3.9km of beach) (Venizelos, L. 1995) and the largest number of tourists for any Greek Island resort (over 350,000 per annum), the vast majority of whom are on cheap two week package tours from the UK with a few large British companies such as Thomson and Airtours.

In contrast, the neighbouring smaller island of Kefalonia has between 30 and 80 nests per annum mostly confined to one beach, and a very much lower number of British tourists.

Dalyan beach in Turkey in 1989, carried 235 nests on 4 km of beach (Venizelos, L. 1995).

Because this breeding beach is isolated by a lagoon and extensive marshes, tourist use is restricted. However, daily boat excursions from the nearby busy resort of Marmaris threaten this key nesting site. Of the three locations, Dalyan is the only one not to have a dedicated local conservation group: it has some protective legislation but a very limited awareness programme. This is in sharp contrast to the other two locations where there is active conservation.

Because the holiday season coincides with the turtle breeding season (May-September), there is conflict between tourist and turtle. The British peak holiday season is in July and August and most will travel by charter airline. On arrival, they will be met by their resident Company Representative who will brief them on local customs and points of interest on the coach and at a ‘Welcome Meeting‘. Sea turtle nesting sites at all three locations are under threat from

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SEA TURTLE BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION. Mazatlan, MEXICO. March 1998

the effects of tourism (see three MEDASSET reports, Bern Convention meeting, 1997).

METHODOLOGY The project was carried out in 1996 and involved over 22 students and 11 members of staff.

The research was conducted in four phases: Phase I – to identify the research location, references to turtles in holiday brochures and to assess the attitudes of Tour Companies to turtles as an example of an environmental issue.

Phase II - to carry out structured interviews with Tour Company Head Offices to assess their attitude towards environmental issues and how they portray this is in their brochures and through their Tour Representatives at the resorts. Phase III – To carry out interviews at research sites. Phase IV – to produce reports with recommendations.

RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Phase 1 - the information provided by tour companies in their holiday brochures: Sixteen 1998 brochures from eight tour companies were scanned for any mention of sea turtles. All but one brochure mentioned turtles somewhere although detailed information was largely restricted to the few brochures concerned with specific nesting sites. In Turkish brochures, mention is only made when it is part of a day excursion. The brochures for Zakynthos (Greece) were far more detailed.

Factual points of interest were accurate although there were some slightly misleading information. Some brochures definitely used the turtle as an attraction and to give a perception of unspoilt beaches.

Codes of conduct are rarely emphasised and no brochure seems to warn its customer that all the beaches are closed from dusk to dawn. Little brochure space can be spared to provide detailed information on sea turtles and their conservation.

Anyone reading the brochures for resorts close to a nesting site would be bound to know of the turtles’ existence. It is a great pity that the brochures do not actively encourage more respect for the needs of sea turtles. If Tour Companies use the sea turtle to any extent to promote a resort, they have an obligation to make tourists aware of activities that can cause harm .

Phase II - the attitude of head office towards sea turtle conservation: Only two major Tour companies responded; Thomson and Inspirations. Both interviews used a structured questionnaire technique although Inspirations was conducted via post whilst the Thomson interview was carried out ‘face-to-face‘ at their Head Office in London.

Both companies showed a genuine interest in sea turtle conservation but felt that the initiative should come from conservation groups, both international and local. They would be willing to co-operate and promote sea turtle conservation measures but they did not have the time or resources to initiate an awareness program. Both companies would welcome more

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SEA TURTLE BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION. Mazatlan, MEXICO. March 1998

information, as long as it was accurate, and also help to distribute leaflets at the resort and possibly on their aircraft. Including more sea turtle information in their brochures would be dependant upon cost and space.

Phase III – (a) the results of the interviews with local tour representatives 24 local Tour Representatives from 11 companies were interviewed using the structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions designed to discover the Representative’s personal and professional knowledge of the turtle/tourist problem.

The role of the Tour Companies is to sell holidays, the role of the Tour Representative is to ensure that his/her client has a very satisfying holiday. Although turtles provide a point of interest, they are too infrequent to be important as a selling point. There is a major role for local Conservation groups in providing information to Tour Representatives and their local Offices and also to keep them informed of developments as they occur throughout the nesting season (The conservationists of Kefalonia have an excellent and on-going information channel open to the Tour Companies). The Tour Representatives are very willing to do their part but are often short of time and accurate information. In some companies they need more encouragement and advice. Table 1 shows that there is a loss of information between the Tour Representative and tourist as the newly arrived tourist is often very tired and anxious and unlikely to take in a great deal at their ‘Welcoming meeting‘., however well prepared the Tour Representative. The local Tour Company Office and the Tour Representative have a vital role.

Phase III (b) the results of the tourist questionnaire: 1,068 questionnaires were completed at the three sites: 43 were void. Of the valid questionnaires, 948 were for UK tourists and these were used exclusively in the following results.

The valid questionnaires showed that importance of the Tour Representative at the ‘welcome meeting’ and on the coach and the holiday brochure. See table 1.

TABLE 1 – INFORMATION SOURCE FOR TOURISTS Those answering YES

Percentage obtaining information from that source

Number of questionnaires

332

437

179

948

Source of Information Welcoming meeting Holiday Brochure Television and radio Coach trip from

Dalyan

Laganas

Kefalonia

66% 11% 31% 1%

58% 47% 16% 22%

66% 27% 18% 39%

Total-all sites 62% 31% 19% 18%

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airport Conversation with Rep. Guide books Friends Previous visit Leaflets Travel agent Locals Posters at Hotel Posters at resort

22%

17%

9%

18%

20% 14% 8% 1% 4% 13% 1% 1%

11% 20% 8% 18% 16% 6% 12% 12%

23% 5% 24% 2% 12% 1% 8% 8%

16% 15% 11% 9% 9% 8% 7% 7%

Other sources of information scoring 6% or less were: local shops - 6%; other - 6%; slide shows at resort – 4%; local conservation groups – 3%; International conservation groups –1%; on the plane- 1%; information with ticket – 1%; tourist boards (local and national) – 1%

Table 2 – Information provided by Tour Company Representative Top eight Tour Campaigns (figures as % positive answers) (figures in brackets give number of questionnaires per company) Information provided

Minor companies*

138

18

89

Airtours

Cosmos

1st Choice

50 Inspirations

60 Manos

60 Sunworld

18 Tapestry

260 Thomson

693 Mea n

Standard deviation

197 Mea n

67%

72%

62%

74%

72%

65%

79%

72%

69%

5,42

68%

20%

17%

33%

26%

30%

25%

14%

28%

26%

6,57

5%

9%

11%

9%

6%

17%

13%

0%

13%

11%

5,14

5%

General turtle information

Welcome meeting On coach

Turtle biological facts

Welcome meeting On coach

1%

0%

1%

0%

0%

0%

0%

4%

3%

1,38

0%

Threats to sea turtles

Welcome meeting On coach

10%

22%

21%

28%

30%

33%

7%

26%

23%

9,3

21%

4%

0%

4%

8%

3%

2%

0%

6%

4%

2,77

0%

How to watch sea turtles

Welcome meeting On coach

5%

28%

11%

22%

17%

25%

0%

16%

15%

9,72

0%

1%

0%

1%

0%

0%

2%

0%

2%

1%

0,88

0%

Slide shows for more information

Welcome meeting On coach

5%

6%

7%

8%

3%

5%

0%

13%

8%

3,79

0%

1%

0%

1%

0%

0%

0%

0%

7%

3%

2,41

0%

Codes of conduct to conserve

Welcome meeting On coach

12%

22%

24%

54%

35%

45%

43%

30%

29%

13,84

37%

4%

0%

8%

8%

7%

3%

0

5%

5%

Leaflets given out

Welcome meeting

1%

6%

2%

2%

2%

3%

0%

3%

2%

1,78

On coach Score % for information*

0% 5%

0%

0%

0%

0%

2%

0%

0%

0%

0%

0,70

0%

15%

20%

23%

25%

23%

24%

14%

26%

22%

4,5

*Excludes private holidays

*calculated by adding all positive responses as % and dividing by the 20 possible input questions (some not included above). Tapestry is included as a Dalyan specialist company.

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Table 2 shows that the majority of companies do mention sea turtles but highlight threats and codes of conduct in little detail.

GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS Tour Companies are increasingly sensitive to the change in attitude of their clients to conservation issues. None of them can afford to offend local initiatives and ambitions BUT they can and must influence tourist development for it to be sustainable. They must also be prepared to help to safeguard any features of environmental interest.

1. Holiday brochures should always mention codes of conduct if turtles are anywhere near the holiday resort.

2. Information on sea turtle conservation should be sent annually to Guide Books and to Head Offices. This information should be provided by a recognised and internationally known conservation organisation e.g. The Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET).

3.Local conservation groups should send regular statements on the turtle situation to local Tour company offices.

4. Leaflets to be delivered and handed to passengers as they board their aircraft: a possible conservation project in itself.

A full edition of this paper will eventually be published on the Euroturtle WWW site: URL:http://www.ex.ac.uk/MEDASSET LITERATURE CITED Bowen, B., Avise, J., Richardson,J., Meylan,A.,Margaritoulis,D., Hopkins-Murphy,S. (1993), Population Structure of Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Conservation Biology, Volume 7, No.4, December 1993 pages 834-843 Poland, R., Hall G. & Venizelos, L. (1995) Sea Turtles and Tourists: The Loggerhead Turtles of Zakynthos (Greece). Directions in European Coastal Management, Healy and Doody (eds) 1995, Samara Publishing Limited, Cardigan. ISBN 1 873692 06 4 pages 119-127 Venizelos, L. (1995) Sea Turtles in the Mediterranean: Three Case Studies. Testudo, Vol 4, No.2 pages 47-55.

MEDASSET report to the 17th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and natural Habitats.

Nature Conservation in Dalyan/Turkey - an update of the environmental situation:1996-1997. Dec 1-5/1997 MEDASSET report to the 17th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and natural Habitats. The Kefalonian Marine Turtle Project and the Katelios Group for the research and protection of marine and terrestrial life.

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T-PVS(97) 43 Dec 1-5/1997 MEDASSET report to the 17th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and natural Habitats. Marine Turtle Conservation in Zakynthos (Laganas Bay), Greece - developments since the 16th Meeting of the Convention.

T-PVS(97) 46 Dec 1-5/1997

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