WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AUTHENTIC & SUSTAINABLE

Time to holiday? In the planning stages, we as consumers are increasingly prioritising sustainability and authenticity as important criteria in our decision-making. Yet how do we know what really is sustainable and authentic? Who do we trust? In this blog, I explain what makes ethical, responsible and sustainable tourism, outline the issue of “green-washing”, and the ever-present global problems and wrongdoings committed by the “greatest” travel companies, which unknowingly we may be exacerbating.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE “AUTHENTIC” AND “SUSTAINABLE”

“Authentic” and “sustainable” have become industry buzz words in recent years. They have become so overused, I question do we even know what these mean anymore, or are they exploited for marketing purposes?

According to the Sustainability in Tourism Report by Booking.com in November last year, 87% of all tourists want more sustainable travel options and 67% are willing to spend at least 5% more on their trip if this ensures the least possible impact on the environment.

Latest research also indicates that rural destinations, so-called “workcations” (remote working vacations), and extended lengths of stay (7 days+) have escalated up the consumer agenda. The change in consumer behaviours is a positive move towards more sustainable choices, including increased demand for “sustainable” certified accommodation.

The Definition Of Sustainability

Sustainability by its very nature is defined as the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level over a period of time. In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Sustainability is a lot more than just nature and carbon. Booking.com published their Sustainability in Tourism report... still the emphasis is on protecting the natural environment, waste reduction and preserving wildlife and natural habitats. There was no mention of the impact of tourism on people.

The Problems

When over-tourism and its devastating impacts locally are dominating academic research and press, it begs the question, why are large companies being blind still pursuing mass tourism? The best leaders are recognising that if business continues to behave immorally, consumers will turn their backs, and business will nosedive.

There are four key problem areas: over-tourism, extractive economy, loss of identity and gentrification or so-called “touristification”.

To many of us holidays are a luxury, and we’re very fortunate that we get to experience different cultures, learn how others live, relax and enjoy their way of life. If we go and stay in a 4* or 5* chain hotel all-inclusive in the Canaries, how are going to learn about another culture when the hotel looks like it could be anywhere in the world, and the hotel is filled with Brits?

In the short term rental market, under no circumstance should anyone lose their primary home solely to accommodate holidaymakers or investors wanting to earn a hefty income from their property, alienating the locals, dominating and rewriting the culture and traditions in the destination. By pushing out the locals and their customs, you are changing the identity of neighbour- hoods, displacing and pushing populations out to the suburbs or further afield.

Imagine a farmer or a gardener cutting all the crops down and not planting new ones...

Ultimately we are talking about people’s feelings. If this is the impact tourism is having on an area much loved and long lived and enjoyed by locals, they increasingly become resentful to the way the place they once called home is being “used” / exploited for shallow interest and pleasure of tourists who may stay for a night or two.

Cruise Tourism

Between 2013 and 2016 cruise companies saw the income potential and decided to scale up their boats to carry 4900 passengers instead of 1250. They would arrive all at once into Dubrovnik Old Town.

This raises the number of one-day visitors who, disputably, exploit the city as an ‘attractive visual backdrop’, just wanting the perfect photo for their Instagram, instead of showing interest in the city’s culture and cuisine. Here visitors’ experiences provide ‘marginal’ benefit for the Dubrovnik area given the negative social costs left behind. As of 2017, the local population living in the Old Town had fallen to 6% of Dubrovnik’s total population of approximately 28,000, and continues to suffer significant depopulation.

“When over-tourism and its devastating impacts locally are dominating academic research and press, it begs the question,why are large companies being blind still pursuing mass tourism? The best leaders are recognising that if business continues to behave immorally, consumers will turn their backs, and business will nosedive.”

The Old Town now features on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger and was a co-founder of the Civil Society Network of Historical Cities of the Eastern Mediterranean, along with Venice, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes and Cyprus. They came together in 2018 to attract large scale attention to the devastating impact of over-tourism on the famous cities of outstanding beauty and cultural significance, as well as on the lives of locals.

The United Nations proposed their Sustainable Development Goals as “the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice” but it seems too few are taking note.

Issue Of Greenwashing

I attended the World Travel Market Conference back in November at the Excel London. I listened into the industry sustainability keynote discussions. The common question among big industry bosses: “Are we doing enough?” “Are we moving fast enough?” They said “no”.

Looking at the state of tourism globally, they agreed what the world needs is focus on people over profit, developing a fair approach to business, and creating genuine local experiences and engagement for visitors. Again, industry leaders of our best known travel companies and booking platforms observed that businesses were lacking, but were they prepared to walk the walk?

HOW FAIRBNB.COOP HAVE ADOPTED A TRULY SUSTAINABLE MODEL

As lead for Fairbnb.coop in the UK, and Local Ambassador in Essex and Suffolk regions, I am now representing the internationally recognised “best platform for communities” (Telegraph 2022).

Fairbnb.coop is a sustainable community-powered tourism solution that allows the travellers to direct 50% of the platform standard commissions to social projects or charities in the community, through their accommodation and experience platform.

We offer an alternative platform that prioritises people and our planet over profit, adopting a circular economy and financial redistribution model. The platform allows hosts and guests to connect for meaningful travel and cultural exchange, while minimising the cost to communities, supporting those whose work addresses real time societal challenges. c