Strategies in Sustainable Travel and Tourism by Uros zupancic

Strategies in Sustainable Travel and Tourism Edited by Mark Esposito, PhD (Developed from an original idea of Sustainable Travel International)

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“This book is dedicated to my parents, for their loving support during my early years and to my today’s family, with my loves, Alina and Frappy”

CIP - Katalo탑ni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knji탑nica, Ljubljana 502.131.1:338.48 STRATEGIES in sustainable travel and tourism [Elektronski vir] : (developed from an original idea of Sustainable Travel International) / edited by Mark Esposito ; foreword by Roger Haw. El. knjiga. - Maribor : IRDO - Institute for the Development of Social Responsibility, 2009 ISBN 978-961-91826-9-7 1. Esposito, Mark 247707392

About the editor Mark Esposito, Ph.D., D.M. www.mark-esposito.com Dr. Mark Esposito is a tenured Associate Professor of Management & Behavior and Director of the Master in International Business (ranked 5th worldwide by FT) at the Grenoble Graduate School of Business in France, where he teaches regularly in the onsite and offsite programs. In 2005, Dr. Esposito initiated his cooperation with UNESCO and more specifically with the educational unit based in Thailand. He is an active member of the UNESCO Heritage Center and he is affiliated to the Academic Council of the United Nations System. He serves as Research Fellow for the United Nations Global Compact for the Principles for Responsible Management Education and he serves as Think Tank in Europe, Asia and North America. He is the co-author of the book: “Sustainable Future of Mankind” co-written with a Nobel Nominee in 2007 and supplemental author of the book the“Laws of Communication”published by Wiley with other academicians. His second authored book,“Put your CSR act together”opens his research interest to the implementation of sustainable change and leadership in all industries and societies and addresses his main concern to the creation and development of sustainable thought and action in all facets of organizational and human performance. Tate Publishing will print his third authored book on “Emotional Intelligence” written with his close friend and colleague Dr. Alessandro Cavelzani, in the course of 2010. He is also involved in other academic appointments throughout the world, counting on top business schools worldwide such as: ESCP Europe (France, UK, Germany, Spain and Italy), International University of Monaco, International School of Management ( Paris, Tokyo, New York and Shanghai), U21Global in Singapore and Royal Roads University in Canada. Dr. Esposito has been granted several awards such as “ Professor of the Year 2007 and 2008” in Switzerland,” Outstanding Professor Award 2008” in France and“ Excellence in Education Award 2008”in Singapore and he continues to build his vision of a continuous and strenuous effort to truly make a difference within his sphere of action.

Foreword It is a great pleasure for me to write the preface to this book entitles 'Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism' which brings together useful information pertaining to the Sustainable Travel, Tourism and Eco-tourism perspectives. Nowadays, traveling round the world is no longer a dream anymore. With the availability of modern technologies and convenient transportation services at affordable cost to making travel more comfortable it is possible for the majority of people to visit places in the world on their choice of schedule. Just imagine in 1920, Mr. Robert Ripley the Founder of 'Ripley's Believe It or Not!' made his first trek across Europe via Africa, Asia and then back to America. He took more times to reach one destination as compared to us today. However, he had visited 198 countries even though he had to face uncountable obstacles, traveling a distance equal to 18 complete trips around the world. Indeed it is a great achievement. As a regular international traveler I have been traveling to around seventy countries together with my colleagues on many official visits and some leisure holidays in different seasons with my beloved wife and children. Of course, we find each trip a fruitful educational trip with meaningful experience during our journey to promote Ansted University's mission in the six continents. I wish to warmly congratulate Mark Esposito and all others who have generously contributed in many ways towards the realization of this book. Equally I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to the authors, editors and publisher for doing such a splendid job in publishing the 'Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism International' book series with the aim of raising public awareness. Traveling is indeed a real lifelong learning education. This book will guide us as to how mankind can benefit from cultivating and promoting Sustainable Tourism opportunities. Especially I have highly admired the efforts of my three dear friends who are the writers of this book; they have used their own experience in compiling their research materials to make a constructive academic work for the global readers benefit at large. Books don't just happen by themselves. A number of smart, dedicated, competent, and compassionate people have to care about a book (and its authors) long enough to get it all done. In the case of this particular book, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the writers who contributed their effort and time to promote Sustainable Travel & Tourism International's programs and initiatives. I know, no serious academic text or reference or resource book will ever see the light of day without the careful and thoughtful work of our professional and academician colleagues. Those people reviewed, criticized, and improved the contents of this book in many important ways, and to each of them go our gratitude.

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

The contents of this book are extremely enriching and informative which will provide readers with know more information on the important details of Sustainable Travel and Tourism aspects. It is indeed a profound guide cum textbook for those interested in the Travel and Tourism industries particularly for the university students and generally to keep professionals updated in their knowledge. It is a wise approach made by the authors to start with a comprehensive introduction part to give readers a thorough understanding on the subject matters by explaining the various areas of concern in relation to the Sustainable Travel and Tourism as well as Eco-tourism covers issues such as the socio-cultural and economic impact of tourism, how to improve profitability and enhance the quality, the related market and industrial business opportunities, how Tourism can contribute to the socio-cultural conservation and what are the action plans needed to be implemented in order to protect Environmental Heritage especially with the high concern on global climate change situation and of course all about the marketing aspects. I strongly support that creating a certificate of recognition for recognizing those organizations and individuals to promote sustainable travel and tourism is very encouraging. This will motivate more people to take part from various channels to join effort to achieve the objective sooner with productive results. Prior to publishing this book, the writers have done an extensive research on the sustainable travel and tourism aspects to give a wide scope of introduction part as a guide to sustainable Tourism. The necessary conservation plans have to be implemented accordingly. Therefore, the other three parts of the chapters covering areas such as Designing Sustainability Policy, Measuring and managing impacts, Eco-system and conservation are really making the book a perfect combination for implementing the project more effectively. This work will especially contribute to the socio-cultural and economic impact of Tourism. In today's world where companies are moving towards free trade, major companies should play a supportive role by being socially responsible as they are a part of society. These articles assembled here within the pages are very beneficial and I would recommend everyone to read this book. Wherever I travel abroad or simply to outstation trips in my home country, I used to present books to those keen learners or my relatives or friends especially those books related to social responsibility aspect, peace building and cultural conservation as well as travel & tourism books. Also I always travel with a list of things to do and my objective of the mission. Next comes my what to pack list, carry-on list, last reminder list, on-theplane list, things-to-do-on-my vacation list, things-to-do-before-I leave-for-home list, in-flight-to-do list, post-vacation list and of course reminders to add to my future lists. I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to the authors and editors for doing such a splendid job in publishing the 'Strategies in Sustainable Travel and Tourism International' book series with the aim of raising public awareness. Happy reading. Yours sincerely, Dr. Roger Haw

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

Prof. Dr. Roger Haw bnhaw@tm.net.my Prof. Dr. Roger Haw is the Founder cum Chairman of the First kind of World Book of Records with a Focus on Corporate Social Responsibility aspects‘SRW RecordPedia’and Founded the Ansted Social Responsibility International Award (ASRIA) to recognize those Corporations, NGOs and individuals around the world. The publication, which has been distributed to over 80 countries, includes commendable messages from four Nobel Prize Laureates. The ASRIA Awards are known by 187 member nations to UNESCO commissions. Prof. Haw also serves as a Diplomat to the World Human Rights Service Council, USA to the United Nations. He has been selected as one of the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England TOP 100 EDUCATORS-2005. This accolade is credited to those individuals who have fulfilled a standard of merit in the eyes of their peers that is beyond the norm. It is a lasting tribute to that which can be achieved by a very select few for the benefit of many. He has co-authored several books and research papers in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility, Learning Organizations, Culture & Peace and Distance/Virtual Learning Programmes which were published by various publishers in the UK, Europe, USA, India, Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia, etc. He is one of the youngest founding members of Ansted University, established in the British Virgin Islands of UK, a private international open university with 40 affiliated campuses and training providers around the world with the support from more than 1,000 faculty members, scientists and researchers from more than 80 countries. He is also an Honorary Member of the Academic Board of Advisors and Board of Governors for 12 institutions in 12 countries.

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

Table of Contents Foreword About Sustainable Travel International Introduction Why Sustainable Travel & Tourism? A Broader Market Appeal Improved Profitability Enhanced Quality Sustainable Tourism … An Opportunity The Socio-cultural Impacts of Tourism How Tourism can Contribute to Socio-cultural Preservation Economic Impacts of Tourism Conservation and Human and Environmental Heritage Be an Educated Consumer! Travel, Tourism and Global Climate Change Sustainable Travel & Tourism Certification Brighter Futures: Fair Trade in Tourism Green Travel Market: Program Overview Selling and Marketing Eco- and Sustainable Tourism: Part I Selling and Marketing Eco- and Sustainable Tourism: Part II Travel Philanthropy Guide to Sustainable Tourism Part One: Designing Your Sustainability Policy Part Two: Measuring and Managing Your Impacts Part Three: Glossary and Definition of Terms

4 10 11 13 13 14 14 15 16 20 21 27 36 43 50 54 59 60 65 68 77 76 79 104

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

Preface Tourism is very often conceptualized by the big majority of the public opinion, as a great opportunity for travel, holidays and leisure, which has definitely helped Tourism become one of the biggest yielding effective revenues of all the time. Few people though, look at tourism as a massive usage of local and non local resources, which aim at providing tourists with all the conveniences and the facilities that we are used to enjoy as travelers. The focal points of this text are to divulgate and create consciousness and responsible traveling policies within the readers and the students who will be exposed to its contents. Sustainability, both as a macro than as a micro issue, has become of the most contemporary approaches to a better understanding of how we can produce conversation and profitability for the projects that we carry out. Particular attention can be dedicated to this concept, if we determine the importance of this latter matter with the importance of Tourism in the life of the developing countries. In the past years, too many speculative efforts have been put together to create wealth for the wealthy and to populate misery within the poor. Sustainability runs parallel to the millennium goals set up by the United Nations for the year 2015 and wants to contribute in the education of responsible travelers, stakeholders, staff and operators. To conclude I would like to spare my appreciation for Brian Millis, who has so kindly accepted my modest cooperation in our common effort to populate classes, courses and hopes in this fascinating process of creating sustainable environments, locations, businesses, heritages and cross “culturalisms” Mark Esposito, Ph.D.

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

About Sustainable Travel International Founded in 2002, Sustainable Travel International (STI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, dedicated to providing education and outreach services that will lessen the toll that travel and tourism takes on the environment and local cultures. STI promotes sustainable development and eco-friendly travel by providing programs that help travelers and travel-related companies protect the environmental, socio-cultural and economic needs of the places they visit, and the planet at large. While many parts of the world have taken a leadership role in creating and promoting sustainable travel and tourism initiatives, such as tourism certification and carbon-offset programs, similar programs are virtually non-existent in North America and many developing countries. We aim to change that.

STI's Current Priorities Include Providing educational resources to travelers and travel providers, and assisting them in making positive contributions to environmental conservation and socio-cultural sustainability. Developing, adopting, and marketing sustainable tourism standards and practices through the Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program™ (STEP) Supporting the use of MyClimate™ carbon offset tickets, which enable travelers and travel providers to offset their climate impacts from air and land travel.

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

Introduction What is Sustainable Travel & Tourism? Over the last decade, there has been a lot of debate about the deﬁnitions of ecotourism and sustainable travel and tourism. This following section provides some of the more frequently used deﬁnitions.

Ecotourism and Adventure Travel By definition, ecotourism at the very least encompasses benign travel or relatively low-impact tours and at best, benefits natural destinations. Ideally, the primary focus is to promote conservation and foster an understanding and appreciation of local cultures and ecosystems; whereas adventure travel or active travel, as it’s also commonly known, is a consumer-based activity associated with the outdoors involving individuals or groups. In practice, neither is necessarily environmentally sensitive nor ecologically sound though many travel companies present themselves in this light. This is where the term "greenwashing" stems from; the falsification of objective requirements for ecological sustainability, environmental conservation, and / or socio-cultural responsibility. Sustainable travel, which stems from the concept of sustainable development, is the next evolutionary step.

Deﬁning Sustainable Development The landmark deﬁnition of sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”1

The Brundtland Commission, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

Defining Sustainable Travel and Tourism In the travel and tourism industry, then, sustainable travel and tourism is about providing services that maintain and preserve the ecological integrity of the environment and contribute to local community development while meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of current or future generations. Sustainable travel therefore includes "true" ecotourism and "responsible" adventure travel. The definitions of sustainable tourism include: “Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems.” 2 “Sustainable tourism is tourism development formed in consultation with local communities, businesses and other stakeholders. It aims to allow tourism to develop in a way that is fair and equitable for host communities. It is economically sustainable in the long term, and avoids damage to tourist attractions or the physical environment. It offers high quality, diverse experiences to tourists in both the mainstream and specialist markets.” 3 “Tourism that is economically, socio-culturally and environmentally sustainable. With sustainable tourism, socio-cultural and environmental impacts are neither permanent nor irreversible.” 4

The World Tourism Organization Tourism Concern, Tim Forsyth, 1996 4 The Business of Tourism Management, John Beech and Simon Chadwick 3

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

Why Sustainable Travel & Tourism? Tourism is arguably the world's largest industry. It generates about 10% of total world GDP (gross domestic product) and employs over 10% of the global workforce, and it's on the verge of tremendous growth. In 2004, there were 760 million international tourism arrivals – an increase of 10% over 2003 and a figure that the World Tourism Organization expects to reach one billion by 2010. 5 In recent years, the negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts of tourism have become obvious. There is ample evidence to support the fact that transportation impacts global climate change. Host communities face resource use conflicts, land-use disputes, and the loss of their indigenous identity and values. Pollution, deforestation, and the alteration of ecosystems can result from shortsighted tourism development. The purpose of sustainable tourism is to allow tourism to develop in a way that is fair and equitable for host communities. Sustainable tourism is economically viable in the long-term, and it avoids damage to tourist attractions and the physical environment.6 By focusing on the triple bottom line, it adds socio-cultural and environmental dimensions to the traditional economic benchmark for measuring success. A positive triple bottom line means a net improvement in conservation of the natural environment, social benefit for local communities, profit for shareholders, and gain for national or regional economies.7

A Broader Market Appeal Successful travel companies oﬀer quality service, new and exciting destinations, frequent traveler discounts, etc. to secure the loyalty of the clients they serve. But now customers are demanding more. 58.5 million Americans say they would pay more to use a travel company that strives to protect and preserve the environment. The majority (61%) of those who would pay more to use such companies would pay 5-10% more.8 Responsible travelers are attracted to travel companies that employ sustainable business practices, and this target market represents a huge proﬁt arena.

World Tourism Organization, World Tourism Barometer Tourism Concern, Tim Forsyth, 1996 7 Environmental Inputs and Outputs in Ecotourism: Geotourism with a Positive Triple Bottom Line?, Ralf Buckley, International Centre for Ecotourism Research, Griﬃth University, Queensland, Australia 8 Geotourism: New Trend in Travel study, TIA, National Geographic Traveler October 2003 6

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

The estimated number of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Heath and Sustainability) consumers is 63 million strong and growing and is in line with the number of responsible travelers. These consumers represent a market conservatively estimated to represent more than $226 billion in annual sales in the U.S. and more than $540 billion worldwide.9

Improved Profitability Systematically integrating sustainable business practices into your operations also lowers costs through resource productivity and waste reduction. The Sandals Hotel Group, for example, achieved savings of $1.375 million and a significant reduction in solid waste and freshwater consumption since introducing an environmental management system to meet Green Globe 21 sustainable tourism certification standards over a period of four years.10 Exodus, a UK-based adventure tour operator, developed a “Responsible Tourism Policy” in 2000. The policy formalizes the company’s commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability and applies to its entire operations. Since the policy was implemented, Exodus has derived a number of benefits, including but not limited to increasing bookings, attracting positive publicity in the media as well as industry recognition, and supporting destination stewardship.11

Enhanced Quality Sustainable tourism emphasizes contributing to the well being of local people by partnering with communities in the regions in which you operate. Such partnerships can create beneﬁts for local communities by employing people living in or near the areas being visited and purchasing products and services from local businesses. Travel providers who take this participatory approach frequently enjoy greater community support and more genuine interactions between their clients and locals. This increased product authenticity often results in improved customer satisfaction and positive word-of-mouth marketing.12

LOHAS, Fall 2001, p. 13, Natural Business Communications and the Natural Marketing Institute Green Globe 21, www.greenglobe21.com 11 Exodus: Development of a Responsible Tourism Policy, Tour Operator’s Initiative 12 Ecotourism Development – A Manual for Conservation Planners and Managers Volume II: The Business of Ecotourism Management and Development, The Nature Conservancy, 2004 10

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism

Case in point, the Hotelplan Swiss Group has gained competitive advantages among their staﬀ and clients by improving the sustainability of their products, supporting environmental conservation, and increasing local communities’ awareness of environmental issues. They’ve achieved these beneﬁts by contributing about $3 per customer to an Eco-Fund they’ve developed, representing 20-25% of their annual sales.13

Minimized Impacts Ensuring the preservation of destinations and cultures for future generations equates to more attractive environments. For example, the Little Nell Hotel in Aspen adds $2 to their guests’ lodging bills for the Aspen Valley Land Trust. Guests not wishing to pay this amount can ask for it to be removed from their bill but almost none do. Approximately $30,000 is raised annually. The money helps preserve the quality of the surrounding environment and open space.14

Sustainable Tourism ... An Opportunity Once we accept the fact that travel and tourism is, essentially and inescapably, destructive, we can begin to determine how to take advantage of the beneﬁts of pursuing sustainability.

13 14

Hotelplan: An Eco-Fund to Support Sustainability, Tour Operator’s Initiative Aspen-Snowmass, 2003-2004 Sustainability Report, Fifth Edition

Strategies in Sustainable Travel & Tourism