Global Issues and Solutions for a Sustainable Tourism - Part 1 - by Florie Thielin

GLOBAL ISSUES & SOLUTIONS

FOR A SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

By Florie Thielin, Master's level course – 2017

PART 1

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This presentation was produced with the intention

of being openly utilized by the public and other

professors in order to help the progress of the

tourism sector towards more sustainability.

It may be broadcast and used freely. If you find it

particularly useful, feel free to send out a quick

message to the author, Florie Thielin, you will make

her day !

Email : floriethielin@gmail.com

Introduction

Sustainable

Tourism ?Tourism ?

Introduction

“Sustainable tourism is tourism that :

takes full account of its current and future

economic, social and environmental impacts,

addressing the needs of visitors, the industry,

the environment and host communities.”

Introduction

Sustainable tourism is

NOT a niche market !

Introduction

Sustainable tourism isthe way tourism must develop in the next years

to continue existing for many more years.

Introduction

#Impacts #Certifications

#Solutions

#Destinations #Companies

#Communication

TOURISM

Introduction

24h of courses divided into two parts :

12-13th Oct. 2017

11-12th Dec. 2017

in partnership with

Introduction

Tell me about yourself !

→ Google Sheet

Where are

you from ?

Summary

Part 1A. Global Threats & Opportunities

1. Towards a Sustainable Development

2. Negative Impacts of Tourism

3. Positive Impacts of Tourism

4. Hot Topics

5. Raising-awareness

B. Companies Management

1. Opportunities & Benefits

2. Certifications & Awards

C. Case Studies

A. Global Threats & Opportunities

Evaluation

Prior to the class :

Watch :

Movie “Tomorrow”

Documentary HopTour of France

Read :

“Can tourism alleviate global poverty?” by Susanne

Becken

“Sustainable tourism’ is not working – here’s how we

can change that” by Freya Higgins-Desbiolles

“What Do UN Sustainable Development Goals Mean

for Tourism?” by Steve Noakes

« Tourismophobie, le grand bal des hypocrites » by

Laurent Queige

Take the test

YESTERDAY…

Travel has existed since the beginning of time.

People were first traveling for :

Food and clothing

Religious conviction

Colonization

Migration

In the Roman era, aristocrats and high

government officials began to travel

for pleasure (seaside resorts at

Pompeii for example).

But it was a privilege of the elite.

Mass tourism as we know it today began in England during the

industrial revolution with the rise of the middle class and

inexpensive transportation (early 19th century period).

First annual leave in France in 1936.

With its generalization tourism

became more accessible to all.

International tourism grew with the

arrival of the jet aircrafts in the

1950s.

Tourism became a major new

industry. World governments

started to concern about it as it

provided new employment

opportunities and a means of

earning foreign exchange.

Watch this documentary (in french) about issues with tourism - June 2017

→ Watch videos of the Tourism 2023 project and list particularly

what makes travel more or less attractive to people.

Four scenarios :

1. Boom and Burst

2. Divided Disquiet

3. Price and Privilege

4. Carbon Clampdown

“Attractive” or “less attractive” :

Whether the sensitivity of consumers to the

environmental impacts of their travel and the

attractiveness of overseas destinations make

outbound travel popular and desirable, or

comparatively less attractive and less

appealing.

“Enabled” or “inhibited” :

Whether the economy, politics, technology

and energy costs combine to facilitate or

constrain overseas travel.

→ Read the full report

Booming UK economy and impressive advances in transport technologies have fuelled a growth in travel worldwide. People travel more frequently, further and at faster speeds than ever before and there are many new reasons to go abroad.

But precarious trade-offs have been needed in order to meet the UK’s emission targets, and many destinations are suffering from serious overcrowding. People are now asking: how long can this growth be maintained?

Travelling overseas is an unattractive

proposition. A toxic combination of devastating

climate change impacts, violent wars over

scarce resources and social unrest has created

an unstable and fearful world. Security is tight

and travel is cumbersome, time-consuming and

inefficient.

Visitors are highly selective in where and when

they travel, cramming into a small number of

destinations where tight restrictions and

overcrowding compound the problems. Many

people have begun to think that holidaying

abroad just makes the problems worse.

A dramatically high oil price has made travel

punitively expensive. Cost is the primary

concern for holidaymakers as everyone asks: how

far can I get for my money?

Although a small, elite market continues to fly

regularly, the vast majority of people simply

cannot afford the experience. There have been

mass redundancies across the travel industry and

the affordability of overland routes has led to

radical restructuring.

Tradable carbon quotas have been introduced for all UK households as part of the

government’s bold plans to tackle climate change. The public has clamoured for tough

action as environmental impacts are increasingly felt.

Holidaymakers are highly sensitive to the impacts of their travel and seek ethical

experiences that are within their carbon budget. Holidaying in Britain is back in

fashion and has soared in popularity.

To get to the future you want,

it’s important to know what it looks like

and what you’re aiming for : to have a vision.

Tourism Companies Sustainable

Future

By understanding what a sustainable tourism industry could look

like, the industry can develop appropriate strategies to ensure a

profitable, successful future.

→ Watch the video

« The Age of Sustainable Development – by Jeffrey Sachs »

Which are the four main different aspects of sustainability

described in the video ?

With a Prosper Economy

With Social

Inclusion

Environmentally

Sustainable

Governed

For the well-being

of our children,

we need a world :

To go further, some movies to watch :

Tourism grew 4x quicker than population

during the last 20 years.

Date source : the World Bank

World Population(billion of people)

International Tourism(billion of arrivals)

1995 5,71 0,525

2015 7,355 1,2

Growth +29% +129%

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted

the bold and ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

To help achieve the SDGs, UN placed an

emphasis on Goals 8,12 and 14,

concerning the tourism industry.

Sustainable + Tourism = ?

Which are the different positive & negative impacts of tourism ?

Economically

Socially & Culturally

Environmentally

Let’s debate about it !

→ Google Sheet

Sustainable + Tourism = ?

For Against

2. Negative Impacts

Instable jobs & dependence

Neocolonialism

Traditional values& local heritage

Strain on resources

Soil erosion & pollution

Biodiversity & animals welfare

Carbon footprint

Economical

Social / Cultural

Environmental

2.1 Instable jobs & dependence

Unfair labor practices : people are sometimes exploited with low wages

for long hours.

Seasonable jobs : during low season a lot of people loose their job or

suffer income reductions.

Different hours : working when friends and family are in weekends,

holidays, late at night etc…

Economical dependence : to international markets and crisis.

Less diversification : with the difference in currency between countries, it

may seem very easy to make money out of tourism and local people might

not be interested anymore in other economical activities as agriculture.

Watch out to keep a balance and a diversified economy!

2.2 Neocolonialism

Sentiment of invasion : city centers are becoming “museums”,

access to beaches privatized, etc…

Increase of prices : Local good and real estate become too

expensive for local people. Shared-economy companies (like

Airbnb) are accelerating the phenomena : flats owners prefer to

rent to tourists than to local as it is more lucrative.

Lack of products : lots of souvenirs shops, fashion shops, few

supermarkets and everyday products.

Leakage : in some countries the cash injection from tourists doesn’t

turn much into development as tourism investors are often foreign

and the profits are then expatriated.

Privacy issues : tourists are taking pictures of local people, like if

they were in a zoo, using drones without the permission, entering

private areas, etc…

Ex : Venice, Barcelona, Majorca, Traboules in Lyon, Village in

Ecuador.

2.3 Traditional values & local heritage

Globalization : is accentuated by tourism. Local people culture and

traditions are eroded as they watch American movies, want to dress up the

same, eat international food, etc…

Party atmosphere : drugs, alcohol, prostitution (++ on beaches), different

values are shown by tourists, which can be a chock for traditional and

religious values of the local people.

Increase in crime rate (thefts, assaults) : as tourists become easy targets.

Ex : Playa Venao in Panama

Souvenirs : tourists can erode local heritage by buying souvenirs which are

in fact original pieces of archeology, local heritage, etc…

2.4 Strain on resources

Source : Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard

Scarce resources : such as electricity,

water and food, can be quite rare in

some areas and tourism is putting an

additional pression on them.

Ex : with water at Atacama desert in

Chile, in Barichara in Colombia, in ski

resort in the mountains

2.5 Soil erosion & pollution

Trashes : more trashes and sometimes no system put to

manage them well, so many plastic bottles etc… With

the arrival of cruise ships in some developing countries,

the issue is really big.

Car pollution : due to the increase of traffic, more cars.

more litters, more car traffic.

Buildings : hotels resorts built on natural sites are

sometimes participating strongly in unbalancing natural

ecosystems by eroding the coast, destroying mangroves,

cutting forests.

2.6 Biodiversity & animals welfare

Natural habitats of animals : sometimes destroyed to build hotels or

eroding by tourism activities (like scuba diving).

Souvenirs and food : tourists want to take back home souvenirs made from

ivory, turtoise, corals, etc… or try local dishes like marine turtle, shark fins,

etc… They are then directly contributing to making these species even more

endangered.

Animal welfare : tourism activities with animals can be the cause of

animals abuses and negligence, also sometimes putting their species in

danger.

Ex : Playa Venao in Panama with mangrove, “Save the turtles” in Central

America, Tigers and elephants in Thailand, birds in cages.

2.7 Carbon Footprint

Mobility : traveling around, and

particularly by taking international

flights, is largely contributing to CO2

emissions and global warning.

3. Positive Impacts

Infrastructure development

Increase employment

More tolerance

Traditional values& local heritage

Biodiversity Conservation

Raising-awareness

Economical

Social / Cultural

Environmental

3.1 Infrastructure development

With the increase of people visiting the destination :

more airports, roads, transport systems, hospitals are built.

It’s a virtuous circle because more infrastructure means also more development

for the whole local economy.

See the Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard.

3.2 Increase of employment

Directly : tour guides, hotel & restaurants employees…

Indirectly thanks to a local supply chains : agriculture, local handcraft,

retails…

Remote places : which were suffering from rural exodus because of the

lack of job can get a second life thanks to tourism and it’s value chain. Ex:

Villages in Japan

Economy diversification : the more diverse the economy is, the more

resilient it becomes.

3.3 More tolerance

When traveling people go out of their

comfort zone, discover other ways of

living, make friends abroad,

understand better and respect

different cultures. When they are back

home, they usually become more

tolerant and respectful with others.

Ex : Israel / Palestine

3.4 Traditional values & local heritage

Sens of pride : Communities see that people are coming to visit their distinct

characteristics and unique culture. They feel proud about it. Ex : Quechuas

in Peru.

Preservation of traditions : Visitors are curious to discover the local

traditions, then it’s an incentive for local communities to pass on the

traditions and to keep them alive. Ex : Mapuche culture in Chile.

Local heritage conservation : tourism provides financial and incentive to

conserve and restore cultural heritage sites (old buildings, archeologic sites,

etc…). Ex : project of destroying the old town of Lyon to build an highway,

UNESCO sites.

3.6 Biodiversity conservation

Natural conservation : tourism provides financial and incentive to protect

natural sites, their ecosystem and biodiversity. Ex : UNESCO, Botswana,

Futaleufu in Chile (river protection against a water dam thanks to rafting).

See the Global Sustainable Tourism dashboard

3.7 Raising-awareness

When people are on a vacation (and through ecotourism specially), they’re

more opened to receive “environmental-friendly” messages. It’s an opportunity

to raise-awareness. “We love what we know”.

Ex : when you see for real the rainforest frog you might become more sensitive

when seeing the rainforest alliance label on products at your supermarket.

The UNWTO mandated you as a consultant to analyze the issues and

possible solutions to the main current challenges faced by the tourism

industry.

→ Google Sheet

4. Hot Topics

4.1 Hot Topics – Animals Welfare

How to ensure that tourism activities do not participate in any

sort of animals abuses ?

Video : Coup de gueule: Tourisme & Bien-être animal

4.2 Hot Topics – Voluntourism

How to struggle against the downward slides of voluntourism ?

Video : Voluntourism: When You Take More Than You Leave Behind

4.3 Hot Topics – Climate Change

How to cope with the important carbon footprint of the tourism

industry (mainly due to international flights) ?

Video : La compensation carbone

4.4 Hot Topics – Massive Tourism

How to avoid destinations to become overcrowded and suffer

the consequences of mass tourism ?

Video : Croissance touristique: Toujours plus mais pour aller où?

4.5 Hot Topics – Uberization

How to deal with the Airbnb phenomena ?

Read : Pour ou contre Airbnb ?

4. Hot Topics

Why are people still doing things even though we know

that it causes negative impacts ?

4. Hot Topics

That’s why we need :

Regulations

Sustainable goods at same price

Raising-awareness

Why are people still doing things even though we know

that it causes negative impacts ?

Short-term vision : money $$$

4. Hot Topics - Solutions

Governments

must implement policies &

integrated planning.

Consumers

should be educated.

Local communities

must have a right to participate in tourism

decision-making.

Non-governmentalorganisations

to report on the abuses of tourism.

Workers

must have their rights respected & given decent conditions.

The tourismindustry

needs to submit to local tax regimes and

regulations.

Source : The Conversation

5. Raising-awareness of travelers

A consumer-oriented campaign aimed at raising awareness.

Tips to learn to become a more responsible traveller.

The French ATD association launched as well a consumer-

oriented campaign in 2017.

Examples of tips for travelers :

Tips by Responsible Travel

La Charte Ethique du Voyageur - ATR

Guide du Touriste Responsable - Babel Voyages

Code of conduct by Community-based TUSOCO

Invite travelers to take concrete actions.

Be specific, link it directly to your local

challenges, explain why : The Islandic Pledge

and videos by Iceland Academy

Be creative and fun : Follow the frog by

Rainforest Alliance, Safety instructions by Air

New Zealand

«Svp, pour nous aider à sauverla planète, ne pas consommertrop d’eau.»

«L’eau est une ressourceprécieuse, s’il vous plaît aidez-nous à la préserver en prenantdes douches courtes.»

«L’eau de l’hôtel est potable, elle provient d’une sourcenaturelle et se chauffe au bois.

En prenant des douches courtes, vous pouvez nous aider à préserver ces resourcesprécieuses : l’eau et le bois.»

Choose one type of destination :

Natural Marine Reserve

National Park

UNESCO old town

Indigenous village

… other ?

You’re the new DMO manager !

Pick up 3 topics on which you would like to raise specially the awareness of your visitors during their trip in you destination.

Any ideas of creative ways to communicate them ?

Planet

Destination

Company

B. Companies Management

1. Opportunities and Benefits

Which companies ?

Accommodations providers

Outbound/inbound travel agencies

Activities providers

Cruising

Restaurants

Transports…

+ Environmental+ Social

+ Comfort

EcolodgeCommunity-based

Luxury & Boutique hotel

Youth hostel Ecocamping

Hospitality

Industry

Rural tourismMountain hut

Treehouse

Palace

B&B Hotel Resort

Guesthouse

Homestay

Sustainable tourism :

Which can be the benefits for

tourism companies ?

Choose one interview from the list

and write down the reasons why

they decided to act on a more

sustainable way.

→ Google Sheet

Let’s have a look together, which main reasons did you find out ?

Video : Interview with Arbol de Fuego Eco-Hotel

For which reasons ?

Respect legislation / No other choice

Reduce costs

Offer a better experience to visitors

Reduce costs

Make the employees proud of their company

Reduce costs

Differentiate the company and inspire trust

Reduce costs

Make tourism sustainable in the destination

Reduce costs

Be part of the change

Negative

Neutral

Positive

Super positive

Global impact of the tourism company

Respect legislation

Reduce costs

Be part of the change

Negative

Neutral

Positive

Super positive

Global impact of the tourism company

depending of the goals sought

If for the many reasons we just saw a company decided

to become more « sustainable »

which are the criteria it can follow ?

2. Certifications

B. For Local Communities

C. For Cultural Heritage D. For the Environment

Effective

Sustainable

Management

+ Benefits

- Negative Impacts

The GSTC developed a

set of international

criteria for hotels, tour

operators and

destinations.

A. Effective Sustainable

Management

1• Sustainability Management System

2• Legal compliance

3• Reporting and communication

4• Staff engagement

5• Customer experience

6• Accurate promotion

7• Buildings & infrastructures

8• Land water & property rights

9• Information and interpretation

10• Destination engagement

2. Certifications

B. Local Communities

1• Community support

2• Local employment

3• Local purchasing

4• Local entrepreneurs

5• Exploitation and harassment

6• Equal opportunity

7• Decent work

8• Community service

9• Local livelihoods

2. Certifications

C. Cultural Heritage

1• Cultural interactions

2• Protecting cultural heritage

3• Presenting culture and heritage

4• Artefacts

2. Certifications

D. Environment

• Conserving Resources:

• Environmentally preferable purchasing

• Efficient purchasing (minimize waste)

• Energy conservation

• Water conservation

• Reducing Pollution:

• Greenhouse gas emissions

• Transport

• Wastewater

• Solid waste

• Harmful substances

• Minimize pollution

• Conserving Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Landscapes:

• Biodiversity conservation

• Invasive species

• Visits to natural sites

• Wildlife interactions

• Animal welfare

• Wildlife harvesting and trade

2. Certifications

Which kind of good practices can hotels implement to complete

these criteria and become more sustainable ?

Write down a few examples of the good practices implemented

by your hotel and to which criteria of the GSTC they correspond.

→ Google Sheet

2. Certifications

2. Certifications : Pros

• List of criteria, indicators, to use as a ‘roadmap’ and that reminds and ‘obliges’ the company to actually meet challenges to which they have previously committed : from words into actions.

Framework

• Solutions to cope with the criteria which are not fulfilled. For example by helping in developing a set of minimum conditions for suppliers to meet in order to improve the value chain of the service.

• Third-party verification is important to the transparency of a company’s operations and the credibility in the eyes of prospective guests, to inspire trust. Certifications can be opportunities to differentiate and communicate (more trust, more quality). Somecertifications are well known by tour-operators.

Marketing

2. Certifications : Cons

• Sometimes too blurry and general, not enough specific for the singular particularities, difficult to address. Can be too bureaucratic, too much paperwork and complicated to fulfill, can get very labor intensive.

Framework

• Not all the certifications provide concrete tools.Tools

• The cost of the certification can be very high, specially for small companies. The communication around it must be activated by yourself, travelers don’t know the certifications, there are too many of them and none is really well-knows for the final consumers.

Marketing

2. Certifications

Global Issues and Solutions for a Sustainable Tourism - Part 1 - by Florie Thielin

Environment

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