Responsible Tourism, Sense of Place and Local Economic DevelopmentTourFish Hastings 23 June 2014

Harold GoodwinCentre for Responsible Tourism

Manchester Metropolitan University &International Centre for Responsible Tourism

www.crtmmu.org www.haroldgoodwin.info

1The University for World Class Professionals & Leaders in Responsible Tourism

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What is tourism?

• People staying away from home for at least 24 hours – includes people staying with friends and relatives and staying in the next town

• For most businesses and attractions it makes little difference whether they are day visitors, tourists, or locals

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Enjoy Every Minute 2009-10

• In April 2009, VisitEngland launched its £3 million integrated Enjoy Every Minute! campaign which set out to make Brits view their time differently and see spare time as an opportunity to take a trip in England. So whether that's a lunch hour or an afternoon, a day out or a weekend away, we can all use that time to make the most of what England has to offer. An hour, an afternoon, an evening a day a whole weekend – local, commuter, domestic or international

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“Sustainable and Responsible”

• Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Tourism are not the same thing• Responsible Tourism is about taking

responsibility for achieving sustainable development through tourism.

What is Responsible Tourism?• a triple bottom line approach to Tourism

Management • a way of travelling – it offers a better experience• a movement• diverse: particular to cultures, places and

organisations• characterised by transparency • requires the acceptance of responsibility and the

willingness to take action

Responsible Travel takes a variety of forms, it is characterised by travel and tourism which

1. minimises negative environmental, social and cultural impacts;

2. generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the wellbeing of host communities, by improving working conditions and access to the industry;

3. involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances.

Cape Town Declaration 2002

4. makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage and to the maintenance of the world’s diversity;

5. provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural and environmental issues;

6. provides access for physically challenged people; and

7. is culturally sensitive and engenders respect between tourists and hosts.

Responsible Tourism is NOT a brand or a product range

• Ecotourism might or might not be responsible• Community-based Tourism might or might not

be responsible• All inclusive holidays might or might not be

responsible• All forms of tourism can be more or less

responsible

T our O perator I nbound O perator H otelier/

A ccommodation

Local/

N at ional

Government

A ttr act ion

M anagers

N at ional Parks/

H eritage

Local

Community

T our ists

T ravellers

H olidaymakers

T aking and Exercising Responsibility

Economic, S ocial & Environmental

Pr inciple of S ustainablity

W T O Global Code of E thics

Taking responsibility

You cannot outsource responsibility ..

Whose responsibility? Everyone’s

Nobody’s

Harold Goodwin 11

Sustainable Development of Tourism

Applicable to all forms of tourism1. Make optimal use of environmental

resources2. Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of

host communities 3. Provide socio-economic benefits to all

stakeholders

Sustainable Development of Tourism

• Continuous process requires• Informed participation of all stakeholders & • strong political leadership• High level of tourist satisfaction

• WTO Conceptual Definition 2004

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A tourism resource withcompetitive advantage

“Successful tourist destinations are those which offer the visitor something unique: they create a sense of place, an identity which is different from their competitors…. no two communities are ever exactly the same, either in terms of what they have to offer, or the visitors they can attract. Nor should they be.”

Godfrey & Clarke The Tourism Development Handbook

What is Driving Change?• Consumer demand for “richer” engagement with

destinations and the communities who live there• Broader consumer trends in originating markets• People want guilt free holidays – particularly at times of

maximum indulgence – organic, fresh, local• Changes in the investment climate • Demands from those in the industry and on the margins

of it • Legislation and regulation• Demands of people in the destination

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Mid-summer eve 18:00-22:002014 Year 1 800 people

Making better places for people to live in

And making better places for people to visit

All forms of tourism can be more responsible

• Economic – employment and local economic benefit, linkages – local sourcing

• Social – urban drift, youth, heritage, “thriving destinations”

• Environmental - local priorities • Engaging guests• Enhancing the guest experience

The Market Opportunity • Trend towards experiential holidays and

baby boomers looking for community and engagement – significant market segments are looking to get more out of shorter holidays

• Ethical–Responsible–Guilt Free

• Non-price competition• Offer richer more meaningful experiences

food and the culture of food – locally sourced

• Extend length of stay

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Our holidays in their homes.

• Does fishing use tourism, or does tourism use fishing?

• The question applies everywhere……

“Your everyday life is someone else’s adventure”Swedish NGO fly-posting in Ljubljana, Summer 1997

Tourism and the travel industry “is essentially the renting out for short-term lets, of other people’s environments, whether that is a

coastline, a city, a mountain range or a rainforest. These ‘products’ must be

kept fresh and unsullied not just for the next day, but for every tomorrow”

Sir Colin Marshall, British Airways 1994

Who benefits?

Harold Goodwin 20March 2009 [42]

One place?• As a grid reference yes.• Any grid reference time, location, physical space,

sense of place (its meaning to us as human being(s),

• Residents, visitors, tourists – all are heterogeneous.

• Kirk distinguished between physical facts and social facts – same environment has a range of different meanings. (Tuan and Relph)

• The tourist will impose their own cultural reading of a site.

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Harold Goodwin 23

A place is defined by

its meaning in human experience. In fact, the peculiarities of a place are a consequence of the

1. interaction between the people who live and visit there (over time) and

2. the land and its habitats.

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Responsible Tourism in Destinations

• Making “better places for people to live in, better places for people to visit.”

1. Getting agreement that there is an issue – carbon, employment, local economic development

2. Agreeing how to address the issue - prioritisation and local action

3. Measuring and reporting progress - going from how many businesses are certified to how much water consumption per bed night has been reduced.

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Local economic development

• Rents – from hotels, camp sites• User fees – attractions • Employment • Retail to visitors • Local sourcing – sold to tourists and to

tourism businesses It is all about yield - GVA

Taking Responsibility

• Define priorities – Issues – local

– Issues where tourism can make a difference

• Determine responsibilities

• Apply consequential thinking – unintended consequences

• Set targets and measure impacts

• Responsibility is free you can take as much of it you can handle.

• But others can undermine it.

• There is a role for government and regulation to control the free riders

• Take responsibility: ACT

The challenge…..

• to use tourism achieve sustainable development

• sustainable development through tourism

• the aspiration of Responsible Tourism is to use tourism rather than to be used by it.

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35Taking Responsibility for Tourism by Goodwin ISBN 978-1-906884-39-0

© 2011 Goodfellow Publishers

Taking Responsibility for Tourism by Harold Goodwin

harold@haroldgoodwin.infowww.crtmmu.orgwww.takingresponsibilityfortourism.infowww.haroldgoodwin.info

Further information • www.haroldgoodwin.info • www.icrtourism.org• www.wtmwrtd.com• www.aRTyforum.info • www.responsibletourismpartnership.org• www.icrtourism.org/Capetown.shtml• www.responsibletourismpartnership.org/KeralaDeclaration.html

• www.irresponsibletourism.info • www.responsibletravel.com • harold@haroldgoodwin.info

The Business Cases for Responsible Tourism

• The right thing to do • Minimising risk• License to operate• Product quality • Cost savings • Staff morale • Market Advantage

• Market Advantage • Experience – richer– more authentic – guilt free

• Differentiation and PR– Reputation – Referrals – Repeats

Harold Goodwin 38March 10

What makes tourism destination sustainable? 1. A sustainable destination is a caring destination,

where the resident population are the hosts, and the tourist is treated as a guest, rather than as a customer.

2. .. managed with the aim of preserving and developing the local culture, environment and economy. Planning for the long … term

3. Requires knowledge of its history, traditions and values .. Co-operation and understanding is the very basis of sustainability …..

CREST

Harold Goodwin 39March 10

All tourism is local

• Economic Sustainability• Ecological Sustainability • Cultural Sustainability • Social Sustainability – displacement & conflict • Local Sustainability – sustainable communities • But sustainability does not mean no change