Public Disclosure Authorized C uStainable ommuniCation ...

CommuniCation and SuStainable touriSm

PROCEEDINGS OF THE GLOBAL E-CONFERENCE AND SUMMER SPEAKER SERIES ON THE ROLE

OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

May 29 - June 9, 2006

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World Bank Development communication Division – SDO;

USAiD Development communication & Sustainable Tourism Unit;

United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

CommuniCation and SuStainable touriSm

Proceedings of the global e-conference and

summer sPeaker series on

the role of develoPment communication

in sustainable tourism

May 29 - June 9, 2006

Hosted on www.devcomm-congress.org

Lucia Grenna (World Bank)

roberta Hilbruner (USAiD)

emanuele Santi (World Bank)

Gianmarco Scuppa (World Bank)

Gabor Vereczi (UNWTO)

The e-conference was made possible through a partnership between

the World Bank Development communication Division, the USAiD

Development communication & Sustainable Tourism Unit and the

United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). it also

benefited from collaboration with SNV - Netherlands Development

Organization, The international ecotourism Society (TieS) and

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische zusammenarbeit (G Tz), all of

which contributed to specific sessions. The findings, interpretations

and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and do

not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, USAiD, UNWTO

nor those of the other partner institutions. Furthermore, statements

by participants do not always reflect the view of the organizations to

which they belong. The authors are grateful to all participants who

made contributions to the e-conference, and are particularly appre-

ciative of the excellent work done by the moderators of the five ses-

sions, namely Judith Voermans and Toot Oostveen (SNV) for Session

2, Susy Karammel (GTz), Giulia carbone (iUcN) and Alice crabtree

(TieS) for Session 3, chris Seek (Solimar international) and Metilde

Wendenbaum (eceAT) for Session 4, and Daniel Mattson (Heritage

Design) for Session 5.

Finally, we would like to thank Natasha Scripture (World Bank) and

carol Hansen (USAiD/Nric) for editing and production; Daniele

calabrese, riccardo Torrado and eliana esposito (World Bank) for the

support with the web posting on the website and Mr. claudio Piazzi

(freelance consultant) for assembly of this document.

For further information on the communication for Sustainable

Tourism activities of the three main partners, please visit:

www.worldbank.org/developmentcommunications

www.nric.net/tourism.htm

www.unwto.org/sustainable

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IntroductIon �

Tourismisoneoftheworld’slargesteconomicsec-tors1andonethatcontinuestoexpandveryrapidly2.Donewell,tourismdevelopmentcanbeapower-

fultoolforeconomicgrowth,povertyreduction3,andfortheconservationofnaturalandculturalresources.Whiletourismrepresentsanimportantdevelopmentopportunityformanycountriesandcommunities,itcanalsohaveverynegativeimpacts,suchasdisruptingsocialstructures,harm-ingthesocio-culturalauthenticityofhostcommunities,andthreateningnaturalandculturalheritage.Wiseplanningandmanagementoftourismdevelopmentiskeytokeepingitaforceforgood.

Tourismistrulycross-sectoral,involvingawiderangeofissuesthatcanincludethefollowing:

• tradeandinvestmentpolicy• employmentandlaborlaws• enterprisedevelopment• public-privatepartnerships• communityandurbanplanning(landuseplanning,

transportation,etc.)• infrastructuredevelopment• conservationofculturalheritage,protectedareasand

biodiversity• managementofnaturalresources(water,energy,waste)• safetyandsecurity• educationandworkforcedevelopment.

Therearevastnumbersofstakeholders,withtheirdiffer-entandsometimesopposinginterestsandagendas.The

1 in 2005 international tourism generated around US$ 753 billion (including receipts from international tourism and transportation, passengers fares), which represents 40% of worldwide exports of services and 7% of all exports, surpassing those of food, textile and clothing or computer industries (UNWTO, Tourism Market Trends, 2005 edition).

2 in 2005, international tourist arrivals reached over 800 million, generating US$ 682 billion in tourism receipts. The increase in flows measured since 1950 equals an average annual growth of 6.5%. in that same period revenues have risen at an average rate of 11% a year. This growth rate far outstrips that of the world economy as a whole. According to the projections of UNWTO, international tourist arrivals will double in the next two decades and possibly reach 1.6 billion in 2020 (UNWTO, Tourism 2020 Vision). Domestic tourism is also dynamically growing in both developed and developing countries.

3 World Travel and Tourism economy employment is estimated at 234,305,000 jobs in 2006, 8.7% of total employment. 2006 Travel and Tourism economic research of the World Travel & Tourism council and Accenture.

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IntroductIon

multiplestakeholdersatbothnationalandlocallevelsmustbeabletoaccesstheinformationtheyneedtoun-derstandtheirlong-terminterests,articulatetheiropin-ions,identifyproposals,andnetworkeffectivelywithoneanother.Tourismdevelopmentchoicesmustbalancebe-tweennationalandlocalneeds,publicandprivatesector,hostcommunities,civilsociety,tourists,andmassmedia.Politicalchoices,inparticular,mustreconcileimmediatereturnsandlonger-termbenefits,whichrequiresaclearandwell-definedvision.Sustainabletourismdevelop-mentthusrepresentsaverycomplextask.

Communicationhasahugeroleinsupportingsustainabletourismdevelopmentandmanagingitsmultipledimen-sions.Communicationcancreateandfacilitateasystemthatallowsstakeholderstoexchangeopinionsandarrive

coMMunIcAtIon And SuStAInABLE tourISM: ProcEEdInGS oF A GLoBAL E-conFErEncE2

atconsensualsolutions.Effectiveuseofcommunicationtoolscanalsolinkproductstomarkets,andcancontrib-utetovisitors’safeandpositiveexperiences.

Inasustainabletourismdevelopmentscenario,thevari-ousstakeholdershavenotonlytherighttoparticipateinthedecision-makingprocess,buthavealsotheresponsi-bilitytoadoptenvironmentally,sociallyandeconomicallysustainablebehaviorsandpractices.Communicationprocessescanbuildawarenessofthisresponsibilityandpersuadestakeholdersthatsustainablepracticesultimatelybenefittheirlong-terminterests.

Acomprehensivecommunicationstrategy,whichshouldidentifyhowinformation,awarenesscreation,advocacy,networkbuilding,conflictmitigation,andcommunica-tionplatformswillbesupported,isessentialforanysuc-cessfulsustainabletourismdevelopmentactivity.

Ane-conferenceaddressingtheroleofcommunicationinsustainabletourismdevelopmenttookplacebetweenMay29andJune9,2006.TheWorldBank,theUSAgencyforInternationalDevelopment(USAID)andtheUNWorldTourismOrganization(UNWTO)envi-sionedtheforumasameanstobringtogetherdevelop-mentpractitioners,tourismprofessionals,decision-mak-ers,academiciansandcommunicationspecialistsrepre-sentingvariousnationalinstitutions,privatesectorandmediaorganizations,NGOs,internationalinstitutions,anddonorsactiveinthefieldofcommunicationandsustainabletourismtodiscusstherolethatcommunica-tioncanplayindesigningandimplementingsustainable

tourismstrategiesandprojectsatnationalandlocallev-els;toshareexperiences,informationandperspectives;toidentifyandsharelessonslearnedandbestpractices;andtoconsolidateknowledgeondevelopmentcommu-nicationinsustainabletourismprograms.

Discussionsfocusedonthefollowingtopics:

• Therolethatcommunicationcanplayindesigningandimplementingsustainabletourismstrategiesandprojectsatnationalandlocallevels;

• Theimportanceofsharingexperiences,informationandperspectives;

• Identificationoflessonslearnedandmosteffectivepractices;and

• Theexchangeofknowledgeondevelopmentcommu-nicationinsustainabletourismprograms.

Thee-conferencewaspartofthepreparationfortheWorldCongressonCommunicationforDevelopment(WCCD)andwashostedonwww.devcomm-congress.org.Itconsist-edofthefollowingfiveconcurrentsessions,moderatedbythepersonslistedbelow.Thee-conferencebenefitedfromtheactivecontributionofmorethan700registeredpartici-pantsfromallsixcontinents.Archivesofthee-discussionscanbefoundathttp://forum.devcomm-congress.org.

AseminarseriesinwasheldinWashington,DC,duringthesummerof2006asafollow-ontothee-conferenceinordertofurtherexploreideasraisedinthefivesessions.Materialfromthosepresentationshasbeenwovenintothesessionsummariesthatfollow.

Session � The Role of Communication in Planning and Implementing Sustainable Tourism Policies and Strategies

Gabor Vereczi (UNWTO), iain christie and Gianmarco Scuppa (WB)

Session 2 Communication for Community Involvement in Sustainable Tourism Development

Judith Voermans and Toot Oostveen (SNV)

Session 3 The Role of Communication in Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility in Sustainable Tourism Development

christina cavaliere, Alice crabtree, Amos Bien and Martha Honey (TieS), Susy Karammel (GTz), Giulia carbone (iUcN)

Session 4 The Role of Communication in Linking Sustainable Tourism Products to Markets

chris Seek (Solimar international), robin Goldberg (Lonely Planet) and Metilde Wendenbaum (eceAT)

Session 5 Interpreting Tourism Destinations and Orienting Visitors

Daniel Mattson (Heritage Design), Jonathan Tourtellot and James Dion (National Geographic), Graham Brooks (icOMOS)

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TheTourismPoliciesandStrategiessessionofthee-conferencefocusedonfindinganswersandprovidingexamplesforthefollowingquestions:

• How can one make the best use of conventional commu-nication and consultation techniques (such as forums, meetings, workshops)?

• How can one harness modern technology for effective participatory processes in tourism policies and plans?

• How can conventional and modern techniques be best combined for innovative and effective communication?

• Howcanthemediasupporttourismpolicyandplan-ningprocessesforpublicinformation?

• Whatarethemosteffectivewaysofcommunicationtoinformstakeholdersandthegeneralpublic?

COMMUNICATION TO INVOLVE STAKEHOLDERS IN DECISION-MAKINGThefactthatthetourismsectorismultisectoral,andcanbeveryfragmented,wasarecurringthemeinthediscussions.Thewiderangeofstakeholdersatbothlocalandnationallevelshavingaroleintheformulationandimplementationofsustainabletourismpoliciesandstrategiesincludes:

• Publicauthoritiesinthefieldsofeconomy,environ-ment,tourism,transportation,education,culture,etc.(ministriesandstatedepartments,theirregionalandlocaloffices,regionalandmunicipalauthorities,etc.);

• Tourismbusinessesandtheirassociationsatthenation-alandlocallevels(accommodationandcatering,touroperators,guidesandotherserviceproviders);

• Localcommunities;• NGOsandcivilsocietygroups;• Academicandresearchinstitutions;and• Mediaorganizations.

Session 1:

thE roLE oF coMMunIcAtIon In PLAnnInG And IMPLEMEntInG SuStAInABLE tourISM PoLIcIES And StrAtEGIES

Participantsagreedthatpolicyandstrategydevelopmentmustbeaprocesswhereallstakeholdersareabletofreelyexpresstheirviewpointsandhavetheirintereststakenintoaccount.Nationalandlocalpoliciesmustbecoordi-nated,consensualandresponsivetotheneedsofdifferentstakeholders.Governmentshaveakeyroleinpolicy-makingandimplementationprocesses,andinthisroletheymuststrivetoensuretheinformedparticipationofothersectorsthroughconsultativeprocesses.Undertakingampleconsultationsiskeytothesuccessfulformulationandimplementationoftourismpolicies.Inaddition,themanydifferentinterestgroupsoftenholddisparateview-pointsthatmustbecoalescedintoacommonvision.


MULTI-LEVEL STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT IS NEEDED

LOCAL / NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL

Public authorities International / regional organizations

Media organizations donorstourism businesses and their associations

nGos and civil society groupsAcademic and research institutions

Participantsstressedthateffectivecommunicationisthere-foreessentialforpolicy-makingandimplementation.Theyagreedthatbothconventionalcommunicationmethods(e.g.,forums,meetingsandworkshops)andtheapplicationofnewtechnologies(e.g.,telecommunication,Internet,emails,databases)arekeytodevelopingsustainabletour-ismpolicies.Theneedforgovernmentstocreateandmaintainwebsiteswithregularlyupdatedinformationwasstressed,aswasthenotionthatwebsitesshouldnotservejustfortourismpromotionpurposes,butalsotodissemi-nateinformationontourismpoliciesandplans.Particularattentiontotheneedforeffectivecommunicationfromthecentraltotheregionalandlocallevelswasalsoemphasized,giventhatindevelopingcountriestheremotenessofsomeareasandthelackoftelecommunicationnetworkshinderbothhorizontalandverticalcommunication.

USE OF PUBLIC EVENTS TO PROMOTE TOURISM IN TANzANIADevelopmentandinstitutionalprocessesleadingtothede-signofnationalandlocalleveltourismpoliciescanbenefitfrompubliceventssupportedbypoliticalleaders,nationalandinternationalmedia,andregionalandinternationalorganizations.AnexamplewasprovidedfromTanzania,whereMIGA,anagencyoftheWorldBank,promotedatourisminvestmentconferencewiththeMinistryofTourism.PresidentMkapamadetheopeningspeech,andalsometwithindividualinvestors.TheAfricaTravelAssociation(ATA)wasinstrumentalinsecuringinterviewsontheconferencewithBBC,whichwerebroadcastlive,andATApublishedseveralarticlesintheirmagazine.Thelocalnewspapersprovidedeventcoverage.Theeventhadsomeverydirectandconcreteresults:investmentagree-mentsweresignedandarenowbeingimplemented.TheTanzaniaexamplealsodemonstratedtheimportanceandeffectivenessofgoodpost-eventfollow-up:potentialin-vestorswerekeptinformedofprogressbye-mail,andthegovernmenthasattendedhotelinvestmentforumstogen-erategreaterinterestinthecountry.

TOP-DOwN AND BOTTOM-UP COMMUNICATIONAn interesting example of communication among the stakeholder groups at the national, regional and local levels was provided by Kamelia Georgieva, ecotour-ism Program coordinator for the USAiD BceG project, responsible for developing a National ecotourism Strategy and Action Plan for Bulgaria. The project employed a mix of traditional and innovative communication tools and activities, such as workshops, forums, conferences, publica-tions, posters, and the internet. National experts and institutions interacted in focus group meetings and local workshops, and public forums were held for consultation. extensive media coverage helped the different activities to inform the wider public. Several types of publications were employed, including booklets with the outline of the strategy document, and leaflets and posters to inform local stakeholders about the specifics of ecotourism and upcoming public meetings. Two national forums were held with the participation of major international partners - the first set the stage and outlined the strategy, and the second approved the strategy and action plan and shared it with the nation and international partners. For more about this project, see: http://www.nric.net/tourism/Bulgaria_project.htm

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SUCCESS OF zAMBIA TOURISM NEwSLETTERInadditiontointernationalandnationalinstitutions,smallerorganizationsandindividualinitiativescanalsodis-seminateinformationandpromotecooperationtoencour-agesustainabletourismpractices.InanexamplesuppliedaboutZambia,atourismnewsletterstartedbyacommittedindividualgraduallybecameanimportantsourceoftour-

SESSIon � 5

ismdevelopmentinformationwiththesupportofpublicandprivatesectororganizations.Othere-conferencepar-ticipantspointedoutthatmultipleinternationaldevelop-mentanddonororganizationsoftencarryoutoverlappingpolicy-developmentandinstitutionalstrengtheningactivi-tiesinthesamecountryorareaandthatimprovedcom-municationisessentialinordertocoordinatedonoractivi-ties,minimizeduplicationandmaximizesynergies.

THE INTERNET AS A TOOL FOR CONSULTATION AND INFORMATION TRANSFERWithgrowingnumbersofusersandimprovingaccessworldwide,theInternetisanincreasinglyimportanttoolforstakeholderconsultationandinformationtransfer.InAustralia,theTourismWhitePaperImplementationPlan2004waslaunchedbytheMinisterforSmallBusinessandTourism,andrefinedthroughon-lineconsultationwithkeytourismindustrystakeholders,AustralianGovernmentdepartmentsandstateandterritorygovernment.Alargevolumeofstakeholderinputwasreceivedandincorporat-edintotheplanningprocess.ThelistoforganizationsthatparticipatedintheconsultationandtheirinputwasmadepubliconthewebsiteoftheDepartmentofIndustry,TourismandResources,togetherwithanadvancedstrat-egydraftthatincorporatedthedifferentviews.

TheInternetisalsoakeytoolforinformation-sharingandexchangeofexperiencesontourismpolicies.DestiNet,anewinitiativeoftheEuropeanEnvironmentAgencywascitedasagoodexample.(http://destinet.ewindows.eu.org).Theinformationresourceandcommunicationsplatformcontainsselected,qualityassessedinformationonthewaysinwhichtourismisbeingmademoresustainable.DestiNetoffersanumberofservicesincludingtheoptiontopostnewsbulletinsandsuggestnewlinksonrelevanttopics.ItactsasasingleEuropean-levelgatewaytoenvironmentalsustainabilityforthetourismsector,allowingusersto:

• Understandandreportonsectorimpactsontheenvironment;

• Learnhowtoimprovetourismsectorsustainability;and

• Coordinateinformationexchangebetweentourismstakeholders.

ADVOCACyManydevelopingcountriesarelookingtotourismdevel-opmenttosolvetheireconomicproblems.Formanyof

them,theirnaturalandculturalheritagerepresentsoneoftheirfeweconomicresources.Naturalandculturalheritageare,however,notrenewableandtourismmustbeaddressedinasustainablewaytopreventirrevers-ibledegradationtotheresourcesthatdrawtouriststoacountry.Unfortunately,developingcountriesfrequentlyexperiencesomedifficultyinplanningandpromotingsustainabletourismpolicies.Politiciansareoftenguidedbythenecessitytoachieverapidandvisibleresultsduringtheirtenure.Choicesabouttourismdevelopmentpoli-ciesandstrategiesaretoooftendictatedbythenecessitytosatisfyimmediateneeds:sustainingbalanceofpay-ments,creatingnewjobstoreduceunemployment,etc.However,tourismdevelopmentprojectsproducingim-mediatebenefits(revenuegenerationandjobcreationasexamples)mayturnouttobenegativeinthelongtermiftheythreatennaturalandculturalheritage.Civilsoci-etyandmassmediaorganizationscanassumetheroleof

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watchdogstoensurethattourismpoliciesandstrategiesarebeneficialbothforlocalcommunitiesandforthecon-servationofnaturalresourcesandculturalheritage.

Anextendeddialoguedevelopedunderthediscussiontopic“Advocacyforsustainabletourismpolicies,”fo-cusingontheroleofeducationandawareness-raisingactivities.Variousmessagesstressedtheneedtointegratesustainabletourismpolicyissuesinschoolcurriculaindifferenttypesofeducationprogramsrelatedtotourismmanagementandplanning,includingvocationalandtechnicalschoolsaswellasuniversities.Itwasalsosug-gestedthatsustainabilityissuesneedtobeincorporatedintoageneraleducationcurriculuminordertoensurethatfuturegenerationsoftouristsaresensitivetoenvi-ronmentalandsocialconcernswhenengagingintouris-ticactivities.

Itwassubsequentlynotedthat,whileeducationinschoolsandacademicinstitutioniscritical,awareness-raisingactivitiesaboutsustainablepolicyissuesshouldalsotargetpublicofficialsandbusinesspersons.Suggestedcommunicationtoolsforawareness-raisingamongstake-holdersincludeseminarsandworkshops,internships/mentorrelationshipswithleadersofsuccessfulprogramsinothercommunities,andWebforumstosharelessonslearnedfromotherexperiences.

NGOscanhaveakeyroleinawareness-raisingactivitiestargetingpublicauthorities.InBulgaria,theFoundationforLocalGovernmentReform,anNGOspecializinginsupportinglocalgovernments,usedspecifictoolssuchasnewsletters,workshops,training,andgrantschemesto

educatemayorsandtheiradministrationsandthemu-nicipalcouncilsaboutthebenefitsofsustainabletourism.ThesamefoundationhelpedtofacilitatethelocalprocessduringdevelopmentoftheNationalEcotourismStrategyandActionPlan.

TRAINING AND KNOwLEDGE MANAGEMENTSomeparticipantsstressed“tourismknowledgemanage-ment”asakeyfactortobeconsideredinallcountries,suggestingthatuniversitiesandschoolsoftourismandprofessionalstudiesshouldbeinvolvedincollectiveac-tions.Alackofspecificacademicandtrainingresourcesisattherootofmanyproblemswithunsustainabletour-ismdevelopment.

RonMader,editorofthesustainabletourismwebsitewww.planeta.com,pointedoutthatmanytourismtrain-ingcoursesareofferedaroundtheworld.Tourismportals,however,failtoprovideregularlyupdatedcalendarsofeventswithdescriptionsofcoursesandinstructors.Also,participantsshouldbeabletoratetheirinstructorsandsomesortofpublicevaluationshouldoccuraftersixtotwelvemonths.

Ivan Guarderas Flores proposed developing a data-base for tourists and local actors where they could reg-ister alerts or complaints about bad practices in tourism development (social, environmental and commercial). This could generate positive pressure to the local authorities, but would have to be carefully verified.

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erCOMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITy INVOLVEMENT IN TOURISM PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

Oneofthekeyprinciplesofsustainabletourismisthatthelocalpopulationisplacedatthecenteroftourismdevelopmentinterventionsinterms

ofparticipationinthedecision-makingprocessandbenefitsharing.Itisatthecommunitylevelwheretourismimpactsaremostlykeenlyfelt,conservationchallengesmustbemetandcultureismostaffected.Residentslivinginhistoriccenters,neararchaeologicalsitesorclosetonaturalpro-tectedareascanplayakeyroleintheconservationofthoseresourcesiftheycanderivebenefitfromthem.Severale-conferenceparticipantsthereforestressedtheimportanceofcommunityinvolvementandactiveparticipationinsus-tainabletourismdevelopmentasonekeytosuccess.

Amongtheprincipalchallengesthatparticipantsmen-tionedrelatedtocommunityinvolvement:

• Frequentchangesinlocalgovernment(bothpoliciesandpersonnel)

• Lackofgovernmentsupport• Conflictinginterestsbetweengroups(betweengovern-

mentandreligiousgroups,andbetweencommunitiesandbighotelownersoroilcompanies,forexample)

• Lackoffunds• Lateattemptstoinvolvelocalcommunities• Lackofcommercialskillsatthelocallevel• Toomanydifferentactors(NGOs,donoragencies,

government,etc.)oftenengagedinwell-intentionedbutunder-fundedprojectsthatarenotcoordinatedwithotherefforts

• Failuretoconsiderthewholetourismsystemofacountryorregionandnottakingintoaccountdemandfortourismproducts

• Communicationgapbetweencommunitiesandtheprivatesector.

Communicationtoolsmentionedaseffectivewaystoin-volvelocalcommunitiesintourismdevelopmentinclud-edtraining;participatoryworkshops;community,groupandindividualmeetings;localradio;schoolnewsletters;andlocalevents.Communityleadersareanimportantcommunicationchannel.

Anotherissuethatfrequentlysurfacedindiscussionwastheneedtoconsidertourismasabusiness,andcom-munitymembersasbusinesspeople.Community-basedtourismprojectsshouldthereforebefocusedonmarketdemand.Thisimpliesaneedforprofessionalisminthetasksrequiredtostartabusinesssuchas:abusinessfeasi-bilitystudy,businessadministration,hospitality,market-ingstrategy,developmentofITmarketingtools,marketanalysis,etc.

Session 2:

coMMunIcAtIon And LocAL coMMunItIES In SuStAInABLE tourISM dEvELoPMEnt

coMMunIcAtIon And SuStAInABLE tourISM: ProcEEdInGS oF A GLoBAL E-conFErEncE�

Communitiesgenerallyneedsupporttocarryoutsuc-cessfultourismdevelopmentinitiatives.Technicalexpertshowever,mustsimplyprovideexpertise,experienceandadvice,andactasfacilitatorstohelplocalcommunitiesmakeinformeddecisionsandbuildtheirownstrategy.Thismeanssupportingconsultativeprocesseswithinacommunitytoallowthedifferentsegmentsofthepopu-lation(women,forexample)toexpresstheiropinions.Toot Oostveen,ofSNV(www.snv-la.org)statedthatcon-sultantsshouldfirstidentifythekindofconsultancyandsupportthecommunitywantstoreceive.Signingacon-tractbetweenthecommunityandtheconsultingorgani-zationcanbeonewaytoenhancethesenseofownershipwithinacommunity.

Communityworkshopsareanimportantwaytoiden-tifyproblemsandconcerns,andtodetermineavailableoptionsbeforedecisionsaremadeandactionstaken.Workshopscanalsobeusedtointroducecommunitiestonewtopicssuchasmarketingtechniques,ortodesignprojectproposalswhichwillbeusedtoseekoutfunding.

TheInternetwasoftenmentionedasanimportanttooltoputlocaltourismmicro-enterprisesintodirectcontactwiththeglobalmarketoftravelers.

Someparticipantsstressedthatitisessentialtogainthetrustoflocalcommunitiespriortoanyproductiveinter-actionwiththem.Otherspointedouttheneedtoavoidmakingcommunitiesdependentondevelopmentwork-ers.Capacity-building,ownershipandempowermentareimportanttothecommunitymanagementandlong-termsustainabilityoftourismenterprises.

Finally,participantsstressedtheobvious,butoftenne-glected,necessityforconsultantsandotheroutsideenti-tiestoconsiderculture,beliefsandtraditionsintourismplanning,andtoavoidpreconceptionswhilelisteningandfacilitatingparticipatoryprocesses.

RELATIONSHIP BETwEEN COMMUNITIES AND THE PRIVATE SECTORManyparticipantsdescribedacommunicationgapbe-tweentheprivatesector(especiallyoutsideinvestors)andlocalcommunities,feelingthattheprivatesectorisnotpreparedtocommunicatewithcommunitiesbecauseitrequiresmoretimeandpatiencethanmostbusinesspeo-plearewillingtoinvest.Theyidentifiedacontradictionbetweenfastbusinessprocessesandslowcommunitypro-cesses.Thesedifferentperceptions,differentassumptionsanddifferentpriorities,aswellasmistrustandalackof

COMMUNICATION KEy TO SUCCESS IN KENyARoselyne Okech, of the Maseno University in Kenya, posted an abstract on the role of communication in a ecotourism project in Kenya with the following con-clusion: “involving communities in the implementation and management of a tourism development project necessitates close supervision of the activities, capac-ity building at the local level and a strong commitment from the communities. The involvement of communities will depend very much on the nature of the activities and the level of communication. community develop-ment has certainly undergone an evolution and is still at the heart of the latter-day paradigm shift towards a human orientation… The concern today lies in matters such as whether the poorest are reached, whether the approach is still top-down, whether the people have de-cision-making power over the use of resources, whether human values are met, and whether development is environment friendly. Kenya is slowly following the same path and so there are still problems to be solved with regard to the management aspect. communication is key in all these aspects.”

GOVERNMENT-INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PARTNERSHIPTwo case studies in canada (The Quu’as West coast Trail Society and Haida Gwaii, Queen charlotte islands) were posted by Mike Robbins, marketing consultant from canada specializing in tourism, to describe a suc-cessful partnership between government and indigenous communities in sensitive natural areas and national parks, which provided economic opportunities for local com-munities in balance with nature protection. Out of these studies, it appears that successful partnerships have the following qualities:• equal voice for partners• respect and understanding of cultural differences (i.e.

timeframes, language, traditional knowledge, etc.)• Sound business relationship• Available financial resources for activities aimed at

involving indigenous people• employment opportunities as well as business devel-

opment opportunities• enhancement of local knowledge and capacity building• respect for sacred sites

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willingnesstocollaborate,cangeneratemisunderstand-ingsbetweentheprivatesectorandlocalcommunities.Anotherissueraisedinthee-conferencewasthatcommu-nitiesareoftennotconsidered(anddon’tconsiderthem-selves)tobeacomponentoftheprivatesector.However,themomenttheyenterintothetourismbusinesstheybecomepartoftheprivatesectorandneedtoadoptabusiness-relatedpointofview.ThiswastheexperienceofWilliamTuffin,whoisworkingtodevelopcommunityeco-tourisminLaos.

Methodsofovercomingbarriersmentionedbye-confer-enceparticipantsincludedawareness-raisingactivitiesanddialoguebetweenbusinessmenandcommunitiestoaidinunderstandingdifferentpointsofviews,opinionsandin-terests.Time,trust,transparency,andcreativethinkingareessentialforidentifyingcommonground,commoninter-estsandpotentialsharedbenefits.Asoneofthee-confer-enceparticipantsremarked,“Who should be responsible for supporting the local communities in undertaking a profitable tourism business? It is a question to consider in each situation.”

INVESTMENT AND MARKETINGIfgovernmentorpublicdonorsarenotsupportingacommunitytourisminitiative,communitiesneedtofindcreativewaystoaccessfinancing.Sponsorshipmightbeoneoptionforcommunitytourism.AnexamplewasgivenoftheBCAboriginalTourismAssociationinwhichsponsorshavetheircorporatenameaffiliatedwiththeAssociationandseevalueintheexposuretheyreceivefromfinancingspecificactivities.MikeRobbinspresentedanotherexampleinthefinancingofaculturalecolodge,whereanassociationreceivedfundsfromtheBritishandCanadianAirForce,aminingcompanyandaprivatefoundation.

InthecaseofGreatBearRainforestinBritishColumbia,combininglargescalenatureconservationwithinFirstNationtraditionalterritoryhasbeenkeytoforginga

linkbetweenprivatesectorfundsandcommunities.Oneelementofthesehistoriclanduseagreementshasbeenthecreationofthe“CoastOpportunitiesFunds,”aconservation-financingprogramdevelopedthrougharemarkablecollaborativeprocessinvolvingFirstNations,environmentalists,philanthropists,andgovernmentrep-resentatives.Establishingthisprogramrequiredadecadeofnegotiation,againhighlightingthelengthoftimesomeprocessesneed.

Oneofthebiggestissuesfacingallcommunitytourismprojectsinremotelocationsismarketing–creatingaware-nessandstimulatinginterestinwidelydispersedgeographicmarketareas.InMay2006,theLonelyPlanettravelpub-lishersproduced“CodeGreen–ExperiencesofaLifetime”.Thebookfocusesonuniqueexperienceswithanemphasisonminimizingenvironmentalandsocialimpactandmaxi-mizingconnectionswithlocalpeople.Publicationslikethisshouldhelpwithencouragingtravelerstodigfurtherintolesspublicizedtourismopportunities.

Oneexampleofaprivate/publicsustainabletourismpartnershipisnowunderwayinClarendonParish,Jamaica.“ClarendonExpress”isapartnershipbetweenawidevarietyofstakeholdersfromtheprivatesector,theJamaicangovernment,environmentalNGOs,apro-

Valere Tjolle (http://www.totemtourismmarketing.org) launched the idea of job swapping, an exchange program in which community members work in commercial tour companies and vice versa. This allows the community to understand the mechanisms of the tourism business and trains community members in planning and managing tourism businesses. On the other side, the experience helps commercial tour company staff to better under-stand the local reality they are dealing with.

Ron Mader described the www.planeta.com policy of working with communities over time. in Oaxaca, Mexico, listening to locals led to innovations such as the Oaxaca Options roundtable discussions, a series of informal presentations and dialogues. One example that improves community benefits is “Walk the Weavers” in the nearby craft-making town of Teotitlan del Valle, in which the town’s community museum organizes tours. Visitors are led to workshops by weavers with the goal of increasing direct sales, benefiting travelers with lower prices and weavers with higher income. http://tinyurl.com/mmotd

Trip Sweeney posted information about a new initia-tive, STeP Up Travel (http://www.stepuptravel.org). This is a web-based concept that provides a tool for local people to create their own online tourism microenterprise for direct interaction with travelers. The concept has been implemented into a completely functional, global tool to provide ownership to local people in travel/tourism and provide access to global markets of travelers. The site has been translated into Spanish www.laredsocial.org and Portuguese www.arede.org.

coMMunIcAtIon And SuStAInABLE tourISM: ProcEEdInGS oF A GLoBAL E-conFErEncE�0

tectedarea,localhotels,theChamberofCommerce,andothers.Jamalcoiscollaboratingwithnationalandinternationalpartnerstoconvertanindustrialtrainrouteintoatourismtrainthatlinkstheseatothemoun-tainswithdiversevisitoropportunitiesalongtheway.Communicationactivitiestoencourageinvolvementandcollaborationbetweenstakeholderswereimportanttothesuccessofthisinitiative.

FALSE ExPECTATIONSItisnecessaryforlocalcommunitiestorealizethatsus-tainabletourismdevelopmentisnotapanacea,andthathardworkisrequiredtoreceiveanybenefit.Thecom-munitymustapproachtourismasanyotherbusinessthatinvolvesrisks.Theyneedsufficientinformationand

capacitytoassessandmitigatetheserisks.Theyalsoneedtorealizethattheyareserviceproviderswhoareinalongchainofinterdependenttourism-relatedbusinessesandtheyneedtobefamiliarwiththeotheractors.

Unrealisticexpectationscanbereducedthroughfrequentanddetailedcommunicationamongstallstakeholders.Capacity-buildingtrainingandequityintourismbenefitscanalsobuildthetrustofcommunitiesandreducefalseexpectations.

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR OF TOURISTSManye-conferenceparticipantsfeltthatthebestwaytoinformtouristsaboutappropriatebehaviourinhostcountriesistoreachthempriortotravelviaguidebooks.Manybooksalreadyincorporateachapteronresponsi-bletravel.Otherchannelsthatareimportantvehiclesforcarryinginformationtoawiderangeoftourists(forinstancethosetravelinginorganizedtours)includetrav-elagencies,Internetsitesandmagazines.However,travelmagazinesandtravelnarrationtoooftenpresentdestinationsjustastourismproducts,forgettingthatpeoplewithotherculturesandsensibilitieslivethere.Somee-conferenceparticipantsstressedtheneedtoana-lyzevisitors’perceptionsofdestinationstoidentifypo-tentialproblemsandrecommendawarenessactivitiesforaddressinginappropriatebehavior,minimizingtourismimpactsonthelocalcultureandenhancingrelationswithlocalcommunities.

in Laos, the following activities and communication tools helped tourists adopt appropriate behaviors: “do and don’t” booklets, tour orientation pamphlets, training courses for local guides, and signs and posters in villages. For more information, see www.ecotourismlaos.com.

in Laos, the following activities and communication tools helped tourists adopt appropriate behaviors: “do and don’t” booklets, tour orientation pamphlets, training courses for local guides, and signs and posters in villages. For more information, see www.ecotourismlaos.com.

PARTNERSHIPS: COMMUNITIES/PRIVATE SECTORSamar Hammad, from the craft sector in Jordan, gave an example of a private organization trying to build a partnership with a community in the handicraft business. The group faced a lot of mistrust and realized that a long process was needed to build personal relations before collaborating with the community. Slowly, some individu-als began to show trust, and others followed later. The success and related benefits of some individual craftsmen helped to encourage the others.

Paula Eshoo mentioned that there are several interest-ing community-based initiatives in Laos, where a number of development partners and the private sector have joined to assist the country in implementing its National ecotourism Strategy and Action Plan. For more informa-tion, see www.ecotourismlaos.com.

Maria José zapata Campos, from the University of castilla La Mancha, Spain, mentioned how the failure or success of community/private business partnerships de-pends upon perceptions and the quality of interpersonal relationships and, consequently, upon communication issues. She also mentioned the importance of under-standing how power is distributed between the different interest groups, individuals, institutions, and community groups involved. The control, access and distribution of information, tacit decisions, the absence or presence of certain themes in the partnership’s agenda are key issues for a successful partnership.

SESSIon 3 ��

USF

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ThenotionofCSRisnotnew,butitsadoptionandintegrationintothetourismindustryisinveryearlystages,voluntaryandlargelyspearheadedby

theecotourismmovement.However,theadoptionandendorsementofthebasicprinciplesofsustainabletourismthataddressthenewparadigmoftriplebottomlineassess-menthassteadilygrownoverthelastdecade–althoughitisundeniablethatthemajorfocushasbeenonenvironmentalprotectionandconservationratherthanaddressingsocialissuessuchaslaborstandards.Thisthemeisalsopresentinmanyofthevoluntarysustainabletourismcertificationpro-grams–manyofwhichareconsideredvaluableinstrumentstoencourageandfacilitateCSR.

ThethrustofCSRinthemainstream(mass)tourismindustryisaccusedofbeinglargelyenvironmental,theskepticssay,simplybecauseenvironmentalmanage-mentsystemshelpreducecosts(throughminimizationofpotablewaterandenergyuse,andreductionofwaste)orareperceivedasapotentialsellingpoint(greensells).Philanthropybymajortourismplayersalsoisanotherele-mentofCSRthathasbeenadoptedtovaryingdegrees,becomingmoreacceptedandevenexpected,althoughlargelyasadhocgesturesofgoodwill.

However,CSRinthetourismindustryisnotsimplyaboutpotentialenvironmentalsavings,certificationprogramsorphilanthropy–itisincreasinglybeingconsideredbyenlightenedcorporationsandindividualsastheonlywaytoensurelongtermsustainability,andoftenleadstobetterbusinesseswithincreasedprofitability.TherearemanyinthebusinesscommunitywhoseeCSRnotasa“luxury”

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

is the commitment of businesses to

contribute to sustainable economic

development – working with employees,

their families, the local community and

society at large to improve the quality

of life – in ways that are both good for

business and good for development.

THE wORLD BANK’S wORKING

DEFINITION OF CSR

Session 3:

thE roLE oF coMMunIcAtIon In ProMotInG corPorAtE SocIAL rESPonSIBILIty In SuStAInABLE tourISM dEvELoPMEnt


thatisindulgedinwhenandwhereresourcesallow–butasafundamentaltooltodoingbusinesswell,andhenceonethatneedstobebuiltintostrategiestoensureriskmanagementandreputationalenhancement.

Thee-conferenceparticipants’contributionscertainlyclarifiedtheneedforincreasedcommunicationaboutandforCSRintourism.Communicationhastotakeplaceatalllevelsbetweenandamongstthedifferentstakeholders.Aregulatoryframeworkisneedednotonlytofacilitate“seamless”communicationbutalsotocreatecommongroundsandacommonunderstandingofsomeofthesustainabilityissuesandthepotentialofCSRtoenhancebusinessviabilityandlongevity.ThecaseforadoptingCSRintourismneedstobebettercommuni-catedinlanguageappropriatetothevariousstakeholders.Communicationwasconsideredessentialto:

• helptourismbusinessesandconsumers(tourists)un-derstandandadoptrelevantenvironmentalandsocialsustainabilitystandardsandsystems(certification,guidelines,environmentalmanagementsystems,fairtrade,communityrelationsandoutreach,etc.);

• helptourismbusinessesthatareadoptingappropriateCSRprinciplesandrelevantstandardsinbeingreward-edbyincreasedbusiness;and

• createbetterlinksamonglargetourismoperators,lo-calcommunities,andsmallandmediumenterprisestodevelopwin-winpartnerships.

LACK OF AN INTERNATIONALLy RECOGNIzED DEFINITION OF CSRAlargepartofthee-conferencediscussionconcentratedondifferentperceptionsanddefinitionsofsustainabletourismandcorporatesocialresponsibility.Despiteamultitudeofdefinitionsbyseveralinternationalandnationalinstitu-tions,tourismenterprises,non-governmentalorganiza-tions(NGOs)andindividuals,thereisnocoherentandinternationallyrecognizeddefinitionframeworkaccordingtowhichCSRactivitiescanbestructuredorscrutinized.ThelackofaninternationallyrecognizeddefinitionofCSRleadstoarangeofobstaclesforcommunicationonCSRbetweenstakeholders.ManycompaniesmisunderstandsustainablemanagementorCSRassimply“philanthropy”,“charitablegiving”,or“humanitarianaid,”etc.,ratherthanusingsustainablemanagementtoimprovetheirlocalbusi-nesscontext(e.g.communityrelationsandoutreachproj-ects,environmentalmanagement,goodsocialstandardsforemployees,localpurchasingoptions,etc.).

Ontheotherhand,therewerealsoanumberofpartici-pantswhoarguedagainstoneunivocalstandardordefini-tive“definition”forCSR.Giventhediversityofcultures,differentlysizedoperations(massvs.smallandmediumenterprises[SMEs]),andthemultitudeofbusinesstypes(e.g.accommodation,flight,touroperation,etc.)inthetourismsector,usingonesetofstandards,may,accordingtotheGlobalReportingInitiative(GRI),belimitingandmightprovetobeinadequate.

STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATIONParticipantshighlightedthat,totheirknowledge,thereisn’tonepreferred,orleadingorganizationthatisnecessar-ilytheonlyoreventhemostsuccessfulmodeltocommu-nicateaboutandhelpwithmainstreamingCSRprinciplesandpractices.Instead,theybelievethatthereisaneedtofacilitatemorewidespreadandtransparentcommunica-tiononCSRatalllevels.Thereforeallpossiblestakehold-ersneedtobeidentifiedandheldtoaccountforspreadingtheprinciplesofsustainabledevelopment.Asidefromtheindustry,consumersandNGOs,theseinclude:

• Certification and standards-setting organizations• Governmental organizations• Intermediaries.

Thegovernmentwasmostoftenidentifiedbythepartici-pantsasthestakeholderresponsibleforcreatingtheap-propriateframeworkenvironmenttoencourageanden-suresuccessfulandtransparentcommunicationonCSR.

Appreciatingthecurrentstructuresofthetourismbusi-nessanditssalesstructure,twoadditionalstakeholderswereidentifiedasimportantintermediariesandambassa-dorsforsustainabledevelopmentandCSR:

• Salesstaff(e.g.travelagents,sales&marketing,in-boundoperators)

• Media.

Astudyonmarketingcertifiedproductsrecentlycomplet-edbyTheInternationalEcotourismSociety(TIES)con-cludedthat“green”tourismcertificationprogramscangetthe“biggestbangforthebuck”bymarketingtointerme-diariessuchastouroperators,guidebooksandthemedia,ratherthandirectlytoconsumers.Theseintermediariescan,inturn,marketdirectlytoconsumers.Withtime,ascertificationprogramsgrowinsizeandspreadtomorecountries(i.e.,acriticalmassdevelops),andasmoretouroperatorsuseandpromotecertifiedproducts,consumer

SESSIon 3 �3

awarenessanddemandislikelytogrow.Whilecriticsofcertificationoftencitethecurrentlackofconsumerde-mandasareasonwhyitwillnotwork,TIESwouldarguethat,basedonlessonslearnedfromotherindusties,con-sumerdemandtakesalongtimetogrowandisbestbuiltthroughcertificationprogramstargetingandconvincingintermedariessuchastouroperators/wholesalers.

Thee-conferencehighlightedthat,inmanycases,in-dividualswhohavecredibilitybothfromthepersonalandprofessionalpointofviewmightbecomesuccessfulcommunicatorsonCSR,andcouldrecruithighprofile“mentors”thatsupportandencourageotherstobecomeproponentsofCSR.Theidentificationofcharismaticleaderswhowouldbeabletowinthemindsofsmallen-trepreneurswassuggestedasapossiblestrategy.Apoten-tialthreatwouldbethatcommunicationwouldbethenlimitedtoindividuallyperceivedanddefinedissuesratherthanincorporatingtherealneedsofallstakeholders.

CERTIFICATION AND STANDARDSCertificationandstandardswereidentifiedbythepar-ticipantsasthecurrentmosteffectiveoptionforactivelysupportingandguidingCSRprocessesontheindividualcompanylevel.Inthe(self-proclaimed)sustainabletourismindustry,thedevelopmentofstandardsandvoluntarycer-tificationthatprovidesomeformof“guarantee”ofsustain-abilitystandardsiscommon,butwidespreadadoptionanduseofthesestandardsisunfortunatelystillrare.Consumersurveysareconfusing,foralthoughtheyoftenproclaimageneralwillingnesstopayapremiumforproductsthatdemonstrateacommitmenttosustainabletourismprac-tices,onlyasmallpercentageofconsumersappeartoseek

theseproductsorunderstandmuchaboutwhatappropri-ateenvironmental,socialorculturalstandardsare.“Green”tourismcertificationstandardscertainlymeasureandseektomitigatethenegativeenvironmental,social,andculturalimpactsoftourismbusinesses.Someevenseektoincreasethepositiveimpactsoftourismthroughensuring“fair”economicreturnstothelocalcommunityorenvironment,orevenattempttoempowerindigenouspeoples.

Certifyingtouroperatorsandhotelsfacilitatesmain-streamingofCSRandsustainablemanagementpracticesinthetourismindustryandservesnotonlyasarelativelyeasywayforconsumers(tourists)toidentify“responsible”and“ethical”product,butcommunicatesCSRandotherimportantissuesbothB2Bandtootherstakeholders.Certificationprogramsandtheirstandardscanservetoeffectivelycommunicateanin-depthrevieworinsightthroughtheircriteriaintothelargerangeofissuesthataffectsustainabletourismdevelopment–andwhetheratourismenterpriseactuallyproceedstocertificationornot,theprogramsservetoraiseawareness.Atthesametime,certificationorganizationshelpconsumerspreferen-tiallychooseresponsibleproducts.

COMMUNICATION wITHIN THE INDUSTRy REGARDING CSR TOOLS AND MEASURESWithregardstocommunicationwithinthetourismindustry,e-conferenceparticipantshighlightedvariousdifferentissuesthatshouldbeaddressedtosupporttheincorporationofCSRprinciplesandtoolsamongtourismbusinesses(i.e.inparticularsmallandmicrobusinesses).Suggestionsincluded:

• Obtainaclearunderstandingofthecapacitygaps;• EnsurethatCSRtoolsandexamplesareadaptedto

takeintoaccounttheknowledge,capacityandthecul-tureofthecountriestowhichCSRmodulesaretrans-ferredadopting“adaptivemanagement”practices;

• CreateaclearandunivocalunderstandingofwhatCSRmeans(i.e.clarifyingthatintegratingCSRprinci-plesandpracticeswouldmeangoingbeyondsimplisticandbasicphilanthropicactivities);

• Maximizetheparticipationoflocalcommunitiesinde-finingwhatCSRmeansatthelocalleveltogobeyondasimpleecolabel.Community-basedorganizationsandNGOsatthelocallevelareseenasvery“goodintermediaries”topromotealocalinterpretationofgeneralCSRframeworks;and

cST


• JointandcooperativeworkonCSRintourismthroughnetworksliketheTourOperatorInitiative(TOI,www.toinitiative.org),whoarecontributingtoavitalexchangeonCSRpracticesbetweenthelargetourismplayers.

ParticipantsappearedtofeelthattheindustryhadnotyetfullyembracedCSRastherewasalackofunderstand-ingonwhatitwasandhowitmighthelptheirbusiness.Therewascertainlyaperceptionthattherewasalackofcommonunderstandingaboutthe“businesscase”ofCSRinthetourismindustry.Thewillingnesstopaymoreforresponsibleandethicaloperatorsbyagrowingnumberofcustomersisnotyetevidentinthemasstourismsector,despitesurveysthatdeclareagrowingpercentageofcus-tomersdemandmoreresponsibleproductsandarewillingtopaymoreforacertain“feel-goodfactor”(whenhearingthattheirstayorpurchasehelpslocalcommunity,localla-bor,localenvironment,etc.).Itwasfeltthatthis“special”customerwaslargelyconfinedtonichemarketsegments,whicharesmallerinsize,moretransparentandeasiertoberecognizedassuchattheindividualconsumerlevel.

COMMUNICATION VERSUS NON-COMMUNICATIONWhen it comes to providing solid motives to the mass tour-ism segment, as well as to small and micro business at the local level, for the integration of cSr principles and tools in their business practices, participants agreed that the real trigger would be a solid consumer demand for cSr, and that possibly the weakest link in the area of communication about cSr to consumers is how tourism companies relate their success stories to consumers. Different examples have been brought forward highlighting that there is not a unani-mous view on the marketability of cSr activities.

There were a number of examples of businesses that were certified or engaged in cSr that did not promote or com-municate this with their customers. The reasons for this are sometimes complex, ranging from perceptions of being “green” as equating to being of lower quality (not compatible with the image of high end “luxury” establishments), to the assumption that labels equate to more expensive product, and hence are avoided! Some companies do not com-municate their environmental and social sustainability policies or cSr initiatives because they view certification mainly as a tool for improving their operations and saving money on water and energy, rather than as a tool for improving sales.

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COMMUNICATION OF CSR TO TOURISTSWithregardstocommunicationfromtourismenterprisestotheirconsumers,twokeypointswereexpressedbytheparticipants:

• DemandfromconsumersforCSRandsustainabletourismwasseenasanessentialcommunicationtooltosteercompaniestowardsmoreresponsiblepractices.Sociallyresponsiblepurchasingandethicalpurchaseswereconceptsproposingthatthemind-shifttowardsmoresustainableproductshastotakeplaceonboththeproducers’andconsumers’end.ThedifficultyinthatconsumersdidnotnecessarilypreferentiallychooseproductsthatdemonstratedCSRneedstobeaddressed,buttherewasanagreementfromsomeparticipantsthattheseresponsibleormoreethicalbusi-nessestendedto“do”betterandweremorelikelytobeconsideredqualityproducts:businessesthattakeoftheirenvironmentareperceivedtobemorelikelytoalsotakecareoftheircustomers.

• Therewasmentionoftheneedtoensureendusers’participationintheformulationofthetools.Thiswillensurethe‘buy-in’oftargetaudiencesfromtheoutset.

Insummary,Session3discussionsidentifiedtheneedfor(1)increasedcommunicationaboutandforCSRintourism,atalllevelsbetweenandamongstthediffer-entstakeholders;(2)aregulatoryframeworktofacilitatecommunicationandcommonunderstandingofCSR;and(3)communicationtovariousstakeholderstomakeastrongercaseforadoptingCSRintourism.

SESSIon 4 �5

rAre

Thissessionofthee-conferencecenteredondiscussionsaroundthefollowingquestions:

• Whatistheroleofmoderntechnologies,likee-busi-nessande-marketingtechniques?Howcantheyhelptoimprovemarketaccesstosmallbusinessesandre-ducemarketingcosts?

• AdvertisingSpots,Slogans,andReality–Howdowepromotesustainabletourismwithouttellinglies?

• Howcancommunicationhelpincreasetheshareoflocalproductsandservicesthatsupplythetourismin-dustry,enhancinglinkagesbetweenconventionaltour-ismandthelocaleconomy?

• Whataretheexperiencesandlessonslearnedwithcol-lectivemarketinginitiatives,groupingtogethersmallertouroperatorsandserviceproviders?

• Whichcommunicationmethodologiesandtechnolo-giescansmallbusinessesindevelopingcountriesusetolearnabouttheirmarkets?

• Whatarethebeststrategiestotargettravelpublicationsandinfluencethemtocoversustainabledestinations?

TOURISM PRODUCTS MUST BE DEMAND-DRIVEN AND RESPOND TO THE ExPERIENCES AND NEEDS OF TOURISTS Theworldislitteredwithtourismproductsthatfailedbecausetheydidnottakemarketdemandintoconsider-ation,didnotreachtheirmarketswithadequateinfor-mation,ordidnotprovideameansfortheirmarketstoreserve/purchasetheirproducts.

Todaythereisawiderangeofmarketingandpromo-tiontechniquesavailable,supportedbyrapidlyevolvingcommunicationtechnology,buttheapplicationofthese

techniquesandtechnologiesisstillverylimitedintour-ism,especiallyindevelopingcountries.Tourismfunctionsthroughacomplexsupplychainthatlinksawiderangeofservicesfromthegeneratingmarketstothefinaldestina-tions.Communicationiskeytoenhancingtheinforma-tionflowalongthissupplychainandensuringthatsus-tainabletourisminitiativesandproductseventuallyreachpotentialtouriststhatmaybethousandsofmilesaway.

Session 4:

thE roLE oF coMMunIcAtIon In LInkInG SuStAInABLE tourISM ProductS to MArkEtS


Tocollectmarketintelligence,RichardTuck(atourismexpertcurrentlyworkinginNicaragua),suggestedthatmi-cro,smallandmediumenterprises(MSMEs)indevelopingcountriesshouldbeinteracting(simplequestionnairesorone-on-oneinterviews)withthetouriststhatarealreadyatthelocale.Questionsshouldbedirectedatfindingoutwhatthetouristsliked/disliked,howtheyarrived,howtheyfirstheardaboutthelocale,whetherornottheywouldrecom-mendthelocaleandwhy/whynot,wheretheywerefrom,age,sex,etc.Open-endedmarketing-orientedquestionssuchaswhatelsevisitorswouldhavelikedtoexperienceatthelocaleandwhattheywouldchangeaboutthelocaleshouldalsobeincluded.Thiswillhelptouristenterprisesdeterminenotonlywhotheirtargetmarketisbutalsohow tocommunicatetothemandwhat tocommunicate.TolearnhowtoexpandintosecondaryandtertiarymarketsMSMEsshouldthenseekoutacademicinstitutionsandNGOsthatworkinsustainabletourismand,moreimpor-tantly,visitthetouristareasnearesttothemandlearnaboutwhattourists(outsidetheirtargetmarket)aredemanding.

SimonJones(InternationalInstituteofTourismStudiesoftheGeorgeWashingtonUniversity)pointedoutthatitmaybedifficultforlocaloperatorstocarryoutvisitorsurveys,andthattheyneedtoorganizethemselvesinlarg-ernetworksofsimilarbusinessestohavegreateropportu-nitiestolearnfromoneanotherandgatherinformationabouttheirclients.ChrisSeek(SolimarInternational)providedanexampleofaUSAIDtourismprojectinRomaniawherealocalDestinationManagementOrganization(DMO)islearninghowtocreatevisitorsurveys,trackwebsitehitsandpageviews,trackinforma-tionrequestedatinformationcentersand,mostimpor-tantly,howtoanalyzethisinformationandprovideittoassociationmembersasatangiblemembershipbenefit.Theprojectisalsocreatingaback-end“membersonly”sectionofthedestinationportalthatwillbeusedtosharethisinformation.Thenexttaskwillbetoeducatemem-bersonhowtousethismarketresearchtoimprove/adapttheirproducttomeetthemarketdemand.

Providing

the Unique

Experience

MetildeWendenbaum(ECEAT)remindedpartici-pantsthatthemostimportantthingthatthetouristsdemandfrom“exotic”smallscalesup-

pliersisauniqueexperience,i.e.,somethingtheydonotexpectyetordemand.Thestrengthofasmall-scalesup-plierliesinthefactthattheycanmakeapersonalconnec-

tiontotheguest.Methodstostrengthenthispersonalconnectionare:

• creatingexperiencesthattheguestswillneverforget;• keepingarecordoftheguestsinordernottoforget

them;• remainingintouchwiththemaftertheirvisitsbysend-

ingaperiodic(email)card.

Word-of-mouthpromotionshouldalsonotbeunder-es-timated.Toeffectivelyusethiscommunicationtool,busi-nessescangiveguestsdiscountcardsthattheycanpasstotheirfriends.Inthisway,supplierscanalsoestimatetheeffectivenessofwordof-mouthpromotion.

HELPING BUSINESSES UNDERSTAND THAT “DOING GOOD IS GOOD BUSINESS”Len Cordiner reminded participants that small travel service providers will “follow the money.” They know the value of a favorable mention in Lonely Planet and they are learning about the value of favorable online ratings on the internet. By showing them that doing ‘good’ is good business, they will follow. Len also provided an example of a restaurant in Hanoi which takes in disadvantaged youth and builds their hospitality skills to a point where the students can be placed in permanent work situa-tions.. Travelers love the place, not because the food is so special or the cost so low (it is not), but because they feel that by eating there they are doing something to support the local poor. Doing good has become good business and other SMes see this and start to follow.

Learning through

Study Tours

SamarHammad(craftsectorinJordan)suggestedthatMSMEsandMicrobusinessescouldgainvaluableadviceandtrainingby

leavingtheirlocaldestinationandobservinghowotherdestinationsoffertourismproductsandservices.ThroughtheinteractionwithotherMSMEsandtourists,businessownerswillbeabletounderstandhowtoapply“whatworksinotherdestinations”totheirown.Studytours,however,shouldbeusedwithcaution.RichardTuckprovidedanexampleofNGOsthat,alongwithgovernmentsponsorship,broughtsmall-scalecoffeepro-ducers,touroperators,andtourismprovidersfromNicaraguatoCostaRicaoverthepasttenyears.Somenegativeoutcomesinthisexperienceincluded:

SESSIon 4 ��

• reinforcingacultureof“CostaRicaisbetter,isgreener,is...”inthemindsofNicaraguans;

• errorsthatCostaRicantourismbusinessesmakeonadailybasisweretransferredtotheMSMEsinNicara-gua;and

• viewsofrealityonpricingandpromotionwereskewed.ThepricingandpromotionthatoccursinCostaRicafortouriststoCostaRicacannotbethesameinNica-raguabecausetourismandtouriststherearedifferent.

ADVERTISING SPOTS, SLOGANS, AND REALITy: HOw DO wE PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM wITHOUT TELLING LIES?Tourismmarketingoftenusesimagesofpristinelandscapesthatpromisetheopportunitytoexperiencethe“DreamVacation”withrespecttothenaturalenvironment.Howcanatourismmarketingcampaignshowtheuniquedifferencesofthesedestinationsinsteadofmakingthemalllookthesame?Howdotravelerslearnhowtoseepasttheperfectimagestounderstandtherealityofthedestinationbeingvisited?

RobinGoldberg(LonelyPlanet)remindede-conferenceparticipantsthattheonlythingthatlovelypicturesandfan-cyslogansdoispiqueinterest.Butcurious,smart,thought-fultravelerswillneverstopatthepicture.Withtheprolif-erationofinformation,notravelerisgoingtobasehis/hertraveldecisionsonafancyadorcampaignslogan.Travelersaresmartandwanttomakethemostoftheirtraveldol-lars...andforthattheyarewillingtodosomeresearch.Atbest,agoodadcampaigncanintriguesomeoneenoughtodigfurther.Thekeytomarketingaspecial,uniquetravel

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gemistobecertainthatitcanbefoundwhenthetravelerstartstosearchthroughindependenttravelsources.

Thisreinforcestheimportanceofreviews,referralsandword-of-mouthstorytellingbythosewhohavefirst-handexperience.Thereisnothinglikeathird-partyendorse-mentwhichisgivenwithoutanycommercialinterestonthepartoftheendorser.Greatexamplesofthisincludeeditorialspublishedbyrespectedmedia,placementintrustedguidebooks,candidreviewsbyfellowtravelersfoundinmultiplewebforums.Travelersarelookingforhonest,practicalinformationfromtrustedsources,andthatwilldrivetheirtravelchoices.

INCREASING THE SHARE OF LOCAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT SUPPLy THE TOURISM INDUSTRy, ENHANCING LINKAGES BETwEEN CONVENTIONAL TOURISM AND THE LOCAL ECONOMyOneofthereasonswhytourismissuchanimportantindustryforinternationaldevelopmentistheopportunityforgrowthinsupportingsectors.Communicationplaysacriticalroleinlinkingthetourismindustrywithsup-portingsectorsbutrequirescarefulfacilitation.

RobertaHilbruner(USAID)providedanexampleofhowinNorthernMozambiquetouristdestinationshavetoim-porttheirfreshvegetablesandfruitsbecauselocalfarmersdonotgrowawidevarietyofproduce.Goodfacilitationbetweenhoteliers,restaurants,farmersandextensionactivitiescanhelpfarmersunderstandthismarketandbegintoraiseproducetomeetthedemand,increasingthelocalbenefitsfromtourism.

LenCordiner(CEOofWorldhotel-link.com)describedhowinCambodiathetourismindustryreliesonimportsformostoftheiragricultureproductsandcitedquality,

coMMunIcAtIon And SuStAInABLE tourISM: ProcEEdInGS oF A GLoBAL E-conFErEncE��

quantity,delivery(reliability),andconvenience(includingpaymentterms)asreasonsforsourcingelsewhere.Thisproblemalsoextendstootherlocalproductsincludingfurnishings.Lenrecommendedtwothingsthatneedtobeaddressedtohelpovercometheseissues:

• BuildingCapacity–NGOs,developmentagencies,andlocalgovernmentsmustworkwithlocalsupplierstobuildtheircapacitytoproducetheproductthatisdemandedbytheindustry;and

• BuildingDemand–helpingthetourismindustryun-derstandthatsourcinglocalproductscanhelpbuilddemandfortheirbusiness.

Toincreasedemandforlocalproducts,RobinGoldbergstressedtheneedtohelptravelersunderstandhowtheirdollarcanmakeadifferenceandthatonlybyaskingthehardquestionswilltravelersshowbusinessesthattheseis-suesareimportanttothem.

InSierraLeone,where90%ofallfoodisimportedduetotheconflictsofthecivilwar,MeganEplerWood,workingwiththeNationalHotelandTourismTrainingInstitute,islaunchinga“foodenterprise”programthatincludesafoodenterprisetrainingcoursethatwillbemadeavail-abletolocalfarmers.Ratherthentryingtotrainthelocalfarmersinhowtoproduceeverythingthehotelsneed,theprojectisfocusingononeproduct–fruitsalad–thatcanbeeasilypreparedandpackagedfordeliverywithmini-

mumcost.Theprojecthasbeenverywellreceivedbylo-calhotelsandissettoexpandfurther.

MikeRobbins(atourismmarketingexpert)remindedpar-ticipantsaboutresearchthatsuggeststhatthereisaverylargeproportionoftheNorthAmericantravelermarketthatwouldbereceptivetoeducationandawarenessaboutmakinglocallygrownorganicfoodchoices.Whatevertermoneusestodescribethesetourists,whetheritis“geotourists,”“ecotourists”orresponsibletourists,theyrepresentagrowingsegmentoftheoveralltravelermarket.Choosinglocallygrownorganicfoodinthedestinationstheyvisitcanmakeahugedifferencebothenvironmental-lyandeconomically.Communicationwithvisitorsinthedestinationtoenableinformedfoodchoicesiskey.

Labeling as a

communication

tool

EmanueleSanti(CommunicationOfficerwiththeWorldBank),citinganexamplefromtheWorldBankButrint(Albania)

Community-BasedTourismProject,stressedtheimpor-tanceoflabelinglocalfoodproductstohelptouristsun-derstandthatbypurchasingsuchproducts,theyarealsocontributingtolocaldevelopmentand,whenthelabelislinkedtoaprotectedarea,tobroaderconservationgoals.Agoodlabelcanincreasethe“value”oftheproducts.

COLLECTIVE MARKETING INITIATIVES (GROUPING TOGETHER SMALLER TOUR OPERATORS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS)ForMSMEsindevelopingcountries,collectivemarket-ingisahugeasset.AccordingtoHendrikWintjen(SNVNetherlandsDevelopmentOrganization–Peru),inthepastyears,jointmarketinginitiativeshavebeenmultiply-ing(e.g.,CostaRica)inordertofacethelackofactiontakenbynationalauthorities.Accordingtohim,thenationaltourismchambers,hotelassociationsandtouroperatororganizationsformedtwentyorthirtyyearsagodidn’treactintimetothegrowthoflong-haultourismtodevelopingcountries.Nowadayspeopletraveltoplacesthatwerenotonthetourismmapafewdecadesago,obliginganydestinationtofocusonmarketrealitiesinthemostimportantsourcemarkets.

Jointmarketingcampaignsaredefinedas:1)aneworga-nizationtakingoversomeofthepromotionalandsalesactivitiesofindividualsuppliers;and2)individualsuppli-ersgroupedunderacommonqualitybrandthatisusednexttotheindividualbrand.Jointmarketingcampaigns

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mayhavevariouselementsincommon:adestination,typeofproducts4,andlevelofquality(includingsustainability).Thesecollectivemarketingcampaignscangeneratebothpositiveandnegativereactionsfromtheparticipants.

Thefirstreactioncanbedistrusttowardstheothersupplierpartnersinvolved,andintheumbrellaorganization.Thisre-actionisunderstandablegiventhatsupplierslosesomecon-troloverownershipofthenewbrandandoverdistributionoftheprofitsthataremadebytheumbrellaorganization.

However,experiencesshowthatanewbrandisnotalwaysperceivedasathreatvisàvisreplacingindividualbrands.Onthecontrary,itsometimesstrengthenedeachindivid-ualbrand/supplier,asitstimulatedacompetitionbetweenthesupplierswhorespondedbesttothequalitycriteriaofthenewbrand.ForexampleinGuadeloupe,sixyearsago,aqualitybrand“recommendedbytheNationalPark”hasbeendesignedforgroupingallsustainableecotourismsup-plierslocatedinandaroundtheNationalPark.

AnothergoodexampleisthejointmarketinglaunchedbyfiveCostaRicanhotelsunderthebrand“SmallDistinctiveHotels”–theymarketthefivehotelslikeoneentity,presentonlyproductsofhighquality,andarecon-tinuouslyimprovingthesustainabilityoftheirproducts.

ChrisSeeksumsupsomepossiblereasonsforaprogram’sfailure:

• Theprogramisnotowned/managedbylocalstakehold-erswithanintimateknowledgeoftheproducts.Toooften–especiallyindevelopingcountries–jointmarket-ingprogramsarecreatedbyoutsidersor“someonewithawebsite”inordertomakemoneyintheshortterm.

• Theprogramisrunbyanindividualorsmallgroupoflocalstakeholderswhoareworkingonlytofurthertheirowninterestsandleadershipposition.

• Theindividualsdoingthemarketingarenotfromthecultureofthetargetmarket.

• Theprogramcollectsannualmembershipduesratherthanworkingonacommissionbasis,butfailstopro-videareturnonthisinvestment.

Demonstratingtangibleprogrambenefitstothemembersiskeytoanycollectivemarketingprogram.Benefitsin-cludethefollowing5:

• Suppliersspendlessmoneyinmarketingbecausetheysharethetotalcostofthemarketingaction.

4 For instance: PrOA, an association of bed and breakfasts in Praia do rosa, Santa catarina, Brazil: http://www.praiadorosa-brasil.com.br/, or cooprena, an association of community-Based tourism and agro-ecotourism suppliers. www.turismoruralcr.com/

5 Following that approach, when organizing specific marketing actions, the Green Travel Market (www.greentravelmarket.info), marketing service promoting sustainable tourism products to tour operators, tries to offer to outbound tour operators a complete range of products located in one specific area and committed to certain criteria.

UNDERSTANDING THE TOURISM PRODUCT CyCLEMichael Murrell reminded participants about the impor-tance of understanding the product life cycle of tourism. This is easy for businesses in all industries to lose sight of, even in well-developed countries, and it is often at the heart of why businesses fail to be competitive. it would be outstand-ing for a leading organization such as UNWTO to produce in many languages, a text that describes and illustrates the tourism product cycle, and details relevant information (examples!) concerning each part of that cycle. This is important information for everyone, from small guesthouse owners up to the level of a national tourism authority. With an understanding of the product cycle, efforts such as unify-ing firms and organizations around a common brand would most likely be much more successful.

DEVELOPMENT OF A SUSTAINABLE SUPPLy CHAIN TO HELP SUPPLIERS PROMOTE THEIR HIGH-RANKING PRODUCTSin the framework of the european project TOUr LiNK, the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO UK) has initi-ated a mandatory checklist to be used by their mem-bers when checking their suppliers on sustainability. The high-ranking products are promoted to all member tour operators. The FTO recommend that its members take up more high-ranking hotels in their offer. This is done in the framework of the so-called “sustainable supply chain management.” The TOUr LiNK project develops this concept of chain management in collaboration with partners in other countries such as the ANVr (Dutch tour operators’ association) and the Belgium tour operator’s association. The FTO represents 80% of the market in the UK and the ANVr more than 90% of the Dutch market!


• Theycanshareinthepromotion’sinnovativeideasandknowledgeabouttheirproducts.

• Theycanbemorevisibleasagroupinthee-commerceworld.

• Theywillattracttheattentionofalargerpublic.• Theywillpreventoverloadingtouroperatorsandother

distributionchannelswithaplethoraofpromotionalmessagesaboutproductslocatedinthesameregion.

THE ROLE OF THE INTERNET IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROMOTION

Role of tourism

boards

Itappearsthattourismboardsareatpresentveryill-equippedtodealwithsustainabletourismintheirInternetpromotionac-

tivities.Forexample,nationaltourismportalsshoulddoabetterjobofupdatingdirectoriesfortravelerservices.TheCatalanTourismBoardcouldbeamodel.Theyprovideregularupdatesaboutsustainableproductsontheirweb-siteandpostemailsaboutsustainabletourismmattersthroughstrategicdistributionlists.

Onee-conferenceparticipantremarkedthatanabsolutecon-ditionforbetterperformanceoftourismboardswasbettered-ucationofstaffregardingissuesofsustainability.Sustainabilityhaspenetratedcurriculainuniversitiesandhigherprofes-sionaleducation,butnotatlowereducationallevels.

Role of internet in

enhancing reputation

and building brand

Manyexamplesof“selfpurifying”marketingorpromotionwereshown,especiallyforcommunity-basedtourism.Travelersmightnotseeallthebe-

hind-the-scenesactivitiesofabusiness,soitisimportanttosharepracticeswiththem.However,dishonest,orcli-

Ron Mader (www.planeta.com) launched the idea for an award for National Tourism Boards — specifically for the best websites that illustrate a country’s sustainable tourism practices. National tourism portals could be rated not only by what they have online, but also by how they participate in independent groups (e.g., ecOcLUB, green-travel, and Planeta) and whether or not they link to independent sites, including blogs (internet logbooks) and flicker galleries (online pictures presentation). Bonus points could be awarded for showing visitors where they can stay, eat and drink.

THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT SySTEMS MODELDestination Management Systems (DMS) consist of an iT infrastructure used by a destination organization for the collection, storage, manipulation and distribution of infor-mation in all its forms, and for the transaction of reserva-tions and other commercial activities.The following are key to successful DMS projects:• A public/private partnership• Buy-in from all stakeholders• The web site must be high quality, easily found on the

internet, and able to build trust• Suppliers must be connected to the internet• The site must have the capability to process reserva-

tions and financial transactions.Destination Management companies (DMc) are local ser-vice organizations that provide creative itineraries and logistics management based on an in-depth knowledge of the destina-tion. The DMc model is based on a sustainable business plan that overcomes information gaps in developing destinations.

SESSIon 4 2�

chémarketingmessagesveryquicklybackfireastheyareidentifiedbyknowledgeabletravelerswhohaveanamaz-ingabilitytojudgerealcommitmentversusgreen-wash-ing.WHL(WorldHotelLink),hasgroupedself-declared“sustainableproducts”undera“CaringfortheDestination”banner.“It’s really about connecting the best of local with the best of global that will win the day”6.TomHall(LonelyPlanet)addedthat“Reputation within market can be as strong a force as individual or collective certifica-tion. Sustainable products can rely on Internet marketing with certificates on such reputation.”

MetildeWendenbaum(ECEATProjects)statedthatsustainabilitylogosor“banners”canbeaverydistinc-tivemethodtoaddqualityinInternetmarketing.Butforlargeoperatorslikebig-scalehotels,self-declarationforsustainabilitystillneedstobeaccompaniedbyathirdpartycertification.Whilesmall-scalesupplierscancom-municatemuchmoreeffectivelyaboutsustainability,andachievetrustamongtheirclients,theydonotoftenusethistoadvantageyet.ECEATProjectsusestheInternetforonlinedatastorage(www.greentravelmarket.info)ofsustainableproductsandtouroperatorsthatcanbeusedbypartnersallovertheworldasbasisfortheirmarketingactivities.Itcanalsobeaccessedbyoutboundtouropera-torswhoarelookingfornewproducts.Theproductsare“certified”(hotels)or“recommended”(community-basedtourism,small-scaletourism)byinternationallytrustedenvironmentalordevelopmentorganizations.

RonMaderalsomentionedthatcertificationshouldbemuchmoreholisticinitsapproachand,ifwearetojudgeindividualoperatorsandhotels,weshouldalsoreviewtourismofficials,academics,NGOsandinternationalin-stitutionsincludingWorldBank,UNEPandUNWTO.

ValereTjolle(TotemTourism)suggestedthatmarketingingeneralhasbeenrevolutionizedbytheInternet.Insteadofsupplierssellingthroughagencies,businessescanoffertheirservicesdirectlytoaninternationalmarket.Withoutlargemonetaryinvestments,smallbusinessescanperhapsprofitfromtheInternetthrough“buzzingcampaigns”inwhichemailmessages“buzz”aroundontheirowntospecificInternetcommunitieswiththeinvitationtoaddnews.Afteracertainperiod,contentsarepublishedtoallrecipients.Therearenotyetmanyexamplesofbuzzing

campaignsinsustainabletourism.Valereinvitesexperi-mentationwiththis.His“Totemnews”,anemaildistri-butiontothousandsofsustainabletourismstakeholders,issuchanInternettoolbutisdirectedtopolicymakers.

Participantsaskedthequestion,“Canweexpectsmall-scalesustainablecompaniestobesocreative?”Largecom-paniessuchasNikeareabletopaynumerousyoung“fieldresearchers”toidentifythenewestandhottesttrends,butthisseemsoutofreachforsmallscaletourismenterprises.Alternatively,dowewantakindof“tourismNike”withanexplicitstatementofcorporatesocialresponsibility?Awarningagainsttheself-purifyingprincipleofInternetmarketingmustberaisedconcerninglargescale“sustain-able”products.Relativetosmall-scalecommunity-basedtourismproducts,largehotelsneedtoinvestmuchmoretoreachacertainlevelofsustainability.Atthesametimehowever,theyhavetheabilitytopresenttheirfirst,smallinvestmentsassomethingtrustworthyor“sustainable”(liketheHilton“WeCare”program).DoInternetcom-munitiesrepresentstrongenoughconsumerknowledgetopreventgreen-washing?

FinallyZacharyRozgaandRenéSchärer(http://www.for-talnet.com.br/~fishnet/)cautionagainstover-emphasizingthecurrentpotentialoftheInternetasadirectmarketingtoolforcommunity-basedtourismbecauseofthelarge“digitalgap”thatstillexistsbetweenthe“developed”and“developing”worlds.

STRATEGIES TO TARGET TRAVEL PUBLICATIONS AND INFLUENCE THEM TO COVER SUSTAINABLE DESTINATIONSThetravelmediaisoneofthemostimportantvehiclesintourismmarketing,providingunbiasedreviewsandauthors’first-handexperiencesofadestination.Oftendrivenbyexperiencedpublicrelationsfirmsandlargebudgets,mostofthetravelmediaisfocusedonthetraditionaltourismindustry.Thefollowingarepartici-pants’tipsforunknownsustainabletourismdestina-tionsorbusinessesinhowtocapturetheinterestoftravelpublishers.

1.Promotethedestination,notaspecificbusinessorde-velopmentproject.Editorscareonlyaboutwhatreaders

6 According to Bill Hinchberger, the Travel Website Owners network (TWO) (http://www.travelwebowners.org) is also such a bottom up approach to internet marketing.


wanttoread.Asinterestingasyourprojectorbusinessmaybe,editorswanttoknowaboutthedestination.Whywouldareaderwanttovisit?Whatistheappeal?

2.Focusontheexperience–Readthroughanytravelpublicationandyouwillnoticethattheauthorisnottalkingaboutthefactsofthetrip–theyarefocusingonthevisitorexperience.Whatmakesthedestinationunique?Helptheeditorimaginetheviewatsunsetortastethetraditionalmealwithalocalfamily.

3.Usealighthandwiththe“sustainability”language.Eventhoughweallknowhowimportantthisis-don’tignorethefirsttwopointsandforgetthateditorswanttoknowaboutthedestinationandtheexperiencefirst.Ifatourcompanyishelpinglocalcommunitieswon-derful!It’soktoincludethis,butdon’twritetheentirepressreleaseaboutit.Stayfocusedontheexperienceandthedestination.

4.Theycan’twriteaboutitiftheydon’tknowaboutit.Don’tbeafraidtosendeditorsinformationandstoryideas.Ideally,theseshouldbereviewedbyawriterwithatleastsomeexperienceindraftingpressreleases,butifyoudon’tsendtheinformationhowaretheygo-ingtoknowaboutit?

5.Targetspecialtypublications.Everyonethinksofthebigtravelpublicationswhentryingtotargetthemedia–buttherearehundredsofotherpublicationsthatarealwayssearchingforstoryideas.InaprojectinPanamafocusingontheCaminodeCrucestrailalongthePanamaCanal,someoneontheprojectteamwroteafullarticleabouttheuseofmulesbytheSpan-iardstohaulgoldalongthetrailandhowvisitorscanwalkthetrialandfindmulefootings.Theysubmittedthearticletoamulemagazineanditwaspublishedinitsentirety.

6.Presstripswork.Whilesomeofthelargerpublica-

tionsdonottakefreeorreducedcostpresstrips,manyotherwriterswouldjumpattheopportunitytocoverastoryandexperiencethedestination.Butdon’tinviteagroupofjournalistsfromdifferentinterestsononegrouptour.Theyeachwanttoseedifferentthingsandmorethanlikelynoonewillgettoseewhatheorshespecificallywantstocover.

TomHallfromLonelyPlanet’sLondonofficeremarkedthatethicallivingisamajorobsessionintheUK,withtravelbeingoneofthestandard-bearersforthemove-ment.NewspapersliketheGuardianandtheTimeshaveweeklytravelsupplements,whichhaveeitherregularcolumnsonthissubjectorseeminglyweeklyspecialissues.Whetherit’scampingorecolodges,itseemstheBritishpubliccan’tgetenoughofthissub-ject.Newspaperswantonething–tosellmorepapers.So,tomakethiswork,thereneedstobedemandfromreaders.Rememberingwhatthepublicwantstoreadisakeytosuccess.Theaudienceshouldbeconsideredatalltimes.

RobinGoldbergpointedoutthatanypublication(whethernewspaper,magazineorguidebook)islookingtopointthetravelertogreattravelexperiences.Ifabusi-ness(ideally,asustainablebusiness...buttrulyanybusi-ness)wantstogetcoverage,thekeyistooffersomethingspectacular,letthemediaknowaboutit,andthendeliveraboveandbeyondexpectations.

MetildeWendenbaumsuggestedthatwhenpublishingaguideforsmall-scalesuppliers,itmightbeworth-whiletolinkupwithmainstreampublishinghouses.MetildeprovidedanexamplefromtheEuropeanCentreforEcoAgroTourism,whichpublishedthe“GreenHolidayGuideEurope”togetherwiththeDutchTouringClubANWB.

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orIEntInG vISItorS And IntErPrEtInG tourISM dEStInAtIonS

ORIENTATION

Orientingvisitorstoadestinationisimportantbothbeforetheyarriveandaftertheyhavearrivedon-site.Orientationincludespracticalitiessuchas

directional,localtransportation,safety,event,andbusinessinformation(forexample,restaurantlocation,hours,menu,andpricerange).Orientationcanalsoincludebasicback-groundinformationthatvisitorsshouldbeawareof–localcustoms,responsibleenvironmentalbehavior,basichistoryandgeography,andbestwaystolearnmoreabouttheplace.Asoneparticipantstated,“Travelersexpecttofindhelpfuldirections.Privateandpublicoperationsunderstandthatrepeatvisitationdependsonmakingagoodfirstimpression!Effectivesignagedemonstratesacommitmenttoimprovedcommunicationamonglocalsandtravelers.Signage(signs,posters,bulletinboards,highwaymarkers,andrestaurantmenus,brochureracks)educatesandminimizesconfusion.Whethermaintainingnationalparksorestablishinginforma-tionkiosksorvisitorcenters,thebestfacilitiesareproactive,keepingtravelinformationup-to-dateandacquiringmateri-alsfromlocalbusinesses.”

INTERPRETATIONEverypotentialtourismdestinationhasitsownstoryandcharacter.Capturing,interpreting,andpresentingthatstoryaretheessenceofsustainable“place-based”tour-ism.Itisthisflavorthatdefinesalocation.Fromproductbrandingtovisitoropportunities,resourcesandservices,thisisthe“gel”thatbindstheexperiencetogether.Assuch,itselementsandmanymanifestationshaverealeco-nomicvalue.Thissameinterpretiveeffortcanalsoservelocalcommunitiesasaneducationaltool,reinforcingheritageandsocialnorms.Interpretationisthereforenot

solelyatoolto“brand”aspecificdestination.Itisalsoanactivitythatcreatestheimagethataspecificterritoryandcommunitywilldisseminateamongvisitorsandthatwillcontributetocommunityeducation,prideandsenseofplace.Theimportanceofinvolvinglocalcommunitiesinbuildingtheirimageandinsharingtheirculturewithvisi-torswasstressedbymanyparticipantsinthee-conference.

Theimportanceofpresentingorcommunicatinglocalcul-turestovisitorsisavitalaspectoftheirexperience.Culturalexchangesbetweendifferentpeoplecansignifyanenrich-ingexperienceforvisitorswhocometobetterunderstandthehistory,culture,lifeways,andnaturalandculturalheri-tageofsites,regions,orcountriesnewtothem.Unlessthevisitorsareextremelywellinformed,theymaynotbeawareofalltheopportunitiesavailableforculturalinteractionorofalltheinterestingaspectsofthelocalculture.Visitorsmayalsonotbeawareofculturalnorms.


Itisimportantthatlocalpeopleorlocalcommunitylead-ersensurethatadequateeffortsaremadetoinformasmanyvisitorsaspossibleaboutlocalcustomsandculturalvalues.Sharingknowledgeoflocalheritageandcustomsenrichesvisitors’experience,andencourages“rightbe-havior.”The“authenticity”ofthisinformation–createdbythecommunityforcommunitybenefit–isnotlostonvisitorsanddeepenstheirexperience.

HeritageDesign/USDAForestServiceprovidedthefol-lowinginterestingexamples.

• OntheMicronesianislandofKosrae,asignkioskineachvillageincludescommunityinterpretationofitsownchiefdomormunicipality,includingclanheritage,cus-tomsandfestivals.Thissignisplacedalongsideamap-basedislandorientationandvisitoropportunitiespanel,withanotherinterpretingislandecologyandhistory.

• InJamaica'sCockpitCountry,buskiosksinmountainvillagescontainsignsbeingdevelopedbythosecom-munities,showcasingwhotheyareandtheirheritage.AccompanyingsignageaddressesCockpitCountrybio-logicaldiversityandwhyitisimportanttoprotectit.

• VillagesalongtheIditarodTrailinAlaskaarepreparingcommunityheritagemediabasedoninterviewswitheldersbyschoolchildren.Inadditiontopreservinglo-calheritage,thiswillalsobeusedforbrandingeffortsandvisitormaterialsforeachcommunityalongthehistorictransportationroute.

Theroleoflocaltouroperatorswasemphasized.JamesDionstatedthatmanyprivatesectortourcompaniesdoanexcellentjobinprovidinginterpretationandincreat-ingapositivevisitorexperiencefortheirclients.On-siteinterpretationatcultural,heritageandnaturalsitesisof-

tenpoorornon-existent.Thisisoftenbecausetheagencyororganizationresponsibleforthestewardshipofthesitedoesnotconsiderprovidinginterpretationservicestovisitorstobeaprimaryresponsibility.Sitemanagers,infact,toooftenviewtheirprimaryroleasbeingcustodiansratherthanserviceproviders.Interpretationthereforebecomesthepreserveofinboundandoutboundtourop-erators.Forexample,afreeandindependenttravelerinPeruvisitingMachuPicchuandLakeTiticaca,willfindvirtuallynothingonsiteinterpretationateitheroftheseplaces.However,takingatourwithsomelocallyownedagenciesbasedoutofCuzcowillenhancevisitsthroughexcellentinterpretationandservicereceived.This,atthesametime,meanssupportingalocallyownedbusinessandhelpingtoemploylocalpeople.Thisisawin-winsituationforeveryone.AsSherylFernandostated,agoodtouristguideisextremelyimportantinlettingvisitors“feelandexperiencetheplacetheyarevisiting.”

Interpretation “aims to create in visitors meaning, so that they can put a place into personal perspective and identify with it in a way that is more profound and enduring than random fact-learning can alone produce. Interpretation is meaning- making” (Sam Ham, Meaning Making – The Premise and Promise of interpretation)

Interpretation is “an educational activity which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by firsthand experience, or by illustrative media, rather than simply to communicate factual information” (Tilden, interpreting Our Heritage)

SuMMAry 25

Thee-forumandspeakerseriesclearlyestablishedthatcommunicationplaysanimportantroleinsustain-abletourismdevelopment.Participantsfromaround

theglobeprovidednumerousexamplesandcasestudies,sharingexperiencesandlessonslearnedfromutilizingcom-municationmethodologiestoaddressthechallengesofpolicydevelopment,communityinvolvement,corporateso-cialresponsibility,linkagestomarkets,andvisitororientationandinterpretationintourismdevelopmentthatrespectsandprotectsnaturalandculturalheritage.

Discussionsemphasizedthemultipleapproachesthatcommunicationcanbringtosuccessfulandsustainabletourismdevelopment.Itcan:

• involvestakeholders(includinglocalcommunities)indecision-making;

• facilitatenetworkingandsharingofinformationandknowledge;

• catalyzecollaborativeaction;• encourageprivatesectorinvestments;• advocatefornecessarypolicychange;• buildskillsandcapacity;• controlexpectations;• supportadoptionofstandards;• developdemandforsustainableproducts;• linktourismproductstomarkets;• explainculturalnormstovisitors;• enhancevisitorexperiences;and• scale-upimpacts.

Toooftenactivitiesinitiatedatthelocallevelhavefailedbecauseconsensushasnotbeendevelopedwithregardstopolicygoalsorproductandprojectmethodology.Theinclusionofcarefullythoughtoutmarketingstrategieshasoftenmadethedifferencebetweensuccessandfailure,andbetweentopandminordestinations.Theneedforthoughtfullydesignedandcarefullyimplementedcom-

municationactivitieshasalsobeenstressedinmanagingexpectationsandfosteringpositiverelationsbetweenstateauthoritiesandlocalcommunities.

Moderators,presentersandparticipantsinthee-con-ferenceandsubsequentseminarseriesagreedthatawell-designedcommunicationstrategyisessentialtothesuccessoveralloftourismdevelopmentprogramsandactivitiesatbothlocalandnationallevels,andshouldbeincorporatedintoprojectsfromtheoutset.Thestrategyshouldidentifyhowinformationsharing,awareness-building,advocacy,networking,andcon-flictmitigationwillbewoventhroughoutalltourismdevelopmentactivities,andshouldfullyintegratetheartandscienceofcommunicationwiththeotherproj-ecttechnicalskillsneededforplanning,implement-ingandevaluatingprojectactivitiesinthesustainabletourismsector.

Wehopethatthisworkwillserveasbothinspirationandguideforcommunicatorsandsustainabletourismdevelopmentpractitioners,andcanprovideajumping-offpointtostimulatefurtherdiscussionsandcollaborationbetweenthetwodisciplines.

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wEBSITES:UNWTOwebsitewww.unwto.org

UNWTOSDTwebsitewww.unwto.org/sustainable

UNWTOInternationalYearofEcotourismwebsitewww.unwto.org/sustainable/IYE-Main-Menu.htm

TOURCOM(ConferenceSeriesonTourismCommunicationwww.unwto.org/newsroom/conferences/menu.htm

USAIDSustainableTourismwww.nric.net/tourism.htm

WorldBankDevelopmentCommunicationDivisionwww.worldbank.org/developmentcommunications

COMPILATIONS OF GOOD PRACTICES……onTourismandPovertyAlleviationwww.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication9284409209_home.htm

…inEcotourismSMEswww.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication9284406218_home.htm

...inEcotourismwww.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication9284404789_home.htm

…inSustainableTourismwww.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication9284403723_home.htm

PUBLICATIONS:MakingTourismMoreSustainable–AGuideforPolicyMakers(2005)www.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication9284408210_home.htm

IndicatorsofSustainableDevelopmentforTourismDestinations(2004)www.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication9284407265_home.htm

TourismandPovertyAlleviationRecommendationsforAction(2004)www.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication928440701X_home.htm

Tourism,MicrofinanceandPovertyAlleviation(2005)www.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication9284408083_home.htm

TourismCongestionManagementatNaturalandCulturalSites(2005)www.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication928440763X_home.htm

WTORecommendationstogovernmentsforsupportingand/orestablishingnationalcertificationsystemsforsustainabletourism(2003)www.unwto.org/sustainable/doc/certification-gov-recomm.pdf

VoluntaryInitiativesinTourism-WorldwideInventoryandComparativeAnalysisof104Eco-labels,AwardsandSelf-Commitments(2002)www.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication9284405092_home.htm

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