TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY IN THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY

Rebecca Hawkins World Travel and Tourism Environment Research Centre

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Travel and tourism is one of Europe's fastest growing industries. While in many instances i t s economic benefits are of paramount importance, notably in relation to the contribution tourism can make to otherwise economically disadvantaged areas, it also has significant negative impacts. This paper examines the relations between travel and tourism development and the environment and proposes ways in which the industry can protect the environment upon which its future depends.

INTRODUCTION

Over the past two decades, the European Union has published five action programmes for the environment. These programmes have defined the aims and objectives of EU environment policy and have been the vehicle to identify essential environmental protection poliy developments. Collectively, these programmes have given rise to over 200 pieces of legislation in the areas of atmospheric pollution, water and soil protection, waste management, chemical and biotechnology use and safety, product standards, environmental impact assessments and nature protection'.

In 1992, shortly after the final presentations to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the fifth action programme for the environment was published for the period 1992-1996. Building on the UNCED deliberations, the programme was titled 'Towards Sustainability' and aimed to introduce a broad policy foundation for harmonious economic development and environmental protection. Towards Sustainability consists of three documents: a proposal to the Council for the adoption of the strategy; the strategy for environmental action in the next four years and beyond; and a report on the state of the environment in the EU. This latter document highlights a number of concerns, including:

an anticipated 25% increase in energy consumption by 2010 i f there is no change in energy demand growth rates. This will translate into a 20% increase in carbon emissions by the same date making it unlikely that the EU will be able to meet commitments made within the Climate Convention to stabilize emissions of carbon dioxide at 1990 levels; a likely increase of 25% in car ownership and 17% in mileage by 2000. Despite technological progress in reducing emissions of individual vehicles, growth in ownership of this magnitude will result in a net increase in emissions of most gases associated with private cars; a 13% increase in municipal waste between 1987 and 1992 despite the introduction of regulations and

programmes to increase paper and glass recycling; 0 a 35% increase in per capita use of water between 1970

and 1985 despite evident shortages in some areas; an anticipated 60% increase in tourism in the Mediterranean basin by 2000, giving rise to questions about water pollution, waste management, land use planning, and nature protection.

Towards Sustainability is fundamentally different to its predecessors. It focuses on the agents and activities which deplete the environment, rather'than tackling problems once they become evident. It proposes a move away from traditional regulatory controls to a more broad based range of instruments which aim to change consumption patterns. Five key sectors, including both transport and tourism, are identified as the target sectors. The strategies adopted by these industries will play a crucial role in determining its overall success. This paper examines the role that travel and tourism plays in the EU and the actions that the industry can take to make progress towards sustainability.

TRAVEL AND TOURISM AND THE FIFTH ACTION PROGRAMME

Travel and tourism consists of transportation, accommodation, catering, recreational, cultural and travel service activities Together these activities comprise the world's largest industry, generating employment for a predicted 204 million people in 1994 (1 in 9 employees), producing 10.1 o/o of direct and indirect GDP and accounting for 10.9% of all consumer expenditure.' Within the EU, travel and tourism i s also a major generator of employment providing jobs for 13.6% of the workforce, producing 13.3% of direct and indirect GDP, and 17% of indirect tax revenue for government^.^ Tourism i s an essential part of regional development programmes for many member states and presents opportunities for urban redevelopment for others. Travel and tourism i s one of the fastest growing industry sectors within the EU: between 1980 and 1987, bed nights increased by 13.8%; arrivals at frontiers by over 30%;

EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENT 3

receipts for travel in the balance of payments by 32%; and accommodation capacity by an average of 18%. Tourism now plays a central role in the economies of Spain, Portugal, Greece, France, the UK and others.

Towards Sustainability focuses on one element of the tourism market, so called 'mass' tourism which has dominated the pattern of tourism development in Europe. This i s the mass movement of people, for leisure purposes usually on inclusive package tours for a duration of between one and two weeks. Often the purpose of the visit is related to sun or skiing and relaxation. Travel and tourism i s recognized within Towards Sustainability as a unique industry which demonstrates the interdependence of economic activity and environmental protection: as such it has great potential for achieving many of the aims of the strategy. The sheer volume of visitors to Europe, however, illustrate the potential conflicts that can occur between tourism and the environment. The Mediterranean Basin alone accommodated, fed and entertained 100 million tourists in 1990, this figure represents 35% of global tourist activity; 90% of these visits were to member states of the EU. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) predicts that the number of tourists to the Mediterranean Basin could grow substantially to reach 160 million by the year 2000 and 260 million by 2025.4 It i s predicted that increases on this scale may require double the occupation of space by the year 2000, adding to the already heavy waste burden in the Mediterranean Sea. While the sheer number of tourists may place strains on the environment, travel and tourism provides an economic reason for the protection of many of Europe's natural habitats, cultural heritage and community traditions. Indeed, in the words of Aitken Clark, President of the Federation of Nature and National Parks in Europe 'in alf but the most sensitive areas, tourism can provide and sustain the local economy on which certain managed landscapes depend'?

Towards Sustainability identifies a range of environmental impacts associated with tourism development. The main impacts are:

Excessive and rapid growth in built up areas, especially along the Mediterranean coast. In the last 25 years the traditional agricultural and natural landscapes of, for example, the Costa Brava in Spain, the Languedoc Rousillion in France, the Adriatic Coast of Italy and the Algarve coast of Portugal have become urban centres. Loss of natural habitats. Since 1960, 75% of natural dune systems between Gibraltar and Sicily have disappeared and the remaining areas of Mediterranean Forest are increasingly threatened by pressure for development. High or extremely high tourist densities in some localities. Densities as high as 1400 tourists per square kilometre have been recorded on the Costa Brava; 4,250 tourists per square kilometre in the Tarragona area. Pressure is also growing on Alpine areas which received 50 million tourists in 1990. Visual intrusion from increased tourist infrastructure, for example ski l i f ts and hotel blocks Production of wastes and waste water necessitating an increase in treatment facilities.

0 Extension of road systems and other transport infrastructure. Increased emissions of potentially warming, ozone depleting or polluting gases, primarily generated by transport, but also partly attributed to electricity generation by tourist facilities.

Towards Sustainability develops a strategy to tackle these issues and identifies the key agencies that need to be involved in implementing the solutions. These are summarized in Table 1 below. Many of the impacts associated with tourism in Europe illustrate planning and management failures rather than inevitable consequences of tourism development. They are largely associated with inappropriate dispersal of visitors and poor coordination between planning and visitor management functions resulting in heavy utilization of some areas at some times and under utilization of others. Evidence from the German travel market would illustrate that up to 20% of tourists who consider that the environment of their destination i s damaged aEe unlikely to return.6

Table 1 illustrates that many of the tasks identified within Towards Sustainability are allocated to local authorities, member states and the European Union. In the final reckoning these authorities wilt be unable to bring about the necessary changes to ensure a sustainable future for the travel and tourism industry. Without the full participation of industry and tourists sustainability will be an elusive dream. The main recourse of member states and local authorities is regulatory and planning mechanisms. These are most effective when applied to large industry or large developments. 80% of travel and tourism companies are small scale operations and most of the creeping urbanization associated with tourism development in Europe i s also small scale and piecemeal. Local planning controls may be desirable, but regulation takes many years to develop and approve through the various EU institutions, companies and tourists, however, can start changing their practices immediately and evidence increasingly suggests that travel and tourism companies around the world are finding and implementing solutions to environmental problems. The motivation is the realization that the environment i s the core of the travel and tourism product. In the words on Martin Brackenbury, President of the International Federation of Tour Operators:

'what travellers want i s good quality beach resorts not more than three-and-a-half hours flying time away. Most people are prepared to trade exoticism for accessibility provided the quality is good enough and the price right and so the bulk of business i s expected to remain in the Mediterranean. The problem i s that these resorts are the very destinations which are threatened by over development'.'

The following section illustrates the range of environmental initiatives being undertaken by companies. Typically, these initiatives are led by large companies, but there i s some evidence that smaller operations are also beginning to adopt programmes to improve their environmental performance.

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TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY IN THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY

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Better management of 'mass' tourism

National and regional integrated management 'Ians for coastal and mountain areas

Table 1: Key Elements of the EC Strategy to Manage the Impacts of Tourism on the Environment

improved conlrols on land use 1993 onwards LAs

strict rules for new constructions 1993 onwards LAs

management of traffic flows, to, from and in tourist areas

visitor management - exchange of expertise

1993 onwards MS + LAs

1992 - 1993 MS + LAs

pilot models of sustainable tourism 1992 - 1993 MS + LAs

strict implementation and enforcement of environmental standards on noise, drinking water, bathing water, waste water treatment and air emissions

on-going EC + MS + LAs

)BJECTIVES

Building environmental awareness

Liberalisation of air and coach transport - TCV - network

increase of marginal costs of

YPe of ourism

development and promotion of codes of conduct 1993 - 1995

multi-media campaigns and conferences 1993 - 1995

EC and national transport policies

economic incentives, such as COZ/energy tax and road pricing and

1993 onwards

1993

lehaviour of ourists

use of private car and promotion of alternative transport modes

better dispersion of holidays

diversification of tourism -

Quality of tourist services

encouraged use of public transport

cooperation and exchange of information

national plans and regional plans

Before 1998 MS + EC + T&T

EC + MS + Before 1995

I INSTRUMENTS I TIME FRAME I ACTORS AAFASLJRES UPTO 2000

I ~~

building of environmental awareness in tourist areas

promotion of new forms of tourism whlch care for the environment

careful selection of accommodation

creation of buffer zones around sensitive areas I 1993 onwards I MS + LAs

brochures

professional training

pilot projects

professional training and education exchange of best practices

EC + MS + LAs + T&T

EC + MS

EC + MS

including rural and cultural LA5

tourism EC regional development fund Before 1995 EC + MS + LAs 1 Before 1995 1 EC t MS + LA5 1 EC tourism advisory committee 1 Before 1995 EC + MS + 1 LAs

Key: EC - European Community; MS - Member States; LAs - Local Authorities; T&l

TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY - MAKING THE PROGRAMME WORK

Evidence held on the World Travel and Tourism Environment Research Centre's (WTTERC) database' would illustrate that many companies in the industry are adopting programmes to improve their environmental performance. This is partly motivated by a growing awareness that the industry's own interests are at stake: tourists are attracted by clean seas, fresh air and peace and quiet and changing consumer preferences are making these attributes more important. Increased competition in this already fiercely competitive market is also driving change. Competition is increasing due to the demand for quality tourism products and adventure tourism products at low cost. For companies, the need to differentiate between similar products by high level criteria and the considerable savings that can be achieved through programmes to manage energy use, water use and waste production can help to ensure bottom line profitability. The development of industry-led programmes

1993 onwards

1993 onwards

1993 onwards

1993 onwards

LAs + T&T ~~

LAs + T&T

LAs + T&T

EC + MS + LAs + T&T

Travel and Tourism Industry. Source: CEC "Towards Sustainability" Vol 11, pp 39.

for environmental improvement i s in many cases leading the environmental agenda.

One such programme for the travel and tourism industry i s GREEN GLOBE, a worldwide environmental management awareness programme for the travel and tourism industry, open to companies of any size, type or location committing to improvements in environmental practice. Through practical management guides and checklists, GREEN GLOBE helps companies to develop comprehensive management tools to tackle environmental impacts, improve performance in key areas, and demonstrate their commitment to consumers.

The starting point for environmental management is often the development of programmes to:

0 Use energy efficiently, thus saving money and helping to prevent emissions into the atmosphere. For many companies, this means starting by implementing a switch off policy in the first instance and moving on to investigate the potential of technology, including

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REBECCA HAWKINS

alternative sources of energy, such as biomass and solar power. Minimize waste from facilities by asking suppliers to reduce packaging, implementing programmes to reuse products, composting biodegradable wastes and recycling non-avoidable wastes. In the Mediterranean region wastes are a particular problem and initiatives taken by companies in this area can make a substantial contribution to environmental improvement. Working with suppliers is the best way to limit waste, for hotels, this may mean asking suppliers to deliver produce without additional packaging (eg fruit without cellophane wrap) or seeking packaging which can be reused (eg. switching from water in plastic bottles to water in glass bottles which are returned to the supplier for refilling). Tour operators are in a strong position to bring about a change in purchasing procedures by selecting accommodation facilities and airlines who already have or are willing to adopt waste minimization policies. Minimize water use by installing water saving technology, reusing water within a cascade or purifying and recycling water for secondary activities such as watering gardens. Many companies, for example, now use waste water to irrigate gardens. Dispose of waste water effectively. Waste water i s a specific problem in the Mediterranean Basin where treatment facilities are often inadequate for the volume of waste. Strategies to minimize water use will help to alleviate the problem of waste water, but some companies are taking their programmes one stage further and installing their own treatment facilities to ensure discharges are well below World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended standards.

Once companies have begun to practice environmental improvement, they often develop more advanced programmes which include initiatives to:

Use transport efficiently for company purposes, and encourage tourists to use soft transport options or at the very least have their car serviced before they leave home. These initiatives coupled with local authority led public transport schemes can make a significant improvement to local air quality and help to alleviate congestion. incorporate community concerns into tourism plans and programmes. Consulting with the local community on a regular basis often improves satisfaction with tourism and in many instances helps to spread the economic benefits of tourism more widely. Some companies in Europe have developed programmes to encourage tourists to discover community traditions. Eurocamp, for example, provide tourists with information about local traditions, crafts and retail outlets. Replace potentially hazardous products (including chemicals and pesticides) with more environmentally benign varieties. Where such products are not available companies can undertake research to develop such products and instigate strict procedures to manage hazardous products. Team Aer Lingus, for example, the aircraft maintenance company owned by Aer Lingus, has

developed a halon recycler to capture safely the ozone depleting halon 1301 gas which needs to be removed to overhaul and test aircraft fire extinguishers. Purchase local goods and products and include local specialities on menus thus ensuring the viability of local agriculture which in turn protects the character of landscapes and reduces transport related emissions. Consider environmental implications in the design of new facilities and undertake full environmental impact assessments prior to development decisions. Where EIA’s illustrate that development would be detrimental to the environment to respect this and take relevant mitigiation measures or seek alternative locations. Encourage visitors to travel by alternative means of transport within the resort. The largest source of pollution and noise in resorts is usually private cars. Some coach and bus companies, for example in Dartmoor in the UK, now work with local authorities to operate routes in less heavily utilized areas thereby spreading the benefits of tourism and minimizing pollution and congestion. Provide visitors with information about their product choice and the means to identify products which respect the quality of the environment and those which do not. Involving tourists in these programmes is fundamental to success - tourists can play a key role in protecting destinations through the transpirt choices they make, the products that they pack, the way that they behave and the businesses that they patronize. As Jorie Butler Kent, Chairperson of Friends of Conservation and co-director of Abercrombie and Kent says ‘many clients become keen conservationists as a result of their holiday experience^'.^ In this way the travel and tourism industry can be a catalyst for achieving the wider aims of Towards Sustainability. A number of companies have developed programmes to raise the awareness of tourists of the role that they can play in protecting the environment of their destinations. British Airways Holidays, for example, now publish ‘ecotips’ for travellers to some destinations; and Thomson Tour Operations provide environmental information in the front of all of their brochures.

Travel and tourism companies around the world have made significant progress in these areas. WTTERC‘s database holds information on the environmental practices and policies of the world‘s top travel and tourism companies. In 1994, 35 out of the 60 companies responding to our environmental management survey had adopted environmental policy statements. Table 2 above illustrates the key concerns addressed by these policy statements.

MOVING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA FORWARD

The travel and tourism industry has made significant steps in improving its environmental performance in the last five years, there is, however, no room for complacency and much remains to be done. Specifically, small companies remain to be convinced of the benefits of good environmental practice. Programmes such as GREEN GLOBE

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Twelve Themes Most Commonly Identified Within Policy Statements and Draft Statements

Waste Management Staff Training

Energy Corn m u n i cat i o n to Custom e rs/S u p p I i e rs

Product Purchase Water Man age m en t Hazardous Materials

Environment Managemeht Systems Local Community Natural Heritage

Emissions Transport for Company Purposes

1

I

I I

1 I

Taken from: WTTERC I Annual Reviey 1994

I

1 I I I I I I 1 1 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Table 2: Main Environmental Concerns Addressed by Environmental Policy Statements of Top Travel and Tourism Companies

will help to raise awareness of environmental issues within the industry, as well as helping companies to develop and implement environmental programmes appropriate to their specific needs and help travellers to incorporate envirqnmental criteria into their product choices. Support at an EU level for such programmes will help the travel and tourism industry to protect the environment on which its viability ultimately depends.

The fifth environmental action programme recognizes that no one group, whether industry, government or consumer, can bring about sustainability on its own. Ultimately progress towards sustainability will depend on the quality of the partnerships that are developed between all actors. Some programmes, such as GREEN GLOBE, are leading the way in this respect and are enabling the industry to move towards one notion of sustainable tourism - namely tourism which takes account of the need for companies to make a profit, for communities to generate revenue to support their economies, for cultural values to be respected and for nature to be protected. The EU is in a powerful position to support further cooperative programmes. The EU needs now to develop long term programmes working with the key industry sectors to ensure that the lessons learnt to date are not lost and that the European travel and tourism industry can realize i ts true potential as a sector which has both the ability and the incentive to integrate environmental protection with economic development.

REFERENCES

1 . Commission of the European Coniniunity (1992) "Towards Sustainability", EC, Brussels

2. World Travel and Trwrisni Council (1993) lobs: A Special Reporr from the World Travel and Jourisiii Couricil, WTTC, Eelgiuni.

3. World Travel and Tourism Council (1993). jobs: A Special Report from the World Travel and Tourism Council, WTTC, Belgium.

4. United Nations Environment Programme (ND) Mediterranean Action Plan, UNEP, Paris.

5 . Federation oi Nature and National Parks in Europe (1993) Loving them to Death, FNNPE, Germany.

6. Baers, H. and Bosch, M. (1994) The Earth as a Holiday Resport: An introduction to tourism and the environment, SME / Institute for Environmental Communication and Netherlands Institute of Tourism and Transport Studies, Utrecht, Netherlands.

7. Brackenbury, M. (1993) Towards Sustainable Tourism in Environment and Development, WITERC, Oxiord.

8. These databases hold information about the strategies adopted by companies around the world to manage their environmental performance. They are used to assess the most eiiective strategies ior addressing specific environmental issues and to pro\,ide statistical information about the number o i travel and tourism companies which are iormally incorporating environmental issues into their overall management iunction.

9. World Travel and Tourism Environment Research Centre (19911 Annual Review, WTTERC, Oxiord.

Rebecca Hawkins i s Deputy Director oi the World Travel and Tourism Environment Research Centre, Oxford Broohes University, Headington, Oxiord OX3 OEP, UK. Tel: + 44 (01865 484830 Fax: + 44 (0)865 484838.

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