Sustainable Tourism –Specific examples

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I. Purpose of using these specific examples in this module

1. A number of specific examples are suggested for teachers to strengthen students’ global perspective.

2. Through the study of these specific examples, students should be able to understand how sustainable tourism is put into practice in different parts of the world.

II. Curriculum tailoring for students of different abilities

1. Students should be given a brief introduction of how sustainable tourism is practised in different parts of the world. Teacher should ensure that every student could acquire a brief but complete understanding of the impact of tourism development on different localities and different people in the world.

2. For the students who are more able and who have shown strong interest in this topic, teachers can consider introducing an in-depth study of one or more of the specific examples on sustainable tourism development. Teachers can guide students to study the measures adopted in developing sustainable tourism at a particular type of tourist destination in greater details, and if students’ ability allows, to evaluate the effectiveness of these measures.

III. How to make use of the information provided in this folder?

1. The specific examples quoted in this information folder are famous for certain kind of tourist attractions: Macau - the Historic Centre of Macau Thailand – islands and beaches Brazil – tropical rain forest in the Amazon BasinIn the first part of each specific example, a general introduction of these attractions will be given so that students can have the background knowledge of the types of attractions that can be found in these places.

2. Governments in these specific examples have paid efforts to develop sustainable tourism. Details will be given so that students can understand the measures adopted to develop sustainable tourism in different countries.

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3. Teachers can make use of these materials to: Give students a brief introduction of how sustainable tourism is practised in different

parts of the world. Help students to study in-depth on one or more specific examples about the kinds of

measures adopted in developing sustainable tourism at a particular type of tourist destination.

4. Teachers need not cover all the information provided in this folder. Instead it is advisable for them to refine the materials based on the ability and interest of their students.

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I. Definitions of sustainable tourism

“Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future.”

World Tourism Organization, United Nations

“Sustainable tourism establishes a suitable balance between the environmental, economical and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, plays an important role in conserving biodiversity. It attempts to minimize its impact on the environment and local culture so that it will be available for future generations, while contributing to generate income, employment, and the conservation of local ecosystems.”

World Tourism Organization, United Nations

In order to achieve this, concerns must be given to the following three aspects: Make optimal use of environmental resources which helps to conserve natural heritage

and biodiversity. Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve local culture and

tradition and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance. Ensure the economic benefits are fairly distributed to all stakeholders, including stable

employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities.

II. Principles of sustainable tourism

The following are basic principles for sustainable tourism development: Community input is important to maintain control of tourism development; Tourism should provide quality employment to its community residents and a linkage

between the local businesses and tourism should be established. A code of practice should be established for tourism at all levels based on internationally

accepted standards. Education and training programmes to improve and manage heritage and natural

resources should be provided.

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References:

1. Making Tourism more sustainable: A guide to policy makershttp://www.unep.fr/shared/publications/pdf/DTIx0592xPA-TourismPolicyEN.pdf

2. Sustainable Tourism.nethttp://www.sustainabletourism.net/index.html

3. The Sustainable Tourism Gatewayhttp://www.gdrc.org/uem/ecotour/st-whatis.html

4. World Tourism Organization UNWTOhttp://www2.unwto.org

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I. Background

Tourism has long been one of the most important contributors to Macau’s economic development. In the past, Macau’s main tourist attraction is the gaming industry. The development of gaming industry has successfully attracted many tourists and provided many job opportunities for the local residents. In 2008, more than half of the residence in Macau was employed in gaming related industries and the tax from gaming industry accounted for 82% of the government revenue. However, if considering from the perspective of sustainable development, the social and environmental aspects have been neglected. In order to substantiate the growth of tourism without doing harm to the environment and the social life of the people, the government has put more effort in developing the other tourism resources in Macau. Sustainable tourism is also considered as one of the target for the future tourism development in Macau.

II. Historic Centre of Macau

In July 2005, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed the Historic Centre of Macau as a World Heritage Site. The Historic Centre of Macau is an urban area within the old city of Macau including eight squares and 22 historic buildings. There is also the oldest fortress and lighthouse in South China. It is the product of cultural exchange between East and West over the past 400 years, and is currently the oldest, the most complete and consolidated group of European architecture established on Chinese territory. The inscription of Macau in the World Heritage List together with the implementation of the Individual Visit Scheme has led to an increase in the number of visitors to Macau.

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Figure 1: The rising trend in the number of visitors visiting Macau from 2000 to 2011

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1. Characteristics of “Historic Centre of Macau” There is a mixture between the oldest western and traditional Chinese architecture

which can reflect the architectural traditions of the East and West. It shows the influence of the missionary in the Far East and reflects how Chinese folk

beliefs have been disseminated to the Western world. It is a product of East-West cultural exchange which can be reflected in this unique set

of cultural heritage. It presents the living traditions of different cultures.

Justification for inscription

The followings are the criteria for inscribing the Historic Centre of Macau as a World Heritage Site by the

UNESCO:

The strategic location of Macau on the Chinese territory, and the special relationship established between the Chinese and Portuguese authorities favoured an important interchange of human values in the various fields of culture, sciences, technology, art and architecture over several centuries.

Macau bears a unique testimony to the first and longest-lasting encounter between the West and China. From the 16th to the 20th centuries, it was the focal point for traders and missionaries, and the different fields of learning. The impact of this encounter can be traced in the fusion of different cultures that characterize the historic core zone of Macau.

Macau represents an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble that illustrates the development of the encounter between the Western and Chinese civilizations over some four and half centuries, represented in the historical route, with a series of urban spaces and architectural ensembles, that links the ancient Chinese port with the Portuguese city.

Macau has been associated with the exchange of a variety of cultural, spiritual, scientific and technical influences between the Western and Chinese civilizations. These ideas directly motivated the introduction of crucial changes in China, ultimately ending the era of imperial feudal system and establishing the modern republic.

Photos of Historic Centre of Macau

Mandarin’s House Senado Square

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Ruins of St. Paul’sHoly House of Mercy

“Leal Senado” Building St. Lawrence Church

Some more photos of the “Historic Centre of Macau” can be seen from the following websites:http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1110/gallery/http://www.wh.mo/wh/map/mhmapE.asphttp://www.macauheritage.net/en/HeritageInfo/HeritageInfo.aspx

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2. Government policy in promoting sustainable tourism

As tourism is an important industry in Macau, the government has a long-term plan of developing Macau as a “World Centre of Tourism and Leisure”. Sustainable tourism development is one of the major strategies adopted by the Macau government. A number of projects, with a particular focus on environmental aspect, have been carried out to attain sustainable tourism. They include:

1. Besides the promotion of the World Heritage as a tourist spot, the Macau government also promotes eco-tourism through the building of the following facilities:

The Macao Giant Panda Pavilion（澳門大熊貓資訊中心） was opened in January 2011. Tourists can learn more about giant pandas through interactive games set up in the pavilion and feel more strongly for the importance of conservation and environmental protection. 

The Museum of Nature and Agriculture （土地暨自然博物館） was opened in 1997. Its theme is conservation of natural resources and ecology and it also provides an introduction of the geography, climate, natural resources and ecology of Macau.

Macau also has wetland conservation areas, country parks and natural trails where eco-tourism can be carried out.

Further details of the above can be found in the website “A Naturera de Macau” （澳門自然網） http://nature.iacm.gov.mo/info/default.aspx#

2. Macau Green Hotel Award The purpose of the award is to raise the awareness of Macau’s hotel industry

on the importance of environmental management and to commend those hotels which have adopted environmental measures successfully.

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Hotels are assessed on the following aspects: Energy saving Conservation of water Waste reduction Implementation of environmental conservation policy Promotion of environmental awareness among the management team,

staff and even the family members of the staff In 2011, there were three hotels which have been awarded the Gold Award.

They are: the Crown Towers（皇冠度假酒店）, the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel （澳門威尼斯人度假村）and Hard Rock Hotel.

3. The Macau government has also invited Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the leading travel and tourism authority in Asia Pacific region, to make recommendations on how sustainable tourism can be developed in Macau. Although these recommendations have not been carried out yet, they demonstrate the determination of the Macau government in promoting sustainable tourism.

References:

1. A Naturera de Macauhttp://nature.iacm.gov.mo/c/info/default.aspx#

2. Historic Centre of Macao – UNESCO World Heritage Centrehttp://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1110

3. Macao Heritage Nethttp://www.macauheritage.net/en/default.aspx

4. Macau Tourism Industry Nethttp://industry.macautourism.gov.mo/en/index.php

5. The 6th UNWTO Asia/Pacific Executive Training Program on Strategic Tourism Planninghttp://asiapacific.unwto.org/sites/all/files/pdf/macau_1.pdf

6. The Way to the Diversification of Macau’s Social Economy: a Study on Macau’s Cultural Tourism Developmenthttp://www.ijtef.org/papers/23-c010.pdf

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I. Islands and beaches in Thailand

Thailand is a country with plenty of tourist resources, both cultural and physical. Concerning the physical tourist attractions, there are many beautiful islands and beaches mainly found in the southern part of the country. Many islands, such as Koh Samui, Phi Phi and Phuket, are famous tourist spots where tourists can enjoy the beautiful beaches, the flora and fauna as well as different kinds of water and land activities. There are more than 20 marine parks in Thailand. Therefore many tourists are attracted to visit these islands and beaches. The number of visitors has been increasing in recent years. In order to prevent the adverse effects brought by this increasing number of tourists, the government has adopted measures to achieve sustainability.

1998 1999 2000 2001 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110

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Figure 2: Number of tourists visiting Thailand from 1998 to 2011

Photos of Island Samui13

Beautiful beaches Beautiful scenery

Holiday resort Holiday resort

Photos of Island Phuket

Beautiful beaches

Beautiful scenery

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Beautiful scenery Holiday resort

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II. Development of sustainable tourism in Thailand

In order to develop Thailand into a world-class tourist destination, the government has developed the National Tourism Development Master Plan 2012-2016. One of its targets is to develop and rehabilitate the tourist destinations in order to achieve sustainability. The following lists the measures / policies adopted by the government to achieve this target:

1. Development of “Green Tourism”

This involves 7 green concepts: Green heart – to urge tourists to be socially responsible and environmentally

aware; Green logistics – to encourage more environmentally-friendly tourism-related

modes of transport, e.g. cycling; Green destination – to promote responsibly managed tourist sites that respect the

environment; Green community – to support community-based tourism in both urban and rural

areas that promotes conservation of the environment, local traditions and ways of life;

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Green activities – to promote tourism activities that are well-suited to local communities;

Green service – to urge all tourism-related service providers to win hearts and minds by demonstrating respect, care and concern for the environment;

Green plus – to encourage Corporate Social Responsibility among operators, i.e. refraining from causing environmental damage, promoting energy-saving initiatives and using renewable energy.

2. Emphasis on local involvement in tourism development

Tourism development should not forsake local culture and tradition. These must be preserved so that tourists can have the chance to experience these local culture and tradition. However, sometimes tourism development may be in conflict with the local community. Therefore, community participation is important in tourist management so that such conflict can be reduced and the economic benefits to the local people are ensured.

For example, in the twin islands of Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai, local villagers act as tour guides. Tourists can really experience the simple village life, enjoy fishing with the locals and staying in traditional homes in the evening. The local people also try to control the number of people entering the site and petrol around the area to control over-fishing. These measures can ensure the tourist spots to sustain for the future.

3. A case study in Koh Phra Thong – how sustainable tourism can be achieved

Koh Phra Thong is located in the Andaman Sea off the west coast of Thailand. It is 100km north of the famous island Phuket. Owing to its good natural scenery and many beautiful beaches, there is an increasing influx of tourists into the area in recent years. Foreseeing the impact brought by massive tourists, the tourist operators on the island tried to develop tourism in a sustainable way:

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Houses are built out of plantation hardwood by local Thai craftsmen; There is strict building height restrictions; All Thai staff – 90% local to the island – received a decent wage and holiday

pay; Electricity from 6 pm – 11 pm; No hot water (the temperature is high enough), no air-con (sea breeze is fine),

no swimming pool (there is a bay with warm water next to the resort);

There are also other measures to protect the nature: Sea turtle monitoring from January to April to find and protect nesting sites;

and Mangrove rehabilitation project to restore depleted areas.

4. A case study in Koh Samui – “Green Island Project – Koh Samui”

Koh Samui is the third largest island in Thailand and has become a popular tourist destination in recent years. In 2007, there are about 1 million visitors. In order to avoid the adverse effects brought by this increasing number of visitors, the government together with the private business sector has launched the “Green Island Project – Koh Samui” in 2007. Its target is to restore, rehabilitate, protect and preserve the natural environment, the cultural landscape, local traditions and ways of life. All sectors are involved in the project, including state agencies, tourism operators, local communities, media representatives and visitors/tourists.

There are three phases for the project. The first three years are the initial planning phase. Planning will follow the 7 green concepts stated by the Thai government. The following two years will be the monitoring phase while the last 3 years are the control and development phase. The objectives of the initial stage are:

To develop awareness and promote a better understanding that environmental conservation can be undertaken with tourism development;

To build a co-operative network of various stakeholders to undertake environmental conservation;

To draft an implementation plan for sustainable tourism; To launch a full scale destination marketing / tourism promotion campaign.

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In the initial stage of the “Green Island Project”, different measures have been adopted by different sectors. These sectors included:

a. Government: The Thailand government lays down objectives to reduce the amount of CO2

emission in transportation and building sectors through the use of cleaner energy, such as solar energy, and renewable energy, such as bio-diesel in ferry transportation. Energy-saving devices are used in houses and commercial buildings. The use of private vehicles is discouraged by promoting the use of public transport.

The Project also promotes “Clean and Green Development” which calls for sorting of solid waste to avoid sending it to landfill, and reusing treated waste water for non-sanitary purpose.

The government also funded a number of environmental conservation projects, such as the regeneration of the coral reefs in Samui.

b. Private sector: The Thai Hotel Association on Samui has adopted the following measures to

help promote sustainable tourism: Hotels are encouraged to run their business based on the 7 green

concepts. Effective Microorganism (EM) technology is utilized. This involves

recycling all hotel kitchen and garden waste into fertilizer and liquid EM can be safely used to clean septic tanks, toilets and floors.

Some hotels and resorts allow local schools to use their gardens and vegetable plots for environmental activities.

Hotels organized and sponsored educational activities, such as “beach clean-up” to promote environmental awareness of all sectors, including the tourists.

References:

1. Green Island – Topic Asia Magazinehttp://topicasia.com/green-island

2. Green Island Project – Koh Samuihttp://masterorg.wu.ac.th/source/details.php?newss_id=5&paths=iice

3. Putting green first in the Gulf – Thai Hotels Associationhttp://www.tha-scec.org/en/tha-activities/green

4. Samui Island low-carbon model town projecthttp://esci-ksp.org/?project=samui-island-low-carbon-model-town-project

5. Sustainable Tourism Management in Thailand: A Good Practices Guide for SMEshttp://mekopngtourism.org/website/wp-copntent/uploads/2011/02/Sustainable-Tourism-Management-in-Thailand-A-Good-Practices-Guide-for-SMEs-by-Eric.pdf

6. Sustainable tourism on Thai tropical island of Koh Phra Thonghttp://www.kohphrathong.com/andaman_sustainable_tourism.html

7. Thailand Tourism Review 2007 – Sustainabilityhttp://www.bangkokpost.com/tourismreview2007/31.html

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c. Community: Environmental education is greatly emphasized in the school curriculum.

Students can participate in many activities which aim at promoting environmental awareness.

There are many environmental events, such as the Green Festival, so that the local community can have a better understanding on how to conserve their environment and develop the island in a more sustainable way.

8. Thailand: Tourist arrivals from 1998 till 2011http://www.thaiwebsites.com/tourism.asp

9. Thaiways: Sustainable Tourismhttp://www.thaiwaysmagzine.com/thai_article/1916_sustainable_tourism/sustainable_tourism.html

10. Tourism best practices in Thailandhttp://dtxtq4w60xqpw.cloudfront.net/sites/all/files/pdf/thailand_1-1.pdf

11. United Nations – Managing sustainable tourism developmenthttp://www.unescap.org/ttdw/Publications/TPTS_pubs/Toreview_No22_2141.pdf

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I. Amazon rainforest of Brazil

The tropical rainforest in the Amazon Basin of Brazil is the largest and most intact rainforest region in the world. It covers an area of 5 million km2 of which 80% is within the Brazilian territory. As the forest is rich in both flora and fauna species, it conserves the largest portion of the world’s bio-diversity. The tropical rain forest is also an important carbon tank that should be well preserved to avoid further intensifying global warming. However, many human activities are damaging these important natural resources. Among them, tourism is one of the great treat to the ecosystem of the area. The number of tourists visiting Brazil has been increasing since 2009 and they may also visit the rainforest which may be a nuisance to the forest. In order to conserve the area, sustainable tourism has been emphasized. The following paragraphs list out the measures taken by different sectors, mainly the government, to achieve sustainable tourism in the rainforest.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20114400

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Figure 3: No. of international visitors to Brazil from 2005 to 2011

Photos of Amazon Rainforest can be seen in the following website:http://www.lovethesepics.com/2011/10/amazing-amazonia-amazon-rainforest-46-pics/http://www.picsearch.com/pictures/Travel/Nature/Forests/Amazon%20rainforest.html

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II. Government’s effort in promoting sustainable tourism

a. Laws for conserving the natural environment The Environmental Crimes Law is one of the legislation to protect the plant and

animal species that live within the country. The law states that no person, without the possession of a permit issued by the government, may willingly or knowingly remove wild animals or plants from the natural environment in the country of Brazil.

Some parts of the National law concern the environment too. It sets out rules and guidelines on the development of ecotourism so that rainforest resources can be protected.

b. Launching the “Program for the Development of Ecotourism in the Brazilian Amazon Region”:

In order to develop the economy of the country in the past, there was large scale deforestation for the development of different kinds of economic activities, such as farming, lumbering and mining. The effects of deforestation are lowering biodiversity and damaging the ecosystem. Therefore, the government tried to think of alternate mode of development that can both bring economic benefits and preserve the environment. Well-planned ecotourism is considered as one of such development which can bring economic benefits and social improvement while maintaining the forests and the bio-diversity they contain.

The Program includes three main components for the development of ecotourism:

i. Studies will be carried out to search for the sites with ecotourism potential. The selection criteria are as follows: Potential natural / cultural resource / attraction Direct sea / air access Adequate installed hotel

capacity with basic accommodations and amenities

Existing ecotourism activity

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ii. Ecotourism planning Management plans will be prepared to foster eco-tourism in the region. The government will provide funding to develop the necessary

infrastructure and facilities.

iii. Training activities that foster ecotourism are promoted. These training activities aim at increasing the awareness of the

conservation of natural resources and providing technical advisory services to existing ecotourism businesses with the purpose of developing an “eco” operation.

Best practices in business management, bio-diversity conservation, and the use of appropriate technologies will be disseminated.

Training programs and courses on environmental education, ecotourism training, ecotourism business opportunities and operation have been organized for state and municipal public officials, private operators and even local inhabitants of the ecotourism areas.

c. Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Certification The Brazilian government has put much effort to create standards to evaluate

whether the tourism-related operators are operated in a sustainable way. These operators include hotels, resort and spas, eco-lodges & rural-lodges, restaurants, tour operators, transportation business and community based tourism projects. If they have met those standards, they will receive certification. This is a way for the government to promote sustainable tourism within the industry.

In order to help tourism industry to be more sustainable, training will be provided for tourism companies so that they can meet the standards.

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d. Education The government promotes sustainable tourism through educating visitors their

proper code of conduct when visiting the country. In view of the 2014 World Cup which is going to be held in Brazil, the

government launched the “Green Passport Campaign”. It aims at encouraging tourists to recognize their role in contributing to the conservation of the environment. The followings are some examples of the code of conduct:

Tourists are encouraged to learn the culture of Brazil through interactions with the communities;

Tourists are encouraged to travel by low-emission vehicles in order to lower the amount of carbon dioxide emission;

Tourists are encouraged to use organic products and food produced locally.

III. Effort paid by NGO in promoting sustainable tourism Different non-profit making organizations which are very concerned with

sustainable development have also helped to promote sustainable tourism by developing different projects within the country.

Some NGOs have promoted Community-Based Ecotourism to get the involvement of local communities in the decision-making process and the management of tourism development. The NGOs aim at ensuring the tourism development are based on the following principles:

It is complementary to the local way of life; It creates opportunities for cultural sharing and learning, as well as

exchange of experiences between the community and the visitors; It ensures equal distribution of resources among all stakeholders; It guarantees social and environmental conservation.

For example, tourists joining these eco-tours will experience the daily lives of the farmers and fishermen in the rainforest by participating in their farming activities, looking at their cave paintings and trying their typical cuisine.

NGOs will also provide training to the local residents so that hey can become tour guide and this will also arouse their concern over the environment.

References:

1. Brazil boosts sustainable tourism’http://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/xhtml/en_GB/features/saii/features/economy/2012/04/18/feature_02

2. Brazil Ecotourism Tours – Sustainable Tourism & Conservation Lawshttp://www.internationalwildlifelaw.org/brazil.html

3. Community-Based Ecotourism in the Brazilian Amazon: The experience of the Institute Peabiruhttp://www.iss.nl/fileadmin/ASSETS/iss/Documents/DevIssues/FontouraGabriela_WEB.pdf

4. ecoDestinations – Brazilhttp://www.ecotourism.org/brazil

5. Instituto EcoBrasil - Ecotourismhttp://www.ecobrasil.org.br/publique/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?UserActiveTemplate=ecobrasil%5Feng&infoid=82&sid=32

6. Program for the development of ecotourism in the legal Amazon Region – Brazilhttp://www.unep.fr/shared/publications/cdrom/WEBx0139xPA/statmnts/pdfs/sobrae.pdf

7. Report on Brazilian Ecotourismhttp://www.planeta.com/planeta/00/0012brazil.html

8. Responsible Travel in Brazilhttp://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0411/responsible_travel_the_brazil_amazon.shtml

9. Tourism Certificationhttp://www.ecobrasil.org.br/publique/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?UserActiveTemplate=ecobrasil_eng&infoid=298&sid=38

10. UNWTO – Tourism Highlights 2008 Editionhttp://tourlib.net/wto/WTO_highlights_2008.pdf

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