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CommuniCationand
SuStainabletouriSm
PROCEEDINGS OF THE GLOBAL E-CONFERENCEAND SUMMER SPEAKER SERIES ON THE ROLEOF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION
IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
May 29 - Jun 9, 2006
UN-WTO/G.Ver
eczi
UN-WTO/G.Vereczi
UN-WTO/G.Vereczi
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Wold Bank Dvlopmnt communaton Dvson SDO;
USAiD Dvlopmnt communaton & Sustanabl Tousm Unt;
Untd Natons Wold Tousm Oganaton (UNWTO)
CommuniCationand SuStainabletouriSm
Proceedingsofthe global e-conferenceand
summer sPeaker serieson
theroleof develoPment communication
in sustainabletourism
Ma 29 - Je 9, 2006
Hostd on www.dvomm-ongss.og
Lua Gnna (Wold Bank)
robta Hlbun (USAiD)
emanul Sant (Wold Bank)
Ganmao Suppa (Wold Bank)
Gabo V (UNWTO)
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cHeMONicSiNTerNATiONALiNc./J.MaGreGOr
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IntroductIon
Tourismisoneotheworldslargesteconomicsec-
tors1andonethatcontinuestoexpandveryrapidly2.
Donewell,tourismdevelopmentcanbeapower-
ultooloreconomicgrowth,povertyreduction 3,andor
theconservationonaturalandculturalresources.While
tourismrepresentsanimportantdevelopmentopportunity
ormanycountriesandcommunities,itcanalsohaveverynegativeimpacts,suchasdisruptingsocialstructures,harm-
ingthesocio-culturalauthenticityohostcommunities,and
threateningnaturalandculturalheritage.Wiseplanningand
managementotourismdevelopmentiskeytokeepingita
orceorgood.
ourismistrulycross-sectoral,involvingawiderangeo
issuesthatcanincludetheollowing:
tradeandinvestmentpolicy
employmentandlaborlaws
enterprisedevelopment public-privatepartnerships
communityandurbanplanning(landuseplanning,
transportation,etc.)
inrastructuredevelopment
conservationoculturalheritage,protectedareasand
biodiversity
managementonaturalresources(water,energy,waste)
saetyandsecurity
educationandworkorcedevelopment.
Terearevastnumbersostakeholders,withtheirdier-
entandsometimesopposinginterestsandagendas.Te
1 Th 2006 Tavl and Tousm eonom rsah o th Wold Tavl & Tousm counl and Antu stats that n 2006 th woldtavl and tousm ndusty s xptd to ontbut 3.6% (US$ 1,754.5 bn) to th wold Goss Domst Podut. Th T&T eonomyontbuton should s to 10.3 %.
2 Tavl and Tousm atvty s xptd to gow by 4.2% p annum n al tms btwn 2007 and 2016. 2006 Tavl and Tousmeonom rsah o th Wold Tavl & Tousm counl and Antu.
3 Wold Tavl and Tousm eonomy mploymnt s stmatd at 234,305,000 jobs n 2006, 8.7% o total mploymnt. 2006 Tavl andTousm eonom rsah o th Wold Tavl & Tousm counl and Antu.
UN-WTO/G.Vereczi
IntroductIon
multiplestakeholdersatbothnationalandlocallevels
mustbeabletoaccesstheinormationtheyneedtoun-
derstandtheirlong-terminterests,articulatetheiropin-
ions,identiyproposals,andnetworkeectivelywithoneanother.ourismdevelopmentchoicesmustbalancebe-
tweennationalandlocalneeds,publicandprivatesector,
hostcommunities,civilsociety,tourists,andmassmedia.
Politicalchoices,inparticular,mustreconcileimmediate
returnsandlonger-termbenets,whichrequiresaclear
andwell-denedvision.Sustainabletourismdevelop-
mentthusrepresentsaverycomplextask.
Communicationhasahugeroleinsupportingsustainable
tourismdevelopmentandmanagingitsmultipledimen-
sions.Communicationcancreateandacilitateasystem
thatallowsstakeholderstoexchangeopinionsandarrive
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coMMunIcAtIon And SuStAInABLE tourISM: ProcEEdInGS oF A GLoBAL E-conFErEncE2
atconsensualsolutions.Eectiveuseocommunication
toolscanalsolinkproductstomarkets,andcancontrib-
utetovisitorssaeandpositiveexperiences.
Inasustainabletourismdevelopmentscenario,thevari-
ousstakeholdershavenotonlytherighttoparticipatein
thedecision-makingprocess,buthavealsotheresponsi-
bilitytoadoptenvironmentally,sociallyandeconomicallysustainablebehaviorsandpractices.Communication
processescanbuildawarenessothisresponsibilityand
persuadestakeholdersthatsustainablepracticesultimately
benettheirlong-terminterests.
Acomprehensivecommunicationstrategy,whichshould
identiyhowinormation,awarenesscreation,advocacy,
networkbuilding,conictmitigation,andcommunica-
tionplatormswillbesupported,isessentialoranysuc-
cessulsustainabletourismdevelopmentactivity.
Ane-conerenceaddressingtheroleocommunication
insustainabletourismdevelopmenttookplacebetween
May29andJune9,2006.TeWorldBank,theUS
AgencyorInternationalDevelopment(USAID)and
theUNWorldourismOrganization(UNWO)envi-
sionedtheorumasameanstobringtogetherdevelop-
mentpractitioners,tourismproessionals,decision-mak-
ers,academiciansandcommunicationspecialistsrepre-
sentingvariousnationalinstitutions,privatesectorand
mediaorganizations,NGOs,internationalinstitutions,
anddonorsactiveintheeldocommunicationand
sustainabletourismtodiscusstherolethatcommunica-tioncanplayindesigningandimplementingsustainable
tourismstrategiesandprojectsatnationalandlocallev-
els;toshareexperiences,inormationandperspectives;
toidentiyandsharelessonslearnedandbestpractices;
andtoconsolidateknowledgeondevelopmentcommu-
nicationinsustainabletourismprograms.
Discussionsocusedontheollowingtopics:
Terolethatcommunicationcanplayindesigningandimplementingsustainabletourismstrategiesand
projectsatnationalandlocallevels;
Teimportanceosharingexperiences,inormation
andperspectives;
Identicationolessonslearnedandmosteective
practices;and
Teexchangeoknowledgeondevelopmentcommu-
nicationinsustainabletourismprograms.
Tee-conerencewaspartothepreparationorthe
WorldCongressonCommunicationorDevelopment(WCCD)andwashostedonwww.devcomm-congress.
org.Itconsistedotheollowingveconcurrentsessions,
moderatedbythepersonslistedbelow.
Tee-conerencebenetedromtheactivecontribu-
tionomorethan700registeredparticipantsromallsix
continents.
AseminarseriesinwasheldinWashington,DC,during
thesummero2006asaollow-ontothee-conerencein
ordertourtherexploreideasraisedinthevesessions.
Materialromthosepresentationshasbeenwovenintothesessionsummariesthatollow.
Sessi The Role o Communication in Planning and
Implementing Sustainable Tourism Policies
and Strategies
Gabo V (UNWTO), ian chst and
Ganmao Suppa (WB)
Sessi 2 Communication or Community Involvement
in Sustainable Tourism Development
Judth Vomans and Toot Oostvn (SNV)
Sessi 3 The Role o Communication in Promoting
Corporate Social Responsibility in Sustainable
Tourism Development
chstna caval, Al cabt, Amos Bn and
Matha Hony (TieS), Susy Kaamml (GTz), Gula
cabon (iUcN)
Sessi 4 The Role o Communication in Linking
Sustainable Tourism Products to Markets
chs Sk (Solma intnatonal), robn Goldbg
(Lonly Plant) and Mtld Wndnbaum (eceAT)
Sessi 5 Interpreting Tourism Destinations and
Orienting Visitors
Danl Mattson (Htag Dsgn), Jonathan Toutllot
and Jams Don (Natonal Gogaph), Gaham
Books (icOMOS)
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SESSIon 3
USFS/J.BAUer
TheourismPoliciesandStrategiessessionothee-
conerenceocusedonndinganswersandproviding
examplesortheollowingquestions:
How can one make the best use o conventional commu-nication and consultation techniques (such as orums,meetings, workshops)?
How can one harness modern technology or eectiveparticipatory processes in tourism policies and plans?
How can conventional and modern techniques be bestcombined or innovative and eective communication?
Howcanthemediasupporttourismpolicyandplan-
ningprocessesorpublicinormation?
Whatarethemosteectivewaysocommunicationto
inormstakeholdersandthegeneralpublic?
COMMUNICATION TO INVOLVESTAKEHOLDERS IN DECISION-MAKING
Teactthatthetourismsectorismultisectoral,andcanbe
veryragmented,wasarecurringthemeinthediscussions.
Tewiderangeostakeholdersatbothlocalandnational
levelshavingaroleintheormulationandimplementation
osustainabletourismpoliciesandstrategiesincludes:
Publicauthoritiesintheeldsoeconomy,environ-
ment,tourism,transportation,education,culture,etc.
(ministriesandstatedepartments,theirregionaland
localofces,regionalandmunicipalauthorities,etc.);
ourismbusinessesandtheirassociationsatthenation-
alandlocallevels(accommodationandcatering,tour
operators,guidesandotherserviceproviders);
Localcommunities;
NGOsandcivilsocietygroups;
Academicandresearchinstitutions;and
Mediaorganizations.
Session 1:
thE roLE oF coMMunIcAtIon InPLAnnInG And IMPLEMEntInG SuStAInABLE
tourISM PoLIcIES And StrAtEGIES
Participantsagreedthatpolicyandstrategydevelopment
mustbeaprocesswhereallstakeholdersareabletoreely
expresstheirviewpointsandhavetheirintereststaken
intoaccount.Nationalandlocalpoliciesmustbecoordi-
nated,consensualandresponsivetotheneedsodierent
stakeholders.Governmentshaveakeyroleinpolicy-
makingandimplementationprocesses,andinthisrole
theymuststrivetoensuretheinormedparticipationo
othersectorsthroughconsultativeprocesses.Undertaking
ampleconsultationsiskeytothesuccessulormulation
andimplementationotourismpolicies.Inaddition,the
manydierentinterestgroupsotenholddisparateview-
pointsthatmustbecoalescedintoacommonvision.
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MULTI-LEVEL STAKEHOLDER
INVOLVEMENT IS NEEDED
LOCAL / NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
Pbli aiiesIeaial / egial
gaizais
Meia ogaizais ds
tism bsiesses a ei assiais
nGos a iil sie gpsAaemi a esea isiis
Participantsstressedthateectivecommunicationisthere-
oreessentialorpolicy-makingandimplementation.Tey
agreedthatbothconventionalcommunicationmethods
(e.g.,orums,meetingsandworkshops)andtheapplication
onewtechnologies(e.g.,telecommunication,Internet,
emails,databases)arekeytodevelopingsustainabletour-
ismpolicies.Teneedorgovernmentstocreateand
maintainwebsiteswithregularlyupdatedinormationwas
stressed,aswasthenotionthatwebsitesshouldnotserve
justortourismpromotionpurposes,butalsotodissemi-nateinormationontourismpoliciesandplans.Particular
attentiontotheneedoreectivecommunicationromthe
centraltotheregionalandlocallevelswasalsoemphasized,
giventhatindevelopingcountriestheremotenessosome
areasandthelackotelecommunicationnetworkshinder
bothhorizontalandverticalcommunication.
USE OF PUBLIC EVENTS TO PROMOTETOURISM IN TANzANIA
Developmentandinstitutionalprocessesleadingtothede-
signonationalandlocalleveltourismpoliciescanbenetrompubliceventssupportedbypoliticalleaders,national
andinternationalmedia,andregionalandinternational
organizations.Anexamplewasprovidedromanzania,
whereMIGA,anagencyotheWorldBank,promoted
atourisminvestmentconerencewiththeMinistryo
ourism.PresidentMkapamadetheopeningspeech,
andalsometwithindividualinvestors.TeAricaravel
Association(AA)wasinstrumentalinsecuringinterviews
ontheconerencewithBBC,whichwerebroadcastlive,
andAApublishedseveralarticlesintheirmagazine.Te
localnewspapersprovidedeventcoverage.Teeventhad
someverydirectandconcreteresults:investmentagree-
mentsweresignedandarenowbeingimplemented.Te
anzaniaexamplealsodemonstratedtheimportanceand
eectivenessogoodpost-eventollow-up:potentialin-
vestorswerekeptinormedoprogressbye-mail,andthe
governmenthasattendedhotelinvestmentorumstogen-
erategreaterinterestinthecountry.
TOP-DOwN AND BOTTOM-UP
COMMUNICATION
An ntstng xampl o ommunaton among th
stakhold goups at th natonal, gonal and loal
lvls was povdd byKamelia Georgieva, eotou-sm Pogam coodnato o th USAiD BceG pojt,
sponsbl o dvlopng a Natonal eotousm Statgy
and Aton Plan o Bulgaa. Th pojt mployd a mx
o tadtonal and nnovatv ommunaton tools and
atvts, suh as wokshops, oums, onns, publa-
tons, posts, and th intnt. Natonal xpts and
nsttutons ntatd n ous goup mtngs and loal
wokshops, and publ oums w hld o onsultaton.
extnsv mda ovag hlpd th dnt atvts
to nom th wd publ. Sval typs o publatons
w mployd, nludng booklts wth th outln o
th statgy doumnt, and lafts and posts to nom
loal stakholds about th sps o otousm and
upomng publ mtngs. Two natonal oums w hld
wth th patpaton o majo ntnatonal patns
- th st st th stag and outlnd th statgy, and th
sond appovd th statgy and aton plan and shad
t wth th naton and ntnatonal patns.
For more about this project, see:
http://www.n.nt/tousm/Bulgaa_pojt.htm
BceGPrOJecT/ArD
SUCCESS OF zAMBIA TOURISMNEwSLETTER
Inadditiontointernationalandnationalinstitutions,
smallerorganizationsandindividualinitiativescanalsodis-
seminateinormationandpromotecooperationtoencour-
agesustainabletourismpractices.Inanexamplesupplied
aboutZambia,atourismnewsletterstartedbyacommitted
individualgraduallybecameanimportantsourceotour-
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SESSIon 5
ismdevelopmentinormationwiththesupportopublic
andprivatesectororganizations.Othere-conerencepar-
ticipantspointedoutthatmultipleinternationaldevelop-
mentanddonororganizationsotencarryoutoverlapping
policy-developmentandinstitutionalstrengtheningactivi-
tiesinthesamecountryorareaandthatimprovedcom-
municationisessentialinordertocoordinatedonoractivi-
ties,minimizeduplicationandmaximizesynergies.
THE INTERNET AS A TOOL FORCONSULTATION AND INFORMATIONTRANSFER
Withgrowingnumbersousersandimprovingaccess
worldwide,theInternetisanincreasinglyimportanttool
orstakeholderconsultationandinormationtranser.In
Australia,theourismWhitePaperImplementationPlan
2004waslaunchedbytheMinisterorSmallBusinessand
ourism,andrenedthroughon-lineconsultationwith
keytourismindustrystakeholders,AustralianGovernmentdepartmentsandstateandterritorygovernment.Alarge
volumeostakeholderinputwasreceivedandincorporat-
edintotheplanningprocess.Telistoorganizationsthat
participatedintheconsultationandtheirinputwasmade
publiconthewebsiteotheDepartmentoIndustry,
ourismandResources,togetherwithanadvancedstrat-
egydratthatincorporatedthedierentviews.
TeInternetisalsoakeytoolorinormation-sharingand
exchangeoexperiencesontourismpolicies.DestiNet,a
newinitiativeotheEuropeanEnvironmentAgencywascitedasagoodexample.(http://destinet.ewindows.eu.org).
Teinormationresourceandcommunicationsplatorm
containsselected,qualityassessedinormationontheways
inwhichtourismisbeingmademoresustainable.DestiNet
oersanumberoservicesincludingtheoptiontopost
newsbulletinsandsuggestnewlinksonrelevanttopics.It
actsasasingleEuropean-levelgatewaytoenvironmental
sustainabilityorthetourismsector,allowingusersto:
Understandandreportonsectorimpactsonthe
environment;
Learnhowtoimprovetourismsectorsustainability;and
Coordinateinormationexchangebetweentourism
stakeholders.
ADVOCACy
Manydevelopingcountriesarelookingtotourismdevel-
opmenttosolvetheireconomicproblems.Formanyo
them,theirnaturalandculturalheritagerepresentsone
otheireweconomicresources.Naturalandcultural
heritageare,however,notrenewableandtourismmust
beaddressedinasustainablewaytopreventirrevers-
ibledegradationtotheresourcesthatdrawtouriststoa
country.Unortunately,developingcountriesrequently
experiencesomedifcultyinplanningandpromoting
sustainabletourismpolicies.Politiciansareotenguided
bythenecessitytoachieverapidandvisibleresultsduring
theirtenure.Choicesabouttourismdevelopmentpoli-
ciesandstrategiesaretoootendictatedbythenecessity
tosatisyimmediateneeds:sustainingbalanceopay-
ments,creatingnewjobstoreduceunemployment,etc.
However,tourismdevelopmentprojectsproducingim-
mediatebenets(revenuegenerationandjobcreationas
examples)mayturnouttobenegativeinthelongterm
itheythreatennaturalandculturalheritage.Civilsoci-
etyandmassmediaorganizationscanassumetheroleo
T
HeiNTerNATiONALecOTOUriSMSOcieTy
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watchdogstoensurethattourismpoliciesandstrategies
arebenecialbothorlocalcommunitiesandorthecon-
servationonaturalresourcesandculturalheritage.
Anextendeddialoguedevelopedunderthediscussion
topicAdvocacyorsustainabletourismpolicies,o-
cusingontheroleoeducationandawareness-raising
activities.Variousmessagesstressedtheneedtointegrate
sustainabletourismpolicyissuesinschoolcurriculain
dierenttypesoeducationprogramsrelatedtotourism
managementandplanning,includingvocationaland
technicalschoolsaswellasuniversities.Itwasalsosug-
gestedthatsustainabilityissuesneedtobeincorporated
intoageneraleducationcurriculuminordertoensure
thatuturegenerationsotouristsaresensitivetoenvi-
ronmentalandsocialconcernswhenengagingintouris-
ticactivities.
Itwassubsequentlynotedthat,whileeducationin
schoolsandacademicinstitutioniscritical,awareness-
raisingactivitiesaboutsustainablepolicyissuesshould
alsotargetpublicofcialsandbusinesspersons.Suggested
communicationtoolsorawareness-raisingamongstake-holdersincludeseminarsandworkshops,internships/
mentorrelationshipswithleadersosuccessulprograms
inothercommunities,andWeborumstosharelessons
learnedromotherexperiences.
NGOscanhaveakeyroleinawareness-raisingactivities
targetingpublicauthorities.InBulgaria,theFoundation
orLocalGovernmentReorm,anNGOspecializingin
supportinglocalgovernments,usedspecictoolssuchas
newsletters,workshops,training,andgrantschemesto
educatemayorsandtheiradministrationsandthemu-
nicipalcouncilsaboutthebenetsosustainabletourism.
TesameoundationhelpedtoacilitatethelocalprocessduringdevelopmentotheNationalEcotourismStrategy
andActionPlan.
TRAINING AND KNOwLEDGEMANAGEMENT
Someparticipantsstressedtourismknowledgemanage-
mentasakeyactortobeconsideredinallcountries,
suggestingthatuniversitiesandschoolsotourismand
proessionalstudiesshouldbeinvolvedincollectiveac-
tions.Alackospecicacademicandtrainingresources
isattherootomanyproblemswithunsustainabletour-ismdevelopment.
RonMader,editorothesustainabletourismwebsite
www.planeta.com,pointedoutthatmanytourismtrain-
ingcoursesareoeredaroundtheworld.ourismportals,
however,ailtoprovideregularlyupdatedcalendarso
eventswithdescriptionsocoursesandinstructors.Also,
participantsshouldbeabletoratetheirinstructorsand
somesortopublicevaluationshouldoccuratersixto
twelvemonths.
Ivan Guarderas Flores poposd dvlopng a data-
bas o tousts and loal atos wh thy ould g-
st alts o omplants about bad pats n tousm
dvlopmnt (soal, nvonmntal and ommal). Ths
ould gnat postv pssu to th loal authots,
but would hav to b aully vd.
FeDerPArcHi/S.PeTrOSiLLO
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SESSIon 2
cHeMONicSiNTerNATiO
NALiNc/r.WeiSBerGerCOMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITy
INVOLVEMENT IN TOURISM PLANNINGAND MANAGEMENT
Oneothekeyprinciplesosustainabletourismis
thatthelocalpopulationisplacedatthecenterotourismdevelopmentinterventionsinterms
oparticipationinthedecision-makingprocessandbenet
sharing.Itisatthecommunitylevelwheretourismimpacts
aremostlykeenlyelt,conservationchallengesmustbemet
andcultureismostaected.Residentslivinginhistoric
centers,neararchaeologicalsitesorclosetonaturalpro-
tectedareascanplayakeyroleintheconservationothose
resourcesitheycanderivebenetromthem.Severale-
conerenceparticipantsthereorestressedtheimportance
ocommunityinvolvementandactiveparticipationinsus-
tainabletourismdevelopmentasonekeytosuccess.Amongtheprincipalchallengesthatparticipantsmen-
tionedrelatedtocommunityinvolvement:
Frequentchangesinlocalgovernment(bothpolicies
andpersonnel)
Lackogovernmentsupport
Conictinginterestsbetweengroups(betweengovern-
mentandreligiousgroups,andbetweencommunities
andbighotelownersoroilcompanies,orexample)
Lackounds
Lateattemptstoinvolvelocalcommunities
Lackocommercialskillsatthelocallevel
oomanydierentactors(NGOs,donoragencies,
government,etc.)otenengagedinwell-intentioned
butunder-undedprojectsthatarenotcoordinated
withothereorts
Failuretoconsiderthewholetourismsystemoa
countryorregionandnottakingintoaccountdemand
ortourismproducts
Communicationgapbetweencommunitiesandthe
privatesector.
Communicationtoolsmentionedaseectivewaystoin-
volvelocalcommunitiesintourismdevelopmentinclud-
edtraining;participatoryworkshops;community,group
andindividualmeetings;localradio;schoolnewsletters;
andlocalevents.Communityleadersareanimportant
communicationchannel.
Anotherissuethatrequentlysuracedindiscussionwas
theneedtoconsidertourismasabusiness,andcom-
munitymembersasbusinesspeople.Community-based
tourismprojectsshouldthereorebeocusedonmarket
demand.Tisimpliesaneedorproessionalisminthe
tasksrequiredtostartabusinesssuchas:abusinesseasi-
bilitystudy,businessadministration,hospitality,market-
ingstrategy,developmentoImarketingtools,market
analysis,etc.
Session 2:
coMMunIcAtIon And LocALcoMMunItIES In SuStAInABLE tourISM
dEvELoPMEnt
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Communitiesgenerallyneedsupporttocarryoutsuc-
cessultourismdevelopmentinitiatives.echnicalexperts
however,mustsimplyprovideexpertise,experienceand
advice,andactasacilitatorstohelplocalcommunities
makeinormeddecisionsandbuildtheirownstrategy.Tismeanssupportingconsultativeprocesseswithina
communitytoallowthedierentsegmentsothepopu-
lation(women,orexample)toexpresstheiropinions.
Toot Oostveen,oSNV(www.snv-la.org)statedthatcon-
sultantsshouldrstidentiythekindoconsultancyand
supportthecommunitywantstoreceive.Signingacon-
tractbetweenthecommunityandtheconsultingorgani-
zationcanbeonewaytoenhancethesenseoownership
withinacommunity.
Communityworkshopsareanimportantwaytoiden-
tiyproblemsandconcerns,andtodetermineavailableoptionsbeoredecisionsaremadeandactionstaken.
Workshopscanalsobeusedtointroducecommunities
tonewtopicssuchasmarketingtechniques,ortodesign
projectproposalswhichwillbeusedtoseekoutunding.
TeInternetwasotenmentionedasanimportanttool
toputlocaltourismmicro-enterprisesintodirectcontact
withtheglobalmarketotravelers.
Someparticipantsstressedthatitisessentialtogainthe
trustolocalcommunitiespriortoanyproductiveinter-
actionwiththem.Otherspointedouttheneedtoavoid
makingcommunitiesdependentondevelopmentwork-
ers.Capacity-building,ownershipandempowermentare
importanttothecommunitymanagementandlong-term
sustainabilityotourismenterprises.
Finally,participantsstressedtheobvious,butotenne-
glected,necessityorconsultantsandotheroutsideenti-
tiestoconsiderculture,beliesandtraditionsintourism
planning,andtoavoidpreconceptionswhilelistening
andacilitatingparticipatoryprocesses.
RELATIONSHIP BETwEEN COMMUNITIESAND THE PRIVATE SECTOR
Manyparticipantsdescribedacommunicationgapbe-
tweentheprivatesector(especiallyoutsideinvestors)and
localcommunities,eelingthattheprivatesectorisnot
preparedtocommunicatewithcommunitiesbecauseit
requiresmoretimeandpatiencethanmostbusinesspeo-
plearewillingtoinvest.Teyidentiedacontradiction
betweenastbusinessprocessesandslowcommunitypro-
cesses.Tesedierentperceptions,dierentassumptions
anddierentpriorities,aswellasmistrustandalacko
COMMUNICATION KEy
TO SUCCESS IN KENyA
Roselne Okech, o th Masno Unvsty n Knya,
postd an abstat on th ol o ommunaton n a
otousm pojt n Knya wth th ollowng on-
luson: involvng ommunts n th mplmntaton
and managmnt o a tousm dvlopmnt pojtnsstats los supvson o th atvts, apa-
ty buldng at th loal lvl and a stong ommtmnt
om th ommunts. Th nvolvmnt o ommunts
wll dpnd vy muh on th natu o th atvts
and th lvl o ommunaton. communty dvlop-
mnt has tanly undgon an voluton and s stll
at th hat o th latt-day paadgm sht towads a
human ontaton Th onn today ls n matts
suh as whth th poost a ahd, whth th
appoah s stll top-down, whth th popl hav d-
son-makng pow ov th us o sous, whth
human valus a mt, and whth dvlopmnt s
nvonmnt ndly. Knya s slowly ollowng th sam
path and so th a stll poblms to b solvd wth
gad to th managmnt aspt. communaton s
ky n all ths aspts.
GOVERNMENT-INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
PARTNERSHIP
Two as studs n canada (Th Quuas Wst coastTal Soty and Hada Gwa, Qun chalott islands)
w postd byMike Robbins, maktng onsultant
om canada spalng n tousm, to dsb a su-
ssul patnshp btwn govnmnt and ndgnous
ommunts n snstv natual aas and natonal paks,
whh povdd onom oppotunts o loal om-
munts n balan wth natu potton. Out o ths
studs, t appas that sussul patnshps hav th
ollowng qualts:
equal vo o patns
rspt and undstandng o ultual dns (..
tmams, languag, tadtonal knowldg, t.)
Sound busnss latonshp
Avalabl nanal sous o atvts amd at
nvolvng ndgnous popl
employmnt oppotunts as wll as busnss dvl-
opmnt oppotunts
enhanmnt o loal knowldg and apaty buldng
rspt o sad sts
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SESSIon 2 9
willingnesstocollaborate,cangeneratemisunderstand-
ingsbetweentheprivatesectorandlocalcommunities.
Anotherissueraisedinthee-conerencewasthatcommu-
nitiesareotennotconsidered(anddontconsiderthem-
selves)tobeacomponentotheprivatesector.However,
themomenttheyenterintothetourismbusinessthey
becomepartotheprivatesectorandneedtoadopta
business-relatedpointoview.TiswastheexperienceoWilliamufn,whoisworkingtodevelopcommunity
eco-tourisminLaos.
Methodsoovercomingbarriersmentionedbye-coner-
enceparticipantsincludedawareness-raisingactivitiesand
dialoguebetweenbusinessmenandcommunitiestoaidin
understandingdierentpointsoviews,opinionsandin-
terests.ime,trust,transparency,andcreativethinkingare
essentialoridentiyingcommonground,commoninter-
estsandpotentialsharedbenets.Asoneothee-coner-
enceparticipantsremarked,Who should be responsible orsupporting the local communities in undertaking a proftable
tourism business? It is a question to consider in each situation.
INVESTMENT AND MARKETING
Igovernmentorpublicdonorsarenotsupportinga
communitytourisminitiative,communitiesneedtond
creativewaystoaccessnancing.Sponsorshipmight
beoneoptionorcommunitytourism.Anexample
wasgivenotheBCAboriginalourismAssociation
inwhichsponsorshavetheircorporatenameafliated
withtheAssociationandseevalueintheexposuretheyreceiveromnancingspecicactivities.MikeRobbins
presentedanotherexampleinthenancingoacultural
ecolodge,whereanassociationreceivedundsromthe
BritishandCanadianAirForce,aminingcompanyanda
privateoundation.
InthecaseoGreatBearRainorestinBritishColumbia,
combininglargescalenatureconservationwithinFirst
Nationtraditionalterritoryhasbeenkeytoorginga
linkbetweenprivatesectorundsandcommunities.
Oneelementothesehistoriclanduseagreementshas
beenthecreationotheCoastOpportunitiesFunds,
aconservation-nancingprogramdevelopedthrougha
remarkablecollaborativeprocessinvolvingFirstNations,
environmentalists,philanthropists,andgovernmentrep-resentatives.Establishingthisprogramrequiredadecade
onegotiation,againhighlightingthelengthotimesome
processesneed.
Oneothebiggestissuesacingallcommunitytourism
projectsinremotelocationsismarketingcreatingaware-
nessandstimulatinginterestinwidelydispersedgeographic
marketareas.InMay2006,theLonelyPlanettravelpub-
lishersproducedCodeGreenExperiencesoaLietime.
Tebookocusesonuniqueexperienceswithanemphasis
onminimizingenvironmentalandsocialimpactandmaxi-
mizingconnectionswithlocalpeople.Publicationslikethisshouldhelpwithencouragingtravelerstodigurtherinto
lesspublicizedtourismopportunities.
Oneexampleoaprivate/publicsustainabletourism
partnershipisnowunderwayinClarendonParish,
Jamaica.ClarendonExpressisapartnershipbetween
awidevarietyostakeholdersromtheprivatesector,
theJamaicangovernment,environmentalNGOs,apro-
Valere Tjolle (http://www.totmtousmmaktng.og)
launhd th da o job swappng, an xhang pogam
n whh ommunty mmbs wok n ommal tou
ompans and v vsa. Ths allows th ommunty to
undstand th mhansms o th tousm busnss and
tans ommunty mmbs n plannng and managng
tousm busnsss. On th oth sd, th xpn
hlps ommal tou ompany sta to btt und-
stand th loal alty thy a dalng wth.
Ron Maderdsbd th www.planta.om poly o
wokng wth ommunts ov tm. in Oaxaa, Mxo,
lstnng to loals ld to nnovatons suh as th Oaxaa
Optons oundtabl dsussons, a ss o nomal
psntatons and dalogus. On xampl that mpovs
ommunty bnts s Walk th Wavs n th naby
at-makng town o Tottlan dl Vall, n whh th
towns ommunty musum ogans tous. Vstos a
ld to wokshops by wavs wth th goal o nasng
dt sals, bntng tavls wth low ps and
wavs wth hgh nom. http://tnyul.om/mmotd
Trip Seene postd nomaton about a nw nta-
tv, STeP Up Tavl (http://www.stpuptavl.og ). Ths s
a wb-basd onpt that povds a tool o loal popl
to at th own onln tousm montps o
dt ntaton wth tavls. Th onpt has bn
mplmntd nto a ompltly untonal, global tool to
povd ownshp to loal popl n tavl/tousm andpovd ass to global makts o tavls. Th st has
bn tanslatd nto Spansh www.ladsoal.og and
Potugus www.ad.og.
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tectedarea,localhotels,theChamberoCommerce,
andothers.Jamalcoiscollaboratingwithnationaland
internationalpartnerstoconvertanindustrialtrain
routeintoatourismtrainthatlinkstheseatothemoun-
tainswithdiversevisitoropportunitiesalongtheway.
Communicationactivitiestoencourageinvolvementand
collaborationbetweenstakeholderswereimportantto
thesuccessothisinitiative.
FALSE ExPECTATIONS
Itisnecessaryorlocalcommunitiestorealizethatsus-
tainabletourismdevelopmentisnotapanacea,andthat
hardworkisrequiredtoreceiveanybenet.Tecom-
munitymustapproachtourismasanyotherbusiness
thatinvolvesrisks.Teyneedsufcientinormationand
capacitytoassessandmitigatetheserisks.Teyalsoneed
torealizethattheyareserviceproviderswhoareinalong
chainointerdependenttourism-relatedbusinessesand
theyneedtobeamiliarwiththeotheractors.
Unrealisticexpectationscanbereducedthroughrequentand
detailedcommunicationamongstallstakeholders.Capacity-
buildingtrainingandequityintourismbenetscanalsobuildthetrustocommunitiesandreducealseexpectations.
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR OF TOURISTS
Manye-conerenceparticipantseltthatthebestwayto
inormtouristsaboutappropriatebehaviourinhost
countriesistoreachthempriortotravelviaguidebooks.
Manybooksalreadyincorporateachapteronresponsi-
bletravel.Otherchannelsthatareimportantvehicles
orcarryinginormationtoawiderangeotourists(orinstancethosetravelinginorganizedtours)includetrav-
elagencies,Internetsitesandmagazines.However,
travelmagazinesandtravelnarrationtoootenpresent
destinationsjustastourismproducts,orgettingthat
peoplewithotherculturesandsensibilitieslivethere.
Somee-conerenceparticipantsstressedtheneedtoana-
lyzevisitorsperceptionsodestinationstoidentiypo-
tentialproblemsandrecommendawarenessactivitiesor
addressinginappropriatebehavior,minimizingtourism
impactsonthelocalcultureandenhancingrelations
withlocalcommunities.
in Laos, th ollowng atvts and ommunaton tools
hlpd tousts adopt appopat bhavos: do and
dont booklts, tou ontaton pamphlts, tanng
ouss o loal guds, and sgns and posts n vllags.
Fo mo nomaton, s www.otousmlaos.om.
in Laos, th ollowng atvts and ommunaton tools
hlpd tousts adopt appopat bhavos: do and
dont booklts, tou ontaton pamphlts, tanng
ouss o loal guds, and sgns and posts n vllags.
Fo mo nomaton, s www.otousmlaos.om.
PARTNERSHIPS:
COMMUNITIES/PRIVATE SECTOR
Samar Hammad, om th at sto n Jodan, gav
an xampl o a pvat oganaton tyng to buld a
patnshp wth a ommunty n th handat busnss.
Th goup ad a lot o mstust and ald that a long
poss was ndd to buld psonal latons boollaboatng wth th ommunty. Slowly, som ndvdu-
als bgan to show tust, and oths ollowd lat. Th
suss and latd bnts o som ndvdual atsmn
hlpd to nouag th oths.
Paula Eshoo mntond that th a sval ntst-
ng ommunty-basd ntatvs n Laos, wh a numb
o dvlopmnt patns and th pvat sto hav
jond to assst th ounty n mplmntng ts Natonal
eotousm Statgy and Aton Plan. Fo mo noma-
ton, s www.otousmlaos.om.
Maria Jos zapata Campos, om th Unvsty o
castlla La Manha, Span, mntond how th alu o
suss o ommunty/pvat busnss patnshps d-
pnds upon pptons and th qualty o ntpsonal
latonshps and, onsquntly, upon ommunaton
ssus. Sh also mntond th mpotan o und-
standng how pow s dstbutd btwn th dnt
ntst goups, ndvduals, nsttutons, and ommunty
goups nvolvd. Th ontol, ass and dstbuton o
nomaton, tat dsons, th absn o psn o
tan thms n th pa tnshps agnda a ky ssuso a sussul patnshp.
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SESSIon 3
USFS/J.BAU
er
ThenotionoCSRisnotnew,butitsadoptionandintegrationintothetourismindustryisinvery
earlystages,voluntaryandlargelyspearheadedby
theecotourismmovement.However,theadoptionand
endorsementothebasicprinciplesosustainabletourism
thataddressthenewparadigmotriplebottomlineassess-
menthassteadilygrownoverthelastdecadealthoughitis
undeniablethatthemajorocushasbeenonenvironmental
protectionandconservationratherthanaddressingsocial
issuessuchaslaborstandards.Tisthemeisalsopresentin
manyothevoluntarysustainabletourismcerticationpro-
gramsmanyowhichareconsideredvaluableinstrumentstoencourageandacilitateCSR.
TethrustoCSRinthemainstream(mass)tourism
industryisaccusedobeinglargelyenvironmental,the
skepticssay,simplybecauseenvironmentalmanage-
mentsystemshelpreducecosts(throughminimization
opotablewaterandenergyuse,andreductionowaste)
orareperceivedasapotentialsellingpoint(greensells).
Philanthropybymajortourismplayersalsoisanotherele-
mentoCSRthathasbeenadoptedtovaryingdegrees,
becomingmoreacceptedandevenexpected,although
largelyasadhocgesturesogoodwill.
However,CSRinthetourismindustryisnotsimplyabout
potentialenvironmentalsavings,certicationprograms
orphilanthropyitisincreasinglybeingconsideredby
enlightenedcorporationsandindividualsastheonlyway
toensurelongtermsustainability,andotenleadstobetter
businesseswithincreasedprotability.Terearemanyin
thebusinesscommunitywhoseeCSRnotasaluxury
Corporate Social Responsibilit (CSR)
is the commitment of businesses to
contribute to sustainable economic
development orking ith emploees,
their families, the local communit and
societ at large to improve the qualit
of life in as that are both good for
business and good for development.
THE wORLD BANKS wORKING
DEFINITION OF CSR
Session 3:
thE roLE oF coMMunIcAtIon InProMotInG corPorAtE SocIAL
rESPonSIBILIty In SuStAInABLE tourISM
dEvELoPMEnt
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thatisindulgedinwhenandwhereresourcesallowbut
asaundamentaltooltodoingbusinesswell,andhence
onethatneedstobebuiltintostrategiestoensurerisk
managementandreputationalenhancement.
Tee-conerenceparticipantscontributionscertainly
clariedtheneedorincreasedcommunicationabout
andorCSRintourism.Communicationhastotakeplaceatalllevelsbetweenandamongstthedierent
stakeholders.Aregulatoryrameworkisneedednotonly
toacilitateseamlesscommunicationbutalsotocreate
commongroundsandacommonunderstandingosome
othesustainabilityissuesandthepotentialoCSRto
enhancebusinessviabilityandlongevity.Tecaseor
adoptingCSRintourismneedstobebettercommuni-
catedinlanguageappropriatetothevariousstakeholders.
Communicationwasconsideredessentialto:
helptourismbusinessesandconsumers(tourists)un-
derstandandadoptrelevantenvironmentalandsocialsustainabilitystandardsandsystems(certication,
guidelines,environmentalmanagementsystems,air
trade,communityrelationsandoutreach,etc.);
helptourismbusinessesthatareadoptingappropriate
CSRprinciplesandrelevantstandardsinbeingreward-
edbyincreasedbusiness;and
createbetterlinksamonglargetourismoperators,lo-
calcommunities,andsmallandmediumenterprisesto
developwin-winpartnerships.
LACK OF AN INTERNATIONALLyRECOGNIzED DEFINITION OF CSR
Alargepartothee-conerencediscussionconcentratedon
dierentperceptionsanddenitionsosustainabletourism
andcorporatesocialresponsibility.Despiteamultitudeo
denitionsbyseveralinternationalandnationalinstitu-
tions,tourismenterprises,non-governmentalorganiza-
tions(NGOs)andindividuals,thereisnocoherentand
internationallyrecognizeddenitionrameworkaccording
towhichCSRactivitiescanbestructuredorscrutinized.
TelackoaninternationallyrecognizeddenitionoCSR
leadstoarangeoobstaclesorcommunicationonCSR
betweenstakeholders.Manycompaniesmisunderstand
sustainablemanagementorCSRassimplyphilanthropy,
charitablegiving,orhumanitarianaid,etc.,ratherthan
usingsustainablemanagementtoimprovetheirlocalbusi-
nesscontext(e.g.communityrelationsandoutreachproj-
ects,environmentalmanagement,goodsocialstandardsor
employees,localpurchasingoptions,etc.).
Ontheotherhand,therewerealsoanumberopartici-
pantswhoarguedagainstoneunivocalstandardordeni-
tivedenitionorCSR.Giventhediversityocultures,
dierentlysizedoperations(massvs.smallandmedium
enterprises[SMEs]),andthemultitudeobusinesstypes
(e.g.accommodation,ight,touroperation,etc.)inthe
tourismsector,usingonesetostandards,may,according
totheGlobalReportingInitiative(GRI),belimitingand
mightprovetobeinadequate.
STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION
Participantshighlightedthat,totheirknowledge,there
isntonepreerred,orleadingorganizationthatisnecessar-
ilytheonlyoreventhemostsuccessulmodeltocommu-
nicateaboutandhelpwithmainstreamingCSRprinciples
andpractices.Instead,theybelievethatthereisaneedto
acilitatemorewidespreadandtransparentcommunica-
tiononCSRatalllevels.Tereoreallpossiblestakehold-ersneedtobeidentiedandheldtoaccountorspreading
theprinciplesosustainabledevelopment.Asideromthe
industry,consumersandNGOs,theseinclude:
Certifcation and standards-setting organizations
Governmental organizations Intermediaries.
Tegovernmentwasmostotenidentiedbythepartici-
pantsasthestakeholderresponsibleorcreatingtheap-
propriaterameworkenvironmenttoencourageanden-
suresuccessulandtransparentcommunicationonCSR.Appreciatingthecurrentstructuresothetourismbusi-
nessanditssalesstructure,twoadditionalstakeholders
wereidentiedasimportantintermediariesandambassa-
dorsorsustainabledevelopmentandCSR:
Salessta(e.g.travelagents,sales&marketing,in-
boundoperators)
Media.
Astudyonmarketingcertiedproductsrecentlycomplet-
edbyTeInternationalEcotourismSociety(IES)con-
cludedthatgreentourismcerticationprogramscanget
thebiggestbangorthebuckbymarketingtointerme-
diariessuchastouroperators,guidebooksandthemedia,
ratherthandirectlytoconsumers.Teseintermediaries
can,inturn,marketdirectlytoconsumers.Withtime,
ascerticationprogramsgrowinsizeandspreadtomore
countries(i.e.,acriticalmassdevelops),andasmoretour
operatorsuseandpromotecertiedproducts,consumer
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SESSIon 3 3
awarenessanddemandislikelytogrow.Whilecriticso
certicationotencitethecurrentlackoconsumerde-
mandasareasonwhyitwillnotwork,IESwouldargue
that,basedonlessonslearnedromotherindusties,con-sumerdemandtakesalongtimetogrowandisbestbuilt
throughcerticationprogramstargetingandconvincing
intermedariessuchastouroperators/wholesalers.
Tee-conerencehighlightedthat,inmanycases,in-
dividualswhohavecredibilitybothromthepersonal
andproessionalpointoviewmightbecomesuccessul
communicatorsonCSR,andcouldrecruithighprole
mentorsthatsupportandencourageotherstobecome
proponentsoCSR.Teidenticationocharismatic
leaderswhowouldbeabletowinthemindsosmallen-trepreneurswassuggestedasapossiblestrategy.Apoten-
tialthreatwouldbethatcommunicationwouldbethen
limitedtoindividuallyperceivedanddenedissuesrather
thanincorporatingtherealneedsoallstakeholders.
CERTIFICATION AND STANDARDS
Certicationandstandardswereidentiedbythepar-
ticipantsasthecurrentmosteectiveoptionoractively
supportingandguidingCSRprocessesontheindividual
companylevel.Inthe(sel-proclaimed)sustainabletourism
industry,thedevelopmentostandardsandvoluntarycer-
ticationthatprovidesomeormoguaranteeosustain-
abilitystandardsiscommon,butwidespreadadoptionand
useothesestandardsisunortunatelystillrare.Consumer
surveysareconusing,oralthoughtheyotenproclaim
ageneralwillingnesstopayapremiumorproductsthat
demonstrateacommitmenttosustainabletourismprac-
tices,onlyasmallpercentageoconsumersappeartoseek
theseproductsorunderstandmuchaboutwhatappropri-
ateenvironmental,socialorculturalstandardsare.Green
tourismcerticationstandardscertainlymeasureandseek
tomitigatethenegativeenvironmental,social,andcultural
impactsotourismbusinesses.Someevenseektoincrease
thepositiveimpactsotourismthroughensuringair
economicreturnstothelocalcommunityorenvironment,
orevenattempttoempowerindigenouspeoples.
Certiyingtouroperatorsandhotelsacilitatesmain-
streamingoCSRandsustainablemanagementpractices
inthetourismindustryandservesnotonlyasarelatively
easywayorconsumers(tourists)toidentiyresponsible
andethicalproduct,butcommunicatesCSRandother
importantissuesbothB2Bandtootherstakeholders.
Certicationprogramsandtheirstandardscanserveto
eectivelycommunicateanin-depthrevieworinsight
throughtheircriteriaintothelargerangeoissuesthat
aectsustainabletourismdevelopmentandwhetheratourismenterpriseactuallyproceedstocerticationor
not,theprogramsservetoraiseawareness.Atthesame
time,certicationorganizationshelpconsumerspreeren-
tiallychooseresponsibleproducts.
COMMUNICATION wITHIN THE INDUSTRyREGARDING CSR TOOLS AND MEASURES
Withregardstocommunicationwithinthetourism
industry,e-conerenceparticipantshighlightedvarious
dierentissuesthatshouldbeaddressedtosupportthe
incorporationoCSRprinciplesandtoolsamongtourism
businesses(i.e.inparticularsmallandmicrobusinesses).
Suggestionsincluded:
Obtainaclearunderstandingothecapacitygaps;
EnsurethatCSRtoolsandexamplesareadaptedto
takeintoaccounttheknowledge,capacityandthecul-
tureothecountriestowhichCSRmodulesaretrans-
erredadoptingadaptivemanagementpractices;
Createaclearandunivocalunderstandingowhat
CSRmeans(i.e.clariyingthatintegratingCSRprinci-
plesandpracticeswouldmeangoingbeyondsimplistic
andbasicphilanthropicactivities);
Maximizetheparticipationolocalcommunitiesinde-
ningwhatCSRmeansatthelocalleveltogobeyond
asimpleecolabel.Community-basedorganizations
andNGOsatthelocallevelareseenasverygood
intermediariestopromotealocalinterpretationo
generalCSRrameworks;and
cST
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JointandcooperativeworkonCSRintourism
throughnetworksliketheourOperatorInitiative
(OI),whoarecontributingtoavitalexchangeonCSRpracticesbetweenthelargetourismplayers.
Participantsappearedtoeelthattheindustryhadnot
yetullyembracedCSRastherewasalackounder-
standingonwhatitwasandhowitmighthelptheir
business.Terewascertainlyaperceptionthattherewas
alackocommonunderstandingaboutthebusiness
caseoCSRinthetourismindustry.Tewillingness
topaymoreorresponsibleandethicaloperatorsbya
growingnumberocustomersisnotyetevidentinthe
masstourismsector,despitesurveysthatdeclareagrow-
ingpercentageocustomersdemandmoreresponsible
productsandarewillingtopaymoreoracertaineel-
goodactor(whenhearingthattheirstayorpurchase
helpslocalcommunity,locallabor,localenvironment,
etc.).Itwaseltthatthisspecialcustomerwaslargely
connedtonichemarketsegments,whicharesmallerin
size,moretransparentandeasiertoberecognizedassuch
attheindividualconsumerlevel.
COMMUNICATION VERSUS
NON-COMMUNICATION
Whn t oms to povdng sold motvs to th mass tou-
sm sgmnt, as wll as to small and mo busnss at th
loal lvl, o th ntgaton o cSr pnpls and tools
n th busnss pats, patpants agd that th al
tgg would b a sold onsum dmand o cSr, andthat possbly th wakst lnk n th aa o ommunaton
about cSr to onsums s how tousm ompans lat
th suss stos to onsums. Dnt xampls hav
bn bought owad hghlghtng that th s not a unan-
mous vw on th maktablty o cSr atvts.
Th w a numb o xampls o busnsss that w
td o ngagd n cSr that dd not pomot o om-
munat ths wth th ustoms. Th asons o ths
a somtms omplx, angng om pptons o bng
gn as quatng to bng o low qualty (not ompatbl
wth th mag o hgh nd luxuy stablshmnts), to th
assumpton that labls quat to mo xpnsv podut,
and hn a avodd! Som ompans do not om-
munat th nvonmntal and soal sustanablty pols
o cSr ntatvs baus thy vw taton manly as
a tool o mpovng th opatons and savng mony on
wat and ngy, ath than as a tool o mpovng sals.
T
HeiNTerNATiONALecOTOUriSMSOcieTy
COMMUNICATION OF CSR TO TOURISTS
Withregardstocommunicationromtourismenterprises
totheirconsumers,twokeypointswereexpressedbythe
participants:
DemandromconsumersorCSRandsustainable
tourismwasseenasanessentialcommunicationtool
tosteercompaniestowardsmoreresponsiblepractices.
Sociallyresponsiblepurchasingandethicalpurchases
wereconceptsproposingthatthemind-shittowards
moresustainableproductshastotakeplaceonboth
theproducersandconsumersend.Tedifculty
inthatconsumersdidnotnecessarilypreerentiallychooseproductsthatdemonstratedCSRneedstobe
addressed,buttherewasanagreementromsome
participantsthattheseresponsibleormoreethicalbusi-
nessestendedtodobetterandweremorelikelyto
beconsideredqualityproducts:businessesthattakeo
theirenvironmentareperceivedtobemorelikelyto
alsotakecareotheircustomers.
Terewasmentionotheneedtoensureendusers
participationintheormulationothetools.Tiswill
ensurethebuy-inotargetaudiencesromtheoutset.Insummary,Session3discussionsidentiedtheneed
or(1)increasedcommunicationaboutandorCSRin
tourism,atalllevelsbetweenandamongstthedier-
entstakeholders;(2)aregulatoryrameworktoacilitate
communicationandcommonunderstandingoCSR;
and(3)communicationtovariousstakeholderstomakea
strongercaseoradoptingCSRintourism.
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SESSIon 4 5
rAre
Thissessionothee-conerencecenteredondiscussions
aroundtheollowingquestions:
Whatistheroleomoderntechnologies,likee-busi-nessande-marketingtechniques?Howcantheyhelp
toimprovemarketaccesstosmallbusinessesandre-
ducemarketingcosts?
AdvertisingSpots,Slogans,andRealityHowdowe
promotesustainabletourismwithouttellinglies?
Howcancommunicationhelpincreasetheshareo
localproductsandservicesthatsupplythetourismin-
dustry,enhancinglinkagesbetweenconventionaltour-
ismandthelocaleconomy?
Whataretheexperiencesandlessonslearnedwithcol-
lectivemarketinginitiatives,groupingtogethersmallertouroperatorsandserviceproviders?
Whichcommunicationmethodologiesandtechnolo-
giescansmallbusinessesindevelopingcountriesuseto
learnabouttheirmarkets?
Whatarethebeststrategiestotargettravelpublications
andinuencethemtocoversustainabledestinations?
TOURISM PRODUCTS MUST BEDEMAND-DRIVEN AND RESPOND TO THEExPERIENCES AND NEEDS OF TOURISTS
Teworldislitteredwithtourismproductsthatailedbecausetheydidnottakemarketdemandintoconsider-
ation,didnotreachtheirmarketswithadequateinor-
mation,ordidnotprovideameansortheirmarketsto
reserve/purchasetheirproducts.
odaythereisawiderangeomarketingandpromo-
tiontechniquesavailable,supportedbyrapidlyevolving
communicationtechnology,buttheapplicationothese
techniquesandtechnologiesisstillverylimitedintour-
ism,especiallyindevelopingcountries.ourismunctions
throughacomplexsupplychainthatlinksawiderangeo
servicesromthegeneratingmarketstothenaldestina-
tions.Communicationiskeytoenhancingtheinorma-
tionowalongthissupplychainandensuringthatsus-
tainabletourisminitiativesandproductseventuallyreach
potentialtouriststhatmaybethousandsomilesaway.
Session 4:
thE roLE oF coMMunIcAtIon In LInkInGSuStAInABLE tourISM ProductS to
MArkEtS
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ocollectmarketintelligence,Richarduck(atourism
expertcurrentlyworkinginNicaragua),suggestedthatmi-
cro,smallandmediumenterprises(MSMEs)indeveloping
countriesshouldbeinteracting(simplequestionnairesor
one-on-oneinterviews)withthetouriststhatarealreadyat
thelocale.Questionsshouldbedirectedatndingoutwhat
thetouristsliked/disliked,howtheyarrived,howtheyrst
heardaboutthelocale,whetherornottheywouldrecom-mendthelocaleandwhy/whynot,wheretheywererom,
age,sex,etc.Open-endedmarketing-orientedquestions
suchaswhatelsevisitorswouldhavelikedtoexperience
atthelocaleandwhattheywouldchangeaboutthelocale
shouldalsobeincluded.Tiswillhelptouristenterprises
determinenotonlywhotheirtargetmarketisbutalsohow
tocommunicatetothemandwhattocommunicate.o
learnhowtoexpandintosecondaryandtertiarymarkets
MSMEsshouldthenseekoutacademicinstitutionsand
NGOsthatworkinsustainabletourismand,moreimpor-
tantly,visitthetouristareasnearesttothemandlearnabout
whattourists(outsidetheirtargetmarket)aredemanding.
SimonJones(InternationalInstituteoourismStudies
otheGeorgeWashingtonUniversity)pointedoutthat
itmaybedifcultorlocaloperatorstocarryoutvisitor
surveys,andthattheyneedtoorganizethemselvesinlarg-
ernetworksosimilarbusinessestohavegreateropportu-
nitiestolearnromoneanotherandgatherinormation
abouttheirclients.ChrisSeek(SolimarInternational)
providedanexampleoaUSAIDtourismproject
inRomaniawherealocalDestinationManagementOrganization(DMO)islearninghowtocreatevisitor
surveys,trackwebsitehitsandpageviews,trackinorma-
tionrequestedatinormationcentersand,mostimpor-
tantly,howtoanalyzethisinormationandprovideitto
associationmembersasatangiblemembershipbenet.
Teprojectisalsocreatingaback-endmembersonly
sectionothedestinationportalthatwillbeusedtoshare
thisinormation.Tenexttaskwillbetoeducatemem-
bersonhowtousethismarketresearchtoimprove/adapt
theirproducttomeetthemarketdemand.
Providing
the Unique
Eperience
MetildeWendenbaum
(ECEA)remindedpartici-
pantsthatthemostimportant
thingthatthetouristsdemand
romexoticsmallscalesup-
pliersisauniqueexperience,i.e.,somethingtheydonot
expectyetordemand.Testrengthoasmall-scalesup-
plierliesintheactthattheycanmakeapersonalconnec-
tiontotheguest.Methodstostrengthenthispersonal
connectionare:
creatingexperiencesthattheguestswillneverorget;
keepingarecordotheguestsinordernottoorget
them;
remainingintouchwiththematertheirvisitsbysend-
ingaperiodic(email)card.Word-o-mouthpromotionshouldalsonotbeunder-es-
timated.oeectivelyusethiscommunicationtool,busi-
nessescangiveguestsdiscountcardsthattheycanpassto
theirriends.Inthisway,supplierscanalsoestimatethe
eectivenessowordo-mouthpromotion.
HELPING BUSINESSES UNDERSTAND
THAT DOING GOOD IS GOOD
BUSINESS
Len Cordinermndd patpants that small tavlsv povds wll ollow th mony. Thy know th
valu o a avoabl mnton n Lonly Plant and thy
a lanng about th valu o avoabl onln atngs on
th intnt. By showng thm that dong good s good
busnss, thy wll ollow. Ln also povdd an xampl
o a stauant n Hano whh taks n dsadvantagd
youth and bulds th hosptalty sklls to a pont wh
th studnts an b plad n pmannt wok stua-
tons.. Tavls lov th pla, not baus th ood s so
spal o th ost so low (t s not), but baus thy l
that by atng th thy a dong somthng to suppot
th loal poo. Dong good has bom good busnss
and oth SMes s ths and sta t to ollow.
Learning through
Stud Tours
SamarHammad(cratsectorin
Jordan)suggestedthatMSMEs
andMicrobusinessescouldgain
valuableadviceandtrainingby
leavingtheirlocaldestinationandobservinghowother
destinationsoertourismproductsandservices.
TroughtheinteractionwithotherMSMEsandtourists,
businessownerswillbeabletounderstandhowtoapply
whatworksinotherdestinationstotheirown.Study
tours,however,shouldbeusedwithcaution.Richard
uckprovidedanexampleoNGOsthat,alongwith
governmentsponsorship,broughtsmall-scalecoeepro-
ducers,touroperators,andtourismprovidersrom
NicaraguatoCostaRicaoverthepasttenyears.Some
negativeoutcomesinthisexperienceincluded:
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SESSIon 4
reinorcingacultureoCostaRicaisbetter,isgreener,
is...inthemindsoNicaraguans; errorsthatCostaRicantourismbusinessesmakeona
dailybasisweretranserredtotheMSMEsinNicara-
gua;and
viewsorealityonpricingandpromotionwereskewed.
TepricingandpromotionthatoccursinCostaRica
ortouriststoCostaRicacannotbethesameinNica-
raguabecausetourismandtouriststherearedierent.
ADVERTISING SPOTS, SLOGANS, ANDREALITy: HOw DO wE PROMOTE
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM wITHOUTTELLING LIES?
ourismmarketingotenusesimagesopristinelandscapes
thatpromisetheopportunitytoexperiencetheDream
Vacationwithrespecttothenaturalenvironment.Howcan
atourismmarketingcampaignshowtheuniquedierenceso
thesedestinationsinsteadomakingthemalllookthesame?
Howdotravelerslearnhowtoseepasttheperectimagesto
understandtherealityothedestinationbeingvisited?
RobinGoldberg(LonelyPlanet)remindede-conerence
participantsthattheonlythingthatlovelypicturesandan-
cyslogansdoispiqueinterest.Butcurious,smart,thought-ultravelerswillneverstopatthepicture.Withtheproli-
erationoinormation,notravelerisgoingtobasehis/her
traveldecisionsonaancyadorcampaignslogan.ravelers
aresmartandwanttomakethemostotheirtraveldol-
lars...andorthattheyarewillingtodosomeresearch.At
best,agoodadcampaigncanintriguesomeoneenoughto
digurther.Tekeytomarketingaspecial,uniquetravel
rAre/MATTHeWHUMKe
cHeMONicSiNTerNATiONALiNc
gemistobecertainthatitcanbeoundwhenthetraveler
startstosearchthroughindependenttravelsources.
Tisreinorcestheimportanceoreviews,reerralsand
word-o-mouthstorytellingbythosewhohaverst-hand
experience.Tereisnothinglikeathird-partyendorse-
mentwhichisgivenwithoutanycommercialintereston
thepartotheendorser.Greatexamplesothisincludeeditorialspublishedbyrespectedmedia,placementin
trustedguidebooks,candidreviewsbyellowtravelers
oundinmultipleweborums.ravelersarelookingor
honest,practicalinormationromtrustedsources,and
thatwilldrivetheirtravelchoices.
INCREASING THE SHARE OF LOCALPRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT SUPPLyTHE TOURISM INDUSTRy, ENHANCINGLINKAGES BETwEEN CONVENTIONALTOURISM AND THE LOCAL ECONOMy
Oneothereasonswhytourismissuchanimportantindustryorinternationaldevelopmentistheopportunity
orgrowthinsupportingsectors.Communicationplays
acriticalroleinlinkingthetourismindustrywithsup-
portingsectorsbutrequirescareulacilitation.
RobertaHilbruner(USAID)providedanexampleohow
inNorthernMozambiquetouristdestinationshavetoim-
porttheirreshvegetablesandruitsbecauselocalarmers
donotgrowawidevarietyoproduce.Goodacilitation
betweenhoteliers,restaurants,armersandextension
activitiescanhelparmersunderstandthismarketand
begintoraiseproducetomeetthedemand,increasingthe
localbenetsromtourism.
LenCordiner(CEOoWorldhotel-link.com)described
howinCambodiathetourismindustryreliesonimports
ormostotheiragricultureproductsandcitedquality,
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quantity,delivery(reliability),andconvenience(including
paymentterms)asreasonsorsourcingelsewhere.Tis
problemalsoextendstootherlocalproductsincluding
urnishings.Lenrecommendedtwothingsthatneedto
beaddressedtohelpovercometheseissues:
BuildingCapacityNGOs,developmentagencies,
andlocalgovernmentsmustworkwithlocalsupplierstobuildtheircapacitytoproducetheproductthatis
demandedbytheindustry;and
BuildingDemandhelpingthetourismindustryun-
derstandthatsourcinglocalproductscanhelpbuild
demandortheirbusiness.
oincreasedemandorlocalproducts,RobinGoldberg
stressedtheneedtohelptravelersunderstandhowtheir
dollarcanmakeadierenceandthatonlybyaskingthe
hardquestionswilltravelersshowbusinessesthattheseis-
suesareimportanttothem.
InSierraLeone,where90%oalloodisimporteddueto
theconictsothecivilwar,MeganEplerWood,working
withtheNationalHotelandourismrainingInstitute,
islaunchingaoodenterpriseprogramthatincludesa
oodenterprisetrainingcoursethatwillbemadeavail-
abletolocalarmers.Ratherthentryingtotrainthelocal
armersinhowtoproduceeverythingthehotelsneed,the
projectisocusingononeproductruitsaladthatcan
beeasilypreparedandpackagedordeliverywithmini-
mumcost.Teprojecthasbeenverywellreceivedbylo-
calhotelsandissettoexpandurther.
MikeRobbins(atourismmarketingexpert)remindedpar-
ticipantsaboutresearchthatsuggeststhatthereisavery
largeproportionotheNorthAmericantravelermarket
thatwouldbereceptivetoeducationandawarenessabout
makinglocallygrownorganicoodchoices.Whatevertermoneusestodescribethesetourists,whetheritis
geotourists,ecotouristsorresponsibletourists,they
representagrowingsegmentotheoveralltravelermarket.
Choosinglocallygrownorganicoodinthedestinations
theyvisitcanmakeahugedierencebothenvironmental-
lyandeconomically.Communicationwithvisitorsinthe
destinationtoenableinormedoodchoicesiskey.
Labeling as a
communication
tool
EmanueleSanti
(CommunicationOfcer
withtheWorldBank),citing
anexampleromtheWorld
BankButrint(Albania)
Community-BasedourismProject,stressedtheimpor-
tanceolabelinglocaloodproductstohelptouristsun-
derstandthatbypurchasingsuchproducts,theyarealso
contributingtolocaldevelopmentand,whenthelabelis
linkedtoaprotectedarea,tobroaderconservationgoals.
Agoodlabelcanincreasethevalueotheproducts.
COLLECTIVE MARKETING INITIATIVES(GROUPING TOGETHER SMALLER TOUR
OPERATORS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS)ForMSMEsindevelopingcountries,collectivemarket-
ingisahugeasset.AccordingtoHendrikWintjen(SNV
NetherlandsDevelopmentOrganizationPeru),inthe
pastyears,jointmarketinginitiativeshavebeenmultiply-
ing(e.g.,CostaRica)inordertoacethelackoaction
takenbynationalauthorities.Accordingtohim,the
nationaltourismchambers,hotelassociationsandtour
operatororganizationsormedtwentyorthirtyyearsago
didntreactintimetothegrowtholong-haultourismto
developingcountries.Nowadayspeopletraveltoplaces
thatwerenotonthetourismmapaewdecadesago,obliginganydestinationtoocusonmarketrealitiesin
themostimportantsourcemarkets.
Jointmarketingcampaignsaredenedas:1)aneworga-
nizationtakingoversomeothepromotionalandsales
activitiesoindividualsuppliers;and2)individualsuppli-
ersgroupedunderacommonqualitybrandthatisused
nexttotheindividualbrand.Jointmarketingcampaigns
FeDerPArcHi/S.PeTrOSiLLO
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SESSIon 4 9
mayhavevariouselementsincommon:adestination,type
oproducts4,andleveloquality(includingsustainability).
Tesecollectivemarketingcampaignscangenerateboth
positiveandnegativereactionsromtheparticipants.
Terstreactioncanbedistrusttowardstheothersupplier
partnersinvolved,andintheumbrellaorganization.Tisre-
actionisunderstandablegiventhatsupplierslosesomecon-troloverownershipothenewbrandandoverdistribution
otheprotsthataremadebytheumbrellaorganization.
However,experiencesshowthatanewbrandisnotalways
perceivedasathreatvisvisreplacingindividualbrands.
Onthecontrary,itsometimesstrengthenedeachindivid-
ualbrand/supplier,asitstimulatedacompetitionbetween
thesupplierswhorespondedbesttothequalitycriteriao
thenewbrand.ForexampleinGuadeloupe,sixyearsago,
aqualitybrandrecommendedbytheNationalParkhas
beendesignedorgroupingallsustainableecotourismsup-
plierslocatedinandaroundtheNationalPark.Anothergoodexampleisthejointmarketinglaunched
byveCostaRicanhotelsunderthebrandSmall
DistinctiveHotelstheymarketthevehotelslikeone
entity,presentonlyproductsohighquality,andarecon-
tinuouslyimprovingthesustainabilityotheirproducts.
ChrisSeeksumsupsomepossiblereasonsoraprograms
ailure:
Teprogramisnotowned/managedbylocalstakehold-
erswithanintimateknowledgeotheproducts.oo
otenespeciallyindevelopingcountriesjointmarket-
ingprogramsarecreatedbyoutsidersorsomeonewith
awebsiteinordertomakemoneyintheshortterm.
Teprogramisrunbyanindividualorsmallgroup
olocalstakeholderswhoareworkingonlytourthertheirowninterestsandleadershipposition.
Teindividualsdoingthemarketingarenotromthe
cultureothetargetmarket.
Teprogramcollectsannualmembershipduesrather
thanworkingonacommissionbasis,butailstopro-
videareturnonthisinvestment.
Demonstratingtangibleprogrambenetstothemembers
iskeytoanycollectivemarketingprogram.Benetsin-
cludetheollowing5:
Suppliersspendlessmoneyinmarketingbecausetheysharethetotalcostothemarketingaction.
4 Fo nstan: PrOA, an assoaton o bd and bakasts n Paa do rosa, Santa catana, Bal: http://www.paadoosa-basl.om.b/, ocoopna, an assoaton o communty-Basd tousm and ago-otousm suppls. www.tusmoual.om/
5 Followng that appoah, whn oganng sp maktng atons, th Gn Tavl Makt (www.gntavlmakt.no ), maktngsv pomotng sustanabl tousm poduts to tou opatos, ts to o to outbound tou opatos a omplt ang o podutsloatd n on sp aa and ommttd to tan t a.
UNDERSTANDING THE TOURISM
PRODUCT CyCLE
Michael Murrell mndd patpants about th mpo-
tan o undstandng th podut l yl o tousm. Thss asy o busnsss n all ndusts to los sght o, vn
n wll-dvlopd ounts, and t s otn at th hat o
why busnsss al to b ompttv. it would b outstand-
ng o a ladng oganaton suh as UNWTO to podu
n many languags, a txt that dsbs and llustats th
tousm podut yl, and dtals lvant nomaton
(xampls!) onnng ah pat o that yl. Ths s
mpotant nomaton o vyon, om small gusthous
owns up to th lvl o a natonal tousm authoty. Wth
an undstandng o th podut yl, ots suh as uny-
ng ms and oganatons aound a ommon band would
most lkly b muh mo sussul.
DEVELOPMENT OF A SUSTAINABLE
SUPPLy CHAIN TO HELP SUPPLIERS
PROMOTE THEIR HIGH-RANKING
PRODUCTS
in th amwok o th euopan pojt TOUr LiNK,
th Fdaton o Tou Opatos (FTO UK) has nt-
atd a mandatoy hklst to b usd by th mm-bs whn hkng th suppls on sustanablty. Th
hgh-ankng poduts a pomotd to all mmb tou
opatos. Th FTO ommnd that ts mmbs tak
up mo hgh-ankng hotls n th o. Ths s don
n th amwok o th so-alld sustanabl supply
han managmnt. Th TOUr LiNK pojt dvlops
ths onpt o han managmnt n ollaboaton wth
patns n oth ounts suh as th ANVr (Duth
tou opatos assoaton) and th Blgum tou
opatos assoaton. Th FTO psnts 80% o th
makt n th UK and th ANVr mo than 90% o th
Duth makt!
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Teycanshareinthepromotionsinnovativeideasand
knowledgeabouttheirproducts.
Teycanbemorevisibleasagroupinthee-commerce
world.
Teywillattracttheattentionoalargerpublic.
Teywillpreventoverloadingtouroperatorsandother
distributionchannelswithaplethoraopromotional
messagesaboutproductslocatedinthesameregion.
THE ROLE OF THE INTERNET INSUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROMOTION
Role of tourism
boards
Itappearsthattourismboards
areatpresentveryill-equipped
todealwithsustainabletourism
intheirInternetpromotionac-
tivities.Forexample,nationaltourismportalsshoulddoa
betterjoboupdatingdirectoriesortravelerservices.Te
CatalanourismBoardcouldbeamodel.Teyprovide
regularupdatesaboutsustainableproductsontheirweb-siteandpostemailsaboutsustainabletourismmatters
throughstrategicdistributionlists.
Onee-conerenceparticipantremarkedthatanabsolutecon-
ditionorbetterperormanceotourismboardswasbettered-
ucationostaregardingissuesosustainability.Sustainability
haspenetratedcurriculainuniversitiesandhigherproes-
sionaleducation,butnotatlowereducationallevels.
Role of internet in
enhancing reputation
and building brand
Manyexamplesosel
puriyingmarketingorpromotionwereshown,
especiallyorcommunity-
basedtourism.ravelers
mightnotseeallthebe-
hind-the-scenesactivitiesoabusiness,soitisimportant
tosharepracticeswiththem.However,dishonest,orcli-
Ron Mader(www.planta.om) launhd th da
that Natonal Tousm Boads ould stablsh awads o
th bst wbsts that llustat a ountys sustanabl
tousm pats. Natonal tousm potals ould b
atd not only by what thy hav onln, but also by how
thy patpat n ndpndnt goups (.g., ecOcLUB,
gn-tavl, and Planta) and whth o not thy lnk
to ndpndnt sts, nludng blogs (ntnt logbooks)
and fk galls (onln ptus psntaton). Bonus
ponts ould b awadd o showng vstos wh thy
an stay, at and dnk.
THE DESTINATION MANAGEMENT
SySTEMS MODEL
Dstnaton Managmnt Systms (DMS) onsst o an iT
nastutu usd by a dstnaton oganaton o th
ollton, stoag, manpulaton and dstbuton o no-
maton n all ts oms, and o th tansaton o sva-
tons and oth ommal atvts.Th ollowng a ky to sussul DMS pojts:
A publ/pvat patnshp
Buy-n om all stakholds
Th wb st must b hgh qualty, asly ound on th
ntnt, and abl to buld tust
Suppls must b onntd to th ntnt
Th st must hav th apablty to poss sva-
tons and nanal tansatons.
Dstnaton Managmnt compans (DMc) a loal s-
v oganatons that povd atv tnas and logsts
managmnt basd on an n-dpth knowldg o th dstna-
ton. Th DMc modl s basd on a sustanabl busnss plan
that ovoms nomaton gaps n dvlopng dstnatons.
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SESSIon 4 2
chmarketingmessagesveryquicklybackreastheyare
identiedbyknowledgeabletravelerswhohaveanamaz-
ingabilitytojudgerealcommitmentversusgreen-wash-
ing.WHL(WorldHotelLink),hasgroupedsel-declared
sustainableproductsunderaCaringorthe
Destinationbanner.Its really about connecting the best o
local with the best o global that will win the day6.om
Hall(LonelyPlanet)addedthatReputation within marketcan be as strong a orce as individual or collective certifca-
tion. Sustainable products can rely on Internet marketing
with certifcates on such reputation.
MetildeWendenbaum(ECEAProjects)statedthat
sustainabilitylogosorbannerscanbeaverydistinc-
tivemethodtoaddqualityinInternetmarketing.But
orlargeoperatorslikebig-scalehotels,sel-declaration
orsustainabilitystillneedstobeaccompaniedbyathird
partycertication.Whilesmall-scalesupplierscancom-
municatemuchmoreeectivelyaboutsustainability,andachievetrustamongtheirclients,theydonototenuse
thistoadvantageyet.ECEAProjectsusestheInternet
oronlinedatastorage(www.greentravelmarket.ino)o
sustainableproductsandtouroperatorsthatcanbeused
bypartnersallovertheworldasbasisortheirmarketing
activities.Itcanalsobeaccessedbyoutboundtouropera-
torswhoarelookingornewproducts.Teproductsare
certied(hotels)orrecommended(community-based
tourism,small-scaletourism)byinternationallytrusted
environmentalordevelopmentorganizations.
RonMaderalsomentionedthatcerticationshouldbemuchmoreholisticinitsapproachand,iwearetojudge
individualoperatorsandhotels,weshouldalsoreview
tourismofcials,academics,NGOsandinternationalin-
stitutionsincludingWorldBank,UNEPandUNWO.
Valerejolle(otemourism)suggestedthatmarketing
ingeneralhasbeenrevolutionizedbytheInternet.Instead
osupplierssellingthroughagencies,businessescanoer
theirservicesdirectlytoaninternationalmarket.Without
largemonetaryinvestments,smallbusinessescanperhaps
protromtheInternetthroughbuzzingcampaigns
inwhichemailmessagesbuzzaroundontheirownto
specicInternetcommunitieswiththeinvitationtoadd
news.Ateracertainperiod,contentsarepublishedtoall
recipients.Terearenotyetmanyexamplesobuzzing
campaignsinsustainabletourism.Valereinvitesexperi-
mentationwiththis.Hisotemnews,anemaildistri-
butiontothousandsosustainabletourismstakeholders,
issuchanInternettoolbutisdirectedtopolicymakers.
Participantsaskedthequestion,Canweexpectsmall-
scalesustainablecompaniestobesocreative?Largecom-
paniessuchasNikeareabletopaynumerousyoungeldresearcherstoidentiythenewestandhottesttrends,but
thisseemsoutoreachorsmallscaletourismenterprises.
Alternatively,dowewantakindotourismNikewith
anexplicitstatementocorporatesocialresponsibility?
Awarningagainstthesel-puriyingprincipleoInternet
marketingmustberaisedconcerninglargescalesustain-
ableproducts.Relativetosmall-scalecommunity-based
tourismproducts,largehotelsneedtoinvestmuchmore
toreachacertainlevelosustainability.Atthesametime
however,theyhavetheabilitytopresenttheirrst,small
investmentsassomethingtrustworthyorsustainable(liketheHiltonWeCareprogram).DoInternetcom-
munitiesrepresentstrongenoughconsumerknowledgeto
preventgreen-washing?
FinallyZacharyRozgaandRenSchrer(http://www.or-
talnet.com.br/~shnet/)cautionagainstover-emphasizing
thecurrentpotentialotheInternetasadirectmarketing
toolorcommunity-basedtourismbecauseothelarge
digitalgapthatstillexistsbetweenthedevelopedand
developingworlds.
STRATEGIES TO TARGET TRAVELPUBLICATIONS AND INFLUENCE THEM TOCOVER SUSTAINABLE DESTINATIONS
Tetravelmediaisoneothemostimportantvehicles
intourismmarketing,providingunbiasedreviewsand
authorsrst-handexperiencesoadestination.Oten
drivenbyexperiencedpublicrelationsrmsandlarge
budgets,mostothetravelmediaisocusedonthe
traditionaltourismindustry.Teollowingarepartici-
pantstipsorunknownsustainabletourismdestina-
tionsorbusinessesinhowtocapturetheinteresto
travelpublishers.
1.Promotethedestination,notaspecifcbusinessorde-
velopmentproject.Editorscareonlyaboutwhatreaders
6 Aodng to Bll Hnhbg, th Tavl Wbst Owns ntwok (TWO) (http://www.tavlwbowns.og) s also suh a bottom upappoah to intnt maktng.
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wanttoread.Asinterestingasyourprojectorbusiness
maybe,editorswanttoknowaboutthedestination.
Whywouldareaderwanttovisit?Whatistheappeal?
2.FocusontheexperienceReadthroughanytravel
publicationandyouwillnoticethattheauthorisnot
talkingabouttheactsothetriptheyareocusing
onthevisitorexperience.Whatmakesthedestination
unique?Helptheeditorimaginetheviewatsunsetortastethetraditionalmealwithalocalamily.
3.Usealighthandwiththesustainabilitylanguage.
Eventhoughweallknowhowimportantthisis-dont
ignorethersttwopointsandorgetthateditorswant
toknowaboutthedestinationandtheexperiencerst.
Iatourcompanyishelpinglocalcommunitieswon-
derul!Itsoktoincludethis,butdontwritetheentire
pressreleaseaboutit.Stayocusedontheexperience
andthedestination.
4.Teycantwriteaboutititheydontknowaboutit.
Dontbearaidtosendeditorsinormationandstory
ideas.Ideally,theseshouldbereviewedbyawriter
withatleastsomeexperienceindratingpressreleases,
butiyoudontsendtheinormationhowaretheygo-
ingtoknowaboutit?
5.argetspecialtypublications.Everyonethinkso
thebigtravelpublicationswhentryingtotargetthe
mediabuttherearehundredsootherpublications
thatarealwayssearchingorstoryideas.Inaproject
inPanamaocusingontheCaminodeCrucestrail
alongthePanamaCanal,someoneontheprojectteam
wroteaullarticleabouttheuseomulesbytheSpan-
iardstohaulgoldalongthetrailandhowvisitorscan
walkthetrialandndmuleootings.Teysubmitted
thearticletoamulemagazineanditwaspublishedin
itsentirety.
6.Presstripswork.Whilesomeothelargerpublica-
tionsdonottakereeorreducedcostpresstrips,many
otherwriterswouldjumpattheopportunitytocovera
storyandexperiencethedestination.Butdontinvite
agroupojournalistsromdierentinterestsonone
grouptour.Teyeachwanttoseedierentthingsand
morethanlikelynoonewillgettoseewhatheorshe
specicallywantstocover.
omHallromLonelyPlanetsLondonofceremarked
thatethicallivingisamajorobsessionintheUK,with
travelbeingoneothestandard-bearersorthemove-
ment.NewspapersliketheGuardianandtheimes
haveweeklytravelsupplements,whichhaveeither
regularcolumnsonthissubjectorseeminglyweekly
specialissues.Whetheritscampingorecolodges,it
seemstheBritishpubliccantgetenoughothissub-
ject.Newspaperswantonethingtosellmorepapers.
So,tomakethiswork,thereneedstobedemandrom
readers.Rememberingwhatthepublicwantstoreadisakeytosuccess.Teaudienceshouldbeconsideredat
alltimes.
RobinGoldbergpointedoutthatanypublication
(whethernewspaper,magazineorguidebook)islooking
topointthetravelertogreattravelexperiences.Iabusi-
ness(ideally,asustainablebusiness...buttrulyanybusi-
ness)wantstogetcoverage,thekeyistooersomething
spectacular,letthemediaknowaboutit,andthendeliver
aboveandbeyondexpectations.
MetildeWendenbaumsuggestedthatwhenpublishing
aguideorsmall-scalesuppliers,itmightbeworth-
whiletolinkupwithmainstreampublishinghouses.
MetildeprovidedanexampleromtheEuropean
CentreorEcoAgroourism,whichpublishedthe
GreenHolidayGuideEuropetogetherwiththe
DutchouringClubANWB.
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SESSIon 5 23
UN-WTO/G.Vereczi
Session 5
orIEntInG vISItorS And IntErPrEtInGtourISM dEStInAtIonS
ORIENTATION
O
rientingvisitorstoadestinationisimportantboth
beoretheyarriveandatertheyhavearrivedon-
site.Orientationincludespracticalitiessuchas
directional,localtransportation,saety,event,andbusiness
inormation(orexample,restaurantlocation,hours,menu,
andpricerange).Orientationcanalsoincludebasicback-
groundinormationthatvisitorsshouldbeawareolocal
customs,responsibleenvironmentalbehavior,basichistory
andgeography,andbestwaystolearnmoreabouttheplace.
Asoneparticipantstated,ravelersexpecttondhelpul
directions.Privateandpublicoperationsunderstandthat
repeatvisitationdependsonmakingagoodrstimpression!
Eectivesignagedemonstratesacommitmenttoimproved
communicationamonglocalsandtravelers.Signage(signs,
posters,bulletinboards,highwaymarkers,andrestaurant
menus,brochureracks)educatesandminimizesconusion.
Whethermaintainingnationalparksorestablishinginorma-
tionkiosksorvisitorcenters,thebestacilitiesareproactive,
keepingtravelinormationup-to-dateandacquiringmateri-
alsromlocalbusinesses.
INTERPRETATION
Everypotentialtourismdestinationhasitsownstoryand
character.Capturing,interpreting,andpresentingthat
storyaretheessenceosustainableplace-basedtour-ism.Itisthisavorthatdenesalocation.Fromproduct
brandingtovisitoropportunities,resourcesandservices,
thisisthegelthatbindstheexperiencetogether.As
such,itselementsandmanymaniestationshaverealeco-
nomicvalue.Tissameinterpretiveeortcanalsoserve
localcommunitiesasaneducationaltool,reinorcing
heritageandsocialnorms.Interpretationisthereorenot
solelyatooltobrandaspecicdestination.Itisalsoan
activitythatcreatestheimagethataspecicterritoryand
communitywilldisseminateamongvisitorsandthatwill
contributetocommunityeducation,prideandsenseo
place.Teimportanceoinvolvinglocalcommunitiesin
buildingtheirimageandinsharingtheirculturewithvisi-
torswasstressedbymanyparticipantsinthee-conerence.
Teimportanceopresentingorcommunicatinglocalcul-
turestovisitorsisavitalaspectotheirexperience.Cultural
exchangesbetweendierentpeoplecansigniyanenrich-ingexperienceorvisitorswhocometobetterunderstand
thehistory,culture,lieways,andnaturalandculturalheri-
tageosites,regions,orcountriesnewtothem.Unlessthe
visitorsareextremelywellinormed,theymaynotbeaware
oalltheopportunitiesavailableorculturalinteractionor
oalltheinterestingaspectsothelocalculture.Visitors
mayalsonotbeawareoculturalnorms.
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coMMunIcAtIon And SuStAInABLE tourISM: ProcEEdInGS oF A GLoBAL E-conFErEncE24
Itisimportantthatlocalpeopleorlocalcommunitylead-
ersensurethatadequateeortsaremadetoinormas
manyvisitorsaspossibleaboutlocalcustomsandcultural
values.Sharingknowledgeolocalheritageandcustoms
enrichesvisitorsexperience,andencouragesrightbe-
havior.Teauthenticityothisinormationcreated
bythecommunityorcommunitybenetisnotloston
visitorsanddeepenstheirexperience.
HeritageDesign/USDAForestServiceprovidedtheol-
lowinginterestingexamples.
OntheMicronesianislandoKosrae,asignkioskineach
villageincludescommunityinterpretationoitsown
chiedomormunicipality,includingclanheritage,cus-
tomsandestivals.Tissignisplacedalongsideamap-
basedislandorientationandvisitoropportunitiespanel,
withanotherinterpretingislandecologyandhistory.
InJamaica'sCockpitCountry,buskiosksinmountain
villagescontainsignsbeingdevelopedbythosecom-munities,showcasingwhotheyareandtheirheritage.
AccompanyingsignageaddressesCockpitCountrybio-
logicaldiversityandwhyitisimportanttoprotectit.
VillagesalongtheIditarodrailinAlaskaarepreparing
communityheritagemediabasedoninterviewswith
eldersbyschoolchildren.Inadditiontopreservinglo-
calheritage,thiswillalsobeusedorbrandingeorts
andvisitormaterialsoreachcommunityalongthe
historictransportationroute.
Teroleolocaltouroperatorswasemphasized.JamesDionstatedthatmanyprivatesectortourcompaniesdo
anexcellentjobinprovidinginterpretationandincreat-
ingapositivevisitorexperienceortheirclients.On-site
interpretationatcultural,heritageandnaturalsitesiso-
tenpoorornon-existent.Tisisotenbecausetheagency
ororganizationresponsibleorthestewardshipothe
sitedoesnotconsiderprovidinginterpretationservicesto
visitorstobeaprimaryresponsibility.Sitemanagers,in
act,toootenviewtheirprimaryroleasbeingcustodians
ratherthanserviceproviders.Interpretationthereore
becomesthepreserveoinboundandoutboundtourop-
erators.Forexample,areeandindependenttravelerinPeruvisitingMachuPicchuandLakeiticaca,willnd
virtuallynothingonsiteinterpretationateitherothese
places.However,takingatourwithsomelocallyowned
agenciesbasedoutoCuzcowillenhancevisitsthrough
excellentinterpretationandservicereceived.Tis,atthe
sametime,meanssupportingalocallyownedbusiness
andhelpingtoemploylocalpeople.Tisisawin-win
situationoreveryone.AsSherylFernandostated,agood
touristguideisextremelyimportantinlettingvisitors
eelandexperiencetheplacetheyarevisiting.
Interpretationaims to create in visitors meaning, so
that they can put a place into personal perspective and
identiy with it in a way that is more proound and enduring
than random act-learning can alone produce. Interpretation
is meaning- making(Sam Ham, Manng Makng Th
Pms and Poms o intptaton)
Interpretation s an educational activity which aims to
reveal meanings and relationships through the use o originalobjects, by frsthand experience, or by illustrative media,
rather than simply to communicate actual inormation
(Tldn, intptng Ou Htag)
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SuMMAry 25
Thee-orumandspeakerseriesclearlyestablishedthat
communicationplaysanimportantroleinsustain-
abletourismdevelopment.Participantsromaround
theglobeprovidednumerousexamplesandcasestudies,
sharingexperiencesandlessonslearnedromutilizingcom -
municationmethodologiestoaddressthechallengeso
policydevelopment,communityinvolvement,corporateso-cialresponsibility,linkagestomarkets,andvisitororientation
andinterpretationintourismdevelopmentthatrespectsand
protectsnaturalandculturalheritage.
Discussionsemphasizedthemultipleapproachesthat
communicationcanbringtosuccessulandsustainable
tourismdevelopment.Itcan:
involvestakeholders(includinglocalcommunities)in
decision-making;
acilitatenetworkingandsharingoinormationand
knowledge; catalyzecollaborativeaction;
encourageprivatesectorinvestments;
advocateornecessarypolicychange;
buildskillsandcapacity;
controlexpectations;
supportadoptionostandards;
developdemandorsustainableproducts;
linktourismproductstomarkets;
explainculturalnormstovisitors;
enhancevisitorexperiences;and
scale-upimpacts.
oootenactivitiesinitiatedatthelocallevelhaveailed
becauseconsensushasnotbeendevelopedwithregards
topolicygoalsorproductandprojectmethodology.Te
inclusionocareullythoughtoutmarketingstrategies
hasotenmadethedierencebetweensuccessandailure,
andbetweentopandminordestinations.Teneedor
thoughtullydesignedandcareullyimplementedcom-
municationactivitieshasalsobeenstressedinmanaging
expectationsandosteringpositiverelationsbetweenstate
authoritiesandlocalcommunities.
Moderators,presentersandparticipantsinthee-con-erenceandsubsequentseminarseriesagreedthata
well-designedcommunicationstrategyis essentialto
thesuccessoverallotourismdevelopmentprograms
andactivitiesatbothlocalandnationallevels,and
shouldbeincorporatedintoprojectsromtheoutset.
hestrategyshouldidentiyhowinormationsharing,
awareness-building,advocacy,networking,andcon-
lictmitigationwillbewoventhroughoutalltourism
developmentactivities,andshouldullyintegratethe
artandscienceocommunicationwiththeotherproj-
ecttechnicalskillsneededorplanning,implement-ingandevaluatingprojectactivitiesinthesustainable
tourismsector.
Wehopethatthisworkwillserveasbothinspiration
andguideorcommunicatorsandsustainabletourism
developmentpractitioners,andcanprovideajumping-o
pointtostimulateurtherdiscussionsandcollaboration
betweenthetwodisciplines.
A FInAL SuMMInG uP
cHeM
ONicSiNTerNATiONALiNc/c.PiNz
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PrIMAry rEFErEncES 2
wEBSITES:
UNWOwebsite
http://www.world-tourism.org/
UNWOSDwebsite
http://www.unwto.org/rameset/rame_sustainable.html
UNWOInternationalYearoEcotourismwebsite
http://www.world-tourism.org/sustainable/IYE-Main-
Menu.htm
FIRSWORLDCONFERENCEONOURISM
COMMUNICAIONS
29-30January2004-Madrid,Spain
http://www.world-tourism.org/newsroom/conerences/
rsttourcom.htm
REGIONALCONFERENCEFORASIAANDHE
PACIFICBICC-OURCOM
20-21May2005-NusaDua,BaliIndonesia
http://www.world-tourism.org/newsroom/conerences/
Bali.htm
USAIDSustainableourism
www.nric.net/tourism.htm
WorldBankDevelopmentCommunicationDivision
www.worldbank.org/developmentcommunications
COMPILATIONS OF GOOD PRACTICES
onourismandPovertyAlleviation
http://www.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/
publication9284409209_home.htm
inEcotourismSMEs
http://www.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/publication9284406218_home.htm
...inEcotourism
http://www.wtoelibrary.org/rpsv/journal/
publication9284404789_home.htm
inSustainableourism
http://www.wt