Over the last couple of weeks, I have been learning how South African tourism's response to the poaching crisis affecting rhinoceros and other wild animals has lessons for anyone working in tourism - whatever issues they face. I arrived here straight after WTM, with two initiatives that won at this year's Responsible Tourism Awards very much on my mind for their relevance to tourism and wildlife poaching. Nam Nern Safaris (based in Laos) won the prize for best for wildlife protection for its … [Read more...]
SPOTLIGHT: reviewing events around the World marking World Responsible Tourism Day 2013
Each month in Spotlight we profile an inspirational individual or travel company working in responsible tourism. The stories we have covered in the last few months have been extremely diverse - from Finland's first carbon neutral ski resort to visits to the organic farms of Cuba and tours to discover the legacy of Gandhi led by his grandson. However they all share a common belief in the power and potential of tourism to not just mitigate its negative impacts, but also to do something positive, … [Read more...]
Tourism marketing: innovative communication means getting the guests you want
Every hotel or lodge is going use its tourism marketing to tell you all the reasons you will like them. Luxury Spa. Tick. Infinity pool. Tick. Restaurant serving local cuisine. Tick. Very few will tell you the reasons you won't enjoy a visit. It goes against the grain. Why on earth would you want to put anyone off coming? If all you are interested in is volume, then maybe you don't care who your guests are, so long as they pay. But shouldn't a responsible hotelier care not just about how many … [Read more...]
Nobody does it better: How to get responsible tourism communications right
I got involved in a discussion on Twitter last week about what the best words for responsible tourism communications, and whether there we need a new one. All the usual suspects used when were bandied about – ethical, green, eco etc – and all the usual arguments we're put up against each one, which can basically be reduced to two problems: Problem 1 – They are co-opted. Take eco- for example. There's no criteria that you have to achieve to call yourself an ecolodge. So anyone can do so. Got an … [Read more...]
Tripadvisor’s Greenleader certification: innovative leadership… or more of the same Greenwash?
I was pretty excited to hear that Tripadvisor was launching a 'GreenLeaders' certification scheme, announced, like so many green corporate initiatives in the US, to coincide with Earth Day on April 22. With many millions of users worldwide, Tripadvisor has clout, and if it is embedding ethics into its listings, there is real potential to bring these issues to a wider travelling public. The second question in its questionnaire begins; “Do you have a towel reuse plan in place...?” It's 2013. … [Read more...]
WTTC 2013 awards reward Responsible tourism and sustainable development efforts
The four winners announced this month for the World Tourism for Tomorrow awards are a reminder of the breadth of sustainable development issues such tourism operators address, and in many cases of the timeliness of their actions. In the Philippines, Il Nido was recognised for more than two decades of work in sustainable development and tourism, and for being ahead of the curve by focussing not just on the much vaunted triple bottom line approach, but rather the Quadruple, namely Financial … [Read more...]