Best Practices in Ecotourism PDF

1 1. Loss of natural resources/sites Loss of scenic beauty X 2. 3. Destruction of sites 4. Reduce biological diversity 5. Destroy habitat for wildlife 6. Pollute rivers and coasts 7. Decline in environmental quality Negative...

1 1. Loss of natural resources/sites Loss of scenic beauty X 2. 3. Destruction of sites 4. Reduce biological diversity 5. Destroy habitat for wildlife 6. Pollute rivers and coasts 7. Decline in environmental quality Negative impact on economic and social……. 1. Economic leakage 2. Increase in inflation rate 3. Increase in prices of goods and services  Increase in crime  Increase social problems (e.g. drugs abuse, alcohol problems)  Increase tension relationship between tourists and locals Needs of the tourist Environmental & Cultural sustainability Acceptable price for Quality of value experience offered Accessibility Safety- Health 7 8 What is Quality?  considered a critical factor in the success of destination in tourism business (including ecotourism)  many agencies have identified quality and its improvement as a key strategic objective. 9  Quality in tourism? Quality in tourism is….. the results of a process that implies to the satisfaction of all product and service needs, requirements and expectations of the consumers, at an acceptable price, and conformity with the underlying quality determinants such as security, hygiene, accessibility, transparency, authenticity and harmony of the tourism activity concerned with its human and natural environment 10 Quality Control  Not only limited to satisfying the ecotourist market but also to conduct business in an environmentally & social-culturally sustainable way that goes beyond what is required by government regulation.  A means through which ecotourism can attain legitimacy with ‘green’ consumer market, environmental NGOs, local communities, government & other stakeholder groups. 11  Quality Assurance? Is a planned and systematic activities implemented in a quality system (organizational structure, responsibilities, processes, procedures and resources for so that implementing quality management) quality requirements for a product or service will be fulfilled. “Main focus on providing confidence that quality requirements are fulfilled.” 12 1. Licences & Permits 2. Insurance Details 3. Customer Service 4. Business Operating Systems: 5. Human Resource Management 6. Risk Management 7. Economic Sustainability and Financial Systems 8. Environmental Management 9. Code of Practice 13 14 A voluntary procedure that assesses, audits and gives assurance that a business, facility, product, process, service or management system meets specific standards & awards a marketable logo to those that meet or exceed baseline standards. 15 16  Indirectly reduce the environmental impacts of tourism OR  Ensure that tourism benefits the environment by creating awareness in travelers with a view to influence their behavior and specifically their selection of tourism products & services 17 1. Market driven mechanism to influence demand, 2. Place ‘responsibility’ for improving environmental management on individual customers 3. Being a potential source of competitive advantage to business and destination 18 19 1. First, second & third party certification 2. Process – versus performance-based system 3. Multiple levels versus pass-fail 20 1. First-party certification is self evaluation  No outside verification of claim 2. Second-party certification is when a purchaser or industry body assures that the product meets the purchaser’s standard 3. Third-party certification is when a neutral, independent third party evaluates the compliance of the product with clearly defined standard  Assess by a another party 21 1. Process-based Certify businesses that have established & documented system for ensuring the improvement of quality or environmental performance  Do not have any specific performance results  If the business complies with the law and has mechanisms in place to ensure that its management system improves relative to itself, it can be certified. 22 2. Performance-based system Certify whether or not a business or activity complies with objective outside criteria,  e.g., how many liters of water per guest per night does a hotel consume?  Allow direct comparison between 2 companies which one has a better environmental performance 23  Often considered as a “graded” certification scheme Certification of compliance or not E.g., Five-star system of rating hotel quality  Acknowledges a range of differences with an acceptable sustainability framework  Strongly motivates companies to work to improve ratings in subsequent audits 24  Ecotourism certification covers businesses, services & products that describe themselves as involved in ecotourism. focus on individual or site-specific businesses standards that are tailored to local conditions largely or totally performance-based 25 Aims: To encourage businesses benchmark their product against nominated industry standards, To provide a high standard of interpretation To encourage provision of high quality ecotourism experience To strive for best practice environmental management 26  Mass Tourism Certification Focus on environmentally friendly & cost-saving processes  Sustainable Tourism Certification Measures sustainability according to environmental, socio-cultural & economic criteria Broad, holistic to cover many types of sector & market segments of tourism  Ecotourism Certification – covers business involved in ecotourism Sets higher standards with emphasis on ecological sustainability 27 28 1. Benefits for certified businesses a) Helps businesses improved: going through certification process is educational b) Reduce operating costs c) Allow easier access to technical assistance & financing to implement new technology d) Provide marketing advantage, as consumers learn to recognize credible certification brands 29 2. Benefits for consumers Provide tourists with environmentally & socially responsible choices, Increase public awareness of responsible business practices Alert tourists to environmental & social uses in an area, allowing users to act more respectful Often provide better quality services 30 3. Benefits for government  Help government protect ecotourism destinations, especially when the credibility of the destination is threatened by green- washing,  Raises industry standards in health, environmental & safety & social stability,  Lower the regulatory costs of environmental protection,  Requiring economic benefits to communities, certification can help to reduce poverty. 31 4. Benefits for environment & local communities Requires businesses to protect the environment or do little or no damage, Requires businesses to respect local culture & provide real economic & social benefits, Offer quality of service to ensure that it is likely to continue offering benefits for the long-term. 32  Accommodation Types of nature tourism & ecotourism Attractions products Tours 33  Award given to business or activity with significantly better performance compared to other businesses in the sector as industry adopt good practices changes, the requirements for receiving the ecolabel are raised, only obviously better performance is rewarded 34  Accreditation is certifying the certifier Accreditation applies to the process of quantifying, endorsing and licensing entities that perform certification 35  Certificationdetermines compliance with a set of “minimum standards”.  Eco-labelling is a process by which an award is “given to a business activity” based on a comparison with the “best performance” in the sector.  Accreditation is certifying the certifier 36