Ecolodge, Northeren India. Courtesy Booking.Com.
Ecotourism operators 2020 are facing a double pinch – they need to please environmentally aware customers, yet they have to make sure their businesses are still capable of running effectively. This dilemma is especially stark for Asian Pacific operators who have extra challenges from both existing and potential climate change issues. By Jeremy Torr
Vanuatu, October 2020. According to research from increasing numbers of sources, consumers of tourism experiences are moving towards a world where they expect brands to give more, be more supportive, and offer a valid yet aware experience to customers – as well as helping combat climate change. These are big asks, but customers are increasingly demanding to know these things before they pay their deposits. According to Liz Pechan, manager and owner of The Havannah resort in the South Pacific Ocean island nation of Vanuatu, one of their biggest challenges is not catering, or infrastructure, or accesssibility, or staffing. It is nature.
“Start locally and hopefully (awareness) catches on and grows.” - Liz Pechan. Courtesy The Havannah.
“Vanuatu is deemed the most at risk country in the world for natural disasters; we have lived through some already,” she says. The disasters she is talking about are rising sea levels, cyclones, reef mortality and recovering from the effects of all these. “Some of the biggest challenges we face are dealing with annual natural disasters such as Cyclones and (effects of) La Nina or El Nina. We have seen that (these issues) are strengthening too, so their impacts are larger.”
Faced with challenges such as these, and the well-publicised by-products of air travel that have come to be considered an essential part of almost any tourism activity, ecotourism operators certainly have their work cut out to help keep climate change influencing factors as small as possible.
“Tourists are increasingly seeking ways to minimise their environmental impact and choosing destinations that are responsibly managed,” says Amsterdam-based CBI, an organisation pushing for sustainable and inclusive development in developing countries. “Tourists also like to see that their trips can generate measurable benefits to local communities by bringing … growth to the area and helping to conserve biodiversity, preserve wildlife and habitats.”
CBI says that increasingly, tour operators are adopting recognisable codes of conduct that cover health and safety, business ethics and more. “They want to make sure that their suppliers work to minimise tourism’s effects on the environment, that they work with local people and locally owned businesses, and that they have policies in place to address various issues,” it says in a recent report.
Although this is laudable, many operators still face another hurdle – getting that message out, according to a recent Booking.Com survey of Asian travellers. It found that while 96% Indian travellers said sustainable travel was important to them and more than 75% said sustainable choice was an important issue when booking, just under 40% had problems finding out about sustainable tourism options.
Education and awareness are key. Courtesy Education International.
This underscores what researchers reported following one investigation into ecotourism and its effects. Although ecotourism has been cited as the answer to general awareness of nature, sustaining local communities, and introducing valid learning experiences, it noted that a key element – education – was often missing.
“We need to walk the walk and lead by example,” says The Havannah’s Pechan. “We can each do our part individually towards a sustainable future, every small practice or change helps.” Pechan adds that the priorities for any ecotourism operator should be to actively research climate change, and to prepare and invest in systems that are current solutions to climate change. Not just add solar panels to a handy roof.
Indeed, this is just one aspect of a holistic approach, warns the One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn). UN CC:Learn notes that although air travel is noted as the big tourism climate change bogey, tourist accommodation also has adverse effects on the environment. It asserts that some 20% of tourism-linked emissions are directly linked to accommodation, with air-con, bars, restaurants, pools and so on as significant contributors. As climate change effects continue increase, the industry is being forced to face these issues. “Rising sea levels threaten beach-side resorts, heat waves cause a downturn in tourism to warmer regions, and volatile storms and increasing rates of natural disasters can repel tourists from certain regions,” notes the WTO.
“We are having to introduce infrastructure build to withstand cyclones,” notes Pechan. “We learnt a lot from Cyclone Pam, for example changing our plans in terms of reducing the impact.” She says that the resort is having to adapt to prepare for more natural disasters, but notes that this is not just an added responsibility; it brings benefits too.
“Travellers are more thoughtful and appreciate staying where (they can see) operators care about our future world and sustainability,” she says. “(The results are that) both are leaving a smaller footprint on the earth.”
Resorts can help participate in activities like reef replanting. Courtesy Global Coral Reef Alliance.
As Pechan’s experience illustrates, offering solid evidence of climate change awareness is important - but the key element is education. As researchers Mondino and Beery note in their research on the topic, “negative perceptions still play an inhibiting role (in ecotourism).”
They assert that the main factor is a lack of widespread environmental education, and in the language and methods used in the educational system. They suggest that this is an area that operators can involve themselves in, as a complement to government-level efforts. Indeed, they suggest that a change of course at governmental levels might support ecotourism as a learning tool and a catalyst for sustainable development.
“In my opinion and experience it starts at the local level but all levels are required for all approaches to be successful,” agrees Pechan. “Start locally and hopefully (awareness) catches on and grows.”
Get more ecotourism insights from Liz Pechan, a speaker at the 2019 Global Ecotourism Asia Pacific Conference. The premier event of Ecotourism Australia will be held from 1 to 3 December 2020 in Margaret River, Western Australia. Live streaming options are available too; register today.