It seems like 2020 has outdone itself in terms of disasters. Fire, flood, locust and plague have all hit hard across many parts of the world. Tourism, and especially eco-tourism, have seen massive negative impacts as a result. Many operators are seemingly at their wits’ end trying to cope. A strategy is essential. By Jeremy Torr.

Tasmania, 9 September 2020. Australia’s east coast was ravaged in the early months of 2020 by the largest wildfires ever recorded. Not long after, residents of Wuhan in China began to die from what would become the most deadly pandemic in generations. More recently in north Africa, locust swarms have been eating thousands of tonnes of valuable food a day, as hurricanes and yet more wildfires have created havoc in the United States. Things are not looking rosy.

But the system we all work in – offering specialist tourism goods and services in something we believe in – has meant the dramatic dislocation of travel, tourism and discretionary spending has also seen earnings drop off a cliff. Steps need to be taken to make sure operations can continue, even in a very different way.

As the Australian Psychological Society (APS) notes, following the bushfires which destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses from southern NSW right up to northern Queensland, “many people’s way of thinking about the world … may have shifted towards a very negative focus.” It warns that it is easy to see the world as dangerous and unpredictable, with allied perspectives that reinforce doubts that “things will never be right again”. So having a toolbox of approaches and attitudes that will carry the organisation and its operators’ and associated wildlife’s health forward is essential.

According to Arash Rashidian, a strategic risk consultant at Lighthouse Advisory, one of the key aspects is not to lose touch with your customer base even if they are not actively using your services. He warns that many small and medium sized operations might well have no pre-planned disaster recovery options on hand, but just throwing up your hands and cursing the sky is not a good option.

“In the depths of the (contraction), begin to plan … options for recovery,” he advises. “Target financial resourcing, hiring and client priorities, re-contract with relationships. And formulate short- and medium-term priorities for the business.”

Ecotourism consultant Tony Charters suggests that some operators could likewise use the downtime to “expand domestic markets, expand the portfolio of other target markets, and look at those most likely to still want to travel locally,” as options during a lockdown scenario.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) goes further. It advises considering a range of optimistic, expected and pessimistic scenarios. These will be based on differing assessments of time elapsed before regaining some form of ‘normality’; the readiness and health of the workforce, and any other commercial agreements which impact operations. This alternative option approach keeps the operation breathing, but also opens up the potential for potential new opportunities.

Ecotourism operator Innes Larkin of Queensland’s Mt Barney Lodge underscores this approach by explaining that although, until recently, they were despairing about the business-crippling cycle of drought/fire/flood that was then topped by the pandemic, Mt Barney Lodge is now busier than it has ever been. Thanks to an ability to react quickly, and seize a new opportunity.

“We are just 90 minutes south of a city of two million people (Brisbane) who now don’t want to go to the usual tourist hotspots because they think they are dangerous, and who now want to reconnect with nature as well,” he says. “We were on our knees, but now we have more people than ever coming here, looking for nature and space.”

Larkin says that many of his eco-tours now include a component explaining the causes and effect of the recent wildfires, and how they bring change in the variety of landscapes in his region. “We do get people who don’t make the link between fires and climate change – but they go away with more knowledge, for sure,” he says. “And that can only be a good thing.”

If things look very bleak, says the WHO, operators should plan for ‘care and maintenance’ or ‘survival mode’ to preserve precious working capital. But they note it is vital to carry out any winding-down in a compassionate, transparent and orderly way with the people involved. “You will need (those people) when you are ready to recover,” it warns sagely.

It also makes sense to look at alternative options. Could it be that the initially-considered catastrophe could bring a new opportunity – think glacier-shrinking tours, or volunteer-based events looking to replant bush or re-introduce endangered species. Or as Mt Barney Lodge’s Larkin notes, walks that really explain about bushfires in a way that helps people understand its power, and its benefits as well as dangers.

“Post COVID, people seem to be looking to get out of the city, to understand nature and space,” he explains. This, he says, offers a significant opportunity for ecotourism operations worldwide to offer a new appreciation of our ecosystem – “to people who maybe didn’t even realise they needed more nature,” he adds.

“We get lots of people who say that before they came to Mt Barney Lodge, they didn’t really understand the natural world. But even if when they leave and go back to living just the same as they did before, that knowledge alone will send out ripples.”

Get more insights from Innes Larkin, a speaker at the 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.