Tourism’s greatest challenge
Tourism’s greatest challenge
How tourism must prove it can benefit the poor in tsunami affected regions
The tsunami represents an historic challenge for the tourism industry, both here and in the affected destinations. The Indian Ocean will become a testing ground for the industry to prove it can fulfil not only the dreams of tourists, but also provide real benefits for the local people whose environments we visit.
Tourism will be judged on more than how much money it donates to emergency funds. The real question is whether the industry and tourists will be able to look into the eyes of the poorest local people, those who we’ve watched suffering on our TV screens, having found new ways for them to share in the benefits of tourism in their homes.
Many of the luxurious lodges are partly or wholly owned by overseas investors rather than local people. They are insured and will be quickly rebuilt. Millions will be spent re-marketing them in the coming months, while uninsured local tourism enterprises will struggle to re-establish themselves and gain access to tourists.
Many of these luxury lodges offer all inclusive packages designed to keep you (and your money) cocooned in a tourism enclave. While tourism is a major employer, the very poorest local people will be kept out of sight, out of mind, and out of pocket. Child prostitution, a consequence of poverty involving 1m children according to the UN, is rampant in S.E Asia but appears largely unchecked and unmentioned by local authorities.
Thailand’s natural mangrove swamps and coral reefs - that served as natural barriers against tides (but wouldn’t have stopped the tsunami altogether) – have been devastated, often as a result of unregulated tourism development over the past 30 years.
Are we intending to spend billions simply re-building a tourism industry described in an Asian proverb as ‘like fire, you can cook your dinner on it, or it can burn your house down?’ No, we must design something better than before.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has said that Phuket will be rebuilt with sustainable development in mind. Phuket’s best-known beach, Patong, will be the first, and will become a model for future development in Thai coastal tourism.
On January 4, 2005 Mrs Juthamas Siriwan, Governor of TAT said, “The model city that we have planned for Patong will be beautiful. There will be a bicycle lane, good public transportation, sufficient parking areas and all other necessary tourist amenities.”
Few of us would disagree with that, but many would say that responsible tourism starts with finding creative ways for the established tourism industry to work with local craft sellers; fruit vendors; tourist guides; fishermen; farmers; masseuses; cooks and other micro enterprises to offer tourists more authentic holidays that financially benefit the poorest in local communities.
Better tourism is what we need, rather than necessarily more tourism in some tourist hotspots. The number of international visitor arrivals – the traditional measure of success used by tourist boards – must be replaced by measures of how much money reaches local people’s hands, and balanced against the impacts of tourism and tourists on destination’s natural and cultural heritage.
The movie of Alex Garland’s book ‘The Beach’ was filmed near Phi Phi in Thailand. It tells the story of backpacker’s never-ending quest for new ‘undiscovered paradises’, and of how yesterday’s unspoilt resorts were overrun, and then left behind as new places are ’discovered.’
Sustainable tourism is needed not only to sustain destinations, but also tourist’s interest in them and this raises the question of how many tourists are too many?
While clearly every resort is different, as are different types of tourist, small Islands in the Mediterranean have begun to manage down tourist numbers, a concept not unfamiliar to some National Trust properties in the UK seeking to minimise the negative impacts of tourism.
While the mainstream tourism industry has generally doubted that tourists care about destinations or local people, our research has shown that they underestimate their clients who are increasingly looking to meet local people on equitable terms rather just than just sitting in the resort all day.
Many smaller scale and forward thinking businesses, whose holidays we market via responsibletravel.com, are passionate about local development and conservation and are benefiting from the emergence of the ‘light green’ traveler.
The ‘light green’ traveller understands that they will get a warmer welcome from fairly rewarded local people; that guides from local communities provide unmatched insights into local cultures; that spending part of their holiday in locally owned accommodation or using local transport provides ways to meet and learn about people and culture; and that fresh food produced by local suppliers to local recipes tastes best. In this way more enjoyable, and more responsible, holidays go hand in hand.
Strangely the concept of industry being held accountable for its impacts on environments and local people is much newer to the tourism industry (which depends on local environments and people as its flesh and blood) than, for example it is to the oil or mining industries.
Tourism is a largely unregulated industry, which unlike the oil or mining industries is not required to conduct social and environmental audits before its begins operations, or to commit to leaving improved environments and community development initiatives when they leave.
Because the tourism industry is so fragmented it is easy for individual businesses to feel that they can make little difference on their own. This is why the role of governments – local, national and international – is so important in bringing together the many different parties involved.
The UK Government, together with the UK industry and NGO’s created The Travel Foundation – a charity committed to improving the sustainability of tourism - which is supported by a small levy on tourists voluntarily administered by a few UK companies such as First Choice and Sunvil.
On Monday 17th January it will meet with Bill Rammell at The Foreign Office to discuss its role in the long term re-building of tourism in tsunami areas. Its hope is that many more UK tourism companies will support it, and sustainable tourism in South East Asia, and beyond. Ask your tour operator if they have signed up, and choose to travel responsibly to The Indian Ocean in 2005.
How tourism must prove it can benefit the poor in tsunami affected regions
The tsunami represents an historic challenge for the tourism industry, both here and in the affected destinations. The Indian Ocean will become a testing ground for the industry to prove it can fulfil not only the dreams of tourists, but also provide real benefits for the local people whose environments we visit.
Tourism will be judged on more than how much money it donates to emergency funds. The real question is whether the industry and tourists will be able to look into the eyes of the poorest local people, those who we’ve watched suffering on our TV screens, having found new ways for them to share in the benefits of tourism in their homes.
Many of the luxurious lodges are partly or wholly owned by overseas investors rather than local people. They are insured and will be quickly rebuilt. Millions will be spent re-marketing them in the coming months, while uninsured local tourism enterprises will struggle to re-establish themselves and gain access to tourists.
Many of these luxury lodges offer all inclusive packages designed to keep you (and your money) cocooned in a tourism enclave. While tourism is a major employer, the very poorest local people will be kept out of sight, out of mind, and out of pocket. Child prostitution, a consequence of poverty involving 1m children according to the UN, is rampant in S.E Asia but appears largely unchecked and unmentioned by local authorities.
Thailand’s natural mangrove swamps and coral reefs - that served as natural barriers against tides (but wouldn’t have stopped the tsunami altogether) – have been devastated, often as a result of unregulated tourism development over the past 30 years.
Are we intending to spend billions simply re-building a tourism industry described in an Asian proverb as ‘like fire, you can cook your dinner on it, or it can burn your house down?’ No, we must design something better than before.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has said that Phuket will be rebuilt with sustainable development in mind. Phuket’s best-known beach, Patong, will be the first, and will become a model for future development in Thai coastal tourism.
On January 4, 2005 Mrs Juthamas Siriwan, Governor of TAT said, “The model city that we have planned for Patong will be beautiful. There will be a bicycle lane, good public transportation, sufficient parking areas and all other necessary tourist amenities.”
Few of us would disagree with that, but many would say that responsible tourism starts with finding creative ways for the established tourism industry to work with local craft sellers; fruit vendors; tourist guides; fishermen; farmers; masseuses; cooks and other micro enterprises to offer tourists more authentic holidays that financially benefit the poorest in local communities.
Better tourism is what we need, rather than necessarily more tourism in some tourist hotspots. The number of international visitor arrivals – the traditional measure of success used by tourist boards – must be replaced by measures of how much money reaches local people’s hands, and balanced against the impacts of tourism and tourists on destination’s natural and cultural heritage.
The movie of Alex Garland’s book ‘The Beach’ was filmed near Phi Phi in Thailand. It tells the story of backpacker’s never-ending quest for new ‘undiscovered paradises’, and of how yesterday’s unspoilt resorts were overrun, and then left behind as new places are ’discovered.’
Sustainable tourism is needed not only to sustain destinations, but also tourist’s interest in them and this raises the question of how many tourists are too many?
While clearly every resort is different, as are different types of tourist, small Islands in the Mediterranean have begun to manage down tourist numbers, a concept not unfamiliar to some National Trust properties in the UK seeking to minimise the negative impacts of tourism.
While the mainstream tourism industry has generally doubted that tourists care about destinations or local people, our research has shown that they underestimate their clients who are increasingly looking to meet local people on equitable terms rather just than just sitting in the resort all day.
Many smaller scale and forward thinking businesses, whose holidays we market via responsibletravel.com, are passionate about local development and conservation and are benefiting from the emergence of the ‘light green’ traveler.
The ‘light green’ traveller understands that they will get a warmer welcome from fairly rewarded local people; that guides from local communities provide unmatched insights into local cultures; that spending part of their holiday in locally owned accommodation or using local transport provides ways to meet and learn about people and culture; and that fresh food produced by local suppliers to local recipes tastes best. In this way more enjoyable, and more responsible, holidays go hand in hand.
Strangely the concept of industry being held accountable for its impacts on environments and local people is much newer to the tourism industry (which depends on local environments and people as its flesh and blood) than, for example it is to the oil or mining industries.
Tourism is a largely unregulated industry, which unlike the oil or mining industries is not required to conduct social and environmental audits before its begins operations, or to commit to leaving improved environments and community development initiatives when they leave.
Because the tourism industry is so fragmented it is easy for individual businesses to feel that they can make little difference on their own. This is why the role of governments – local, national and international – is so important in bringing together the many different parties involved.
The UK Government, together with the UK industry and NGO’s created The Travel Foundation – a charity committed to improving the sustainability of tourism - which is supported by a small levy on tourists voluntarily administered by a few UK companies such as First Choice and Sunvil.
On Monday 17th January it will meet with Bill Rammell at The Foreign Office to discuss its role in the long term re-building of tourism in tsunami areas. Its hope is that many more UK tourism companies will support it, and sustainable tourism in South East Asia, and beyond. Ask your tour operator if they have signed up, and choose to travel responsibly to The Indian Ocean in 2005.