Adoption of sustainable tourism practices
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Transcript of Adoption of sustainable tourism practices
Adoption of sustainable
tourism practices by rural
operators in BC
Canadian Association of Geographers Special Session: Rural tourism and recreation in Canada, May 25, 2009, Ottawa
Nicole L. VaugeoisBC Regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and
Sustainable Rural Development
Phone 250-753-3245 Local 2772
Vancouver Island University
Lea Thuot, Project Coordinator for Fostering
Innovation in Sustainable Tourism
Looking ahead
▫ BC’s efforts to encourage sustainable tourism▫ Study objectives▫ Methodology▫ Insights gained Sustainable practices used Level of incorporation Method of adoption Challenges Recommendations
▫ Furthering the adoption of sustainable tourism by operators
BC’s efforts to support
sustainable tourism
Study objectives• Determine the attitudes of
tourism operators towards sustainability;
• Assess the extent and type of sustainable tourism practices adopted by operators;
• Understand the forces that have influenced the adoption of sustainability practices including motivators and constraints;
• Determine ways to support the adoption of sustainability practices among tourism operators.
• Field research with 20 “Made in BC” Innovators
• On line survey with N=210 tourism operators in rural BC
• Snowball sample with list of people met during fieldwork, plus encouragement from DMO’s to send to their stakeholders
• March 2009 data collection phase
• Report to inform Strategic plan for the BC Sustainable Tourism Partnership
Key tenets of sustainable tourism are that "a sustainable tourism
business fulfills economic, environmental and socio-cultural obligations while
generating income, contributing to
employment, maintaining cultural integrity, and preserving essential
ecological processes and biological diversity”.
Insights gained
4
8
8
15
20
46
46
65
81
28
21
31
37
39
46
36
31
14
54
66
51
43
32
6
15
1
3
0 20 40 60 80 100
The costs to make a business sustainable outweigh any possible financial gains
The "eco-crisis" has been largely over exaggerated by society
There is not a good enough business case to become more sustainable (i.e. profit)
The Tourism Industry as a whole is negatively impacting the environment
Sustainability is NOT a top priority for the Tourism Industry in BC
Businesses should purchase from suppliers who provide sustainable products
We need stricter laws and regulations to protect the environment
Customers prefer businesses that are making efforts to be sustainable
Incentive programs should be developed to encourage businesses to become more sustainable
Percent
Q1. To what extent do you agree with EACH of the following statements about economic, social, and environmental sustainability?
Agree
Somewhat Agree
Disagree
4
6
11
13
13
15
17
17
20
20
30
30
33
36
38
40
42
48
59
70
70
19
8
17
40
18
21
11
32
46
41
59
24
41
35
31
25
51
45
38
23
26
50
47
39
12
44
27
17
31
27
21
9
6
11
15
14
7
4
4
2
0
1
0 20 40 60 80 100
Use of carbon offsets
Green certification
Established a "green team" or committee
Purchased and used "green" building materials
Use renewable energy sources (i.e. Solar, wind, etc.)
Grow or raise organic foods
Renovated a heritage building
Use of alternative fuel sources
Donated funds or in-kind services to green initiatives
Established environmental education programs for visitors
Limited paper-based marketing and promotional materials
Limiting visitor access to sensitive sites
Use of a low use water management system
Composting of waste
Use of low impact or no trace practices in natural …
Use green products for business (i.e. biodegradable …
Use of low energy lighting
Purchase from local suppliers
Recruit and hire local people for job opportunities
Recycling of materials
Percent
Q2. To what extent have you incorporated EACH of the following sustainable practices into your business operations?
To a great extent
To some extent
Not at all
10%
14%
47%
27%
Q3. Overall, which of the following best describes your business/organization with respect to HOW you have incorporated
sustainable tourism practices into your operations?
Our business has not incorporated sustainable tourism practices into our operations
Our business has piloted a few sustainable practices
Our business has initiated some sustainable practices and is planning more
Our business has committed to sustainability practices at many levels in the organization
5%
6%
8%
18%
64%
0 20 40 60 80
Fact checker - we researched extensively before deciding to incorporate a STP
Experimenter - we tested a few ideas on a small scale first before committing
Planner - we mapped out a strategy or plan to make our business more sustainable
Borrower - we got some ideas from other businesses and modified them to fit our business
Self starter - we decided to do it and figured it out as we went
Percent
Q4. Which of the following best describes HOW you went about adopting sustainable tourism practices (STP's) into your operation?
2%
10%
14%
15%
16%
24%
0 5 10 15 20 25
We have produced a video on our practices
We use social networking to profile our practices (blog, etc.)
We have been profiled in the media
We profile our efforts on site (posters, guides, etc.)
We promote our efforts in our marketing materials (brochures, etc.)
We describe our initiatives on our website
Percent
Q5. To what extent do you publicize your sustainable initiatives? Check each that apply.
2%
2%
12%
15%
16%
19%
21%
34%
56%
65%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Approached by a partner or supplier to adopt new practices
Attracted by an incentive program
Felt some social pressure to be more sustainable
Wanted to differentiate my business from the competition
Listened to staff or family suggestions
Attracted by the potential cost savings
Wanted to attract environmentally conscious markets
Wanted to enhance the reputation of the business
Wanted to protect the resources I depend on (land, culture, wildlife, etc.)
Personal values about sustainability
Percent
Q6. Which of the following items MOTIVATED YOU to incorporate sustainable tourism practices into your business? Select the TOP THREE.
6%
7%
11%
19%
19%
24%
50%
21%
42%
50%
56%
55%
46%
36%
34%
38%
34%
19%
23%
21%
10%
0 20 40 60 80 100
Restrictive legislation
Lack of commitment to the need for STP's
Limited access to ideas on how to be more sustainable
Limited access to suppliers who sell sustainable products (organic food, alternative
fuels, biodegradable items etc)
Other business priorities leave little time to plan for sustainability
Lack of incentive programs
Lack of available money to invest (i.e. Equipment, renovations, systems)
Percent
Q7. Adopting STP's often requires businesses to overcome challenges. To what extent has EACH of the following barriers
impacted your ability to adopt STP's into your operation?
Significantly
Somewhat
Not at all
Exploring differences
1. Those that have not incorporated sustainable practices into their business operations.
2. Those that have piloted a few or some sustainable practices and are potentially planning to initiate more.
3. Those that are committed to sustainability practices at many levels in the organization.
Have not’s (10%)• Believe customers are looking
for sustainable businesses;
• Less inclined to believe businesses should buy sustainable products;
• Not in favor of strict laws;
• Believe less in negative tourism impacts;
• Not as convinced of the business case, more likely to believe costs outweigh benefits and more likely to feel eco crisis is over-exaggerated
• Incorporating less activities
• Use practices such as recycling, purchasing from local suppliers, hiring locally and using low energy lighting
• More impacted by lack of incentive programs, lack of time, limited access to information and lack of commitment to sustainability
Piloted a few… (61%)• Agree customers are
looking for sustainable businesses;
• Business should by sustainable products;
• Believe most strongly in need for incentive programs and stricter laws and regulations;
• Not as convinced as the “committed group” about the business case or whether benefits outweigh costs
• Incorporated a few of the “low to no cost” practices;
• More impacted by barriers such as lack of money to invest, limited access to suppliers than others;
• Impacted somewhat by lack of incentives, time and ideas.
Fully committed (27%)• Believe strongest that
businesses should purchase local and sustainable products;
• Believe less that sustainability is a top priority for BC and that tourism is negatively impacting the environment;
• Believe most that there is a good business case for sustainability, benefits outweigh costs and eco crisis has not been over-exaggerated
• Using a number of strategies – 100% are limiting paper based marketing, using low energy lighting, purchasing local, hiring locally.
• More likely to be using each other strategy listed
• More impacted by lack of money to invest, limited access to suppliers and lack of incentive programs.
Access to Programs and Products
Education of the Importance
Government Legislation and Support
Accreditation
Marketing of Green Initiatives in BC
Availability of Information
IncentivesRecommendations
by Operators
Supporting sustainable tourism
amongst operators in rural areas
1. Incentive programs should be a priority to advance sustainable tourism practices.
2. Strategies must emerge that recognize the differences between different levels of adoption of sustainable practices.
3. Education and information sharing should be pursued in ways that meet the needs of rural operators.
4. A platform to help businesses become identified as and promoted as sustainable operators is needed.
And on certification programs…
• If a certification program is pursued, it is strongly recommended that ample input from all sizes and locations of businesses is factored into the design, a phased in approach is used, the needs of rural and remote operators are considered in the requirements, and opportunities for continued education is embedded within it.
Thank you
Open discussion about potential collaboration, research needs