Sustainable Tourism Management

08/18/2011

10/30/2010

Anguilla Goes From Talking About It to Doing It -

According to several news reports, the Caribbean island of Anguilla has taken a big step from just talking about sustainable tourism to actually getting the ball rolling and putting the pieces in place.


They hired internationally known tourism firm Halcrow, working in conjunction with the Ireland-based consulting firm CHL, to develop a sustainable tourism master plan for the island's future tourism development. This is excellent to see a destination go from just talking about sustainable tourism to actually taking pro-active plans to build it into their planning structure.

Sustainable Tourism Management News Trends

10/28/2010

HICAP Doles Out Sustainable Destination Award -

HONG KONG - Declaring an effort to encourage the spread of sustainability across the tourism industry in Asia, the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) awarded Palawan's El Nido Resorts the 4th annual Sustainable Hotel Award for overall sustainable practices.


According to an article in Good News Philipinas, El Nido has outstanding sustainable practices, ranging from environmental preservation, to master planning, to education of staff and guests, and to providing employment opportunities for the local community.

While these efforts are great, El Nido is an ultra-exclusive eco-resort who sees a relatively small number of visitors every year. The challenge remains here to bring sustainable tourism practices to the broader tourism market across the region.

Sustainable Tourism Management News Trends

10/21/2010

New Zealand Tourism Facing Hollywood Drama -

NEW ZEALAND - With labor negotiations not progressing well, Warner Bros is looking to move its production of the upcoming film 'The Hobbit' to a foreign location, potentially costing the New Zealand tourism industry over a billion dollars.


While this article is not focused on sustainable tourism directly, it does bring to light an interesting phenomenon where an entire tourism industry can become dependent on an unsustainable source or attraction. Hopefully the industry simply enjoyed the increased tourism that the 'Lord of the Rings' films brought to the area, but did not overdevelop themselves and become reliant upon future Hollywood films as a source of tourist attraction.

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Sustainable Tourism Management News Trends

10/20/2010

Demand Side of Tourism Industry Seeing Increase in Sustainable Tourists -

SOUTH CAROLINA (USA) & AFRICA - In a welcome shift from the consumer side of the tourism industry, more tourists appear to be requesting their vacations be to sustainably developed destinations.

A good example of this can be seen through at least one major tour operator for outbound U.S. tourists headed to Africa. 'Hills of Africa' is reporting a growing number of tourists requesting sustainability be built into their trips (once again, the elephant in the room - international air travel - will be overlooked in this case).


"Whenever couples stay at an eco-tourism establishment, donate to a local project, visit a community school, or purchase art from locals, they give the community a tangible benefit." While there can be several problems found throughout this article regarding such things as socio-economic impacts and the definition of sustainable tourism, the important take-away here is the increase in awareness and education on the side of the tourists.

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Sustainable Tourism Management News Trends

10/19/2010

Sustainable Tourism Destinations Continue to Grow in Costa Rica -

COSTA RICA - Eco-lodges continue to rise up out of the jungle in Costa Rica, which has become the top destination country in the world for eco-travelers. While the topic of this article is not surprising, the take-away is once again the blurred and interchanged definitions of eco and sustainable tourism.


While eco tourism is, by its very nature, a type of sustainably developed tourism, it is only one niche that can fit under the umbrella of sustainable tourism ideals. Please see our education page if you need more clarification - and don't be embarrassed; even top journalists get confused!

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Sustainable Tourism Management News Trends

10/19/2010

Tennessee Tourism Looks to Sustainable Future -

TENNESSEE (USA) - Tennessee continued its approach towards implementing sustainable ideals on a state-wide basis as Tourism Commissioner Susan Whitaker spoke in front of a local Chamber of Commerce.

A long-time advocate of sustainable tourism practices, Commissioner Whitaker has continued to push the message to a broader and broader audience that consists of a wide range of political parties and stakeholder groups.
Tennessee Tourism Commissioner Speaks About Sustainable Tourism Benefits

Sustainable Tourism Management News Trends

10/16/2010

California Tourism Embraces Sustainability at Summit in Lake Tahoe -

LAKE TAHOE, CA (USA) - EXCLUSIVE - During the second annual CTTC (California Travel and Tourism Commission) Sustainable Tourism Summit, businesses and public/private tourism organizations from across the state came together to discuss best practices, share experiences, and continue to build on the rising awareness across the state of sustainable tourism.


While it was evident that there was still some misunderstanding common within the industry regarding the separation of the 'green' and 'eco' tourism with sustainable tourism, the amount of businesses and organizations that DO understand are growing exponentially every year (check out our Education page if you're a little shaky on the difference).

The conference was held at the newly open Ritz Carlton Highlands, and featured many great speakers and panels that included the world-renowned environmental educator and activist Jim Moriarty, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation and, of course, the unstoppable force that is Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of the CTTC.


Also very visible and active at the conference were several universities, who had numerous professors, graduate and undergraduate students in attendance. The two largest of these were Cal Poly and San Francisco State, who have excellent programs that focus on sustainable tourism development and management, and whose students and professors did an excellent job of ensuring that there will continue to be a strong base of young professionals dedicated to intelligent and balanced tourism promotion and development across California in the years to come.


Congratulations to everyone in attendance for a great conference, and thank you again to CTTC for taking California Tourism in the right direction for a sustainable future.

Sustainable Tourism Management News Trends

10/12/2010

Sustainable Tourism Taking Hold in the Middle East? -

MUSCAT (OMAN) - The principles of sustainable tourism are taking foot in some unusual places these days as more and more countries are looking for long-term economic and environmental sustainability. Several key officials from Oman touted the ideals of sustainable tourism in preserving the biodiversity of the country while promoting economic growth.


As is the case with every country exploring sustainable tourism, only time will tell if they are able to resist temptation of quick growth and profit taking, however as the movement grows, pressure from other countries who are truly sustainable in their efforts will hopefully provide motivation to stay on track.

Sustainable Tourism Management and Development Consulting

10/12/2010

The International March Towards Sustainable Tourism Continues -

MALTA - Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has set the tone for future tourism development in his country by declaring the need for sustainable long-term development based on local community involvement.

The natinoal government has encouraged them to enhance their localities and to make them tourist attractions through restoration works, cultural activities and investment in the rural environment.

Sustainable Tourism Management and Development Consulting

10/09/2010

The Battle For Sustainable Industry Digs Deep -

QUEENSLAND (AUSTRALIA) - What happens when an industry that employs 222,000 local residents and yields an economic gain of $9.2 billion butts heads with an industry that employs just 46,000 people but hauls in $49 billion?


That scenario is playing out right now in Queensland, Australia, where the short-term (20-year) promise of money from coal and petroleum mining and drilling is causing permanent damage to assets that the long-term tourism trade relies on.


A media show-down is starting, with the national tourism board apparently ignoring the fact that high-impact open cut mines and petro and coal plants have been approved in or immediately adjacent to sensitive natural and tourism reliant areas across the region. The national envrionmental interests are up in arms about this, with long-term sustainability of the tourism industry in the area a major concern of theirs.

Sustainable Tourism Management and Development Consulting

10/09/2010

The Other Side of Oil and Tourism -

LOUISIANA (USA) - There is inherent risk in many things, and as the southeastern U.S. states found out this past summer, that is especially true with off-shore oil drilling. While the oil drilling may have brought some economic stability to the region, the recent oil spill has had critically damaging effects on more than just the ecosystem.


While large international hoteliers and restaurants such as Hilton and Olive Garden will be able to survive a drastic but temporary tourism decline in a specific area, locally owned hotels and restaurants can be fatally impacted by a disaster such as this.

The last chance for many of these locally owned businesses this season is the 39th Annual Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival, which marks the end of the traditional tourist season.The industry will be watching closely to see if and how the tourism trade survives in this unique area.

Sustainable Tourism Management and Development Consulting