Designing Tourism Naturally is an overview of the basic principles of sustainable design for Camp and Lodge accommodation in isolated environments. This is based on a study tour undertaken in 2001 by an Australian delegation.

1. Designing Tourism Naturally
A review of world best practice
wilderness lodges and tented safari
camps

2. Our research indicates that ‘green’
businesses strive to achieve excellence
in five key dimensions, or
benchmarks.
We have coined the term ‘five pillars of
sustainable tourism development” to
describe these benchmarks.
So, what are the five pillars?

3. The Five Pillars of Sustainable
Tourism Development
1. Sustainable design
2. Interpretation leading to
education
3. Local community
involvement
4. Return to the
environment
5. High quality services

4. The Five Pillars of Sustainable
Tourism Development
•The “Temple” of
sustainable tourism
development is built on a
solid customer base.
• Each of its pillars
supports economic viability.
• Take any one of the
pillars away and viability is
not assured.

5. Through a process of continual
improvement all businesses included in the
study strive to achieve excellence in some
or all of these benchmarks.

6. Drawing from our experiences in
Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Belize and
the US Virgin Islands here’s how
businesses throughout the world are
putting the principles into practice...

7. Let’s take a look at how each of
the ‘five pillars’ works, starting
with...

8. 1. Sustainable Design

9. Sustainable Design
• Starts with a good site,
or “viewshed”
• Design with the
environment in mind
• Use low impact
technologies
• Create a strong ‘sense
of place’

10. Views
• A good view is essential to any
development
• Site selection is critical
• But needs to be sensitive
to the environment

11. Design for the Environment
• Use shapes
• Or, colours
• Or, materials

12. Design for the Environment
• Bring the outside in
• Take the inside out

13. Low Impact Technologies
• More than simply
composting
• Most customers do not
fully understand low
impact technologies
• So, let them know how
‘green’ your business is
• Like Maho Bay
Camps in the US
Virgin Islands...

14. Maho Bay Camps Inc
• Makes an art-form out
of low impact
technology
• St John Island is mostly
national park
• With two remarkable
developments:– Maho Bay Camp and
Harmony Suites
– Estate Concordia
Ecotents and Studios

15. Maho Bay Environmental
Management Ethos
• Boardwalks made of
recycled milk cartons
• Energy monitoring
systems
• Simple but effective
water management
systems
• And, waste
management systems
• Plus much more

16. Maho Bay Camps Inc
• Visitors expect a reduced
level in comfort
• But the basics still remain
• Like a great setting
• There are more than 100
accommodation units at
Maho Bay Camps
• Which goes to show that
being ‘eco’ does not always
mean small- scale

17. Sense of Place
• All of these factors siting, design and low
impact technologies need to be combined in
a manner that will
create a strong sense
of place

18. Single Elements of Design
• Often it is a single
element of design that
serves to create this
‘sense’ of place
• Roof design is one such
element
• The challenge for
Australian developers is
not to directly copy but
rather stick to what is
culturally appropriate to
the setting

19. 2. Interpretation

20. Interpretation
• Must lead to
‘education’ about the
environment
• Interaction is the key
• Interpretation also
makes goods business
sense

21. Interpretation
• Experiences that help
‘enlighten’ customers
work well
• Chaa Creek Cottages
in Belize operate a
range of interpretive
services

22. Chaa Creek Cottages, Belize
• The ‘Blue Morpho’
breeding program is an
excellent visitor
experience, which in turn
• Helps to increase guest
length of stay which
improves cash flow
• Not only this, butterfly
chrysalis’ are exported to
zoos overseas

23. Chaa Creek Cottages
• Some elements of the
interpretive program
are passive
• Other elements involve
the visitor more directly
• The overall effect is to
create an activity that
value adds the total
visitor experience

24. Nature Guide Services: Free
Market or Regulate?
• In some places the are few
barriers to individuals
representing themselves as
‘nature guides’
• In other places, like Belize,
the Government has chosen
to regulate this sector of the
industry as this sign at the
entry to a Mayan
archaeological site
indicates….

25. Typical Notice
The Belize Tourist Board wishes to inform the general public that in
accordance with Statutory instrument No. 80 of 1994 Section 6(1) that
“no person shall operate, advertise or hold himself out as a Tour Guide,
without first obtaining a license in accordance with these regulations”.
Any person who contravenes the above section commits an offense
and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred
dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months,
or to both such fine and imprisonment.
Statutory instrument No. 80 of 1994 state in section 5(6) that
“All guides shall, while conducting tours, prominently display upon their
persons a laminated copy of their license”.
Belize Tourist Board
Ministry of Tourism and Environment

26. 3. Community Involvement

27. Community Involvement
• Must be evident to the customer
• There are a number of ways a local
community can become involved in tourism
developments
• It is important that operators communicate
with their customers to let them know how
the business is making a contribution to the
community

28. Community Involvement Can
Be…Employment

29. Community Involvement Can
Be…Cultural
• These Samburu dancers (in
Kenya) have developed a
replica ‘manyatta’ (village)
alongside the Serena
Intrepids Club
• Visitors are encouraged to
visit this site rather than
nearby villages
• Income is generated but with
minimal disruption to daily
village life
• And, the tourists can still get their
treasured photo-shot

30. Community Involvement Can
Be…Pioneering
• An acknowledgment of
a pioneering past
• Like these safari camps
and lodges which have
re-created a ‘feel’ for a
past era

31. Community Involvement Can
Be…Public Art
• The inclusion of
indigenous art in public
areas can make a big
impact as these examples
from Zimbabwe show

32. 4. Return to the Environment

33. Return to the Environment
• Businesses that owe their living to the
environment endeavour to make a positive
contribution to ensure for future
generations
• Not only this, it makes good business sense
because the customers want to stay at
places that are ‘eco friendly’
• Businesses large and small are now making
a ‘return to the environment’

34. Return to the Environment
• Sometimes it is
individual businesses
that are making some
impact on caring for the
environment
• Sometimes it is a whole
of government approach
to environmental care

35. Protected Area Conservation
Trust (PACT), Belize
• The Government of
Belize created PACT
as a way of income
generation for funding
environmental
conservation
• Departure taxes,
entrance fees, grants
and donations are used

36. Friends of Maho Bay
• At Maho Bay visitors are
encouraged to donate
their security deposits
(US$30.00) to the
‘Friends’
• Funds are then used to
upkeep the Virgin Islands
National Park
• Which, in turn, provides
the main visitor
recreational resource

37. The Result...
• A well maintained
environment
• Supported by businesses
like Maho Bay Camps

38. 5.High Quality Services

39. High Quality Services
• Excellence in
hospitality services is
needed to support the
‘eco’experience
• These can be rustic
and unpretentious
• Or luxurious
• But always
sympathetic to creating
a sense of place

40. Food and Beverage Services
• Often restaurant and
bar facilities are very
simple
• But there is often a
strong compensating
factor…

41. The Setting
• Can be used to support
an otherwise basic
facility
• This relatively
unsophisticated bar at
duPlooy’s (Belize) is more
than compensated
• By this magnificent
setting

42. Just How Much Comfort?
• There’s no definitive answer to this question
• But it is clear that customers are prepared to
give up some comfort if the ‘experience’ acts as
compensation
• For instance, there is no need for artificial room
air-conditioning if natural systems such as
ceiling fans, breezeways and clever use of
landscaping work well

43. There is a Challenge
• Other destinations have
very low labour costs
• So, staff to guest ratios
are high
• This presents a major
challenge for Australian
businesses…
• The provision of high
standards of service at
low cost

44. Other Factors to Keep in Mind
• There is widespread evidence that tourism
operators are turning to the five dimensions
of sustainable tourism development as
outlined here
• Other findings are also relevant:
– There’s a Spectrum of Opportunity
– Tented Camps Work
– Protected Areas Can Cope

45. There’s a Spectrum of
Opportunity
• Low impact developments are required in more
sensitive areas
• But are often linked to more substantial
developments to create
• A spectrum of development opportunities
• Some businesses chose to include the full suite of
development at the one site
• Others choose to spread developments over a
number of sites
• The use of tented camps illustrates how this can
be achieved

46. Tented Camps Work!
• Can be very basic with
no power
• Or more substantial
but still very rustic
• Or luxurious and well
appointed

47. Protected Areas Can Cope
• In other parts of the world
protected area managers
seek to integrate all facets
of tourism development in
to protected area
management
• There’s a symbiosis - like
these trees
• The tree on the left is highly
poisonous but the tree on the
right provides the antidote
• In nature both require each other
to survive

48. Summing Up
• Five benchmarks
drive world best
practice wilderness
lodge and tented
safari camps:
–
–
–
–
• Tented camps work
• There’s a spectrum of
opportunity, and
• Protected areas can
cope
Sustainable design
• Australian tourism
Interpretation leading
developers have a
to eduction
unique opportunity to
Community
‘own’ the wilderness
involvement
lodge/camp product
Return to the
environment
category
– Quality services

49. Awareness of These Trends in
Australia
• There is an emerging trend amongst tourism
developers in other parts of the world
• Australian businesses have picked up on this trend
and can make quality improvements
• ‘Safari’ is Swahili for ‘journey’ and so ‘safari camp’ is
very African
• Can Australian business invent its own product
category?
• Perhaps ‘Wilderness Lodge/Camp’ will become a
uniquely Australian product category?

50. The Australian Response
• Australia has the...
– Landscapes
– Flora
– Fauna
• Plus the technological
know-how and
management
• And is very much a
safe wilderness
destination

51. Australian Businesses are
Taking the Lead

52. Thanks for Interest
We hope you have found
this presentation
informative and thought
provoking.