Global Issues and Solutions for a Sustainable Tourism - Part 1 - by Florie Thielin

GLOBAL ISSUES & SOLUTIONS
FOR A SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
By Florie Thielin, Master's level course – 2017
PART 1

FREE TO SHARE 
This presentation was produced with the intention
of being openly utilized by the public and other
professors in order to help the progress of the
tourism sector towards more sustainability.
It may be broadcast and used freely. If you find it
particularly useful, feel free to send out a quick
message to the author, Florie Thielin, you will make
her day !
Email : floriethielin@gmail.com

Introduction
Sustainable
Tourism ?
Tourism ?

Introduction
“Sustainable tourism is tourism that :
takes full account of its current and future
economic, social and environmental impacts,
addressing the needs of visitors, the industry,
the environment and host communities.”

Introduction
Sustainable tourism is
NOT a niche market !

Introduction
Sustainable tourism is
the way tourism must develop in the next years
to continue existing for many more years.

Introduction
#Impacts #Certifications
#Solutions
#Destinations #Companies
#Communication
TOURISM

Introduction
24h of courses divided into two parts :
 12-13th Oct. 2017
 11-12th Dec. 2017
in partnership with

Introduction
Tell me about yourself !
→ Google Sheet
Where are
you from ?

Summary
Part 1
A. Global Threats & Opportunities
1. Towards a Sustainable Development
2. Negative Impacts of Tourism
3. Positive Impacts of Tourism
4. Hot Topics
5. Raising-awareness
B. Companies Management
1. Opportunities & Benefits
2. Certifications & Awards
C. Case Studies

A. Global Threats & Opportunities

Evaluation
Prior to the class :
Watch :
 Movie “Tomorrow”
 Documentary HopTour of France
Read :
 “Can tourism alleviate global poverty?” by Susanne
Becken
 “Sustainable tourism’ is not working – here’s how we
can change that” by Freya Higgins-Desbiolles
 “What Do UN Sustainable Development Goals Mean
for Tourism?” by Steve Noakes
 « Tourismophobie, le grand bal des hypocrites » by
Laurent Queige
 Take the test

YESTERDAY…

Travel has existed since the beginning of time.
People were first traveling for :
 Food and clothing
 Trade
 Religious conviction
 War
 Colonization
 Migration

In the Roman era, aristocrats and high
government officials began to travel
for pleasure (seaside resorts at
Pompeii for example).
But it was a privilege of the elite.

Mass tourism as we know it today began in England during the
industrial revolution with the rise of the middle class and
inexpensive transportation (early 19th century period).

First annual leave in France in 1936.
With its generalization tourism
became more accessible to all.

International tourism grew with the
arrival of the jet aircrafts in the
1950s.
Tourism became a major new
industry. World governments
started to concern about it as it
provided new employment
opportunities and a means of
earning foreign exchange.

Watch this documentary (in french) about issues with tourism - June 2017

?

→ Watch videos of the Tourism 2023 project and list particularly
what makes travel more or less attractive to people.
Four scenarios :
1. Boom and Burst
2. Divided Disquiet
3. Price and Privilege
4. Carbon Clampdown

“Attractive” or “less attractive” :
Whether the sensitivity of consumers to the
environmental impacts of their travel and the
attractiveness of overseas destinations make
outbound travel popular and desirable, or
comparatively less attractive and less
appealing.
“Enabled” or “inhibited” :
Whether the economy, politics, technology
and energy costs combine to facilitate or
constrain overseas travel.
→ Read the full report

Booming UK economy and impressive advances in transport technologies have
fuelled a growth in travel worldwide. People travel more frequently, further and at
faster speeds than ever before and there are many new reasons to go abroad.
But precarious trade-offs have been needed in order to meet the UK’s emission
targets, and many destinations are suffering from serious overcrowding. People are
now asking: how long can this growth be maintained?

Travelling overseas is an unattractive
proposition. A toxic combination of devastating
climate change impacts, violent wars over
scarce resources and social unrest has created
an unstable and fearful world. Security is tight
and travel is cumbersome, time-consuming and
inefficient.
Visitors are highly selective in where and when
they travel, cramming into a small number of
destinations where tight restrictions and
overcrowding compound the problems. Many
people have begun to think that holidaying
abroad just makes the problems worse.

A dramatically high oil price has made travel
punitively expensive. Cost is the primary
concern for holidaymakers as everyone asks: how
far can I get for my money?
Although a small, elite market continues to fly
regularly, the vast majority of people simply
cannot afford the experience. There have been
mass redundancies across the travel industry and
the affordability of overland routes has led to
radical restructuring.

Tradable carbon quotas have been introduced for all UK households as part of the
government’s bold plans to tackle climate change. The public has clamoured for tough
action as environmental impacts are increasingly felt.
Holidaymakers are highly sensitive to the impacts of their travel and seek ethical
experiences that are within their carbon budget. Holidaying in Britain is back in
fashion and has soared in popularity.

To get to the future you want,
it’s important to know what it looks like
and what you’re aiming for : to have a vision.

Tourism Companies Sustainable
Future
By understanding what a sustainable tourism industry could look
like, the industry can develop appropriate strategies to ensure a
profitable, successful future.

→ Watch the video
« The Age of Sustainable Development – by Jeffrey Sachs »
Which are the four main different aspects of sustainability
described in the video ?

With a Prosper
Economy
With Social
Inclusion
Environmentally
Sustainable
Well
Governed
For the well-being
of our children,
we need a world :

To go further, some movies to watch :

Tourism grew 4x quicker than population
during the last 20 years.
Date source : the World Bank
World Population
(billion of people)
International Tourism
(billion of arrivals)
1995 5,71 0,525
2015 7,355 1,2
Growth +29% +129%

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted
the bold and ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

To help achieve the SDGs, UN placed an
emphasis on Goals 8,12 and 14,
concerning the tourism industry.

Sustainable + Tourism = ?
Which are the different positive & negative impacts of tourism ?
 Economically
 Socially & Culturally
 Environmentally
Let’s debate about it !
→ Google Sheet

Sustainable + Tourism = ?
For Against

2. Negative Impacts
-
 Instable jobs & dependence
 Neocolonialism
 Traditional values
& local heritage
 Strain on resources
 Soil erosion & pollution
 Biodiversity & animals welfare
 Carbon footprint
Economical
Social / Cultural
Environmental

2.1 Instable jobs & dependence
 Unfair labor practices : people are sometimes exploited with low wages
for long hours.
 Seasonable jobs : during low season a lot of people loose their job or
suffer income reductions.
 Different hours : working when friends and family are in weekends,
holidays, late at night etc…
 Economical dependence : to international markets and crisis.
 Less diversification : with the difference in currency between countries, it
may seem very easy to make money out of tourism and local people might
not be interested anymore in other economical activities as agriculture.
Watch out to keep a balance and a diversified economy!

2.2 Neocolonialism
 Sentiment of invasion : city centers are becoming “museums”,
access to beaches privatized, etc…
 Increase of prices : Local good and real estate become too
expensive for local people. Shared-economy companies (like
Airbnb) are accelerating the phenomena : flats owners prefer to
rent to tourists than to local as it is more lucrative.
 Lack of products : lots of souvenirs shops, fashion shops, few
supermarkets and everyday products.
 Leakage : in some countries the cash injection from tourists doesn’t
turn much into development as tourism investors are often foreign
and the profits are then expatriated.
 Privacy issues : tourists are taking pictures of local people, like if
they were in a zoo, using drones without the permission, entering
private areas, etc…
 Ex : Venice, Barcelona, Majorca, Traboules in Lyon, Village in
Ecuador.

2.3 Traditional values & local heritage
 Globalization : is accentuated by tourism. Local people culture and
traditions are eroded as they watch American movies, want to dress up the
same, eat international food, etc…
 Party atmosphere : drugs, alcohol, prostitution (++ on beaches), different
values are shown by tourists, which can be a chock for traditional and
religious values of the local people.
 Increase in crime rate (thefts, assaults) : as tourists become easy targets.
 Ex : Playa Venao in Panama
 Souvenirs : tourists can erode local heritage by buying souvenirs which are
in fact original pieces of archeology, local heritage, etc…

2.4 Strain on resources
Source : Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard
 Scarce resources : such as electricity,
water and food, can be quite rare in
some areas and tourism is putting an
additional pression on them.
 Ex : with water at Atacama desert in
Chile, in Barichara in Colombia, in ski
resort in the mountains

2.5 Soil erosion & pollution
 Trashes : more trashes and sometimes no system put to
manage them well, so many plastic bottles etc… With
the arrival of cruise ships in some developing countries,
the issue is really big.
 Car pollution : due to the increase of traffic, more cars.
more litters, more car traffic.
 Buildings : hotels resorts built on natural sites are
sometimes participating strongly in unbalancing natural
ecosystems by eroding the coast, destroying mangroves,
cutting forests.

2.6 Biodiversity & animals welfare
 Natural habitats of animals : sometimes destroyed to build hotels or
eroding by tourism activities (like scuba diving).
 Souvenirs and food : tourists want to take back home souvenirs made from
ivory, turtoise, corals, etc… or try local dishes like marine turtle, shark fins,
etc… They are then directly contributing to making these species even more
endangered.
 Animal welfare : tourism activities with animals can be the cause of
animals abuses and negligence, also sometimes putting their species in
danger.
 Ex : Playa Venao in Panama with mangrove, “Save the turtles” in Central
America, Tigers and elephants in Thailand, birds in cages.

2.7 Carbon Footprint
 Mobility : traveling around, and
particularly by taking international
flights, is largely contributing to CO2
emissions and global warning.

3. Positive Impacts
+
 Infrastructure development
 Increase employment
 More tolerance
 Traditional values
& local heritage
 Biodiversity Conservation
 Raising-awareness
Economical
Social / Cultural
Environmental

3.1 Infrastructure development
With the increase of people visiting the destination :
more airports, roads, transport systems, hospitals are built.
It’s a virtuous circle because more infrastructure means also more development
for the whole local economy.
See the Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard.

3.2 Increase of employment
 Directly : tour guides, hotel & restaurants employees…
 Indirectly thanks to a local supply chains : agriculture, local handcraft,
retails…
 Remote places : which were suffering from rural exodus because of the
lack of job can get a second life thanks to tourism and it’s value chain. Ex:
Villages in Japan
 Economy diversification : the more diverse the economy is, the more
resilient it becomes.

3.3 More tolerance
When traveling people go out of their
comfort zone, discover other ways of
living, make friends abroad,
understand better and respect
different cultures. When they are back
home, they usually become more
tolerant and respectful with others.
 Ex : Israel / Palestine

3.4 Traditional values & local heritage
 Sens of pride : Communities see that people are coming to visit their distinct
characteristics and unique culture. They feel proud about it. Ex : Quechuas
in Peru.
 Preservation of traditions : Visitors are curious to discover the local
traditions, then it’s an incentive for local communities to pass on the
traditions and to keep them alive. Ex : Mapuche culture in Chile.
 Local heritage conservation : tourism provides financial and incentive to
conserve and restore cultural heritage sites (old buildings, archeologic sites,
etc…). Ex : project of destroying the old town of Lyon to build an highway,
UNESCO sites.

3.6 Biodiversity conservation
Natural conservation : tourism provides financial and incentive to protect
natural sites, their ecosystem and biodiversity. Ex : UNESCO, Botswana,
Futaleufu in Chile (river protection against a water dam thanks to rafting).
 See the Global Sustainable Tourism dashboard

3.7 Raising-awareness
When people are on a vacation (and through ecotourism specially), they’re
more opened to receive “environmental-friendly” messages. It’s an opportunity
to raise-awareness. “We love what we know”.
Ex : when you see for real the rainforest frog you might become more sensitive
when seeing the rainforest alliance label on products at your supermarket.

The UNWTO mandated you as a consultant to analyze the issues and
possible solutions to the main current challenges faced by the tourism
industry.
→ Google Sheet
4. Hot Topics

4.1 Hot Topics – Animals Welfare
 How to ensure that tourism activities do not participate in any
sort of animals abuses ?
Video : Coup de gueule: Tourisme & Bien-être animal

4.2 Hot Topics – Voluntourism
 How to struggle against the downward slides of voluntourism ?
Video : Voluntourism: When You Take More Than You Leave Behind

4.3 Hot Topics – Climate Change
 How to cope with the important carbon footprint of the tourism
industry (mainly due to international flights) ?
Video : La compensation carbone

4.4 Hot Topics – Massive Tourism
 How to avoid destinations to become overcrowded and suffer
the consequences of mass tourism ?
Video : Croissance touristique: Toujours plus mais pour aller où?

4.5 Hot Topics – Uberization
 How to deal with the Airbnb phenomena ?
Read : Pour ou contre Airbnb ?

4. Hot Topics
Why are people still doing things even though we know
that it causes negative impacts ?

4. Hot Topics
That’s why we need :
 Regulations
 Sustainable goods at same price
 Raising-awareness
Why are people still doing things even though we know
that it causes negative impacts ?
 Short-term vision : money $$$

4. Hot Topics - Solutions
Governments
must implement policies &
integrated planning.
Consumers
should be educated.
Local
communities
must have a right to
participate in tourism
decision-making.
Non-
governmental
organisations
to report on the
abuses of tourism.
Workers
must have their rights
respected & given
decent conditions.
The tourism
industry
needs to submit to
local tax regimes and
regulations.
Source : The Conversation

5. Raising-awareness of travelers

 A consumer-oriented campaign aimed at raising awareness.
 Tips to learn to become a more responsible traveller.

 The French ATD association launched as well a consumer-
oriented campaign in 2017.

Examples of tips for travelers :
 Tips by Responsible Travel
 La Charte Ethique du Voyageur - ATR
 Guide du Touriste Responsable - Babel Voyages
 Code of conduct by Community-based TUSOCO
 Invite travelers to take concrete actions.
 Be specific, link it directly to your local
challenges, explain why : The Islandic Pledge
and videos by Iceland Academy
 Be creative and fun : Follow the frog by
Rainforest Alliance, Safety instructions by Air
New Zealand

«Svp, pour nous aider à sauver
la planète, ne pas consommer
trop d’eau.»
«L’eau est une ressource
précieuse, s’il vous plaît aidez-
nous à la préserver en prenant
des douches courtes.»
«L’eau de l’hôtel est potable,
elle provient d’une source
naturelle et se chauffe au bois.
En prenant des douches courtes,
vous pouvez nous aider à
préserver ces resources
précieuses : l’eau et le bois.»

Choose one type of destination :
 Natural Marine Reserve
 National Park
 UNESCO old town
 Indigenous village
 … other ?
You’re the new DMO manager !
Pick up 3 topics on which you
would like to raise specially the
awareness of your visitors during
their trip in you destination.
Any ideas of creative ways to
communicate them ?

1. Opportunities and Benefits
 Which companies ?
 Accommodations providers
 Outbound/inbound travel agencies
 Activities providers
 Cruising
 Restaurants
 Transports…

+ Environmental+ Social
+ Comfort
EcolodgeCommunity-based
Luxury & Boutique hotel
Youth hostel Ecocamping
Hospitality
Industry
Rural tourism
Mountain hut
Treehouse
Palace
B&B Hotel Resort
Guesthouse
Homestay
Lodge

Sustainable tourism :
Which can be the benefits for
tourism companies ?
Choose one interview from the list
and write down the reasons why
they decided to act on a more
sustainable way.
→ Google Sheet

Let’s have a look together, which main reasons did you find out ?
Video : Interview with Arbol de Fuego Eco-Hotel
For which reasons ?

Respect legislation / No other choice

Reduce costs

Reduce costs
Offer a better experience to visitors

Reduce costs
Make the employees proud of their company

Reduce costs
Differentiate the company and inspire trust

Reduce costs
Make tourism sustainable in the destination

Reduce costs
Be part of the change

Negative
Neutral
Positive
Super positive
Global impact of the tourism company

Respect legislation
Reduce costs
Be part of the change
Negative
Neutral
Positive
Super positive
Global impact of the tourism company
depending of the goals sought

If for the many reasons we just saw a company decided
to become more « sustainable »
which are the criteria it can follow ?

2. Certifications
B. For Local Communities
C. For Cultural Heritage D. For the Environment
A.
Effective
Sustainable
Management
+ Benefits
- Negative Impacts
The GSTC developed a
set of international
criteria for hotels, tour
operators and
destinations.

90
A. Effective
Sustainable
Management
1
• Sustainability Management System
2
• Legal compliance
3
• Reporting and communication
4
• Staff engagement
5
• Customer experience
6
• Accurate promotion
7
• Buildings & infrastructures
8
• Land water & property rights
9
• Information and interpretation
10
• Destination engagement
2. Certifications

91
B. Local
Communities
1
• Community support
2
• Local employment
3
• Local purchasing
4
• Local entrepreneurs
5
• Exploitation and harassment
6
• Equal opportunity
7
• Decent work
8
• Community service
9
• Local livelihoods
2. Certifications

92
C. Cultural Heritage
1
• Cultural interactions
2
• Protecting cultural heritage
3
• Presenting culture and heritage
4
• Artefacts
2. Certifications

93
D. Environment
1
• Conserving Resources:
• Environmentally preferable purchasing
• Efficient purchasing (minimize waste)
• Energy conservation
• Water conservation
2
• Reducing Pollution:
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Transport
• Wastewater
• Solid waste
• Harmful substances
• Minimize pollution
3
• Conserving Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Landscapes:
• Biodiversity conservation
• Invasive species
• Visits to natural sites
• Wildlife interactions
• Animal welfare
• Wildlife harvesting and trade
2. Certifications

Which kind of good practices can hotels implement to complete
these criteria and become more sustainable ?
Write down a few examples of the good practices implemented
by your hotel and to which criteria of the GSTC they correspond.
→ Google Sheet
2. Certifications

2. Certifications : Pros
• List of criteria, indicators, to use as a ‘roadmap’ and that reminds
and ‘obliges’ the company to actually meet challenges to which they
have previously committed : from words into actions.Framework
• Solutions to cope with the criteria which are not fulfilled. For
example by helping in developing a set of minimum conditions for
suppliers to meet in order to improve the value chain of the service.Tools
• Third-party verification is important to the transparency of a
company’s operations and the credibility in the eyes of prospective
guests, to inspire trust. Certifications can be opportunities to
differentiate and communicate (more trust, more quality). Some
certifications are well known by tour-operators.
Marketing

2. Certifications : Cons
• Sometimes too blurry and general, not enough specific for the
singular particularities, difficult to address. Can be too
bureaucratic, too much paperwork and complicated to fulfill,
can get very labor intensive.
Framework
• Not all the certifications provide concrete tools.Tools
• The cost of the certification can be very high, specially for small
companies. The communication around it must be activated by
yourself, travelers don’t know the certifications, there are too
many of them and none is really well-knows for the final
consumers.
Marketing

2. Certifications
 Most popular and global
Industry
Destinations
“A Guide Through the Label Jungle 2016”
List of certifications accredited / recognized by the GSTC.

2. Certifications
 By type of business :
 By type of destination :

2. Certifications
 Some countries have their own national certification programs.

2. Awards
 30-60 min to fill in the questions
 Diff. badge levels : Bronze / Silver / Gold / Platinum
 Program integrity :
 Transparency : answers will show up publicly
 Travelers feedback
 Audits

2. Awards
 Different « sustainable/responsible » tourism awards exist.

Congratulations, you were just hired
as the new General Manager
of your Hotel !
Your first mission is to choose a
certification and an award to apply
to. Which ones will you choose ?

Choose one certification and/or award to fill in the Google Sheet.
Use these new comparison charts to make
the smartest choice for your boat hotel !

1. Instructions
Your company was recently awarded and you’re presenting its case during a
conference about sustainable tourism at IBTM Barcelona :
 Your company : What are its story, vision and good practices ?
 Issues : Which are the main tourism challenges faced by its destination ?
 Perspective : And what next in the future ?

1. Instructions
 Make teams of 2 students.
 Choose a tourism companies which was awarded in the past.
 Look for information online and contact at least one pertinent contact in the
destination to ask him/her about the main tourism issues faced in the
country/region/city.
 End up with creative ideas of new and pertinent good practices that the
company could implement (present them as if there were indeed the
company plans for the future).
 Present your case study to the class (15 min) on Monday 11th Dec.
 The best presentations might be showcased on an article published on one
of those medias : Voyageons-Autrement / TV5MONDE / Sustainability-
Leaders / Travindy / Hopineo

2. Webography – websites
 In English :
 Travindy : media
 Sustainabilty Leaders : media
 UNWTO : United Nations World Tourism Organization
 See the list of international organizations on Hopineo.
 In French :
 Voyageons-Autrement : portail d’information
 ATD – Acteurs du Tourisme Durable : association française professionnelle
 ID Tourisme : blog du consultant Guillaume Cromer
 Hopineo : plateforme collaborative
 English & French : The Conversation

2. Webography – social media
 Look for specific hashtags on Twitter like :
 #SustainableTourism
 #IY2017 & #TravelEnjoyRespect (using Hootsuite, tweetdeck)
 Ask questions on specific Facebook groups like :
 Irreponsible Tourism
 Global Ecotourism Network
 Connect with pertinent tourism professionals on LinkedIn to ask
them questions.

3. Criteria of assessment
 Topic well addressed and illustrated (with examples, pictures, patterns).
 Transparency & pertinence of data sources and investigation method.
 Quality of the oral presentation.
 Appealing Power Point, well structured.

« GLOBAL ISSUES & SOLUTIONS
FOR A SUSTAINABLE TOURISM »
By Florie Thielin, Master's level course – 2017
CONTINUE : PART 2

Global Issues and Solutions for a Sustainable Tourism - Part 1 - by Florie Thielin

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