SUSTAINABLE TOURISM WEEK 7 •

Cultural Heritage

LECTURE
• Marine Heritage

Learning Objectives:
Types of environmental impacts:

At the end of this chapter, you • Changes in the natural

will understand the following:
environment

• Environmental benefits and • Opportunities for conservation

costs of tourism
and general ecological protection
• Relationship between the of sites and species

environment and tourism

• Education potential of visitors
to raise awareness of
Sustainable Tourism
environmental issues and species-
specific concerns

Benefits of Sustainability
• Reclamation and improvement
to sites already adversely impacted

• Cost savings
• Physical damage to landmarks
• Positive reputation
and sensitive sites

• Awareness raising
• Introduction of exotic and/or
• Return on investment
feral species into the area

• Pollution

Focus on sustainable practices

• Excess demand on limited
resources

• Eco-procurement or green • Congestion of traffic

purchasing
• Loss of habitats for threatened
• Waste minimization and and other domestic fauna

management

• Energy efficiency
Negative Environmental Impacts

• Water conservation

• Emissions reduction
Negative environmental impacts:

• Biodiversity conservation

• Social and economic The three main impact areas

development
are:

Environmental Impacts
• Natural resources

• Pollution

Environment areas impacted by • Physical impacts

tourism:

Depletion of Natural Resources

• Air

• Water
• Water resources

• Noise
• Local resources

• Flora and Fauna

• Land degradation

Pollution
• Experiential travel operators

• Interpretative eco-tourism
• Air emissions
guiding and activities operators

• Noise
• Adventure travel operators

• Solid Waste
• Business related operators

• Littering

• Releases of sewage
Char act er ist ics of appr opr iat e
• Chemicals
tourism operators

• Architectural or visual
pollution
• Encouraging community
engagement

Physical Impacts
• Gaining agreement from the
community

• Beaches
• Obtaining necessary
• Forests
authorizations and permissions

• Dunes
• Designing strategies and
• Coral reefs
procedures that will balance
• Lakes
economic viability with cultural
• Riversides
appropriateness and
• Mountain tops and slopes
environmental preservation

• Creates and implements

Identify sustainable tourism environmentally sustainable
operations
practices

• Developing codes of practices

Categories of tourism operators

• Preparing implementation

plans for operational activities with
There are many different types the local community and
of tourism establishments that can environment in mind

operate in your local region, to meet • Training staff, including

the need of a wide range of tourists.
cultural environmental awareness
training

• What are the different • Ensuring sustainable

categories of tourism operators in appropriateness of all operational
your region?
activities

• Which operators are focused • Identifying appropriate

on environmental or eco-tourism behavior to ensure the local
activities?
environment is respected

• Supports local environment

• Transport operators
issues

• Accommodation operators
• Enhancing the overall
• Attractions operators
community

• Travel services operators

• Entertainment operators

• Ensuring operational activities • Investors and shareholders

do not impact negatively on the • Local community

environment or local community

• Suppliers

• Investing or supporting local • Employee union

community initiative
• Government agencies and
• Operating in an illegal manner, regulators

which results in direct harm to the • Industry associations

ecology of a region
• Specialists

• Exploiting the local community • Vocational training

and individual persons
organizations

• Tarnishing the reputation of • Media

the community

• Conducting activities not Identify returns to the community

aligned with local laws, culture or

sustainable practices
Identify the economic and social
• Failing to engage in returns to the destination
appropriate consultation with the community

indigenous community and

environmental experts
Whilst the impact, tourism
• Allowing visitors to damage the impacts and changes a community
environment
will differ depending on the nature
and size of tourism operations, there
Consult stakeholders
will be changes that take place, be
them collectively as a community or
Importance of stakeholders
for individual persons.

Now that we have had a look at • What are the example of

the effects of tourism on a region, its changes to your community?

community and the environment, it

is important to identify the Local indigenous communities

stakeholders that:

Local indigenous communities

• Will be affected by tourism
refers to any community that is in a
• Will play a part in the tourism destination where tourists
development of tourism in a region
visit and may include local
communities and cultural sites

Type of stakeholders impacted by

tourism
• What are examples of these
communities in your region?

• Current and potential

employees

• Key internal personnel

• Customers and clients

Social returns
• What techniques can be used?

• What techniques have been

• A better quality of life
used in your community?

• Greater need for tourism

products
• Environmental carrying
• Greater community pride
capacity

• Great understanding and • Informing visitors on expected

appreciation of the world
behaviors

• Increased appreciation of • Site hardening techniques

culture
• Technological solutions

• Greater understanding of other • Public education campaigns

people
• Barriers and constructions to
• Patterns of behavior
restrict or limit access to areas and
• Quality of life that inhabitants sites

or local people
• Staged authenticity

• Employment prospects
• Setting limits of acceptable
• Business opportunities and change (LAC)

strategic alliances
• Zoning of threatened areas

• Public services, facilities and • Total bans on access pt

amenities
nominated areas

• Infrastructure development
• Involvement of local
• Population growth
community in identifying changed
situations

Social and economic impacts/returns • Scheduling of visitations to

of tourism to the community
govern access and use

• Consideration of restricting
What are examples of:
access

• Limitations on the size of

• Positive impacts/returns?
visiting groups

• Negative impacts/returns?
• Bans on entry of nominated
items

Managing tourism
• Bans on nominated activities

• Integrating ecological best

Techniques to reduce and manage practices

tourism impacts

Environmental management
There are some basic planning

techniques of environmental
sustainability that can be Importance of environmental
implemented as a framework for management planning

environmental practices.

It is important that all are

addressed with strategies devised to
minimizing the negative effects of it is essential that sustainability
tourism
objectives are identified.

• What should be the focus of • What are the examples of

the planning?
sustainability objectives a tourism
• What planning needs to take organization may have?

place?

• What research can take the • Minimize resource and energy

place?
use

• Reduced use of toxic and

Identify focus areas for hazardous chemicals

environmental management • Employment of life cycle

planning
management approaches

• Comply with a green

• Improved environmental purchasing approach for all inputs

management and planning

• Purchase carbon credits

• Cleaner production techniques

• Energy-efficient and non- Conduct research

polluting construction materials

• Efficient sewage systems

• Prepare research questions/
• Energy sources
statements

• Improved waste treatment and • Collect secondary data

disposal
• Collect primary data

• Environmental awareness • Review organizational

raising
specifications

• Environmental protection

• Conservation and restoration Identifying sustainability initiatives

of biological diversity
implemented by others

• Sustainable use of natural

resources
It is wise to identify and
• Regulatory measures
understand other sustainability
• Introduction of policies and initiatives that have been
procedures
implemented by other organizations.

• Controls on the number of

tourist activities
• Identify the resources
appropriate to your business and
Identify sustainability objectives
industry

• Select and if necessary

Before any research can be subscribe to update from the
undertaken in relation to planning chosen sources

and implementing sustainable • Analyze the published

initiatives for a tourism organization, outcomes for adoption by your
organization

• Review the on going success of The impact of tourism on the

each initiative
environment can be both beneficial
and detrimental.

Importance of liaising with local

communities
• What are the environmental
benefits and costs of tourism?

• Why is it important in the

planning of sustainability plans
The relationship between the
• How can you liaise with them?
environment and tourism should
• How can you involve them?
address:

Strategies to involve local • Identifying endangered or

community
threatened species

• Describing past impacts of

• Developing tourism initiatives tourism operations on the
in conjunction with key local people
environment and ecology

• Seeking approval for all major • Describing and evaluating past

initiatives
attempts at achieving ecological
• Involving local people in the sustainability in the area

planning and delivery ages

• Researching projections
• Making appropriate relating to the future impact of
recompense for the involvement of continuing existing tourism
local people
operations

• Provision of services to the • Reviewing reports and

community
environmental and ecological
• Ensuring accuracy and assessments already undertaken

honesty in all activities

• Results of environmental
• Ensuring the integrity of the impact studies

region is understood
• Determining the relative
balance between costs and
Relationship between tourism and disadvantages relating to tourism
the environment
operations

Establish existing relationship SUSTAINABLE TOURISM WEEK 8-9

between tourism and the LECTURE

environment

Learning Objectives:

All tourism activity will have

some impact on the local At the end of this chapter, you
environment. Ironically, its often this will understand the following:

very environment that attracts

tourists to the destination in the first
place.

• Activities associated with • Revising plans as required on

developing sustainability plans
the basis of valid ecological
• Sustainability topics
concerns

• Develop a Sustainability plan

• Establish targets
Sustainability topics

• Identify key performance

indicators
• Sustainable development

• Identify implementation • Protection or natural and man-

methods
made resources from inappropriate
• Identify timelines, resources
and insensitive development, poor
planning and lack of zone
Establish sustainability plans
management

• Ensuring sustainable, co-

Now that you have identified ordinate management and
sustainability objectives, conducted development of resources

research and consulted with local • Managing threats to

communities, it is now time to biodiversity and natural resources

prepare and implement a • Managing the increased

sustainability plan that can be generation of waste

implemented for your tourism • Dealing with growing energy

organisation.
consumption and rising
greenhouse gas emissions

• What planning activities need • Decreasing the environmental

to take place?
impact of tourism travel

• Minimizing the environmental

Activities associated with developing impact of tourism related
sustainability plans
development

• Improving energy efficiency,

• Ensuring proposals are waste management and water
ecologically appropriate and conservation and

genuinely sustainable
• Dealing with traffic congestion
• Developing SMART objectives
and damage to roads and other
• Developing policies and infrastructure

procedures
• Waste management, recycling
• Allocating tasks, resources and of materials and a reduction in
responsibilities
energy and resource consumption

• Identifying quality standards

• Noise and air quality

• Developing monitoring and • Sustainable tourism activities

evaluation criteria
with an emphasis on
• Submitting plans to key environmentally awareness

stakeholders for comment, • Respect for indigenous lands

feedback and approval
and cultures

• Changes or requirements in Documenting final sustainability

relation to planning
plan

• requirements and the need

• Resources conservation
• Executive summary

• Recycling
• Table of contents

• Background

Component of Sustainability plan

• Overview of the analysis and
resultant recommendation

• Sustainability Objectives
• Impact of the
• Environment Impact recommendations

Identification
• Proposed implementation and
• Sustainability Policies and requirements

Strategies
• Standards and benchmarks to
• Responsibilities and Reporting be achieved with recommended
Structure
targets

• Training
• Timeline for implementation,
• Review audit and monitoring monitoring and review

compliance
• Summary and conclusion

• Continuous Improvement

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM WEEK 10

Sustainability plan activities
LECTURE

• Identify sustainability goals

Learning Objectives!

• Establish targets

• Identify Key Performance At the end of this chapter, you

Indicators
will understand the:

• Identifying implementation
methods
• Environmentally and
• Identify timelines
ecologically-friendly policies and
• Identify resources
procedures

• Considering sustainability plan

cost
Establish sustainability policies and
• Identify responsibilities and procedures

reporting

• Identifying necessary Importance of ecological

documentation and sustainability policies and
communication
procedures

• Determine training needs

• Gain agreement
One of the key tasks for any
• Developing sustainability tourism operator is to establish or
covenants / compacts
follow policies and procedures to
help minimize negative impacts of
tourism and improve ecological • Comply with relevant
sustainability.
environmental legislation,
agreement and standards at local,
• What is a policy?
national and international levels

• What is a procedure?

Examples of sustainability
Steps in developing environmental procedures

sustainability policies

• What are examples of

• Consultation with relevant procedures that can be introduced?

conservation groups
• What tasks are associated with
• Develop codes of practice
developing procedures?

• Developing policies or rules

• Why is the use of a checklist
• Develop standard operating important for procedures?

procedures

• Blanket prohibitions on certain Methods to communicate

products, operations or activities
procedures

• Regular monitoring and testing

• Induction

Examples of sustainability policies

• Training

• Meetings

• Follow environmental • Memos and emails

guidelines
• Intranet

• Encourage ethical business • Internal newsletters

practices

• Ensure your actions preserve SUSTAINABLE TOURISM WEEK 11

natural resources and biodiversity
LECTURE

• Avoid buying products that

exploit workers and poor nations
Learning Objectives:

• Ensure financial transparency

and openness in environmental At the end of this chapter, you
practices
will understand the:

• Use business partners that can

further your sustainability • Strategies to balance
credentials
environment and economic
• Support and empower local prosperity

communities

• Educate others on ‘Balance’ between environment and

sustainability
economy

• Reduce, re-use, recycle

• Incorporate life cycle analysis Importance of ‘balance’ between

into decision making process
environment and economy

 There is always a need to find a

balance between economic benefit
and environmental sustainability.

In many situations, tourism

organisations can operate in natural
surroundings with 'win/win' benefits
for both industry and the
environment.

• What are the examples of ‘win/

win’ situations?

Strategic to balance environment

and economic prosperity

• Prescribing triggers for action

in relation to the cessation of
tourism operations

• Nominating objective and

quantifiable indicators to guide
and control operations and usage

• Using external and

i n d e p e n d e n t t hi r d p a r t i e s t o
monitor ecological and
environmental impacts and issue
cessation orders

• Negotiating trade-offs

Allocate roles and responsibility

Once of the last aspects of

planning is to identify all the various
roles and responsibilities for
different areas and personnel within
a tourism organisation

• What are examples of roles and

responsibilities?

• How do you identify them?

• How do you communicate

them?