Mainstreaming sustainable tourism principles: The global sustainable tourism baseline criteria initi

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Mainstreaming sustainable tourism principles
The global sustainable tourism baseline criteria
initiative

• Dr. Stefanos Fotiou
• United Nations Environment Programme
• Division of Technology, Industry and Economics

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Contents
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Decoding tourism
Consumption of resources
Production of resources

• Transportation
• Land, water energy use
• Carrying capacity
• Waste

• Nature conservation
• Development
• Employment
• Local income

Production of tourism services
Consumption of tourism services
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What is happening today

• Sustainability and the tourism value chain
  Complex and unclear relations.
• Industry dominated by SMEs sustainable is
  costly
• Fragmented responsibilities of the public
  authorities
• Consumers that they dont really care
• Environmental and social negative impacts
• Great potential ability of tourism to contribute
  to sustainable development

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What we would like to happen

• Tourism supporting sustainable economic
  development production of fairly distributed
  wealth creation of employment opportunities
• Society and environment absorb and benefit from
  the positive effects of tourism in a sustainable
  way
• The negative environmental, socio-cultural and
  economic impacts of tourism are addressed and
  reduced or counterbalanced with concrete
  contributions.

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Sustainable tourism development
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Why is not happening now?

• Inertia
• the resistance to change presented by economic
  systems, social structures and business models
• The socio-economic environment of today is the
  product of decades of forces acting on it and
  resulting in a natural inertia
• Economic Inertia
• Social Inertia
• Capital Inertia

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Contents
Sustainable tourism challenges
The role of UNEP
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The initiative
Critical issues
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Production and Consumption Patterns

• A combination of political, technological,
  business and individual choices (preferences)
• Focus on economic growth
• Foster human development
• Working business as usual
• Promote and use innovative solutions
• I prefer biological products
• I want the most appealing packaging in my
  products

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The mission statement

• Mainstream sustainability in tourism by fostering
  a pragmatic and demonstrative approach on the
  basis of sustainable consumption and production
  patterns in the tourism value chain.

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The objectives

• Support the integration of sustainability in
  tourism development policies.
• Promote sustainable production and consumption
  patterns in the tourism industry.
• Encourage demand for sustainable tourism
  services.

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Expected Accomplishments

• Resource efficiency is increased and in the
  tourism value chain.
• Investment in sustainable tourism is increased
  through public policies and private sector
  action.
• Consumer choice favours more resource efficient
  and environmentally friendly tourism products and
  services.

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Our main instruments

• Advisory services
• Partnerships
• Capacity building, training and awareness raising
  
• Horizontal / supporting activities
• Policy recommendations, publications, promotion
  of legal instruments, etch.

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Contents
Sustainable tourism challenges
The role of UNEP
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The Initiative
Critical issues
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The needs

• Tourism companies are seeking advice on
  identifying internationally recognized
  sustainable tourism criteria
• Consumers are becoming more and more conscious
• Voluntary sustainable tourism initiatives need
  credible references to developing their own
  programs
• Mutual recognition and reciprocity among programs
• Governmental agencies need support

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The response

• A global partnerships to develop the Sustainable
  Tourism Criteria with the purpose of identifying
  common sustainable tourism requirements from
  initiatives across the world

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The uses

• Serve as basic guidelines for businesses of all
  sizes to voluntarily adopt and become more
  sustainable.
• Help tourism operators and lodging providers
  orient sustainable tourism programs to fulfill a
  generally accepted baseline international
  criteria.
• Serve as the underlying criteria for accrediting
  sustainable tourism certification programs.

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The uses

• Serve as common denominator for media to
  recognize sustainable tourism providers.
• Serve as guidance for travel agencies in choosing
  suppliers and sustainable tourism programs.
• Help consumers identify sound sustainable tourism
  programs and businesses.

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The Process

• The initial partnership (coordinating group)
• Establishing the initial list of Criteria
• Consultations (various versions)
• Establishment of a Steering Committee (SC)
• Launching of the Public Version by the SC
• Pilot Projects and additional consultation
• Development of Indicators
• Industry Launching
• Global Launching (IUCN conference)
• Outreach and integration with other initiatives
  (STSC)

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The Partnership

• Under the leadership of the UN Foundation, UNEP,
  UNWTO, IUCN and Rainforest Alliance formed the
  partnership and created the Coordinating Group
  with the participation of the CBD Secretariat and
  ICOMOS.
• Endorsement of the partnership by the
  organizations executive management

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Initial list Highlights

• Dozens of documents consulted
• UNEP-UNWTO 12 principles Mohonk agreement World
  Heritage Alliance principles CBD guidelines
  UNWTO Indicators for Sustainable Tourism
  Certification TOI VISIT Certification Network
  of the Americas etc.
• 500 criteria compared and evaluated
• 26 criteria with performance indicators

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Consultation highlights

• Online surveys and phone interviews
• 1500 industry visits in the web site
• Full membership of IUCN
• Comparison with over 5000 individual criteria
  from 12 sets of general guidelines and 55
  certification standards
• 2 meetings (DC) and a number of conference calls

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The steering committee

• The coordinating Group
• International Hotels and Restaurants Association
• Tourism Concern
• The International Ecotourism Society
• Federation of Tour Operators
• Conde Nast Traveler
• Ecotrans
• Conservation International
• Sabre holdings
• Caribbean Alliance on Sustainable Tourism
• Expedia Inc.
• Solimar International

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The public version

• 38 Criteria in 4 Categories
• A. Demonstrate effective sustainable management
  (11 Criteria).
• B. Maximize social and economic benefits to the
  local community and minimize negative impacts (9
  Criteria).
• C. Minimize negative impacts to cultural heritage
  and maximize benefits (4 Criteria)
• D. Minimize environmental negative impacts and
  maximize benefits (14 Criteria).

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Next Steps

• Pilot Projects and additional Consultation
• Development of Indicators
• Industry Launching
• Global Launching (IUCN conference)
• Outreach and integration with other initiatives
  (STSC)

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The Criteria and the STSC

• The criteria will be a major input for the STSC
• The STSC Board should use the Criteria as a
  technical basis for the STSC accreditation system
• There will be adjustments but the overall
  concept, spirit and basic content of the criteria
  should be kept

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Elements of success

• Pragmatic approach
• Initiative driven by existing needs and demands
  from the private sector
• The value behind these criteria emanates mostly
  by the process that was followed to develop and
  peer-review them
• Not to substitute existing initiatives enhance
  them

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Balance

• Need to create a list of criteria that should, at
  the same time, be comprehensive, have a practical
  meaning, be representative of the values of
  sustainable tourism
• Need to reach consensus among the steering
  committee of the initiative.

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Contents
Sustainable tourism challenges
The role of UNEP
1
2
3
4
The initiative
Critical issues
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Demonstrate value for stakeholders

• Governments
• Planning of tourism development capacity
  building consultation
• Private sector
• Improve operations management reputation
  increase visibility
• Consumers
• Assist them making better choices

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Additional challenges

• Climate change adaptation and mitigation in the
  tourism sector
• Community tourism development participatory
  planning of tourism
• Application in developing and less developed
  countries
• Focus on emerging destinations
• Tourism and biodiversity cultural heritage

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Sustainable tourism and economic efficiency

• Decrease the cost of handling the impacts
• To increase profits
• Conserve the assets of the tourism development
• To assure future profits
• Diversify the tourism products and thus target
  new markets
• To generate new profits

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For more information

• www.sustainabletourismcriteria.org