Planning and marketing of genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism: lessons for policy

1
Planning and marketing of genuinely sustainable
marine ecotourism lessons for policy

• David Macaulay Bruce
• http//tourism-research.org

2
Marine Ecotourism for the Atlantic Area (META-)
3
A Two Year Project(Jan 2000 to December 2001)

• EU Interreg IIc Atlantic Area Programme
• part of the implementation of
• The European Spatial Development Perspective
  (ESDP) (1999)
• Aim of which is to achieve spatially balanced
  and sustainable development for the EU territory
  as a whole
• Department for the Environment, Transport and the
  Regions (now ODPM) UK
• Funding (total including partners c.500000)

4
The EU Atlantic Area

• Bristol Group
• for Tourism
• Research (BGTR),
• UWE, Bristol
• (Lead Partner)
• David Bruce (BBS)
• Dr Brian Garrod (ESS)
• Dr Julie Wilson (FBE)

Marine Institute, Dublin with West Clare
Torbay Council, with South West Tourism
MBA Escuela, Gran Canaria
5
What is Marine Ecotourism?

• Marine ecotourism is tourism that is based on
  enabling people to experience the natural coastal
  and marine environments in a manner that is
  consistent with the principles of sustainable
  development
• ( A Delphi Study helped in definition)

6
Examples of activities that may be marine
ecotourism

• watching whales and dolphins
• watching sea birds
• diving and snorkelling
• nature-based sight-seeing trips
• rock-pooling and beach walking
• visiting seashore and sea life centres

7
META- Project Aims

• To generate appropriate guidance on spatial
  planning (ESDP)
• To identify and evaluate
• opportunities for diversification into marine
  ecotourism,
• products to enhance the quality of tourism
  provision
• To reinforce the economic regeneration and social
  cohesion of coastal communities

8
Tourism and Ecotourism

• Tourism is reputed to be the worlds largest
  industry
• 10 of world GDP,
• employs 1 in 10 of the global workforce
• international tourism alone causes over 3 of
  global warming (more than UK as a whole)

9
Tourism and Ecotourism

• Ecotourism is thought to be the fastest growing
  segment of the world tourism industry (10 - 30
  p.a.)
• Now thought to be worth 11 - 19 billion p.a.
  worldwide (Hoyt)
• Whale watching alone is thought to involve 121
  million direct and indirect expenditures across
  Europe as a whole (96 million in the EU Atlantic
  Area)

10
Marine ecotourism as an instrument of regeneration

• It offers an opportunity to achieve development
  by means of an activity that has the potential to
  be genuinely sustainable
• Nature experiences can be an area of comparative
  advantage for peripheral communities
• It offers an opportunity to redeploy existing
  resources currently employed in run-down sectors
  of the economy

11
Marine ecotourism as an instrument of regeneration

• It can help to address the seasonality problem
• It represents product diversification as well as
  market diversification
• Ecotourism tends to be associated with lower
  rates of leakage, and hence greater multiplier
  effects

12
Project Deliverablesdown load from
tourism-research.org

• a Blueprint for Responsible Marketing
• good practice and eco-label recommendations
• Planning Good Practice Guidance Document
• policy guidance on spatial planning for marine
  ecotourism

13
The META- Model

• For Marine Ecotourism Planning Good Practice
• Sets out the principles for genuinely sustainable
  marine ecotourism
• Offers advice on action and implementation
  through 'toolkits'

14
The META- Model of Marine Ecotourism Planning
Good Practice
The META- Model for Marine Ecotourism
in the EU Atlantic Area

• Principles
• Enabling bottom-up
• Environmental protection
• Education and interpretation
• Balance of statutory and voluntary approaches
• Collaborative approach
• Responsible marketing
• Continual monitoring of actions against
  principles of genuinely sustainable marine
  ecotourism

Sustainability
Enabling a bottom-up approach
Environmental Protection
Education and Interpretation
Principles of
Genuinely
Sustainable
Voluntarism
Marine
Ecotourism
Collaboration
Responsible Marketing
'Tool book'
Toolkits
Voluntary Measures Toolkit
Responsible Marketing Dimension
Economic Impact Assessment Toolkit
Audit and Review Toolkit
Education and Interpretation Toolkit
Community-Based Planning Toolkit
Transport Impact Awareness Toolkit
actions for
implementing
the principles
Continual monitoring against the principles of
marine ecotourism
15
Policy at Different Levels

• needs
• a transnational approach marine wildlife
  ignorant of political or planning boundaries
• A precautionary approach little is known
  about the targeted species or ecotourisms
  possible impacts

• the European
• the Regional (EU Atlantic Area)
• the Local

• Footnote a fulltext version of the policy
  lessons is available

16
Policy Lessons

• At European level
• Co-ordination
• Funding
• Responsible Promotion
• Eco-awareness

17
Policy Lessons

• Encourage Import Substitution
• European Domestic Tourism
• Supplement Europes global product
• Responsible Marketing
• Enabling local initiatives
• Co-use of (eg) transport resources

• At Regional level
• (the EU Atlantic Area)

18
Policy Lessons

• At local level

• Adopt the Principles of Genuinely Sustainable
  Marine Ecotourism
• Use Existing Laws
• Develop Voluntary Structures/ Codes of Conduct
• Seek Complementarity
• with existing tourism

19
The META- Model of Marine Ecotourism Planning
Good Practice
The META- Model for Marine Ecotourism
in the EU Atlantic Area
Sustainability

• Toolkits
• Community-based planning toolkit
• Education and interpretation toolkit
• Transport awareness toolkit
• Economic impact assessment toolkit
• Voluntary codes toolkit
• Audit and review toolkit

Enabling a bottom-up approach
Environmental Protection
Education and Interpretation
Principles of
Genuinely
Sustainable
Voluntarism
Marine
Responsible Marketing
Ecotourism
Collaboration
Responsible Marketing
'Tool book'
Toolkits
Voluntary Measures Toolkit
Responsible Marketing Dimension
Economic Impact Assessment Toolkit
Audit and Review Toolkit
Education and Interpretation Toolkit
Community-Based Planning Toolkit
Transport Impact Awareness Toolkit
actions for
implementing
the principles
Continual monitoring against the principles of
marine ecotourism
20
Responsible Marketing

• Can have a critical effect on the tourists
  expectations and hence on the impacts of the trip
  
• Needs to be supply-led rather than
  demand-led!
• Local participation (not just consultation) is
  essential
• See the blueprint at tourism-research.org

21
Accredited Marketing and Management

• FIRST self audit and review
• PREPARe is proposed (see toolkit)
• THEN External Accreditation for a recognised
  eco-label
• to distinguish the good operators from those just
  using ecotourism as a marketing ploy

22
To sum up

• The EU Atlantic Area potential to compete with
  the major ecotourism destinations such as
  Australia
• Particular potential for offering ecotourism
  experiences within holidays to lengthen stay
• Taking holidays closer to home to reduce the
  transport intensity of ecotourism

23
The META- PROJECT fulfilling INTERREG objectives

• Spatial Planning and regeneration implications of
  Marine Ecotourism
• Sustainability in a Marine Ecotourism context
• Transnational outcomes from transnational work
• Marketing related to
• ESDP priorities
• A book published on
• Marine Ecotourism

www.tourism-research.org