GEOG 2091 Principles and Practice of Eco-tourism
#3 Evolution of GREEN standards for tourism
Issue regarding sustainable tourism
Lecture objectives

Understand the driving forces behind the “green” standards
of tourism and the implications
– Mass tourism impacts and Butler’s life cycle of tourism
destinations

Analyze the complexity of the issue regarding “sustainable”
tourism
– Why is it problematic to insist that an ecotourism product must
be sustainable? And how can this problem be overcome?
– To what extent should financial viability be taken into account
when trying to make ecotourism both environmentally and
socioculturally sustainable?
Reference:
Weaver, D. (2008). Ecotourism. Chapter #1
Study Outcome

Students’ appreciation of the
various impacts of tourism

Students’ realization of the
complex nature regarding tourism
sustainability
Understand the driving
forces behind the
“green” standards of
tourism and the
implications
3 Driving Forces
behind the “Green” Standards of Tourism
1. Globalization

Mobility becomes an integral part of
contemporary life

People’s ways to experience modern world
are diversified and constantly changing

Actions need to be taken so that we may
adjust ourselves to the new trend of
globalization
– our appreciation of nature, landscape, townscape, and
other societies, etc. all need to be adjusted
– Think about the 4 platforms
4 platforms that Jafari (1989) suggested the field of
tourism studies has advanced through since the
end of World War II

Advocacy (1950s – 1960s)

Cautionary (1970s – 1980s)

Adaptancy (1980s – 1990s)

Knowledge-based (1990s - )
2. Tourism Impacts

Tourist crowds
– continuing growth of tourists


pollution
Destination carrying capacities
– growing ability of tourism to penetrate ever
more remote places


Shrinking of nature and wildness
Tourism codification
– various impacts: economic, social,
environmental

Ethics for guiding the industry
and the tourists
– questioning tourist rights to enjoy without ethics

setting up ethic codes
Tourists
What attracts
tourists?
Processed product of
a destination mix =>
Understand
Tourism
Impacts
Transformation
of
what tourists finally purchase?
resources into tourism
product is a
commodification process.
This process may cause
variousNatural
impacts
environments
and landscapes
Historical monuments
and cultural heritage,
etc.
• benefits: jobs,
revenue, etc.
• costs: seasonal job
loss; revenue leakage,
etc.
• benefits: cultural
exchange, promotion,
etc,
• costs: demonstration
effects, crimes, etc.
• benefits: environmental
awareness; conservation
promotion, etc.
• costs: environmental
damage caused by tourist
activities, etc.
Life Cycle of a Destinations under Tourism Impacts
Butler, R. W. (2006). The tourism area life cycle, Vol. #1, Chapter #1, pp. 3-12

vulnerability of a tourism destination (3 phases of
development)
– Discovery
– Saturation
– Decline
Life cycle of a destination under
uncontrolled mass tourism
Can tourism last long by following this Life Cycle?
This life cycle leads tourism to be an exploitative process,
like the extraction of a primary resource
such as timber, iron ore, etc.
These questions need consideration in order to find
solutions for sustaining tourism destinations:

What if tourists stop coming?
– To let the destination disappear?

How to gain the control of the product and the progress of the product
cycle?
– Propose sustainable alternatives such as ecotourism

Can the ethics/”green” standards of tourism bridge the social and
economic gap between hosts and guests?
– Is eco-tourism an effective option for sustainable development?
Ethic Codes
“Green” standards are set
for tourism practice
A sample of Green Standards (environmental checklist for a hotel)
3. Tourism Responses

Responses from demand component
– tourists start to question more in selection of
travel alternatives

Responses from supply (destination)
component
– destinations become more cautious in
accumulation of tourism wealth

Responses from channel (industry)
component
– tourism industry respond more actively to the
changes in perception, attitude and policy
As the result of the above listed forces…
Homework
Various standards have been set for
tourism practice. Do you know of
any such standards in Hong Kong
for:

Tourist (behavior)?
Industry (practice)?

Destination (development)?

Please do some independent research and
find out if there are any such standards
Complexity of Issue regarding Sustainable Tourism
– General definition of sustainable development


It is a type of development to cope with tourism impacts
It is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs
– Tourism-induced changes => tourism impacts
Understand Tourism Impacts:
3 debates about sustainable tourism
– Resource-based tradition
– Activity-based tradition
– Community-based tradition
Activity-based
tradition
Resourcebased
tradition
Communitybased tradition

Appreciate the debates about
sustainable tourism
– Resource-based tradition
– Activity-based tradition
– Community-based tradition

Ecotourism should follow community-based
sustainable tradition in order to be sustainable
Checklist for Sustainable (Eco, etc.) or Non-sustainable (mass) Tourism
GENERAL CONCEPTS
GENERAL CONCEPTS
Slow development
Rapid development
Controlled development
Uncontrolled development
Appropriate scale
Inappropriate scale
Long term
Short term
Local control
Distant control
DEVELOPMENT ROUTES
DEVELOPMENT ROUTES
Plan then develop
Develop without planning
Development led by ideas or concepts
Development led by projects
All aspects of the environment involved
Concentration on ‘honeypots”
Pressures and benefits spread out
Continued growth in numbers in only a few areas
Local developers
Outside developers
Locals employed
Imported labour
Sustainability and Tourism: Call No. . E 338.4791 S96 A
Please Read Again:
Weaver, D. (2008 our textbook). Ecotourism (Chapter#1)
in order to appreciate the complexity of the ISSUE
regarding sustainable development
Analyze the complexity of
the issue regarding
“sustainable” tourism
Discussion of questions:

Why is it problematic to insist that an ecotourism product
must be sustainable? And how can this problem be
overcome?
– Many definitions of ecotourism state categorically that it
must be environmentally and socio-culturally sustainable
– However, there is no way to prove beyond the shadow of a
doubt that any particular ecotourism activity is ‘sustainable’,
given all the problems associated with sustainability， e.g.


the indirect and unintended consequences of tourism
the possibility that a future weather event such as a hurricane
could destroy a destination that currently seems sustainable
– If such a high standard is adopted, then it is difficult to cite
any operations that qualify as ecotourism
– One way of overcoming this dilemma is to argue:



firstly that an operation must be planned and managed with
every reasonable effort to be sustainable
Secondly, if and when problems are identified, these must be
addressed in an expeditious and effective manner
This recognises that even the most well-intentioned ecotourism
operation could produce unintended negative consequences

To what extent should financial viability be
taken into account when trying to make
ecotourism both environmentally and
socioculturally sustainable?
– Financial viability is essential, since without it

(a) the tourism operation must eventually cease to exist
(unless it has open-ended subsidies from an outside
source), in which case the issue of sustainability
becomes moot, or

(b) it must be modified in such a way as to become
viable. Cutting corners to achieve short-term viability, in
all likelihood, could involve the elimination of ‘luxury’
practices such as insulation upgrading, community
outreach programmes etc.

Conversely, it might be argued that an enlightened
operator, flush with profit, has more of an incentive to
allocate some of these profits to innovative practices
that help the environment and generate long-term
savings
Checklist for Sustainable (Eco, etc.) or Non-sustainable (mass) Tourism
GENERAL CONCEPTS
GENERAL CONCEPTS
Slow development
Rapid development
Controlled development
Uncontrolled development
Appropriate scale
Inappropriate scale
Long term
Short term
Local control
Distant control
DEVELOPMENT ROUTES
DEVELOPMENT ROUTES
Plan then develop
Develop without planning
Development led by ideas or concepts
Development led by projects
All aspects of the environment involved
Concentration on ‘honeypots”
Pressures and benefits spread out
Continued growth in numbers in only a few areas
Local developers
Outside developers
Locals employed
Imported labour
Sustainability and Tourism: Call No. . E 338.4791 S96 A