Promotion of sustainable tourism destinations Presentation by: Marie-Andrée Delisle, on behalf of Dr. Rachel Dodds, Director, Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net Website presentation: http://tinyurl.com/mt4hvg Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

What is needed to promote a sustainable tourism destination? Environmental awareness Cultural sensitivity & promotion of local elements Economic viability All three elements are needed for sustainability The three elements are interdependant however in most instances, economics take precedence.,… for sustainable tourism in a destination to work – one needs to ensure that the very resources (cultural and natural) that attract visitors are also protected Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Factors to consider Values Wants Needs Chapter 9 Factors to consider Values Wants Needs External market environment Target Market Seasonality, Demographics, Psychographics Values, needs and wants of the consumer…. The external marketing environment( see next slide) Who is your target market Seasonality, demographics – ensure you know how and when to market your product Access, quality and authenticity – they are the factors which make you unique Access, Quality, Authenticity Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Internal -The Company’s Microenvironment Chapter 3 The Market Environment Internal -The Company’s Microenvironment Be aware of how you are getting your product to market… know your competition and your suppliers… always remember why you are unique but it is up to you to consider the sustainability (economic, social and environmental) of your supply chain Both the internal and external market environment will affect marketing efforts Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

The Macroenvironment Chapter 3 To promote a sustainable destination – or product…. You must be aware of all of the forces and factors affecting your product For sustainable tourism you need to be especially aware of natural and cultural forces An example of these forces are: Competitive: Costa Rica would be a competitor Demographic: the population is aging and women are making more and more of the travel decisions in a family Economic: the global recession is a force and one needs to be conscious of how this affects tourism Natural: climate change, increased storms etc Technological: the world wide web and its capacity to share and inform Political: change in government Cultural: the shift in consumer percpetions All of these forces need to be considered when promoting the destination or company (Adapted from Analysis for Market Planning, Donald R. Lehmann and Russell S. Winer, p. 22, 1994 by Richard D. Irwin.) Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

These factors affect Guatemala’s image And what affects Guatemala’s image…. Affects your product! For example…. Turn to next slide Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

These factors affect Guatemala’s image Your market is the educated consumer – the consumer who is socially and environmentally conscious… articles like this one which was just published in the Economist two weeks ago do not help your image. Even though it is not linked to tourism – it affects tourism’s image…. Something that a country or a company cannot afford when trying to promote sustainability.!!! Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Access There are 2 considerations for access: 1. The increased concern of climate change has also increased consumers awareness of the impacts of long-haul flying…. American’s from South and North America fly shorter distance to reach Guatemala – a market to consider 2. Where are you located? It is one thing to have great product but if the tourist can’t reach it, it isn’t that great Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Quality Quality is not greenwashing. Greenwashing is promoting something as ‘eco’ or sustainable… but it isn’t true Your product offering must be high quality…. The market who is interested in culture and sustainable travel options want a high quality product… remember the elements of competitive advantage? One was quality Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Image This also links to image… if you have a beautiful hotel but if the beach is dirty or the view from the window of your hotel is of garbage… your visitor experience is ruined This also holds true for local people… if local people are not benefiting from tourism they will turn antagonistic… and affect the tourism experience poorly Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

The Consumer’s Expectations Don’t market to everyone because everyone is not your market: Be specific, be targeted Guatemala’s consumer profile: Expects quality Wants to experience the culture Environmentally aware Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

The Consumer Demand for sustainable tourism is increasing: Increased media attention to environmental issues Consumer education levels Increased disposable income = choosier travelers Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Sustainable tourism demand In April 2007, the online travel community, TripAdvisor, surveyed 1000 travelers worldwide. 38% said that environmentally friendly tourism is a consideration when travelling. 38% had stayed at an environmentally-friendly hotel and 9% specifically seek out such hotels. 34% are willing to pay more to stay in environmentally friendly hotels Around 80 per cent of UK package holidaymakers believe that it is important that their holidays do not damage the environment Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Factors to consider for sustainability Water usage Energy usage Waste production Benefits to the local people Local economic benefit Long term viability Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Water has become a human rights issue in lots of places – e. g Water has become a human rights issue in lots of places – e.g. a medium size hotel uses the same amount of water in one day as a small village of 100 families would use in one year. The average hotel uses approximately 325litres of water per person per night…. A luxury hotel uses up to 1800 litres of water per person per night – NOT SUSTAINABLE An average village in Guatemala uses less than 300 litres for the whole village! Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Environmental damage An average golf course in a tropical country such as Guatemala needs 1500kg of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides per year and uses as much water as 60,000 rural villagers. Source: Tourism Concern Although golf courses are popular – the market is saturated and Guatemala must consider the environmental effects of such tourism development Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Local economic benefit For every £1 spent on a UK high street in one of the big four tour operators (Airtours, First Choice, Thomas Cook and Thomson), only around 15p reaches destination countries in the South Source locally! In many countries, tourism dollars do not stay in the country. You here at this conference are small and medium sized enterprises… working with local partners and running your business and marketing yourselves ethically will ensure more local benefit Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Color Cultura Personas Cultural Consider the cultural gems of Guatemala Be authentic Celebrate Guatemala’s unique selling points Its people are its culture Color Cultura Personas Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Conclusion Remember tourism is inter-related with all other sectors… you Must think in terms of triple bottom line Must benefit all stakeholders Must be pro-active Remember social, environmental and economic impacts are not equal –and social and environmental impacts are difficult to measure Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Conclusion Tourism promotion and development: Must be monitored and evaluated constantly Must be looked at in a holistic way Must be evaluated against economic margins Guatemala must be promoted as a unique, authentic destination whose products take into consideration ALL aspects of sustainability Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net

Sustainable GUATEMALA A sustainable tourism industry in Guatemala is a long term viable industry Thank you…. www.sustainabletourism.net Sustaining Tourism www.sustainabletourism.net