Should holidays cost the earth? Should holidays cost the earth? KEITH RICHARDS HEAD OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS ABTA

Should holidays cost the earth?  ABTA industry coverage:  UK’s leading travel trade association  2nd largest in world  Regulates over 80% of UK package holiday market  Over 6700 travel agents offices  Over 800 tour operators  Over 100,000 employees  Over £25 billion annual turnover  Over 35 million leisure trips abroad

Should holidays cost the earth?  Sustainable Development -  What does it mean in travel?  Do consumers care?  What is ABTA doing?

Should holidays cost the earth?  What does it mean in travel?  Environmental, Social, Economic impacts  Pollution caused by transport  Pollution and waste caused by increasing numbers in destinations  Consumption of water, energy etc  Creation of employment  Source of food and crafts  Reduce the negative impacts  Maximising the positive effects  Enhancing the economic value of protecting the natural / cultural environment

Should holidays cost the earth?  What does it mean in travel?  “It seems mad that when people come on holiday to Gambia, we don’t even sell the hotels the tomatoes or oranges for their breakfast juice when we have loads of both. We want tourists, but we want to benefit more from them. At the moment we’re just getting the crumbs.” Adama Bah, Gambia Tourism Concern.

Should holidays cost the earth?  What does it mean in travel?  It’s not just clever marketing….  “Tourism and the travel industry is essentially the renting out for short-term lets, of other people’s environments, whether that is a coastline, a city, a mountain range or a rainforest. These ‘products’ must be kept fresh and unsullied not just for the next day, but for every tomorrow” Sir Colin Marshall BA 1994  “Business must be run at a profit or it will die, but if business is run only for profit it must also surely die as it has no reason for being.” Henry Ford

Should holidays cost the earth?  What does it mean in travel?  People, Planet AND Profits

Should holidays cost the earth?  Do consumers care?  Customers want information about:  Local customs and appropriate dress - 46%  Ways to support the local economy and meet local people - 26%  Political background - 26%  Local religious beliefs - 23%  Sheet with 10 tips for ethically responsible travellers- 20%  63% of the public ticked at least one box (VSO, 1999)

Should holidays cost the earth?  Do consumers care?  Importance in holiday choice (%) (Tearfund) H ML Affordable cost Good weather Quality hotel and facilities Good info on social, economic & local Significant opportunity for interaction Designed to min environmental damage Company has ethical policies Repeat client - used the company before

Should holidays cost the earth? ABTA / MORI Research Importance of range of factors in choice of Holiday Company Very import ant Fairly import ant Comb ined Very import ant Fairly import ant Comb ined The quality of accommodation in the hotel/apartment The reputation of the holiday company to resolve your problems overseas The quality of the reps in resort Provision of social and environmental information in tour operator’s brochures The reputation of the holiday company on environmental issues

Should holidays cost the earth?  Do consumers care?  Would you be more likely to book a holiday with a company if they had a written code to guarantee good working conditions, protect the environment and support local charities in the tourist destinations? (Tearfund)  Yes 45% 52%  Would make no difference 42% 33%  Don’t Know 13% 15%

Should holidays cost the earth?  Do consumers care?  The most important locally produced services or products are guided tours, followed by local food.  More than half say they would like more information on environmental and social issues about their destination, prior to their departure.  While sun and sea tourism still dominates overcrowding mean the standard 2 week beach holiday is becoming less popular  Shorter more diverse trips – including adventure and nature travel, spas, city travel etc. in ever more far flung destinations

Should holidays cost the earth?  Do consumers care?  Would they do what they say!  53% of consumers questioned in an ABTA/MORI report said they would be willing to pay more money to ensure that workers in the destination are guaranteed good wages and working conditions  45% would pay more to ensure that some money would go towards the preservation of the local environment and reversing some negative environmental effects of tourism

Should holidays cost the earth?  Two trends converging:  The trend for more authentic off the beaten track experiences  The related increased awareness of tourism impacts in destinations and desire to book with a responsible operator A cup of fairly traded coffee of tea will not taste significantly different from other teas and coffees, it can taste as good but not better. The responsible tourism product has one particular advantage over many other ethical products – the consumer will often experience the difference.

Should holidays cost the earth?  What is ABTA doing?  UK Govt - FCO STI; DFID; DEFRA  EU - Sustainable tourism groups/CSR  Responsible Tourism Foundation  Quality Tourism in the Caribbean  Practical tools (e.g., IHEI Hotel Benchmarking; WWF footprinting)  UNEP - “Tour Operators Initiative”  Annual Convention  Consumer awareness  Sectoral strategy / policy

Should holidays cost the earth?

 What is ABTA doing?  Sustainable Tourism Initiative (STI)  Industry responding to the challenge  Creating a step change in the implementation of responsible tourism practices by the UK outbound industry  New charity - Travel Foundation established to help deliver STI Action Plan - destination projects / consumer awareness / funding  New business unit - Responsible Tourism Unit - to make sense of it all and develop tools (e.g. audits)

Should holidays cost the earth?  What is ABTA doing?  UNEP Tour Operators’ Initiative (TOI)  Launched in March 2000  Membership-based initiative: thinking global, acting local  Focus on:  Sustainability Reporting / GRI  Cooperation with destinations  Supply chains  Communication

Should holidays cost the earth?  To help grow our Members business and our industry we must get together with all stakeholders to develop tools, to use them, to raise awareness and to measure how well we do, and we must take a long-term view by protecting nature, culture and local jobs. Without this there will be no business.