1. Promotion of sustainable tourism destinations
Presentation by:
Marie-Andrée Delisle, on behalf of
Dr. Rachel Dodds,
Director, Sustaining Tourism
Website presentation:
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2. 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
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3. 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
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4. 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
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5. 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.)
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6. These factors affect Guatemala’s image
And what affects Guatemala’s image….
Affects your product!
For example…. Turn to next slide
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7. 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.!!!
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8. 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
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9. 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
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10. 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
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11. 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
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12. The Consumer Demand for sustainable tourism is increasing:
Increased media attention to environmental issues
Consumer education levels
Increased disposable income = choosier travelers
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13. 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
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14. Factors to consider for sustainability
Water usage
Energy usage
Waste production
Benefits to the local people
Local economic benefit
Long term viability
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15. 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!
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16. 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
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17. 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
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18. 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
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19. 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
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20. 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
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21. Sustainable GUATEMALA
A sustainable tourism industry in Guatemala is a long term viable industry
Thank you….
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