Taking Responsibility for Tourism

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www.haroldgoodwin.info
Taking Responsibility
for Tourism
Harold Goodwin
Professor of Responsible Tourism
Manchester Metropolitan University
WTM Advisor on Responsible Tourism

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Tourism is what we make it
 Tourism is a social activity, it is what
we make it.
 It does not have to be the way it is.
 We created it – fuelled by the age of
fossil fuel
 With practical wisdom, what Aristotle
called phronesis, we can change it.
 There is no international market for
Responsible Tourism

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Sir Colin Marshall
British Airways 1994
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”

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The objective of Responsible
Tourism
 To use tourism to achieve
sustainable development
 Sustainable development
through tourism
 the aspiration of
Responsible Tourism is to
use tourism rather than to
be used by it.
Tourism is like a fire – you
can use it to cook you food or
it can burn your house down.

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Culture & Tourism
“Your
everyday
life is
someone
else’s
adventure”
Swedish NGO fly-posting in
Ljubljana, Summer 1997

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What is Responsible Tourism?
 “is about making
better places for
people to live in and
better places for
people to visit.”
 In that order
International Conference on Responsible Tourism
in Destinations (2002) The Cape Town
Declaration, Cape Town
http://responsibletourismpartnership.org/cape-
town-declaration-on-responsible-tourism/

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What is Responsible Tourism?
 a triple bottom line approach to Tourism
Management
 a way of travelling – it offers a better
experience
 a movement
 diverse: particular to cultures, places
and organisations
 characterised by transparency
 requires the acceptance of responsibility
and the willingness to take action

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Responsibility is at the heart of
travel and tourism
UK outbound
 Bonding
 Repatriation
 Contract compliance
 Health & Safety
 Sustainability
Economic, Social &
Environmental
 Child protection
 Animal welfare
Trust
 Aspire to be taken
care of – to be looked
after
 Expect Respect
 Transparency is
increasingly
unavoidable
 Bookings & repeats
 Referrals

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Ipsos-MORI 1999

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% people who reported that they had
at least once during the year ‘99 ‘08 ‘12
Actively sought information on a
company’s reputation
24 36 24
Felt guilty about an
unethical purchase
17 38 31
Chosen product/service on
basis of company’s
responsible reputation
51 57 51
Recommended 52 55* 41
Recycled 73 96 92
Co-op Bank Ethical
Consumer Reports

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Why Responsible?
Accountability
Actions and consequences
can be attributed to
individuals or legal entities,
who can be held accountable,
and legally they are liable.
Respons-ability
Individuals and organisations
are expected to respond and
to make a difference. This
requires partnerships, a
plurality of relationships,
learning, praxis, and critical
reflection.
The Ostrich problem
 They’ll sort something out
 The Tragedy of the
Commons and the free
rider problem
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“Sustainable and Responsible”
Sustainable Tourism and
Responsible Tourism are not the
same thing
Responsible Tourism is about
taking responsibility for achieving
sustainable development through
tourism
Means and ends – behaviour &
objective

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Origins
 Krippendorf The Holiday Makers
 Mid-1990s VSO Ethical tourism
campaign => Responsible Tourism
1. Work with UK outbound
2. South Africa RT Guidelines
 2002 Cape Town Declaration
 2004 Responsible Tourism Awards
 2007 World Responsible Tourism Day

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Responsible Travel takes a variety of
forms, it is characterised by travel
and tourism which
1. minimises negative environmental,
social and cultural impacts;
2. generates greater economic benefits
for local people and enhances the
wellbeing of host communities, by
improving working conditions and
access to the industry;
3. involves local people in decisions that
affect their lives and life chances.
Cape Town Declaration 2002

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4. makes positive contributions to the
conservation of natural and cultural
heritage and to the maintenance of the
world’s diversity;
5. provides more enjoyable experiences
for tourists through more meaningful
connections with local people, and a
greater understanding of local cultural
and environmental issues;
6. provides access for people with
disabilities and socially disadvantaged
people; and
7. is culturally sensitive and engenders
respect between tourists and hosts.

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Tour Operator Inbound Operator Hotelier/
Accommodation
Local/
National
Government
Attraction
Managers
National Parks/
Heritage
Local
Community
Tourists
Travellers
Holidaymakers
Taking and Exercising Responsibility
Economic, Social & Environmental
Principle of Sustainablity
WTO Global Code of Ethics
Taking responsibility
You cannot outsource responsibility ..
Whose responsibility? Everyone’s
Nobody’s

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Taking Responsibility for Tourism
19

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The antonym is Irresponsible
Two primary meanings
 Unreliable,
untrustworthy,
unlikely to be held to
account or mentally or
financially unfit to be
held accountable
 Lacking a sense of
responsibility, akin to
carefreeness the trait
of being without worry
or responsibility
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Two kinds of change
The changes we make …….
– Choice and imperative
The changes we respond to:
– Consumer demand
– Changing markets & exchange rates
– Regulatory frameworks
– New technology & availability

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Responsible Tourism
Dealing with issues
At the heart of a
responsible approach is
identifying the economic,
social and environmental
issues which matter locally
– and then tackling those
issues:
Assess
 Importance
 Potential to address
through tourism
The only global issues are
carbon pollution and
plastics in water courses.
It is not about long
check lists.
 The Global Sustainable
Tourism Council
secured agreement by
creating a long list
 an un-prioritised list.
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Responsible Tourism & Certification
Taking Responsibility:
action
 Transparency
 Reporting
– Inputs
– Outputs
– Outcomes
– Impacts
Certification
 In a destination with
water shortages how
would you select the
hotel with the lowest
water consumption
per bed night?
 Opaque
 Unenforceable
 Communicates little
 Certification +
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The Business Cases for Responsible
Tourism
 The right thing to
do
 Minimising risk
 License to operate
 Product quality
 Cost savings
 Staff morale
 Market Advantage
 Market Advantage
 Experience
– richer
– more authentic
– guilt free
 Differentiation
and PR
– Reputation
– Referrals
– Repeats

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Social Media: Gossip
Threat
 You cannot not be on
social media
 Negative comment is
multiplied by social
media
Opportunity
 Never been cheaper to
maintain relationships
– secure engagement
 Communication is
cheaper
 Negative comment
can be refuted
 Repeats
 Referrals

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Broader consumer trend
 Experience economy & authenticity
 What is real is valued, valued over the
fake.
 Money and time – the currency of
experience.
 Original, Genuine, Sincere, Authentic
 Starbucks coffee drinking experience –
realising added value – with 13,000 outlets
has to counter ubiquity with authenticity
“authenticity .. A new strain of consumer desire”

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VFM=>EFM
Growth of the
experience economy
VFM=> Value for Money
EFM => Experience for Money

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Experiential Tourism
 The experience
economy
 Seeking
memorable
experiences
 Driving increased
tourism
 Viral marketing
 Engagement in
culture,
community and
the environment
 Shared product of
host and guest
 Quality, depth,
create memories
You can
taste the
difference
VFM => EFM

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International Network
 ICRTs
– UK
– West Africa
– Southern Africa
– Australia
– Ireland
– Canada
– Catalunya
– Germany
 International
Conferences on
Responsible Tourism in
Destination
www.responsibletourismpartnership.org

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www.haroldgoodwin.infoTaking Responsibility for Tourism by Goodwin ISBN 978-1-906884-39-0
© 2011 Goodfellow Publishers
Taking
Responsibility for
Tourism
by Harold Goodwin
www.takingresponsibilityfortourism.info

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Further information
 www.crtmmu.org
 www.haroldgoodwin.info
 www.wtmresponsibletourism.com
 http://blog.wtmresponsibletourism.com
 www.icrtourism.org/
 www.responsibletourismpartnership.org
 www.responsibletravel.com/awards/
 harold@haroldgoodwin.info

Taking Responsibility for Tourism

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