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Summit for Sustainable Travel in the Hawaiian Islands

April 21, 2009Harold Richins, PhD

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Purpose/ ObjectivesPurpose/ ObjectivesTo create a successful learning environment that engaged stakeholders of our State’s tourism community which supported:

Developing areas of focus that chart a path toward establishing the Hawaiian Islands as a model of sustainable tourism best practices and brings the future to the present.

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The Design:The Design:•Participants were facilitated through a rigorous process of exploration, co-design, assessment and decision-making.

•To fuse planning and action, design and decision-making, and long and short-range goals.

•Composed of modules andexercises that participants performed in large and small groups.

Visioning the FutureWhat does Hawai`i look like as a result of Sustainable Tourism?

Five visions of the future…Five visions of the future…

““The model for tourism The model for tourism within Hawai`i within Hawai`i incorporates, the incorporates, the people, place and people, place and environment environment and and includes includes creating creating responsible tourists responsible tourists with with engaged access engaged access to to the experience.”the experience.”

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““We started by identifying some of the We started by identifying some of the problems that we saw here in Hawai`i, problems that we saw here in Hawai`i, then talking about what we’d like to see, then talking about what we’d like to see, and finally talking about the solutions.and finally talking about the solutions.

Through our conversations, the focus Through our conversations, the focus became, became, Cultural Integrity Cultural Integrity , and how in , and how in the future, it would be the foundation for the future, it would be the foundation for meeting our sustainable tourism goals.”meeting our sustainable tourism goals.”

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“Integration in systemic balance between visitors, the culture, the environment, and ecosystems which…

…connects the visitors to their experience and facilitates continuity between residents and visitors.”

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“The cultural and sustainable

significance of the Ahupu`aa is the

model for the Hawai`i visitor experience.”

““We started with Aloha over We started with Aloha over everything. everything.

Our group talked about what it Our group talked about what it truly is to live Aloha, and it truly is to live Aloha, and it became a unifying concept in became a unifying concept in everything we came up with.everything we came up with.

Be the change you wish to see Be the change you wish to see by practicing Aloha.by practicing Aloha.

We ended with education We ended with education because the base of all our because the base of all our ideas and concepts is the ideas and concepts is the successful implementation of successful implementation of education.”education.”

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What worked …to create the future sustainable Hawaiian tourism destination?

KEY OVERVIEW: Transformed the host destination (Hawaii) as an optimum sustainable society, ecosystem and

destination

What worked to create the future sustainable Hawaiian tourism destination? Key aspects (from the STEP Summit):

Abundant and healthy native ecosystems Healthy, happy, and housed residents Food and energy independence and zero waste Positive Hawaiian cultural-based interactions Operate within sustainable carrying capacity Be the change you want to see Fully engaged and committed tourism

practices

What worked? Key aspects from the STEP Summit:

Abundant and healthy native ecosystems Clean water for allNative plants imperative Invasive species eradicationConservation incentivesProtected areas

What worked? Key aspects from the STEP Summit,

Cont’d:

Healthy, happy, and housed residents Active urban and rural renewalDiversified economy beyond tourism and

buildingHomes for allLocal property ownership

What worked? Key aspects from the STEP Summit,

Cont’d:

Food and energy independence and zero waste Energy independence and zero footprintFood independence and local sourcesZero waste tolerance and outcomes

What worked? Key aspects from the STEP Summit,

Cont’d:

Positive Hawaiian cultural-based interactions Education of Hawaiian cultural practicesEmersion of Hawaiian culture into society Hawaiian cultural activities, events,

involvementsHawaiian cultural tourist experiences

What worked? Key aspects from the STEP Summit,

Cont’d:

Operate within sustainable carrying capacity Understanding and identification of

sustainable carrying capacity indicators and bench marks

Development of management practices related to sustainable carrying capacity

Deployment of and adherence to sustainable carrying capacity policies, limits and practices

Population dispersion (not growth)

What worked? Key aspects from the STEP Summit,

Cont’d:

Be the change you want to see Education and sharing of values and

understanding of stewardshipChange in major paradigm away from

growth and consumptionCommunity responsibility, empowerment

and engagementResponsible and responsive government

What worked? Key aspects from the STEP Summit,

Cont’d:

Fully engaged and committed tourism practices Contributing and engaged visitorsFull commitment to sustainable tourism

principles and practices Industry providers with fully sustainable

tourism mission

What didn’t work…that hindered the future sustainable Hawaiian tourism destination?

OVERVIEW: Kept the host destination (Hawaii) from transforming into an

optimum sustainable society, ecosystem and destination

What didn’t work? Roadblocks to create the future sustainable Hawaiian tourism destination…

Key aspects (from the STEP Summit):Failed to operate within sustainable

carrying capacity Failed to own change Failure due to abuse of “Abundant” Failure of “Community”Failure in addressing food, energy and

wasteFailed with culture Failure - External factors not planned for

What didn’t work, detailed example

Failed to own change Failed to make true commitmentSuccumbed to influence of in-authentic

promotionLack of political willpowerToo much apathy and pessimismFailed to have sustainable community

priorityFailed to commit to common agenda

What didn’t work? Roadblocks identified as MOST important…

…that hindered the future sustainable Hawaiian tourism destination.

What were the roadblocks to success – Identified as most important

1. Quantity rather than quality.

2. Made excuses without action.

3. Allowed conflicts to grow between tourists and residents.

4. Failure to acknowledge carrying capacity.

5. Lack of money.

6. Did not put culture to use.

What were the roadblocks to success – Identified as most important, Cont’d7. Lack of political will.

8. Too many talkers, not enough doers.

9. Not enough input - output economic analysis.

10. Tried to make change in some regulatory paradigm.

11. Failed to maximize the use of cutting edge technology to modernize while incorporating traditional wisdom.

How to make The Worst The Best…

Initial Ideas for STEP projects

…from the Summit

Initial Ideas for STEP projects (from the Summit)

1 - Involve host culture in figuring out ways to communicate to tourists with more emersion on Hawaiian host culture.

2 - Review regulatory barriers and permits and propose way forward looking at …

…volunteer tourism, educational tourism, alternative lodging (including bed-and-breakfast, cultural experience and eco-lodging).

3 - Review and propose effective sustainable curriculum at UH and within UH system.

4 - Explore resource management, carrying capacity and identified baselines related to sustainable tourism.

Initial Ideas for STEP projects, Cont’d

5 - Explore approaches for hands-on experience on mentor internship opportunities in sustainability and tourism.

6 - Promote “preserve the dream” and what that means and how it might be effectively implemented.

7 - Local community responsibility, education, and bridging gap between local community and ecology.

8 - Collaboration with Department of Education to have ecological education in schools.

9 - Web-based resource -highlights current s, identifies common ground.

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Summit for Sustainable Travel in the Hawaiian Islands

April 21, 2009Harold Richins, PhD

Mahalo!

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What didn’t work?

Failed to operate within the sustainable carrying capacity Failed to identify and commit to carrying

capacityFailed to focus on long-term impacts/outcomesFailed to communicate visionFailed to gain consensus and commitmentFailed to put in place effective mngt plans and

initiativesContinued to develop/promote quantity vs.

quality

What didn’t work, Cont’d?

Failure due to abuse of “Abundant” Allowed abuse, corruption and special

interests to continueFailure to give up on consumerismFailure to regulate and hold accountable

areas that need controlFailure to place limits on development and

overuse of resourcesFailure to diversify

What didn’t work, Cont’d?

Failure of “Community”Failure to ensure influential resident voiceDidn’t fully commit and address

homelessness In-effective family planningDidn’t fully commit to and address social

issues

What didn’t work, Cont’d?

Failure in addressing food, energy and waste Ignored signs of future energy problemsDid not commit resources to major issuesFailed to commit to local view of markets

What didn’t work, Cont’d?

Failed with culture Failed to respect cultural diversity

Failed to allocate priority toward Hawaiian cultural experience

Failed to put culture to use

What didn’t work, Cont’d?

Failure - External factors not planned forFailure to have adequate contingency plans

and initiatives

Failure to understand changing visitor interests