chapter 2: planning for minimal impact: ecotourism principlesis... · page 11 chapter 2: planning...

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Chapter 2: Planning for minimalimpact: ecotourism principles

IntroductionAs we mentioned in our introduction, the aim of this unit is to enable you todevelop an effective operations manual for your tourism business. However,before you launch into developing practical on-the-ground strategies, you needto be aware of the issues (internal and external) to consider. Gaining knowledgeof these issues will allow you to develop effectively targeted minimal impactstrategies. You will spend time over the life of your business refining yourstrategies. But you will not want to waste time (and money!) finding the policiesyou developed were ineffective, and that you need to begin the process all overagain. For this reason, effective planning before you develop your operationsmanual is critical.

So how do we plan for minimal impact? Let’s start with a quick glance at theplanning process, briefly discuss the minimal impact operations manual andthen move on to exploring the components that help make up the big picture ofplanning for minimal impact.

In this chapter we will be concentrating on the principles of ecotourism, as theseprovide both a guide and a useful benchmark for sustainable tourism. Theseprinciples are as important for people planning for minimal impact as for thepeople responsible for implementing it. They provide the framework for themain issues that need to be considered if you are to achieve a minimum ofnegative tourism impact for your activities or operation.

Planning for minimal impactEffective planning is an essential part of running any business. When we refer toplanning, we often think of developing and implementing business plans andmarketing plans. However, it is just as important for a tourism business todevelop a plan that will allow it to minimise some of the potential negativeimpacts of tourism, and increase some of the potential positive benefits.

Remember that it is not just the big picture planning issues that are vital forminimal impact— it is the ground staff, who are vitally important when it comesto translating plans and good ideas into reality or otherwise! A basicunderstanding of what minimal impact is, how it can be achieved and what itsadvantages and benefits are need to be instilled into the workforce of the entireoperation.

For instance, it’s all very well planning for waste minimisation by installingrecycling bins for aluminium cans on a vessel that operates day tours to the

Chap te r 2 P l an and imp lement m in ima l impac t ope ra t ions

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Great Barrier Reef, but the fact of the matter is that on the ground it is hard toimplement. This is due to a lack of space on a boat, and the fact that largenumbers of passengers for whom English is a second language or is not spokenat all do not recognise that the bins are for recycling materials only. The task ofservicing these bins can be unpleasant, especially on rough days when theyinclude a considerable number of sickbags. The result— recycling is simply notdone!

Planning for minimal impact involves a number of steps. First and foremost isthe need for thorough research. If you are responsible for planning for minimalimpact for the entire operation you will also need to investigate more fully theentire scope of the operation in terms of consultation, permit or licensingrequirements and on-monitoring.

Research

Find out all you can about the special ecological, social and cultural features ofyour area. You will be able to get information from agencies such as protectedarea managers, community groups and land councils. You will also need to findout all you can about codes of conduct, procedures and protocols that are likelyto affect your operation or activity. You may find one designed by a nationalbody for the entire industry, or one developed by a local or regional authorityfor a specific area (for example an alpine code of practice or a bushwalking codeof practice). There is usually at least one code that is relevant to your business orthe particular activity you are conducting.

Consultat ion

Make sure that all relevant stakeholders (including your own ground staff) areaware of the scope of your operation. Be prepared to take into account theirwishes and advice, even if they do not meet your original intentions.

Obtain relevant permits

Before your begin operating, make sure that you have contacted all relevantauthorities to obtain the permits that you will need. Permits often come withoperating conditions, which may mean that you will need to alter some of theways in which you originally intended to run your activities.

Monitoring

Your job does not come to an end once you put your minimal impact plan intooperation; you need to ensure that ongoing monitoring and evaluation occurs sothat you can fine-tune and improve activities and experiences. Good monitoringsystems will also allow you to respond proactively and prevent damage beforeextensive rehabilitation is needed, rather than react to full-blown problems. Partof your planning process should therefore always include monitoring andreporting systems.


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Optional readings

For further details about some of the above planning factors refer to the text,Plan and develop ecologically sustainable tourism operations (refer to theintroduction section of this book for further details).

There are many other publications that can give you an overview of the ways inwhich you could develop minimal impact plans. Highly recommended readingsare Being green keeps you out of the red and Being green is your business, bothpublished by Tourism Council Australia, and Best practice ecotourism: A guideto energy and waste minimisation, published by the Office of National Tourism.(refer to the introduction section of this book for further details).

Developing a minimal impact operations manualAn effective operations manual is an invaluable asset to any tourism business. Inthis unit, we will lay the groundwork that will allow you to develop a minimalimpact operations manual. This type of manual can be designed to run alongsideyour day-to-day operations manual, which covers aspects such as riskmanagement and workplace health and safety. It will add a dimension to yourbusiness that will allow you to make informed and timely decisions about yourexternal environment.

An operations manual translates the theoretical elements of minimal impactplanning into a usable set of policies and procedures. It gives you and,importantly, your ground staff, an easily accessible means of determining howthe issues that you have identified in the planning process should be addressedwithin the context of running a business.

For example, when you research issuesrelated to environmental sustainabilityfor your operation, you may discoverthat there are a number of problemsspecific to your area such as erodedtracks, impacted campsites andendangered animals. When developingyour operations manual, you wouldtherefore devise procedures to preventyour business from contributing tothese problems: you would probablydetail specific methods for track use,setting up camp, limiting group sizeand reducing wildlife disturbance.

Ideally, your operations manual should:

• address the planning issues you have identified in your research


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• provide a clear and concise outline of the minimal impact policies of yourbusiness

• provide a clear and concise translation of your business’ minimal impactpolicies into specific procedures

• be relevant to you and your ground staff

• be easily accessible to you and your ground staff (not hidden away in yourbottom drawer!)

The important thing to remember when developing an operations manual is thatit should not focus too narrowly on the ‘warm and fuzzy’ aspects of yourbusiness. Nor should the focus be too widely on the overall ‘big picture’ aimsthat you may have for your operation. These elements can be incorporated into avision and mission statement and, in a more detailed manner, into a strategicplan. The purpose of your operations manual is to provide a pragmatic plan ofaction that can be implemented without undue expense in time or money.Indeed, the purpose of an operations manual is to encourage a practical anddirected approach to running your business, not to make your life more difficult!

In the following sections, we shall explore ways in which management issuescan be translated into direct actions that will enhance your business’ minimalimpact performance. Look out for the sections marked action plans for tips thatyou can customise for your minimal impact operations, and ultimately yourbusiness.

Principles of ecotourismWe are taking a closer look at the principles behind the ecotourism industry, as aleader or ‘shining light’ of minimal impact tourism. Developing experiences oractivities according to these principles will certainly steer you in the rightdirection towards ways in which your impacts can be minimised, and willprovide you with a goal to strive for.

How do these principles apply to you?

How do these principles help you when your responsibilities don’t extend muchfurther than selecting activities or conducting specific experiences? Well,whether you are responsible for the environmental performance of the wholeoperation or just a single activity, the principles remain the same. Just the scalediffers! Be aware that it is often only the front end of the operation that mostpeople see— whether you as a guide stay to the path and pick up litter, orwhether you show little care for the environment. Most clients certainly havelittle understanding, let alone the desire, to see how sewage or wastes are dealtwith. They do however, notice if you are not using recycled paper or show onlypassing concern for the environment. As the guide or the person responsible for


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conducting tourism experiences you are also in the front line, and often are theonly line of defence for some very special heritage and wilderness places.

A good grasp of ecotourism principles is therefore as important for you toevaluate what you can do to minimise damage on a small scale as it is formanagement to make decisions regarding the entire operation.

National Ecotourism Accreditat ion Program— coreprinciples

The original code of conduct and ecotourism guidelines produced by the peaknational ecotourism body, the Ecotourism Association of Australia (EAA) havebeen replaced with more definitive descriptions that are linked to anaccreditation program. The EAA in conjunction with a joint venture partner, theAustralian Tourism Operators Network (ATON) manages the NationalEcotourism Accreditation Program (NEAP). Compliance with the followingcore principles is essential for tourism operations to gain accreditation:

Ecotourism:

1 focuses on personally experiencing natural areas in ways that lead togreater understanding and appreciation;

2 integrates opportunities to understand natural areas into each experience;

3 represents best practice for ecologically sustainable tourism;

4 positively contributes to the ongoing conservation of natural areas;

5 provides constructive ongoing contributions to local communities;

6 is sensitive to, interprets and involves different cultures, particularlyindigenous cultures;

7 consistently meets client expectations; and

8 marketing is accurate and leads to realistic expectations.

(NEAP 1996)

These principles are reiterated in the widely used and accepted definition ofecotourism from the Australian National Ecotourism Strategy (CommonwealthDepartment of Tourism 1994):

Ecotourism is nature-based tourism that involves education and interpretationof the natural environment and is managed to be ecologically sustainable.

This definition recognises that ‘natural environment’ includes culturalcomponents and that ‘ecologically sustainable’ involves an appropriate returnto the local community and long-term conservation of the resource.

Put more simply, ecotourism is tourism that occurs in a natural area or has anatural area focus that includes elements of, or incorporates:

• interpretation and education


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• ecological sustainability

• returns to the local community

• returns to the environment: conservation of the resource

• cultural sensitivity.

The NEAP Program introduces two additional elements that reflect theirindustry focus— those of responsible marketing and of meeting realistic clientexpectations.

Let’s now look in more detail at these principles— particularly the HOW ofincorporating them into the tourism experiences and activities you conduct.

Environmental sustainabil i ty‘We do not inherit the earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children.’

Author unknown

It has become accepted that tourism must play its part in looking after theenvironment. We must make sure that activities are environmentally as well aseconomically sustainable in order that the needs of the present generation aremet without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their ownneeds.’ (TCA, 1998)

How do we ensure environmental sustainability? What can we plan for in termsof environmental sustainability that will help us achieve minimal impact? Howcan we take practical action?

Two fundamentals of environmental sustainability are waste management andenergy minimisation— but there are many other issues including sitedisturbance, construction, visual impacts, water conservation, noise, wildlifeinteractions, and minimal impact practices specific to certain activities orenvironments. In addition to numerous activity specific codes of practice forminimal impact, the criteria considered under the NEAP Program include:

• impact assessment and environmental planning

• site disturbance, landscaping and rehabilitation

• construction methods and materials

• visual impacts

• light

• water supply

• noise

• air quality

• waste minimisation and litter


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• drainage and stormwater

• wastewater

• water conservation

• energy minimisation— buildings

• energy minimisation— transport

• minimal impact on wildlife.

You can see that the list is all-encompassing and somewhat daunting! In order todo this topic more justice we have devoted a whole chapter (Chapter 3) toaspects of environment sustainability. More details on some of these criteria,relevant codes and guidelines are provided with examples showing how youmight plan for environmental sustainability by incorporating specific minimalimpact procedures.

Unfortunately, many people think that all they have to do to minimise tourismimpacts is to incorporate environmentally friendly practices. They use recycledpaper for brochures, reduce wastage, have energy efficient lighting and double-sided photocopying— so what? Most of these actions are relatively easy toaddress and can be implemented with little cost; indeed, they may even reduceoperating costs and make significant long-term savings!

This is not enough. To truly minimise tourism impacts you need to deal with thecomplexities of the social and cultural environment. You need to think ofsubtleties like influencing visitor behaviour through good interpretation,incorporating a sense of pride in community and giving back to theenvironment. You need to understand that true minimal impact may involvedifficult business decisions. These may be accepting a loss of revenue andreducing passenger numbers in fragile environments, or actively rehabilitatingsites— perhaps even making a decision to not operate in areas of highconservation significance (and hence areas that are usually good drawcards fortourism).

In the following sections we look at the not-so-easy actions that can be taken toachieve minimal tourism impacts.

InterpretationInterpretation is a valuable way of contributing to minimal impact activities inmany tourism settings. A comprehensive examination of the underlyingtechniques or principles of interpretation is beyond the scope of this Book.However, additional material on this subject can be obtained from the Plan anddevelop interpretive activities text (refer to the introduction section of this bookfor further details of this resource). Here we will concern ourselves with thereasons why we include interpretation as part of minimal impact tourism


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operations, and the planning process involved in implementing interpretiveservices.

What is interpretat ion?

Environmental interpretation involves translating the technical language of anatural science or related field into terms and ideas that people who aren’tscientists can readily understand. And it involves doing it in a way that’sentertaining and interesting to these people.

(Ham 1992, page 3)

Interpretation:

• is more than simply giving out information— it aims to communicatemeanings and relationships in nature

• awakens curiosity

• fosters the understanding and appreciation of nature

• enhances a nature-based experience

• enables people to better understand the relationship between themselves andthe environment; and importantly

• is entertaining!

To put it simply, interpretation is a form of communication that involvestranslating something from one language to another. Environmentalinterpretation is no different— itinvolves translating the language of thenatural sciences, which is often verytechnical, into terms that people withoutspecialised knowledge can understand.It allows your visitors to gain anincreased understanding andappreciation of the natural environment.At its best, interpretation is alsoexperiential and entertaining.

Incidentally, interpretation is regardedas one of the key components ofecotourism that helps distinguish itfrom other forms of nature-based tourism.

Benefi ts of interpretat ion

The previous section told us what interpretation is; but what use is it? Well,effective interpretation has many benefits, including:

• enriching the visitor’s experience and increasing client satisfaction


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• encouraging minimal impact behaviour and so accomplishing resourcemanagement goals

• assisting understanding and appreciation

• attracting higher yield markets.

Protected area managers have found that effective interpretation is a powerfulmanagement tool that can help to minimise the negative ecological, social andcultural impacts of tourism. You may be aware that many parks are being forcedto cut back on interpretive services due to reduced funding. Therefore, itincreasingly falls to people working in the private sector to provide theenvironmental and educational benefits offered by well planned andimplemented interpretation.

Planning for interpretation allows you to protect the environment upon whichyour operation depends by educating your clients in appropriate behaviour. Wecan help to ensure that they don’t engage in actions that are inappropriate to thesettings that they are visiting. Interpretation is also a powerful means of raisingawareness of environmental issues amongst clients, who may become agents forconservation in their daily lives. What better way to create a positive outcomefor the environment?

This is aptly illustrated in an example provided by Janet Richardson in her bookEcotourism and nature-based holidays (1993, page 12):

A man visiting an alpine resort in the New South Wales snowfields wasparticularly keen to photograph his children in the snow. As he wanted actionshots in a wilderness setting he decided to use a snowmobile to reach a suitablelocation. However, when he asked national parks’ personnel about borrowingsuch a vehicle he was told that his request could not met because he mightdisturb some mountain pigmy possums known to be in the area.

The man became extremely annoyed, so a park ranger spent some time tellinghim and his children all about the mountain pygmy possum— how until quiterecently it was thought to be extinct; that it’s an endangered species with a verylimited range; that the animal gets around during winter by using air pocketsunder the snow; that any disturbance on the snow surface could put it at risk.The man’s attitude changed entirely. He took his photographs elsewhere and heand his children are now keen conservation ambassadors for the mountainpygmy possum!

Reproduced with permission from author

Why not think about how you can incorporate interpretation in some form oranother into the tourism experiences you deliver or conduct? Do you have animpact problem? Interpretation may solve it!


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Provide information about why an area is closed for rehabilitation— evenbetter, get your customers to help regenerate it!

Problems with litter? Explain or show what it does. A graphic photoshowing an emaciated turtle with its stomach crammed with plastic snorkelkeepers is a vivid reminder to take more care.

No one appreciates the importance of this rock art site or that insect? Get aguide to explain the intricacies; bring the site to life, to inspire and to instil asense of place or worth.

Optional reading

If you want to find further information on how to incorporate interpretation,there is a book in this series titled Plan and develop interpretive activities (referto the introduction section of this book for further details).

ACTIVITY 2.1

List five ways in which including interpretation as part of your operation, or aspart of a selected case study, can help create positive outcomes— for theenvironment, for the business and for the visitor.

Providing returns to the local environmentAs discussed, tourism when properly managed, can provide many benefits forthe environment in which it takes place. It can be the major catalyst for theconservation of natural areas, by providing the rationale or even the financialresources needed for their maintenance. We’ll now consider how you canincorporate this into your operation.

Example— Wildscape Safaris, CairnsWildscape Safaris, a NEAP accredited operator based in Tropical NorthQueensland, has been actively involved in regenerating a section of the BarronRiver on the Atherton Tablelands. Removal of Lantana (a noxious and invasiveweed) and rubbish— including several dumped cars— and replanting withappropriate rainforest trees has resulted in a well-appointed and scenic viewingarea for platypus viewing. Wildscape Safaris also conducts research andmonitoring of platypus behaviour at this site to investigate differences betweenplatypus populations from more temperate areas.


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Here are a number of suggestions as to how you might incorporate returns tothe local environment into your operation or the activities you conduct:

Participate in monitoring— For example, you could develop strategies toregularly monitor environmental indicators of tourism impacts, such aserosion, soil compaction, water quality, weeds, wildlife populations, feralanimal sightings or coral damage. You could then add to the body ofknowledge about that area in terms of species sightings, special or unusualevents or breeding cycles. Why not encourage staff to start a regular log orfield diary?

Rehabilitation of degraded areas— You could develop plans for theongoing revegetating of a disturbed site as part of your operation. Forexample, one operator in Queensland has developed a policy whereby a treeis planted for every client. Your clients may even provide the labour forconstructive conservation projects as part of their tourism experience (forinstance vegetation regeneration or land reclamation)— in fact conservationprojects can often provide the raw material for part of your interpretation andeducation programs to help increase environmental awareness.

Maintenance— One operator in Victoria maintains a boardwalk in a nationalpark by regularly removing leaf litter to allow rainwater to drain naturally.You could have a policy of not only carrying out your rubbish but alsoactively removing all litter.

Facilitation of research programs— Some operators provide tours oraccommodation to researchers, while others donate part of their income toresearch programs. Have you considered ways in which you might be able toeither raise or contribute funds that would facilitate research? It shows youcare. Again, perhaps your operation could not only provide access forresearchers, but provide the local experts themselves. Operators are oftenvery knowledgeable by virtue of field experience in the same area overprolonged periods. You could provide the personnel required for basiclegwork such as extra hands for species counts, trap emptying and setting,transect studies or monitoring health.

ACTIVITY 2.2

1 Think about the tourism experiences you provide, or an ecotourism businessthat you are familiar with. What does the local environment gain from thisparticular business?

2 What are the possible economic costs?

3 Do you think that your business would be able to remain viable whilecontributing to conservation of the area?


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Providing returns to the host communityAs you have already seen, tourism operations can bring many undoubtedbenefits to host communities— economic growth, increased employment, aslowing of rural depopulation, and improved provision of infrastructure andservices such as better roads, cleaner water and more advanced sewagetreatment procedures. However, tourism can also have many negativeconsequences— whether perceived or real— for host communities. Poorly orinsensitively planned tourism development can cause unwanted changes in thecommunity’s lifestyle, sense of place, quality of life, behaviour and valuesystems. It has also been suggested that communities in isolated, rural areas(places where most ecotourism occurs) are at a higher risk of feeling thesenegative impacts. It is thus very important to adequately plan for returns to thecommunity that can help overcome any problems.

There are many ways in which you can plan to ensure that the host communitygets a fair return from your operation. These benefits do not necessarily have tobe economic; there are several ways in which you can provide social or culturalbenefits as well. The following examples will help you consider some ways inwhich you can ensure that your business provides a return to your hostcommunity.

Example— Phil l ip Island Penguin Reserve, VictoriaThe Reserve contributes directly to the local community and economy. In 1995in excess of $1 million dollars was spent on wages and the purchase of servicesfrom local companies. Tourism Victoria estimates that annual net expenditure inVictoria arising directly or indirectly from the Penguin Parade was over $50million in 1994.

Example— Seal Bay Conservation Park, Kangaroo ParkThe sea lions of Seal Bay are the major attraction on Kangaroo Island, withvisitors estimated to reach 150,000 by the year 2000. The current level ofvisitation already brings significant financial benefits to the Island, especiallythe non-day trippers with a demand for overnight accommodation, food outletsand a number of additional tourism related services. It is a requirement that allvisitors to the Bay are escorted by a trained guide, so there is also a demand forlocal labour.


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Personal contact— Initiate contact with the leaders of community groupsaffected by your operation. Attend, and offer to speak, at their meetings.Keep them informed of any developments. Invite them to sit on an advisoryboard or planning committee for your operation. This will give them a bettersense of involvement in decisions and will foster positive feelings. Makesure you also consult with other stakeholder groups and inform them of yourplans— conservation groups, bushwalking, horse riding and four-wheel driveclubs: try to involve them all.

Plan to involve locals in the planning and/or delivery of your product—Locals (especially long term residents) often have a wealth of localknowledge, and can increase the authenticity of your interpretation. Youcould set aside time to contact local people at the consultation stage of theplanning process and invite them to contribute.

Make your products more accessible to local groups— Offer your tours orfacilities free of charge or at reduced prices to local groups such as scouts,guides or educational institutions.

Provide employment for local people— If you are in a position to provideemployment, you could develop a policy of employing locals. For example,in your business plan you could make a provision that, say, 50 per cent ofyour staff will be locals by year five of operation. You may find that there isa training provider in your area that can provide you with qualified staff forinterpretation or clerical roles. If not— why not lobby for training of thissort?

Source products and services locally— Plan your purchases carefully.There may be opportunities for you to indirectly provide employmentopportunities and economic gain for the locals. For example, recommendlocal accommodation to people on your tours, buy local produce or use localcraftspeople to produce mementoes of the area.

ACTIVITY 2.3

1 Think about the area that you work in, or a tourist destination that you arefamiliar with. In what ways could you plan to provide benefits for the localcommunity?

2 How could consulting with your host community benefit:

the community

your business?


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Cultural sensit ivityTourism, especially ecotourism, is often viewed by indigenous communities as aform of appropriate development. Compared to other industries, it usuallyinvolves relatively minimal impact on the environment and can lead to increasedcultural understanding. However, there are special considerations relating tocultural sustainability that we need to take on board when planning minimalimpact operations.

A key feature of ecotourism, and to a lesser extent other forms of tourism, is thatit recognises, and even capitalises on, cultural values. You may have alreadyfound that this point is particularly relevant in Australia. Our so-called naturallandscape, flora and fauna are the products of at least 60,000 years of traditionalland management practices. Thus the environment in which you are, or will be,operating a tourism business is also a cultural landscape. Your particular areawill have its own set of meanings and relationships that may not be immediatelyapparent or even understandable to an outside observer, but which should beaccorded respect.

If your operation involves taking people onto Aboriginal land or to certainheritage sites, you will find the need to consult with your local indigenouscommunity is mandatory. Furthermore, the High Court’s 1992 decision onnative title, and the Federal Parliament’s Native Title Act (1993) have createdincreased opportunities for indigenous people to make significant contributionsto the way national parks are managed. For example, there may be a possibilitythat the park you visit may, now or in the future, be subject to a jointmanagement agreement between the relevant land management agency and thetraditional owners. You should seek to involve indigenous people in theplanning of your operation even if there is no legal requirement on you to do so.

Example— Peregrine Adventures, MelbournePeregrine Adventures has developed an extensive amount of pre-departureinformation for its clients (Guidelines for Low-Impact Travel) that includesinformation on local people and how to respect their culture, and tips on how topreserve historical sites. They also provide details of appropriate contactorganisations and an extensive book list so that interested clients can find outmore. The guidelines prepare their clients for what they should expect to see andhow to behave, reducing on-site problems and contributing significantly to theirsuccess.

Cultural ly insensit ive operat ions

I’m giving my clients what they want. Does it really matter if my operation isnot culturally sensitive? As tourism operators, we may tend to look at the area inwhich we operate in predominantly commercial terms— after all, that is thereason we are in business in the first place. However, the indigenous community


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in your area may take a more holistic view of the values associated with a pieceof land. Indigenous recognition of an area’s economic importance is oftenprofoundly integrated with its cultural and spiritual values. This means that youshould seek to ensure that your operation neither gives cause for offence to anarea’s traditional owners, nor is the means for perpetuating stereotypes orfallacies. For example, this may mean that you don’t visit areas that areconsidered culturally or spiritually sensitive or that you don’t tell stories you donot have permission to relate.

Some pitfalls that may result from culturally insensitive operations follow.

• Destruction of culturally or spiritually significant sites— The constantpresence of tourists may degrade or destroy significant areas. For example,constant touching of rock art obviously causes damage. However, lessnoticeably, the dust raised by sheer numbers of visitors in unhardenedgalleries can cause it to disintegrate. In turn, this leads to a desecration ofcultural heritage and— of prime concern for you— resentment towards tourists.

• Sanitisation and generalisation of culture— Culture presented for touristsloses its intrinsic worth, and even sometimes becomes debased. For example,the playing of didgeridoos and the selling of boomerangs are oftenincorporated into tours in areas where they were not traditionally used.

• Cultural resentment— The high disposable incomes and holiday lifestyles ofvisitors may lead to resentment and the creation of unrealistic expectations inindigenous communities that are situated in economically marginal areas.

• Lack of privacy— Indigenous communities are often relatively small, and theconstant presence of visitors wanting to share their lifestyle can becomeintrusive and offensive. In the worst cases, this can lead to the exclusion of allvisitors.

You may think that there’s no indigenous community in your area, and so youdon’t need to worry about cultural sensitivity. Spiritual and cultural ties tocountry often persist regardless of the type of land tenure that is in place.Sometimes an indigenous population in an area may be modest in size andwidely dispersed, and may not even look ‘Aboriginal’. However, the membersof the community may still retain a strong connection to their traditional landsand, as such, should be consulted regarding your tourism operation. Indeed, oneof the core criteria for accreditation under NEAP is that you, as an operator,have made an effort to consult with the relevant custodians regarding yourbusiness. As Anderson (1992) has noted:

If somebody, especially local Europeans, says that there are no Aboriginalpeople left for a given area of country and that you might as well not bother[consulting] they’re almost always wrong. There are almost always Aboriginalpeople somewhere, maybe not in the local area, but somewhere, someone willhave knowledge of a given area of country . . . That is, when people say nobodyknows anything about the area, 99% of the time there are people who have


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knowledge of that country and it’s more a function of the consultation situationthat the knowledge doesn’t get out.

Planning for cultural sensit iv i ty

The following points are intended as a general summary of some ways in whichyou can plan for cultural sensitivity in your operation. Remember that culture,spirituality and traditions vary from place to place, and that you will need to beflexible in your approach. Use integrity, good manners, sensitivity and commonsense to find an approach that works for you— and the community you aredealing with.

• Do your research— Find out as much as you can about your area’s traditionalowners. Use books, archival material or word of mouth; there will beinformation out there if you look hard enough.

• Establish the right people to talk with— Within the community, people willknow who has responsibility for certain tracts of land. Often, the best way tofind these people is to approach the local land council, community council orboard of management and ask them who the right people are to talk with abouta particular area. However, bear in mind that there are often many complexsocial factors that are involved in caring for country, and styles of giving outinformation vary from culture to culture. Don’t assume that, even if youmanage to contact the right people, they will divulge information.

• Get to know the people— Spend some time with them in their country. Bygiving them the chance to take a leadership role, you are giving credibility tothe information they are giving you.

• Don’t go into the consultation process with your mind already made up—Consultation involves negotiation. Don’t go into the process with an inflexibleplan. Be prepared to take the community’s wishes on board, and change yourplans where necessary.

• Don’t rely too heavily on letters or public meetings— Dealing with the rightpeople on a personal level is often a far more effective way to communicatethan via the written word. As a rule, public meetings should only be used tofinalise decisions after the issues have been raised and discussed within thecommunity beforehand.

• Be sensitive about the times when you consult— There are inappropriatetimes to be engaged in consultation; for example, after somebody in thecommunity has died. Be perceptive about culturally important times.

• Don’t have inflexible ideas about ‘traditional’ indigenous culture— Justbecause the people in your area may live a modern lifestyle, responsibility forcountry may still be strongly felt and traditional knowledge may still be alive.

• And finally . . .Allow yourself plenty of time— The consultative processoften takes a great deal of time in indigenous communities. It doesn’t pay to


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go in at the last minute, hoping that you can get everything organised within aweek or two. As the Aboriginal Co-ordinating Council (1994 page1) notes‘The traditional Aboriginal deliberation process is democratic, thorough and,of necessity slow by other standards. We do not ask people . . . to eitherunderstand or approve of the deliberation process— merely to respect theright of our people to use customary, accepted and well tried processes.’

Provide guidelines for staff or guides as well as your customers on thecultural sensitivities of the indigenous community. This may mean banningphotography of people or sacred sites, observing clear protocols regardingdissemination of information and respect for cultural copyright.

Use local indigenous guides— Who better to hear local legends anddreamtime stories from? Who better to show you local bush tucker andexplain lifestyles? Where possible, use indigenous guides to tell their ownstories. If this is not feasible, ensure that your own guides are briefed andaware of local culture and sensitivities. You must ensure that clients areprovided with accurate and relevant information which provides thepotential for better understanding and appreciation of the indigenousheritage, culture and people of the area.

ACTIVITY 2.4

1 Consider the area where you currently operate, or where you would like tooperate a tourism business. What initial processes would you need to followto establishing a consultative process with the area’s traditional custodians?

2 How will you plan to minimise the negative impacts and maximise thepositive impacts of your operation on the community?

Meeting realist ic cl ient expectationsIt is all too easy in the tourism industry to create unrealistic client expectations.Promotional material, by its very nature, seeks to show potential clients the bestaspects of a product. We have all seen brochures depicting clear skies anddeserted beaches that we know fall short of reality, and accept this type ofpromotion as marketing hype. But showing whales when they only visit once ina blue moon? Depicting cassowaries when a dog killed the last one in theimmediate vicinity ten years ago? The issue of responsible marketing is relevantto all tourism operations.

Almost all of us are sure to know, or have heard of, an operator who simply usesthe term ‘ecotourism’ as a promotional ploy, without any real adherence to its


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underlying principles. Othersmay make empty promises, ormisunderstand the nature of theproduct that they are offering.In the worst case, suchoperators damage the credibilityof the entire industry, bydebasing the term and making itmore difficult for genuineoperators to be accepted by themarket. It goes without sayingthat a dissatisfied customer isunlikely to create repeat

business for you, and in all probability will tell their friends about theirdisappointing experience. Therefore, it pays to plan effectively to match yourmarketing with the reality of the product you offer.

Tourism marketing is an extensive subject in its own right, and it is beyond thescope of this section to give a comprehensive overview. Instead, we willconcentrate on some specific areas of promotion that relate to delivering yourproduct to the market in an ethical way.

Matching promotion to the real i ty

Regardless of which elements of the promotional mix (brochures, Internet,signage and so on) you decide to use, the underlying principles for promotingtourism products are the same. At all times, you should aim to promote yourproduct in a manner that both respects the special environmental or culturalconditions in your area, and allows your customers to gain an accurate picture ofthe type of experience that they will be undertaking.

It also pays to consider the way in which your promotional material is presented.Your overt messages (such as those conveyed by text or pictures) may lose allcredibility if the style of presentation that you employ does not convey to yourcustomers that you sell a genuinely minimal impact product. For example,producing your brochures on recycled, chlorine free or sugar cane waste paperwill help communicate your environmental awareness to your customers. Beloware some hints to follow when planning your promotional activities.

Determine the characteristics of your target market— For example,ecotourists (in very broad terms) may be classified as well-educated, high-income earners. Therefore, in most cases, you would aim to producepromotional material that is aimed at a sophisticated and environmentally awaremarket.

Decide on a theme— Your theme should be decided before you launch into anypromotional activity, as it will partly determine what elements of thepromotional mix you utilise. Themes help to keep you focused on your target


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market and the messages and images that you wish to convey to them: forexample, that you operate minimal impact bushwalking tours. Ensure that yourtheme and promotional messages and images accurately convey the type ofexperience that your offer. Remember to seek customer feedback to find outwhether your theme is being communicated effectively.

Be ethical in your approach— Make sure that your promotional material isaccurate. For example, use terms such as ‘ecotourism’ only where they aregenuinely applicable and ensure that your product incorporates all the principlesof ecotourism before promoting it under this label.

Provide pre-trip information— Your promotional material should seek toensure that your customers are well briefed on the product. They shouldknow what to expect from you and, in return, what behaviours will beexpected of them. Incorporate any necessary information about the fragilityor rarity of the environments that you visit, as well as any limits on visitornumbers. This type of information will allow your clients to select a productthat best suits their interests, inclinations and skill levels.

Example—West Wind AdventuresThe West Wind Adventures company conducts caving, rockclimbing, abseilingand extended camping trips. The company also operates its business alongminimal impact guidelines. The operators wished to develop a promotionalstrategy that would appeal to a market that is interested in adventure tourismwith a high degree of challenge, but which is also managed so as to beecologically sustainable.

Promotional theme: the elements outlined in the operators’ positioning strategysuggested the promotional theme— challenging, minimal impact adventures.

Messages and images: some examples of messages that reflect the promotionaltheme are:

• Overall slogan: ‘West Wind Adventures— tours for the wild at heart.’

• Sub-messages: ‘Discover the untamed beauty of the western wilderness withour team of experienced naturalists’; ‘Visit rarely-seen caves with the onlyNEAP accredited operators on the west coast’.

• Images in promotional material depicted adventure activities, ensuring thatthey were within minimal impact guidelines. For example, pictures ofbushwalking depicted people keeping to designated tracks, pictures ofcamping did not include campfires.

Pre-trip information: the operators’ pre-trip information encompassed thefollowing aspects:


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• Safety: for example, special equipment and clothing needed, weather andterrain conditions to be expected on the tour, level of fitness required.

• Inclusions in tour prices, for example, meals, transfers.

• Departure times and any special conditions that may cancel or delay tours.

• Facilities on tour, for example, toilets, showers.

• Special environmental conditions on tour, for example, herbfields that shouldnot be walked over; stalactites that should not be touched, ‘no campfire’policy while on tour.

ACTIVITY 2.5

Develop an outline for a promotional strategy for the tourism business that youwork in, or for a fictional operation. Determine:

a) a promotional theme that accurately reflects the nature of the product

b) the messages and images that will convey your theme

c) the types of pre-trip information that you feel would be important to conveyan accurate idea of the product and the environment you will be visiting.

ReviewIn this chapter we explored some of the elements that are necessary to considerwhen planning for minimal impact tourism. A close look at the principles ofecotourism— the elements of interpretation, sustainability, returns to theenvironment and local community and cultural sensitivity— plus responsiblemarketing provide a benchmark that all tourism operations should strive toachieve.

It is hoped that you will agree that planning for minimal impact is an essentialstep for any tourism business. It increases the likelihood of long-term businessviability by decreasing the likelihood of destroying your resource base, creatingill-feeling within your host community, and failing to live up to your clients’expectations.

Thorough research based on the framework provided by the ecotourismprinciples we have covered here should allow you to move on to developing adetailed operations manual for minimal impact tourism experiences andactivities. This will need to be fleshed out with the relevant codes of practiceand possibly modified after consultation with your local community andadditional research into the special environmental and cultural aspects of yourarea. Planning should include the development of a policy to promote yourproduct responsibly.


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The next chapter explores specific environmental sustainability codes andguidelines that will provide you with practical advice on how to incorporateminimal impact practices into select or specific environments.

Assessment

If you are using this book for study purposes, you may complete minorassessment 1. This minor assessment will eventually be incorporated in themajor assessment task for the whole unit. Further details are outlined at the endof this book


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chapter 2: planning for minimal impact: ecotourism principlesis... · page 11 chapter 2: planning...

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