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Green and Gold Tourism: Promoting
Eco-Adventure and Cultural Tourism
for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth OSCAR F. PICAZO
DAVAO CITY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
2 major flanks of tourism
Mass or mainstream tourism
Conventional, standard, large-
scale tourism
Tends to be capital-intensive and
large-scale and, therefore, less
inclusive
Corporate-oriented
Alternative tourism Non-traditional activities, non-
standard, often small- or medium-scale
More pro-poor tourism in that it generates more net benefits for the community
Does not promote a specific product or sector but an overall approach
“Rather than aiming to expand the size of the sector, pro-poor tourism aims to unlock opportunities for economic gain, other livelihood benefits, or engagement in decision-making for the poor” (Ashley, Goodwin, and Roe, 2001)
What is ‘green’ tourism?
International Ecotourism Society: “Ecotourism is the purposeful travel
to natural areas…
to understand the culture and natural history of the environment
taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem
while producing economic opportunities
that make the conservation of natural resources beneficial to local
people”
Why ‘green’ tourism? (Goeldner and Richie, 2003)
Provides jobs and incomes for local people
Makes possible funds for improving protected or natural areas to
attract more ecotourists in the future
Provides environmental education for visitors
Encourages heritage and environmental preservation and
enhancement
Illustrative activities of ‘green’
tourism (1 of 4)
Ecotourism – travel
involving mountain/volcano
climbing and trekking, camping,
rainforest trekking and canopy
tours, zipline riding, mangrove
tours, garden tours, bird-watching,
animal encounters (whales,
whale-shark, dolphin, penguin),
fireflies, butterfly and bee farm
visits, etc.
Illustrative activities of ‘green’
tourism (2 of 4)
Adventure
tourism – travel involving
rainforest trekking, mountain
climbing, camping, hang-gliding,
bungee jumping, white-water
rafting, desert sand or beach
boarding, scuba diving,
snorkelling, skywalking, and
helicopter rides over large
waterfalls/canyons and other
scenic places
Illustrative activities of ‘green’
tourism (3 of 4)
Agro-tourism – travel to farms, ranches,
estates, plantations, homesteads, and orchards and
includes such examples as growing, harvesting, and
processing of crops and produce, e.g., coffee farming,
tea estates, fruit plantations, pick-your-own-fruit
harvesting
Illustrative activities of ‘green’
tourism (4 of 4)
Safari tourism – travel to see
wild animals in their natural habitats, e.g.,
‘Big Five’ in Africa, komodo dragons
(Indonesia), orang-utans (Borneo), tigers
(Sumatra)
Why ‘gold’ tourism?
Festivals and events appeal to a very broad audience; they also
spread tourism geographically and seasonally, and therefore have
a large potential inclusive impact
Feasts and special events give communities a sense of pride and
ownership, enhancing social capital and therefore inclusiveness
The older generation of tourists were attracted to European cradles
of civilization, but the younger generations are seeking out ‘newer’ cultural destinations in emerging economies
Immigrants and their descendants are trying to rediscover their roots
Era of multiculturalism has launched massive tourism potential of
minority cultures
Illustrative activities of ‘gold’
tourism (1 of 4)
Ethnic tourism –
travel for the purpose of observing
cultural expressions and lifestyles of
truly exotic people, e.g., hill tribes
in Thailand; indigenous people
around Lake Sebu
Illustrative activities of ‘gold’
tourism (2 of 4)
Cultural tourism –
travel to experience and, in some
cases, to participate in a vanishing
lifestyle, and to see physical
artifacts of such a way of life, e.g.,
town fiestas, Batak in Sumatra,
Incas of Peru
Illustrative activities of ‘gold’
tourism (3 of 4)
Historical tourism – travel that stresses the glories of
a country’s or a region’s past,
usually seen in its museums, forts,
palaces, gates, churches, and
mosques
Pilgrimage
tourism – travel for a
religious purpose
Illustrative activities of ‘gold’
tourism (4 of 4)
Festivals and events tourism – travel to a specific location to witness or participate in
a specific festivity held during a particular date, e.g.,
Kadayawan Festival
Core indicators of sustainable
tourism (1 of 3) (WTO 2003)
Indicators Specific Measures
Site protection Category of site protection according to IUCN index
Stress Tourist numbers visiting the site (per annum or peak
month)
Use intensity Intensity of use in peak period (persons/hectare)
Social impact Ratio of tourists to locals (peak period over time)
Development
control
Existence of environmental review procedure or formal
controls over development of site and use of densities
Waste management Percentage of sewage from site receiving treatment
Core indicators of sustainable
tourism (2 of 3) (WTO, 2003)
Indicators Specific Measures
Planning process Existence of organized plan for tourist destination region
Critical ecosystems Number of rare/endangered species
Consumer
satisfaction
Level of satisfaction by visitors (questionnaire-based)
Local satisfaction Level of satisfaction by locals (questionnaire-based)
Tourism contribution
to local economy
Proportion of total economic activity generated by
tourists only
Core indicators of sustainable
tourism (3 of 3) (WTO, 2003)
Composite Indices Specific Measures
Carrying capacity Composite early warning measure of key factors
affecting the ability of the site to support different levels
of tourism
Site stress Composite measure of levels of impact on the site
Attractiveness Qualitative measure of those site attributes that make it
attractive to tourism
Concerns and issues about ‘green’
and ‘gold’ tourism (1 of 2) (AHRRC, 2011)
What are the stakeholders’ main concerns in eco-adventure and
cultural tourism?
What is the level of knowledge of stakeholders on inclusivity and
environmental sustainability issues? What is their source of
information about these issues?
Do stakeholders have inclusivity and environmental sustainability
goals, strategies, policies, or plans? What are the main factors driving the inclusion (or exclusion) of these considerations? How are
they communicated to employees, tourists, or community
members?
Concern and issues about ‘green’
and ‘gold’ tourism (2 of 2) (AHRRC, 2011)
What are the biggest barriers in developing appropriate strategies
and practices in pursuit of inclusive and environmentally sustainable
eco-adventure and cultural tourism?
What are the most common and effective inclusivity and
environmental sustainability strategies or activities that stakeholders
actually conduct or get involved in? What have stakeholders heard
about inclusivity and sustainability that they want to try or adopt, if
they had the means to do so?
What changes would stakeholders want from the tourism status quo,
if they had their way?
Emerging good practices in
inclusivity and sustainability (1 of 4)
Volunteer travel – service-
oriented vacation, humanitarian
vacation, and ‘gap year’ travel
among the young in industrial
countries
Promotion of home stays –
provides opportunities for local
residents to use existing assets
(their homes) as lodging places
and thereby earn additional
revenues and experience a sense
of pride
Emerging good practices in
inclusivity and sustainability (2 of 4)
Community organized-
and –owned tourism
activities – gaining traction in
RP mainly through DENR and
environmental NGOs: firefly tours,
mangrove tours, whale-shark
watching, dolphin watching,
trekking
Emerging good practices in
inclusivity and sustainability (3 of 4)
Establishing non-mainstream or ‘new frontier’
tourist routes and destinations – focuses on
finding, arranging, and marketing ‘off-the-beaten-track’
routes and destinations, e.g., unexplored waterfalls, caves,
trails known only to local residents; local cuisine or food
trips; etc.
Emerging good practices in
inclusivity and sustainability (4 of 4)
Tourists’ involvement in cultural
preservation and eco-
rehabilitation – focuses on endangered
cultural sites and cultural or ecotourism sites
that have been destroyed by natural or man-
made disasters, including vandalism
What can be done at the
collective level? (1 of 2) Official identification and listing of cultural heritage sites, historical
buildings, fragile ecosystems, etc.
Adoption by respected institutions of cultural and environmental sites for rescue and preservation
Formulation of Codes of Conduct for players within the industry
ASTA Ten Commandments of Ecotourism
APEC/PATA code of environmentally sustainable tourism
Formulation of Codes of Ethics and Practices for Tourists
Canadian tourism industry
National Audobon Society’s Travel Ethics for Environmentally Responsible Travel (1989)
Save Our Planet’s Guidelines for Low Impact Vacations (1990)
Center for Responsible Tourism’s Tourist Code of Ethics
What can be done at the
collective level? (2 of 2)
Formulation and enforcement of industry regulatory standards
Conduct of environmental assessment
Environmental audits of practices
Compliance with international conventions and national laws and
local ordinances
Promotion of community approaches and processes, and provision
of relevant capacity-building to them
Formulation of appropriate indicators for monitoring and evaluation
(M&E) and conduct of impact evaluation (IE)
Information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns for
individual tourists’ responsibilities