QUALITY ASSURANCE AND CERTIFICATIONIN ECOTOURISM

Ecotourism Book Series

General Editor: David B. Weaver, Professor of Tourism Management,George Mason University, Virginia, USA.

Ecotourism, or nature-based tourism that is managed to be learning-orientedas well as environmentally and socioculturally sustainable, has emerged inthe past 20 years as one of the most important sectors within the global tour-ism industry. The purpose of this Series is to provide diverse stakeholders(e.g. academics, graduate and senior undergraduate students, practitioners,protected area managers, government and non-governmental organizations)with state-of-the-art and scientifically sound strategic knowledge about allfacets of ecotourism, including external environments that influence itsdevelopment. Contributions adopt a holistic, critical and interdisciplinaryapproach that combines relevant theory and practice while placing casestudies from specific destinations into an international context. The Seriessupports the development and diffusion of financially viable ecotourismthat fulfils the objective of environmental, sociocultural and economicsustainability at both the local and global scale.

Titles available:1. Nature-based Tourism, Environment and Land Management

Edited by R. Buckley, C. Pickering and D. Weaver2. Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism

Edited by R. Buckley3. Indigenous Ecotourism: Sustainable Development and Management

H. Zeppel4. Ecotourism in Scandinavia: Lessons in Theory and Practice

Edited by S. Gössling and J. Hultman5. Quality Assurance and Certification in Ecotourism

Edited by R. Black and A. Crabtree

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND

CERTIFICATION IN

ECOTOURISM

Edited by

Rosemary Black

School of Environmental SciencesCharles Sturt UniversityAlbury, NSWAustralia

and

Alice Crabtree

Ecotourism ConsultantCairns, QueenslandAustralia

CABI is a trading name of CAB International

CABI Head Office CABI North American OfficeNosworthy Way 875 Massachusetts AvenueWallingford 7th FloorOxfordshire OX10 8DE Cambridge, MA 02139UK USA

Tel: +44 (0)1491 832111 Tel: +1 617 395 4056Fax: +44 (0)1491 833508 Fax: +1 617 354 6875E-mail: cabi@cabi.org E-mail: cabi-nao@cabi.orgWeb site: www.cabi.org

© CAB International 2007. All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced in any form or by any means,electronically, mechanically, by photocopying, recording or otherwise,without the prior permission of the copyright owners.

A catalogue record for this volume is available from the British Library,London, UK.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Quality assurance and certification in ecotourism / edited byRosemary Black and Alice Crabtree.

p. cm. – (Ecotourism book series)Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN-13: 978-1-84593-237-4 (alk. paper)ISBN-10: 1-84593-237-4 (alk. paper)1. Ecotourism--Quality control. 2. Ecotourism--Certification. I. Black, Rosemary,1955- II. Crabtree, Alice. III. Title. IV. Series.

G156.5.E26Q83 2006910.68’4–dc22

2006033312ISBN: 978 1 84593 237 4

Typeset by AMA DataSet, Preston, UK.Printed and bound in the UK by Biddles Ltd, King’s Lynn.

ContentsContents

Contents

Contributors ix

Foreword xxiiDavid Weaver, Series Editor

Foreword xxivMartha Honey

Preface xxviiRosemary Black and Alice Crabtree

Acknowledgements xxxii

TIES Organizational Description xxxiv

Abbreviations xxxv

1 Setting the Context: Quality in Ecotourism 1Rosemary Black and Alice Crabtree

PART ONE: SPECTRUM OF QUALITY ASSURANCE TOOLS

2 Achieving Quality in Ecotourism: Tools in the Toolbox 16Rosemary Black and Alice Crabtree

3 Green and Gold? Awards for Excellence in Australian Tourism:Promoting Quality and Sustainability to the Tourism Industry 23Stuart Toplis

v

4 ‘No Better than a Band-Aid for a Bullet Wound!’:the Effectiveness of Tourism Codes of Conduct 46Peter Mason

5 SmartVoyager: Protecting the Galápagos Islands 65Carol Goodstein

6 Green Globe: a Global Environmental Certification Programmefor Travel and Tourism 81Cathy Parsons and Jill Grant

7 Sustainability Indicators for Ecotourism Destinations andOperations 101Gabor Vereczi

8 Adapting the Indicator Approach – Practical Applications inthe South Pacific 116Louise Twining-Ward

PART TWO: STAKEHOLDERS’ PERSPECTIVES

9 Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Quality in Ecotourism 136Rosemary Black and Alice Crabtree

Tourist and Consumer Perspectives

10 Sustainable Tourism Certification Marketing and itsContribution to SME Market Access 147Xavier Font and Megan Epler Wood

11 Consumer Demand for Quality in Ecotourism 164Zoë Chafe

Community Perspectives

12 Quality in Ecotourism: the Community Perspective 196Abigail Rome

13 The Prospects and Dilemmas of Indigenous TourismStandards and Certifications 218Luis A. Vivanco

14 Assuring Community Benefit in South Africa through FairTrade in Tourism Certification 241Jennifer Seif and Anna Spenceley

vi Contents

Protected Area Managers’ Perspectives

15 Certification in Protected Areas: a Western AustralianCase Study 266Colin Ingram

16 Certification of Protected Areas: the Case of PAN Parks inEurope 299Xavier Font and Sue Clark

Ecotour Guides’ Perspectives

17 Professional Certification: a Mechanism to Enhance EcotourGuide Performance 316Rosemary Black

18 Putting the Ecotour Guide Back into Context: Using SystemsThinking to Develop Quality Guides 337Jon Kohl

19 Towards Developing Tour Guides as Interpreters of CulturalHeritage: the Case of Cusco, Peru 364Gemma McGrath

Ecotourism Industry’s Perspectives

20 Ecotourism Certification in New Zealand: Operator andIndustry Perspectives 395Tara Rowe and James Higham

21 Towards an Internationally Recognized Ecolodge Certification 415Hitesh Mehta

22 The Australian EcoCertification Programme (NEAP): Blazinga Trail for Ecotourism Certification, but Keeping on Track? 435Rik Thwaites

23 Creating Regional Networks of Sustainable TourismStakeholders: Europe’s Voluntary Initiatives for Sustainabilityin Tourism (VISIT) and the Sustainable Tourism CertificationNetwork of the Americas 464Herbert Hamele, Naut Kusters, Ronald Sanabria andElizabeth Skinner

Contents vii

CONCLUSION

24 Conclusion: Challenges and Issues for Quality in Ecotourism 489Alice Crabtree and Rosemary Black

Glossary 501

Index 509

viii Contents

ContributorsContributors

Contributors

Rosemary Black

Dr Rosemary Black is a Senior Lecturer atCharles Sturt University. She teaches in thefields of heritage interpretation, interpretive guid-ing, ecotourism and outdoor education and isCourse Coordinator of the Bachelor of AppliedSciences (Adventure Ecotourism). Prior to enter-ing academia she worked as park ranger inNew South Wales and a tour leader for WorldExpeditions, mainly in Nepal, Australia, Indiaand Fiji. She has published over 18 refereedjournal articles and book chapters and edited abook on Australian heritage interpretation andtour guiding. Her PhD focused on professional

certification of tour guides in the Australian ecotourism industry. Herresearch interests are evaluation of interpretation, professionalism in tourguiding and social aspects of natural resource management, includinggender issues and environmental education. School of EnvironmentalSciences, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640(rblack@csu.edu.au).

Zoë Chafe

Zoë Chafe is a Staff Researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, an independentresearch organization based in Washington, DC. Previously, Zoë workedwith the Centre on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development, a joint projectof Stanford University and the Institute for Policy Studies, where herresearch focused on consumer demand for responsible tourism. She speaks

ix

on tourism issues frequently, and has authoredarticles on responsible tourism and air travel inseveral international publications, includingWorldwatch’s annual facts and trends guide,Vital Signs. In 2005, Zoë served on the NorthAmerican delegation to UN Environment Pro-gramme discussions on tourism and theenvironment. She holds a degree in HumanBiology, with honours, from Stanford Univer-sity. Worldwatch Institute, 1776 MassachusettsAve, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036,USA (zchafe@worldwatch.org).

Sue Clark

Sue Clark is Visiting Lecturer in Tourism Plan-ning at the Glion Institute of Higher Education(GIHE) in Switzerland. She has taught tourismat academic institutions in the UK, the USA andThe Netherlands. She has had 25 years’ experi-ence working in the public and private sectorsof the tourism industry and has a long-standinginterest in nature and heritage tourism. Afterbeing on the Advisory Council of PAN Parkssince 1999, she took the post of Senior Tourismand Marketing Adviser in summer 2004, withresponsibility for the development of the PAN

Parks project and for the establishment of tourism products. In cooperationwith GIHE in 2004 she undertook a Training Needs Analysis of all currentPAN Parks national parks staff and those involved in tourism around eachpark. Maaskantje 40, 5271 XG, St Michielsgestel, The Netherlands (clarkd@worldonline.nl).

Alice Crabtree

Dr Alice Crabtree is an independent ecotourismconsultant. She was until recently Director(Asia-Pacific) for The International EcotourismSociety (TIES) and ran their Asia Pacific Officefrom Cairns. She was a founding member ofEcotourism Australia (EA) and served on itsExecutive, as well as playing a key role in thedevelopment of the world's first ecotourism-specific certification programme, NEAP and itssister programme, EcoGuides. Alice was alsoone of the principal authors of the InternationalEcotourism Standard (IES), an international

x Contributors

programme developed for Green Globe. Alice is currently Chair of theRespect Our Culture Technical Advisory Committee (run by AboriginalTourism Australia) and continues to serve on the Sustainable Tourism Stew-ardship Council's Advisory Group. She has both taught and written exten-sively on tourism – with particular emphasis on ecotourism development indeveloping countries, nature guiding and interpretation, certification andaccreditation issues with a focus on standards development for theecotourism industry in Australia and Asia. Her current work focus is on AIDwork in China using community-based ecotourism as an alternative liveli-hood option for poverty alleviation in rural, ethnic minority areas and usingecotourism for conservation/biodiversity initiatives in coastal areas. PO Box372, Trinity Beach, Qld 4879, Australia (crabtree@austarnet.com.au oracr26934@bigpond.com.au).

Megan Epler Wood

Megan Epler Wood is the principal of EplerWood International, which has performed stra-tegic market, business and project analysis inecotourism and sustainable tourism for the WorldBank/International Finance Corporation, USAIDand private clients in the USA, Peru, Ecuador, SriLanka and Cambodia and on an internationallevel. The firm publishes EplerWood Report atwww.eplerwood.com with widely referencedoriginal articles on monitoring, standards andconsumer demand. Epler Wood founded theInternational Ecotourism Society (TIES) in 1990

and was its Executive Director and subsequently President from 1991 to2002. She led the ecotourism workshop programme for the George Washing-ton University from 1995 to 2000. EplerWood International, 369 South UnionStreet, Burlington, VT 05401, USA (megan@eplerwood.com).

Xavier Font

Xavier Font is Principal Lecturer in TourismManagement at Leeds Metropolitan Universityand member of the PAN Parks Advisory Coun-cil. He has degrees in tourism management andmarketing from the Universities of Girona(Spain) and Surrey (UK). Formerly he lecturedat Buckinghamshire Chilterns University Col-lege and was Project Officer for an EU projecton forest tourism. His research focuses on stan-dard setting and certification of sustainabletourism and hospitality. He has co-authoredand co-edited four books and published in avariety of academic journals, including recent

Contributors xi

papers in Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Sustain-able Tourism and Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Manage-ment. In the last 5 years he has undertaken research and consultancy forUNEP, WTO, EC, Ford Foundation, Travel Foundation, Foreign and Com-monwealth Office and WWF International, Germany and The Netherlands.Tourism, Hospitality and Events School, Leeds Metropolitan University,Leeds, UK (x.font@lmu.ac.uk).

Carol Goodstein

Carol Goodstein is the Editor/Writer for theRainforest Alliance, an international conserva-tion organization. Prior to joining the Alliance,she was an editor at the Brooklyn Botanic Gar-den, where she contributed chapters on bio-diversity to the Gardener’s Desk Reference. Herfreelance articles on travel and the environ-ment have appeared in publications includingNature Conservancy, Audubon, E, Elle, Newsweek

International and the Amicus Journal. She has worked as a consultant for avariety of clients including the National Park Service, the World WildlifeFund and Fenton Communications. Goodstein holds a BA from Bard Collegeand an MA from Boston University’s School of Public Communication.Rainforest Alliance, PO Box 11029–1000, San Jose, Costa Rica(cgoodstein@ra.org).

Jill Grant

Jill Grant was the Executive Director of GreenGlobe Asia Pacific during late 2003 and 2004,where she was responsible for the developmentof partnerships with state and local government,the tourism industry and non-governmentalorganizations to encourage the adoption ofsustainable practices and continuous improve-ment in the tourism industry. She has a back-ground in agriculture, environmental scienceand education and over 15 years’ policy andprogramme development experience in govern-

ment, with a particular emphasis on sustainable development, tourismand environment industry development. As co-author of the NationalEcotourism Strategy (1994), Manager of the National Ecotourism Programand the environmental aspects of the Regional Tourism Program, Jill devel-oped a strong understanding of the key business and policy issues affectingthe delivery of sustainable tourism activities. C/o Energy and EnvironmentDivision, Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources, GPO Box 9839,Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia (Jill.Grant@industry.gov.au).

xii Contributors

Herbert Hamele

Herbert Hamele has been working for 20 yearsin the field of sustainable tourism developmentin Europe. In the 1980s he carried out a range ofstudies and model projects related to youthtravel and German consumers’ demand forsustainable tourism. In 1993 he founded andnow chairs the European Network for Sustain-able Tourism Development ECOTRANS, aregistered not-for-profit association. He special-izes in the development, monitoring, research,networking and dissemination of voluntary ini-tiatives and best practice examples (www.eco-tip.org) for sustainable tourism, with a specialfocus on ecolabels, awards and self-committed

initiatives worldwide. ECOTRANS e.V., Futterstr. 17–19, D-66111 Saarbrücken,Germany (herbert.hamele@ecotrans.de).

James Higham

James Higham is an Associate Professor at theDepartment of Tourism, University of Otago,New Zealand. He teaches and researches in theareas of tourism impacts and evaluation,ecotourism business operations, wildernessmanagement and the management of touristengagements with wildlife populations. Hewas the recipient of a major government researchgrant (1999–2001) which explored the environ-mental values of visitors to ecotourism busi-nesses in New Zealand. In 2002 he was therecipient of an Antarctica New Zealand schol-

arship, which included an extended visit to the Ross Sea region to explorethe management of tourism in New Zealand’s Antarctic dependency.Department of Tourism, School of Business, University of Otago, PO Box 56,Dunedin, New Zealand (jhigham@business.otago.ac.nz).

Colin Ingram

Colin Ingram is the Manager of the Park Policy and Services Branch withinthe Department of Environment and Conservation, Western Australia. Colinhas worked in the protected area management field for over 20 years, ini-tially as a Ranger in the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and overthe past 10 years coordinating recreation and tourism policy, social research,community involvement programmes and the management of tourism oper-ations and developments in Western Australian protected areas. Colin has

Contributors xiii

been an active member of national (Australian)working groups and task forces on issuesincluding tourism accreditation, heritage tour-ism, protected area management and protectedarea research. He is the WA Chair of the WANetwork of the Sustainable Tourism Coopera-tive Research Centre and Deputy Chair ofFACET (Forum Advocating Cultural andEcoTourism). C/o Department of Conservationand Land Management, Locked Bag 104,Bentley Delivery Centre, WA 6983, Australia(colini@calm.wa.gov.au).

Jon Kohl

After serving in the US Peace Corps in CostaRica and getting his Master’s at the YaleUniversity School of Forestry, Jon worked for6½ years with a conservation NGO, RARE, inMesoamerica. He managed the Nature GuideTraining Program and later founded the PublicUse Planning Program. Jon co-wrote the guidetraining manual and also wrote the public usemanual. Since leaving RARE in 2004, he hasbeen consulting in conservation, ecotourism,training and interpretation. His recent interest

is the application of systems thinking to learning, project design and worldview change. Apdo 12-2250, Tres Rios, Cartago, Costa Rica (jkohl@jonkohl.com).

Naut Kusters

Naut Kusters was educated in social forestryand has worked since 1992 as a project man-ager and consultant in rural tourism and eco-tourism. Naut is the director of the EuropeanCentre for Eco and Agro Tourism (ECEAT),which is an international association promot-ing sustainable tourism in Europe’s rural areaswith branches in more than 15 countries.ECEAT maintains a marketing network ofmore than 2000 small-scale environmentallyfriendly accommodations (www.eceat.org).The association is one of the initiators of VISIT,the European Association of Tourism Ecolabels

xiv Contributors

(www.yourvisit.info) and the Tour Link initiative, linking European touroperators with certified products. ECEAT – Projects, Postbox 10899, 1001 EWAmsterdam, The Netherlands (N.kusters@eceat.nl).

Gemma McGrath

Gemma McGrath, who is half-Spanish andhalf-Irish, studied French and Hispanic Studiesat the University of Liverpool, and spent a yearliving in Peru. After graduating in the early1990s, she worked as an overland tour leader inLatin America. She later took a Master’s degreein tourism management at the University ofSurrey and wrote her dissertation on develop-ing ecotourism in Costa Rica. Her researchinterests lie in interpretation and service qual-ity issues, especially in developing areas. Herdoctoral thesis focused on the importance of

developing the tour guide’s role at archaeological sites in Peru. She is aSenior Lecturer and the Course Director of the International Tourism andTravel Communication BA. London College of Communication, Universityof the Arts, Elephant and Castle, London SE1 6SB, UK (g.mcgrath@lcc.arts.ac.uk).

Peter Mason

Dr Peter Mason is Professor of Tourism Man-agement at the University of Luton. His earlyresearch concentrated on tourism developmentand impacts; more recently he has focused ontourism planning and management. He isknown for his work on education and regula-tion in tourism and particularly for the firstacademic study that discussed and critiquedtourism codes of conduct. This was publishedby the Department of Geography, University ofPlymouth, UK, and appeared later in a revisedform in Progress in Tourism and Hospitality

Research. In addition to work on codes of conduct, he is currently involved inresearching and writing about visitor management, tour guiding and inter-pretation issues in tourism. Department of Tourism, Leisure and HumanResource Managment, University of Bedforshire, Park Square, Luton, LU13JU, UK (peter.mason@luton.ac.uk).

Hitesh Mehta

Hitesh Mehta is a Landscape Architect, Architect and Environmental Plan-ner and works at Edward D. Stone Jr and Associates in Florida. He is one of

Contributors xv

the world’s leading authorities and researcherson ecotourism physical planning, in particularthe landscape and architectural aspects ofecolodges. He is the main editor of the Interna-tional Ecolodge Guidelines and authored chapterson Site Planning and Architectural Design andis currently writing a book on Best PracticeEcolodges. He sits on the Board of TIES andAdvisory Board of BIOSFERA (Brazilian Envi-ronmental Society) and Japan Ecolodge Associ-ation. Hitesh has consulted on the design ofmany ecolodges in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya,the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Aus-tralia, Panama, India, Madagascar, Turks and

Caicos Islands, Sri Lanka and the USA. EDSA, 1512 E. Broward Blvd, Suite110, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301, USA (hmehta@edsaplan.com).

Cathy Parsons

Cathy is an environmental management con-sultant who was until recently the Chief Execu-tive Officer of Green Globe Asia Pacific Pty Ltd.She was responsible for all aspects relating tothe development and delivery of the GreenGlobe programme. Prior to taking up the posi-tion with Green Globe Asia Pacific, she workedas a Senior Executive in the Australian govern-ment for over 15 years. During this time shewas responsible for dealing with a range oftourism and environmental issues. As formermanager of the Regional and Environmental

Tourism Branch in the Department of Tourism during the 1990s, she man-aged tourism programmes to assist the industry in developing products andservices. She was a key player in developing the Australian NationalEcotourism Accreditation Program and supporting the development ofcertification programmes for other tourism industry sectors. RMB 2001,Bungendore Road, The Ridgeway, NSW 2620, Australia (cparsons@netspeed.com.net).

Abigail Rome

Abigail Rome is an independent consultant working in ecotourism, sustain-able tourism and conservation. She conducts research on a variety of relatedsubjects (including ecotourism and sustainable tourism certification andcommunity-based tourism), writes reports and articles for the general pub-lic, offers workshops and training, and organizes and leads occasionalecotours. While her focus is on Latin America, Abi has travelled and written

xvi Contributors

about tourism around the world. She has aMaster’s degree in plant ecology from DukeUniversity (North Carolina) and spent 10 yearsworking in protected areas management, firstin the eastern USA and then in South America.Tierra Vista Consulting, 605 Ray Drive, SilverSpring, MD 20910, USA (abirome@earthlink.net).

Tara RoweTara Rowe studied her Bachelor of TourismManagement at the University of New Brunswick,Canada. Acknowledging that life is about thejourney, Tara integrates travel and learning as away of life. In 2004 Tara completed a Master’s inTourism at the University of Otago, New Zea-land. Her research interests include codes ofethics, sustainability, nature-based tourism andenvironmental certification.

Tara is now working in the area of sustain-able product development for a regional eco-nomic development agency in Northland, New

Zealand. Her key focus is to create a synergy for the region’s natural, culturaland heritage values, and to successfully progress tourism through strategicplanning. Department of Tourism, School of Business, University of Otago,PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand (tara.northland@xtra.co.nz).

Ronald Sanabria

Ronald Sanabria, Director, Sustainable Tour-ism, Rainforest Alliance: Ronald has alicenciatura in Industrial Engineering from theUniversity of Costa Rica (UCR) with a Master’sin Sustainable International Development fromBrandeis University. He began working inquality assurance, environmental managementsystems and other certification-related projectsin 1992, including projects in tourism compa-nies in Costa Rica. Ronald is the RainforestAlliance’s representative to the SustainableTourism Stewardship Council initiative.

Contributors xvii

Additionally, Ronald is part of the Rainforest Alliance’s team currently pro-viding services as the secretariat of the Sustainable Tourism CertificationNetwork of the Americas, a regional platform of certification programmesaimed at sharing information and raising awareness about sustainabletourism. Ronald teaches at the UCR’s Engineering Faculty. Director, Sus-tainable Tourism, Rainforest Alliance, PO Box 11029 –1000, San Jose, CostaRica (rsanabria@ra.org).

Jennifer Seif

Jennifer Seif is the National Coordinator of FairTrade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA), anon-profit initiative that certifies tourist prod-ucts in South Africa for compliance with ‘fairtrade’ principles and criteria. Jennifer holdsqualifications in development economics(Georgetown University), history (BostonUniversity), social anthropology (University ofChicago) and business management (Univer-sity of South Africa), and has twice been recog-nized by Ashoka as an expert in non-profitresource mobilization. She is currently com-

pleting a doctorate at the University of Pretoria, focusing on the marketing oftourism certification schemes. Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, PO Box11536, Hatfield 0028, South Africa (jennifer@fairtourismsa.org.za).

Elizabeth Skinner

For the past 20 years, Elizabeth Skinner hasworked extensively in the field of certification,small business and community developmentand management. As a staff member of theRainforest Alliance she managed its Agricul-tural Certification Program (ECO-O.K. Certifi-cation) and was Managing Director of itsSmartWood Program. With SmartWood sheresearched sustainable certification businessmodels for non-profits. Her other research andconservation work has included looking atcocoa and certification, medicinal plants andrainforest conservation, and ecotourism and

certification. She holds an MSc in Community Development and AppliedEconomics from the University of Vermont and a BA from Barnard College,Columbia University. 8 School Street, Essex Junction, VT 05452, USA(skislo@verizon.net).

xviii Contributors

Anna Spenceley

Dr Anna Spenceley is a researcher and consul-tant specializing in sustainable tourism. In par-ticular she works on nature-based, pro-poor,fair and responsible tourism, and trans-frontierconservation areas across Africa. She is aresearch fellow with the Transboundary Pro-tected Areas Research Initiative, which isa partnership between the BMW Chair forSustainability (University of the Witwatersrand),the Centre for the Integrated Study of the

Human Dimensions of Global Change (Carnegie Mellon University) and theIUCN. International Centre for Responsible Tourism, c/o Institute of NaturalResources, PO Box 100396, Scottsville 3209, South Africa (annaspenceley@hotmail.com).

Rik Thwaites

Dr Rik Thwaites is a senior lecturer inEcotourism at Charles Sturt University, Australia.Rik trained as a geologist and worked as a gla-ciologist, photographer and environmentalconsultant before undertaking a PhD on social,cultural, economic and policy factors influenc-ing landscape management in northern China.His research interests include ecotourism as a

tool for sustainable development, particularly in small and indigenous com-munities, and the nexus between communities, protected areas and tourism.Rik was an assessor for the Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program(NEAP) from 2000 to 2004, contributing to the development of the GreenGlobe International Ecotourism Standard and EcoCertification (NEAP ver-sion 3). School of Environmental and Information Sciences, Charles SturtUniversity, PO Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia (rthwaites@csu.edu.au).

Stuart Toplis

Dr Stuart Toplis has considerable travel andtourism industry experience (20 years), particu-larly in the areas of regional, ecotourism andsustainable tourism and was recently conferredthe degree of Doctor of Philosophy, specializ-ing in sustainable tourism. He has also been acommittee member of Ecotourism Australiaand the National Chairman of Assessors forthe Eco Certification Program (2001–2004).During his career Stuart has been involved in anumber of important and innovative areas in

Contributors xix

the Australian ecotourism industry, such as undertaking pioneeringresearch into the employment potential of the industry and playing a majorpart in the development and continued redevelopment of the NationalEcotourism Accreditation Program (Eco Certification Program). IndustryDevelopment Consultant, Tourism Victoria, GPO Box 2219T, Melbourne, Vic3001, Australia (stuart.toplis@tourism.vic.gov.au).

Louise Twining-Ward

Dr Louise Twining-Ward is a sustainable tour-ism advisor specializing in indicators and mon-itoring systems. She is Adjunct Lecturer at NewYork University, Course Designer for the Uni-versity of the South Pacific and Visiting Fellowat the University of Surrey, where she gainedher PhD in Tourism. Her work is mostly basedin the South Pacific, where she lived andworked for 8 years. She is co-author of the bookMonitoring for a Sustainable Tourism Transition(CABI) and a Member of the Board of Directorsof the International Ecotourism Society. 369Sterling Place, Brooklyn, NY 11238, USA(louisetw@verizon.net).

Gabor Vereczi

Gabor Vereczi has been a Programme Officer inthe Sustainable Development section of theTourism Department of the World TourismOrganization since 2000. He graduated at theAgricultural University of Gödöllö, Hungary,and later undertook postgraduate studies atthe University of Minnesota, where he gainedextensive experience in the fields of eco-

tourism, conservation, community development, environmental educationand interpretation. Prior to his current position he worked as a lecturer in theTourism Department of the Kodolányi János University College, Hungary,specializing in ecotourism, rural tourism, environmental economy and man-agement. During this period he was involved in a consultancy coordinatingregional tourism development programmes in Hungary, and for the Sustain-able Tourism Indicators Workshop organized by WTO in Mexico. At theWTO he has coordinated projects in sustainable tourism indicators, volun-tary initiatives and sustainability certification for tourism, compilations ofgood practice, climate change and tourism, sustainable tourism in coastalzones and natural and cultural sites, and community-based tourism, as wellas activities during the International Year of Ecotourism 2002. World

xx Contributors

Tourism Organization, Sustainable Development of Tourism Department,Capitán Haya, 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain (env@world-tourism.org).

Luis A. Vivanco

Luis A. Vivanco is Assistant Professor of Anthro-pology and Director of the Latin AmericanStudies Program at the University of Ver-mont. He holds a PhD in Cultural Anthro-pology from Princeton University (1999). Sincethe early 1990s, he has conducted ethnographicresearch on the cultural and political dimen-sions of environmentalism and ecotourism inCosta Rica and southern Mexico. He is theauthor of the forthcoming book Green Encoun-ters: Shaping and Contesting Environmentalism inRural Costa Rica. He is also an Advisory Councilmember of Indigenous Tourism Rights Inter-national, and has lately been conducting re-

search on the potentials and pitfalls of indigenous involvement in tourismcertification programmes. 509 Williams Hall, Department of Anthropology,University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA (lvivanco@uvm.edu).

Contributors xxi

ForewordForeword

Foreword

DAVID WEAVER

University of South Carolina, USA

At the dawn of its third decade as a formal construct, ecotourism is facing acrisis of credibility. Ironically, this crisis has arisen in large part due to theconsensus that has been recently been reached as to the core criteria ofecotourism. One of these criteria, the imperative of ecological, economic andsocio-cultural sustainability, is a noble burden that is unique to ecotourism,while another, the facilitation of effective visitor learning experiences, is onlyslightly less daunting. In both cases, it is not clear that the self-proclaimedecotourism sector has lived up to these lofty expectations, besieged as it hasbeen by the problem of 'greenwashing' as well as by well-intended attemptsto expand its parameters into the minefield of mass tourism. This foray alongthe path of 'soft' ecotourism may well be necessary to confer on the sector theeconomies of scale necessary for the much-vaunted 'incentive effect' to berealized (that is, for ecotourism to generate enough revenue to justify thepreservation of the relatively undisturbed habitat that is its main venue), butit also creates enormous challenges for meeting the sustainability criterion inparticular. There is, after all, a very fine line between mass ecotourism andconventional mass tourism.

To address this crisis, it is essential that all products purporting to fallunder the ecotourism banner be subject to quality assurance mechanismsthat provide a reasonable guarantee of compliance with core criteria. Whilethe design and implementation of such mechanisms, and in particular thosebased on the principle of certification, should therefore be a top priority forall ecotourism stakeholders, its accomplishment has been impeded by theincipient and diffuse knowledge base that informs this topic. This volume,however, is seminal in that it provides stakeholders with a synthesis of 'whatis' and 'what ought to be' with respect to the issue of quality assurance inecotourism. Rosemary Black and Alice Crabtree have succeeded in assem-bling an impressive array of experts from academia, industry, government

xxii

and the non-profit sector who offer diverse theoretical and practical perspec-tives on the topic, thereby providing a foundation from which a credibleecotourism sector can emerge. I applaud their effort.

Foreword xxiii

ForewordForeword

Foreword

MARTHA HONEY*

On 2 November 2005, in the ornate top-floor reception room at the US StateDepartment overlooking Washington’s granite monuments and PotomacRiver, a remarkable ceremony took place. US Secretary of State CondoleezzaRice gave the 2005 Award for Corporate Excellence to Lapa Rios, a 16-roomecolodge nestled in a private rainforest reserve in Costa Rica. Secretary Ricedescribed Lapa Rios as ‘a model of environmental stewardship and enlight-ened corporate leadership’ and praised its American owners, Karen andJohn Lewis, for understanding ‘that the best way to do well, is to do good’.

In accepting the honour and the trophy Karen Lewis graciously thankedthe lodge’s staff and explained, ‘The Award validates not only our 15-yeareffort but also the concept of ecotourism. It verifies that ecotourism, whenbuilt on sound environmental and social principles, can be a successful busi-ness.’ Indeed, ecotourism had never before received such high-level praisefrom the US government.

Somehow the ‘good news’ of ecotourism had percolated upwards, fromthe Osa Peninsula to the US Embassy in San Jose, to the top echelons inWashington. It seems ironic that the US government chose to honour ecotourismin Costa Rica rather than here in the USA. But the reality is that, in the USA,ecotourism is just beginning to take root and grow quickly, in part built onlessons learnt from Costa Rica and other countries around the world. In2005, TIES sponsored the first conference on ecotourism in the USA. In 2007,we are sponsoring the second conference on North American ecotourism,focused on the USA and Canada.

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* Martha Honey, PhD, is Executive Director of the Center on Ecotourism and Sustain-able Development (CESD) and former Executive Director of the InternationalEcotourism Society (TIES), both based in Washington, DC. Over the last decade, shehas written and lectured widely on ecotourism and certification.

Fortunately, as this volume demonstrates, ecotourism is widespreadelsewhere, and Lapa Rios is one of many fine examples of ecotourismmaking a difference in the host community and the environment. EditorsRosemary Black and Alice Crabtree have brought together leading special-ists from around the world and across a range of disciplines to offer a richand textured assessment of the efforts to set quality standards for ecotourismthrough a range of tools, including awards, codes of conduct, indicators,certification and accreditation.

Setting quality standards for the tourism industry is complex. Tourism isnot only the world’s largest industry, but also one of the most diverse anddispersed. It operates in virtually every country, some 90% of tourism busi-nesses are small or medium-sized, and it covers a wide variety of activitiesand enterprises. This presents considerable challenges for setting standards.As chapters in this volume illustrate, certification and other standard-settingmechanisms cover a range of occupations and businesses, including accom-modation, destinations, tour operators, guides and other professionals, andprotected areas. And, as other chapters detail, ecotourism also involves arange of stakeholders. These include practitioners with businesses and travelassociations and academics and other professionals, officials and expertswith parks and protected areas, NGOs, the UN, government agencies, inter-national aid and development organizations, the media and public relationsfirms; and the list goes on.

The history of standard setting for ecotourism is relatively recent. WhileMobil, Michelin, AAA and other tourism certification programmes that mea-sure price and service date from the introduction of the automobile in theearly 20th century, most ‘green’ certification programmes started in the wakeof the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the seminal UN meeting on the environment.The first international gathering of ecotourism and sustainable tourism cer-tification programmes took place in November 2000 when 45 participantsfrom 20 countries gathered at the Mohonk Mountain House (probably theoldest ‘ecolodge’ in the USA), outside New York City. This meeting producedthe Mohonk Declaration, a framework document of fundamental principlesnecessary for all legitimate sustainable and ecotourism certification programmes.The Rainforest Alliance then spearheaded a 2-year feasibility study and globalconsultation, which resulted in a plan to create a global accreditation body,the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC). In October 2005, anothermeeting of key certification programmes, held in Rio de Janeiro, moved theSTSC a step closer to creation, with the formation of an advisory council.Most importantly, the United Nations’ International Year of Ecotourism in2002, which included some eight regional forums and the World EcotourismSummit in Quebec, signalled that ecotourism had taken on global impor-tance and gave it further impetus in efforts to set standards to measure envi-ronmental and sociocultural impacts.

These are the public milestones marking, as did the State Department’sCorporate Excellence award, the accomplishments of ecotourism. Parallelwith this is the growing consumer demand for environmentally and sociallyresponsible travel as well as a growth in efforts to ‘green’ some of the more

Foreword xxv

mainstream sectors of the tourism industry. Today there are some 80 certifi-cation programmes functioning or in development, dozens of ‘green’ awardsprogrammes, hundreds of codes of conduct, and a range of other mecha-nisms for measuring and rewarding ecotourism. As this volume illuminates,quality assurance initiatives and standards including certification have largelygrown from the ground up, country by country and sector by sector. Thereare many little-known stories and unsung heroes; there are also numerousdebates, conflicting assessments, failed programmes and ideas, and areaswhere more research and fieldwork is needed. This collection of essays honoursand examines our progress so far, traces how far we have come, and outlinesthe debates and the challenges ahead.

While we have much to celebrate, the reality can also be sobering. Take,for instance, the issue of how Lapa Rios was selected for the State DepartmentAward. It was almost certainly due to a personal recommendation by someguest and, ironically, not to the fact that Lapa Rios had recently earned the high-est rating – five green leaves – in Costa Rica’s national CST (Certification forSustainable Tourism) programme. (Only one other hotel – Finca Rosa Blanca –has also received this top level.) Sadly, while CST’s standard is strong, itsmarketing has been poor. There has been very little publicity for thoselodges that become certified and few guests go to Lapa Rios because theyknow it has achieved five green leaves. In fact, today most sustainable tour-ism certification programmes suffer from wholly inadequate marketingprogrammes, and addressing this is but one of the challenges for buildingtruly effective certification programmes.

Despite the challenges, this volume confirms there is much to celebrate.Today ecotourism and nature tourism are growing three times faster thanthe tourism industry as a whole, according to the UN’s World TourismOrganization. Further, ecotourism has proved an effective tool for sustain-able development: ecotourists, for instance, put many times more into thelocal economy than do cruise passengers – 14 times more in Belize, 23 timesmore in Costa Rica – while their social and environmental impacts are less.As we prepare to mark another milestone – the fifth anniversary since theInternational Year of Ecotourism – this volume is an important resource thatbenchmarks both the accomplishments and the challenges of ecotourism.

xxvi Foreword

PrefacePreface

Preface

Book Rationale

It is already claimed that tourism is the world’s largest industry, and predic-tions suggest that the industry will double over the next decade. Part of thisgrowth includes a substantial increase in nature-based tourism and ecotourism,although this ‘sector’ is still relatively small and generally considered specialinterest. None the less, the huge growth in tourism indicates that increasingnumbers of people are seeking travel experiences, and whether or not theexperiences are nature-based or have an ecotourism focus it is inevitable thatthere are increasing impacts on the host destination. These impacts can be posi-tive, with money being generated in local economies, benefits for local commu-nities, greater understanding and respect for cultural differences and perhapsstimulating incentives or even finance for conservation initiatives. However,tourism impacts can also be negative, with environmental degradation, cul-tural commoditization and playground effects (prostitution, gambling, recre-ational drugs) all too common. These two faces of tourism – the Jekyll andHyde, the positive and negative – mean there are avid supporters both forand against tourism.

This is where ecotourism comes to the fore – as a force within theindustry that, in its very essence, aims to minimize tourism’s negative impactswhilst maximizing tourism’s positive impacts. Of course, this alone doesn’tdefine ecotourism, but it does provide a major raison d’être for this volume.Genuine or quality ecotourism can provide a shining light, a good example, aninfluence that may help ensure that the huge, all-pervading tourism industryacts more responsibly and becomes more sustainable. We hope that indiscussing some of the elements that make up quality ecotourism we canprovide lessons that are not restricted to this sector of the industry alone.

It is, perhaps, unfair to suggest that mainstream tourism needs ecotourismto pave the way to a more sustainable industry. In the last 10 years there

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have been many initiatives by the tourism industry as a whole that haveattempted to promote or integrate the values of sustainability. This is one ofthe reasons why chapters were solicited from individuals or programmesthat were not necessarily ecotourism-specific, but had expertise on orfulfilled one or more of the component principles that make up ecotourism.

A wide range of international authors with different backgrounds andexperience has contributed to this volume. We attempted to get a diversity ofstakeholders’ perspectives, including voices from those often not consideredor heard. Some of the stories come from direct experience and on otheroccasions we used intermediaries (for example, we used consumer demandstudies to represent the consumer, and an academic with significant hands-on experience to represent indigenous peoples and discuss their specificchallenges). We aimed to present case studies that would help illustrate howvarious stakeholders or programmes attempt to ensure quality ecotourism.We hoped to at least introduce, if not marry, some of the contrasting theoreti-cal and practical (industry) points of view.

The chapters in this volume inevitably reflect some personal under-standing or interpretation of what ecotourism is, could be or should be.Some of the chapters focus on programmes or initiatives that will never beconsidered ‘ecotourism’, but were included because they illustrate attemptsto achieve quality in one or more of the essential component principles ofecotourism (e.g. fair trade). This has inevitably led to a book with a diversityof views, which, in some cases, are discordant. In a field where there are stilldebates and arguments over the definition of or even the existence ofgenuine ecotourism, this was to be expected.

We hope this volume will add to a better understanding of ecotourism,with the dimension of quality and associated quality assurance tools to mon-itor, measure and assure genuine ecotourism – helping to ensure that thepotential of ecotourism is realized.

Overview of Chapters

This volume has been organized to take the reader from a general introduc-tion of the topic, quality in ecotourism, through to some of the various qual-ity assurance tools or mechanisms that have been developed and applied,supported by a range of case studies. The initial chapters have been arrangedto move the reader through the spectrum of tools, from what are perceivedto be the least rigorous and effective (awards of excellence and codes ofconduct) to more formal, credible and effective methods (certification andaccreditation), with a brief foray into using indicators to measure and moni-tor effectiveness. The second theme dominating the arrangement of chaptersis an attempt to explore different ecotourism stakeholders’ perspectives.

The introductory chapter sets the context for the book by exploring theconcepts of ecotourism, quality in tourism and finally quality in ecotourism.Part One of the book considers the spectrum of quality assurance tools thathave been developed and applied in the ecotourism industry to address and

xxviii Preface

improve quality. A range of measures exist, varying in their degree of effec-tiveness and their advantages and disadvantages. Each of the chapters inPart One provides a detailed analysis of a particular tool. Chapter 3 focuseson tourism awards for excellence in tourism, with Stuart Toplis examiningthe rationale behind quality and environmental awards, their roles and whetheror not they are effective. Chapter 4 by Peter Mason looks at the effectivenessof tourism codes of conduct and provides a summary of their aims and rationaleby presenting examples of visitor, host and industry codes. The next twochapters introduce certification, with Chapter 5 by Carol Goodstein consid-ering some of the issues surrounding the development and implementationof an area- or ecosystem-specific programme called SmartVoyager, based inthe Galapagos Islands. This is followed by Cathy Parsons and Jill Grant’schapter (Chapter 6), which looks at Green Globe, a global programme thatseeks to achieve environmental, social and cultural improvements at theglobal, national and local levels. The last two chapters in this section look atindicators as tools to benchmark, monitor and perhaps even encouragequality ecotourism. Gabor Vereczi’s chapter (Chapter 7) is based on thework of the United Nations World Tourism Organization and considers theuse of sustainability indicators as essential tools to encourage, plan andmonitor quality ecotourism for both destinations and ecotourism operations.His chapter is complemented by one by Louise Twining-Ward (Chapter 8),which discusses the different approaches to sustainable tourism indicatorsand monitoring and, using the case study of the Samoa Sustainable Tour-ism Indicator Project, demonstrates how an ‘adaptive indicator approach’can work in practice.

Part Two of the book looks at a range of ecotourism stakeholders’perspectives – with an emphasis in one way or another on various industrycertification programmes. Following an introductory chapter (Chapter 9),there are two chapters that focus on consumers and market demand forquality in ecotourism. Chapter 10 by Xavier Font and Megan Epler Woodexplores, through a review of green consumer behaviour, sustainable tour-ism demand and the limited evidence available on market research for certif-ication, an argument that certification is a supply-driven initiative, not amarket-led approach. This chapter is followed by an analysis of consumerdemand, based on the findings of a range of recent consumer studies andsurveys, by Zoë Chafe (in Chapter 11). The community perspective is exploredin the following three chapters. First, Abigail Rome, drawing mainly onexamples from South America, examines the tourism perspectives of com-munity members who have chosen to engage either in community-basedtourism or in ecotourism partnerships. In Chapter 13 Luis A. Vivanco looksat the prospects and dilemmas of certifying indigenous tourism. In hischapter he evaluates the current indigenous involvement in and attitudestowards ecotourism and tourism certification programmes and considerssome of the major opportunities and dilemmas certification initiatives bringto indigenous peoples. The next chapter (Chapter 14) takes us to anothercontinent, Africa, where Jennifer Seif and Anna Spenceley look at the Fair Trade

Preface xxix

in Tourism certification system, which recognizes and rewards tourismestablishments in South Africa that are committed to fair trade.

The following two chapters explore protected area managers’ perspec-tives and explore innovations and partnerships with protected area managersthat benefit the ecotourism industry and programme managers. Chapter 15 isby Colin Ingram, who uses Western Australia as a case study to explore theissues surrounding the use and application of various tourism certificationprogrammes in the context of protected areas. This chapter is followed byone by Xavier Font and Sue Clark (Chapter 16), which discusses the Pro-tected Area Network (PAN) of Parks, a programme that aims to create a net-work of European wilderness protected areas with a reliable trademark thatguarantees nature protection, and some of the issues surrounding its devel-opment and implementation.

The next three chapters explore ecotour guide issues. The first, by Rose-mary Black (Chapter 17), discusses the range of quality assurance mechanismsused in tour guiding, with a specific focus on professional certification. Herdiscussion is illustrated with two case studies, the Savannah Guides and theAustralian EcoGuide Certification Program. The benefits of tour guide train-ing as another quality assurance mechanism are discussed, in relation to aCentral American-based tour guide training programme called RARE, by JonKohl (Chapter 18). He argues that an expanded definition of a guide’s qualityshould include conservation success, but this is only achievable if eco-tourism programme managers and operators use systems thinking. Chapter 19by Gemma McGrath considers the value and roles of tour guides in the cul-tural site of Cusco, Peru, and the importance of training to improve tourguide performance.

The tour guiding chapters are followed by the perspectives of otherplayers in the tourism industry, including those of tourism operators, anarchitect involved in designing and planning ecolodges and a former certifi-cation programme assessor. Chapter 20 by Tara Rowe and James Highamexplores the awareness and perceptions of New Zealand ecotourism opera-tors of environmental certification schemes. This chapter is followed by oneauthored by ecolodge architect Hitesh Mehta (Chapter 21), who reviews fourdifferent existing ecotourism certification programmes that include criteriafor ecotourism accommodation and concludes by suggesting the need for aninternationally recognized certification programme specifically for ecolodges.The following chapter by Rik Thwaites (Chapter 22) provides an insight intothe Australian EcoCertification Program, focusing on the realities of devel-oping and implementing an ecotourism-specific programme. The final chapter(Chapter 23) in this section, by Herbert Hamele, Naut Kusters, RonaldSanabria and Elizabeth Skinner, uses the case studies of the SustainableTourism Network of the Americas and the VISIT network in Europe to arguethe need for the consolidation of regional networks of certification programmesto fast-track sustainable tourism development and benefits.

The final concluding chapter (Chapter 24), by Alice Crabtree and Rose-mary Black, draws together the key issues arising out of the discussions and

xxx Preface

debates presented in the book and looks to the future of quality in ecotourismboth in theory and in practice.

All the chapters in this volume have successfully completed a double-blind refereeing process. Prior to acceptance, each manuscript passedthrough at least two critical reviews and corresponding revisions.

Preface xxxi

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the support we received from many individ-uals and organizations without which this volume would not have been com-pleted. First and foremost, we would like to thank all the contributors forwriting, revising and submitting their chapters for inclusion in this volume.Their support and faith in us as editors are welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Our sincerest thanks and gratitude go to the reviewers, who generouslygave their time and expertise to provide feedback and comments for theauthors and who have enhanced the quality of the chapters. The reviewerswere Rosemary Black, Russell Boswell, Alice Crabtree, Maureen Cunningham,Penny Davidson, Stephen Edwards, Xavier Font, James Higham, Jean PierreIssaverdis, Kreg Lindberg, Neil Lipscombe, Joanne Miller, Lindy McAllister,Simon McArthur, Greg Ringer, Abigail Rome, Amanda Stronza, StuartToplis, Bob Toth, David Weaver, Carolyn Wild and Heather Zeppel. Thanksalso to Amos Bien, Allan Curtis and Louise Twining-Ward for their help andsupport.

The idea for this volume came from Professor David Weaver, who, asSeries Editor, approached us to coordinate and edit this volume. We wouldlike to thank him for giving us this opportunity to put together a book thatpresents a unique look at issues of quality in ecotourism, which we feel iscurrently missing from the ecotourism literature, and extending ourselves intothe realm of book editing and publishing, which has been an exciting andchallenging journey! We also thank him and Martha Honey for writing theirrespective Forewords.

The support of Charles Sturt University, where Rosemary works as aSenior Lecturer in the School of Environmental Sciences, is appreciatedthroughout the 3-year process, with some financial support and plenty ofencouragement from fellow colleagues. The International Ecotourism Society,for which Alice formerly worked, has been supportive of the project and has

xxxii

facilitated the book’s progress through allowing some synergies betweenthis and other projects to develop.

We both wish to thank our families, friends and colleagues for their con-tinued support and patience for the many hours we spent on the book. Alicewould particularly like to thank her husband Colin and children Rebeccaand Ben for stolen hours.

Finally, we would like to express our sincere thanks for the support andencouragement of Rebecca Stubbs, Nigel Farrar and Tracy Ehrlich fromCABI.

Rosemary Black and Alice CrabtreeAlbury and Cairns, 2007

Acknowledgements xxxiii

TIES Organizational DescriptionTIES Organizational Description

TIES Organizational Description

Founded in 1990, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) is the oldestand largest ecotourism organization in the world dedicated to disseminatinginformation about ecotourism and sustainable tourism. It currently hasmembers in nearly 100 countries. The organization’s membership includeslocal and regional tour operators, lodge owners and managers, academics,consultants, conservation professionals and organizations, governments,architects, general development experts, NGOs, the media, students andtravellers. TIES is part of a global consortium working to promote best prac-tices for sustainable development and to assist small and community-basedtourism projects. As a non-profit and non-governmental organization, TIESis unique in its efforts to provide environmental, economic and social guide-lines and standards, training, technical assistance, research and publicationsto foster sound ecotourism development.

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AbbreviationsAbbreviations

Abbreviations

AAA Automobile Association of AmericaABC Affiliate/Awareness, Benchmarked, Certified (Green

Globe)ABTA Association of British Travel AgentsABTO Association of Belgium Tour OperatorsACE Adventure, Cultural and EcotourismACF Australian Conservation FoundationACT Australian Capital TerritoryACTUAR Asociación Costarricense de Turismo Rural ComunitarioANTARAC Australian National Training Authority

(Research Advisory Council)ANVR The General Dutch Association of Travel AgenciesAPEC Asia Pacific Economic CooperationAPPA Appreciative Participatory Planning and Action

methodologyASACODE Asociación San Migueleña de Conservación y DesarrolloASTOI Associazione Tour Operator ItalianiATAA Australian Tourism Accreditation AuthorityATIA Australian Tourism Industry AssociationATON Australian Tourism Operators NetworkATTA Australian Tourism and Travel AssociationBBTAP Better Business Tourism Certification ProgramBEE black economic empowermentBEST Business Enterprises for Sustainable TravelBIOSFERA Brazilian Environmental SocietyBMP business management practicesBSAC British Sub Aqua ClubBTR Bureau of Tourism Research (Australia)

xxxv

CALM Conservation and Land Management (Western Australia)C&D Conservación y DesarrolloCAPAS America Protected Areas SystemCAS complex adaptive systemsCAST Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable TourismCBET community-based ecotourismCBT community-based tourismCBTEs community-based tourism enterprisesCEC Commission for Environmental CooperationCESD Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable DevelopmentCFCs chlorofluorocarbonsCI Conservation InternationalCMP Conservation Measures PartnershipCPI Consumer Price IndexCRC Cooperative Research CentreCREM Consultancy and Research for Environmental ManagementCSD Commission on Sustainable DevelopmentCSR Corporate Social ResponsibilityCST Certification for Sustainable TourismCSTP Certification for Sustainable Tourism in PeruDFD designing for deconstructionDITR Department of Industry, Tourism and

Resources (Australia)DoC Department of Conservation (New Zealand)DoT Commonwealth Department of Tourism (Australia)DTIE UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and EconomicsEA Ecotourism AustraliaEAA Ecotourism Association of AustraliaEC European CommissionECEAT European Centre for Eco and Agro TourismECO- ECOCAMPING AssociationCAMPINGECO-O.K. Rainforest Alliance Agricultural Certification ProgramECOTEL environmentally sensitive hotels certification programmeECOTRANS European Network for Sustainable Tourism DevelopmentEEV Ecologic Enterprise Ventures, Inc.E for E England for ExcellenceEFQM European Foundation on Quality ManagementEFTGA European Federation of Tourist Guides AssociationsEGACP EcoGuide Australia Certification ProgramEMS environmental management systemEP environmental planEPA Environmental Protection AgencyEU European UnionEUROPARC European Federation of ParksFACET Forum Advocating Cultural and EcoTourism (Western

Australia)

xxxvi Abbreviations

FEMATOUR Feasibility and Market Study for a European Ecolabel forTourist Accommodations

FIF Forschungsinstitut für Freizeit und TourismusFINAE the Ecuadorian Achuar FederationFIT free independent travellerFLO Fairtrade Labelling OrganizationFOS Foundations of SuccessFTO UK Federation of Tour OperatorsFTT fair trade in tourismFTTSA Fair Trade in Tourism South AfricaGDP gross domestic productGG Green GlobeGIHE Glion Institute of Higher Education (Switzerland)GOA Guiding Organizations AustraliaGreen Stars Australian accommodation star rating programmeIAATO International Association of Antarctic Tour OperatorsIAC International Advisory CouncilIATA International Association of Travel AgentsIATG Institute of Australian Tourist Guides Inc.ICOMOS International Council on Monuments and SitesICOMOS- Charter for the Interpretation of Heritage SitesENAMEICT Costa Rica Tourism InstituteIDB Inter-American Development BankIES International Ecotourism Standard (Green Globe)IFOAM International Federation of Organic Agricultural

MovementsIGTOA International Galapagos Tour Operators AssociationIHEI International Hotels Environment InitiativeILO International Labour OrganizationINC Institute of National Culture (Peru)ISO International Organization for StandardizationITOA Inbound Tour Organization of AustraliaITRI Indigenous Tourism Rights InternationalIUCN International Union for the Conservation of NatureIYE International Year of EcotourismLAC Limits of Acceptable ChangeLOHAS lifestyles of health and sustainabilityM&E monitoring and evaluationMBNQA Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award (America)MCTT Mehloding (‘green pastures’) Community Tourism

TrustMIF Multilateral Investment FundMINCETUR Ministry of Tourism (Peru)MORI Market and Opinion Research InternationalMOU Memorandum of UnderstandingNaHHA Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association

Abbreviations xxxvii

NCVER National Centre for Vocational Education Research(Australia)

NEAP National Ecotourism Accreditation Program (sometimesknown as NEAP I)

NEAP Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Program (sometimesknown as NEAP II)

NEAT Nature, Ecotourism and Adventure TourismNEF New Economics FoundationNES National Ecotourism Strategy (Australia)NGO non-governmental organizationNGTP Nature Guide Training Program (Costa Rica)NOLS National Outdoor Leadership SchoolNSW New South Wales (Australia)NT Northern Territory (Australia)NTAP National Tourism Accreditation Program (Australia)NTIA National Travel Industry Awards (Australia)NTO National Tourism OperationsOPEC Organization of the Petroleum Exporting CountriesPAN Protected Area NetworkPASTILLE Promoting Action for Sustainability through Indicators at

the Local Level in EuropePATA Pacific Asia Travel AssociationPCTS Programa de Certificação em Turismo SustentávelPEI Prince Edward IslandPPT pro-poor tourismPROARCA Programa Ambiental Regional para CentroaméricaPSA Proudly South AfricanQAAP Quality Assurance Accreditation ProgramQTC Quality Tourism for the CaribbeanQTS quality tourism standardsRA Rainforest AllianceRARE RARE Center for Tropical ConservationREAD Rural Education and DevelopmentRMA Resource Management Act (New Zealand)ROC Respecting Our Culture Certification ProgrammeSA South AustraliaSARS severe acute respiratory syndromeSICGAL System of Inspection and Quarantine for GalapagosSKOANZ Sea Kayak Operators Association of New ZealandSMEs small and medium-size enterprisesSMMEs small, medium and micro-enterprisesSNV a Dutch international development organizationSOLAS International Convention for Safety of Life at SeaSPPS Statistical Package for Social ResearchSPTO South Pacific Tourism OrganizationSTA Samoa Tourism Authority

xxxviii Abbreviations

STCRC Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre(Australia)

STEP Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program (USA)STO state tourism organizationSTSC Sustainable Tourism Stewardship CouncilTAA Tourism Accreditation AustraliaTAAL Tourism Accreditation Australia LimitedTAPAF Tourism and Protected Areas Forum (Australia)TCA Tourism Council AustraliaTCAWA Tourism Council of Australia, Western AustraliaTCWA Tourism Council of Western AustraliaTEP Tourism Enterprise Programme (South Africa)TIANZ Tourism Industry Association of New ZealandTIES The International Ecotourism SocietyTNZ Tourism New ZealandTOMM Tourism Optimization Management ModelTQ Tourism QueenslandTQM total quality managementTUI Touristik Union International, The NetherlandsUCR University of Costa RicaUK United KingdomUN United NationsUNCSD-7 seventh session of the United Nations Commission on

Sustainable DevelopmentUNDP United Nations Development ProgrammeUNEP United Nations Environment ProgrammeUNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural OrganizationUNWTO United Nations World Tourism OrganizationUSA United States of AmericaUSAID US Agency for International DevelopmentVISIT Voluntary Initiatives for Sustainable TourismVTAB Victorian Tourism Accreditation BoardVTOA Victorian Tour Operators Association (Australia)WA Western AustraliaWATC Western Australian Tourism CommissionWHS World Heritage SiteWTO World Tourism OrganizationWTTC World Travel and Tourism CouncilWTTRC World Travel and Tourism Research CouncilWWF World Wide Fund for Nature (in USA and Canada:

World Wildlife Fund)

Abbreviations xxxix

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Quality in EcotourismR. Black and A. Crabtree

1 Setting the Context:Quality in Ecotourism

ROSEMARY BLACK1

AND ALICE CRABTREE2

1Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia; 2Ecotourism Consultant,Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Introduction

Tourism is recognized as a global industry and known to be a significantcontributor to economies and employment throughout the developed andthe developing world (Weaver, 1998; Hawkins and Lamoureux, 2001). Therewere 760 million international arrivals recorded in 2004, accounting foralmost US$622 billion of receipts (WTO, 2006). If the size of the tourismindustry is not impressive enough, the fact that the 2004 figures representeda growth rate of 25% in 10 years certainly is. Predicted growth rates remainhigh – the United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates that by theend of 2020 there will be 1.6 billion international tourist arrivals worldwide(double the current level), spending over US$2 trillion (WTO, 2006). Globallyarrivals are predicted to grow at an average of 4.3%; however, the strongestrelative growth is predicted in the developing world. Of course, interna-tional travel is only one aspect of tourism, and domestic tourism can beequally important to many countries in terms of both volume and incomegenerated (UNEP and WTO, 2005). Domestic tourism is predicted to growstrongly, even spectacularly, in developing nations such as India and China,where an emerging middle class has more disposable income.

The World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) figures provide similarestimates of both tourism growth, with predictions of 4.2% per annum between2007 and 2016 (WTTC, 2006), and current expenditure. If all the indirect eco-nomic effects of the tourism sector are taken into account, it represents US$4218of GDP – 10.4% of the global GDP. Tourism is a major source of employment,with an estimated 234 million jobs within the tourism economy – about 8.7%of total global employment (i.e. 1 in every 11.5 jobs) in 2006 (WTTC, 2006).

With these facts it is undeniable that tourism is a major contributor toeconomic activity and a significant generator of employment. These areoften touted as reasons to embrace tourism, and the massive growth in this

© CAB International 2007. Quality Assurance and Certification in Ecotourism(eds R. Black and A. Crabtree) 1

industry does provide opportunities for spreading prosperity. However,tourism is not necessarily a benign, smokeless industry – it can, and oftendoes, have major negative impacts on the natural and built environmentsand on the well-being and culture of host communities. This may include,but is certainly not limited to, aspects such as degradation of the physicalenvironment, pollution, competition for scarce resources, disturbance towildlife and landscapes, cultural commoditization and trivialization, dis-placement of host communities and introduction of undesirable activities.Conversely, tourism’s positive impacts are not necessarily confined just toeconomic benefits and employment – it provides opportunities for visitors(and hosts) to celebrate cultural and natural heritage and can build constitu-encies for conservation, reduce threats to biodiversity, improve provision ofservices for remote communities and perhaps even be a force for inter-culturalunderstanding and peace. Tourism has the potential to provide many bene-fits, but this potential is only realized if tourism is carefully managed toensure that negative impacts are kept to a minimum and positive impacts aremaximized. This is a definition, if you so desire, of sustainable tourism –tourism that is based on the principles of sustainable development.

Sustainable development, with its definition firmly rooted in the reportof the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) (theBrundtland Report), is based on the principles of sound management of theworld’s resources, and on equity in the ways those resources are used and inthe way in which the benefits so obtained are distributed. Although defini-tions of the concept of ‘sustainable development’ have evolved and beenrefined with Agenda 21 (the Action Plan from the UN Conference on Envi-ronment and Development in Rio, 1992) and the outputs from the WorldSummit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002), the three pillarsof economic, sociocultural and environmental sustainability remain at thecore. Sustainable tourism is thus not a niche market segment, but an ‘ideal’that balances the environmental, economic and sociocultural aspects to guar-antee long-term sustainability that can (and many say should) apply to allforms of tourism in all types of destinations – including both the mass tour-ism and special interest segments (UNEP and WTO, 2005). For tourism tobe considered sustainable it has to ensure that its operations not onlydo not jeopardize essential ecological processes but also help conserve naturalresources, are viable economic enterprises that provide fair returns to all stake-holders and respect the sociocultural authenticity of the host communities.

The terms ‘sustainable tourism’ and ‘ecotourism’ are often used inter-changeably, and this leads to confusion. Of course, ecotourism fully embracesthe principles of sustainability, and genuine ecotourism should probably notjust incorporate but exemplify sustainability, but ecotourism is certainlymuch more than just sustainable tourism. However, trying to find a perfectdefinition for ecotourism is impossible, with no consensus currently existingabout the precise meaning of the term. However, there appears to be a con-tinued level of interest in ecotourism and there has been an explosion andblossoming of academic literature on the subject in the last decade (seeHoney, 1999; Wearing and Neil, 1999; Weaver, 2001a; Fennell, 2003; Fennell

2 R. Black and A. Crabtree

and Dowling, 2003). Despite this wealth of material, there is stillconsiderable ongoing discussion and debate regarding interpretation andoperationalization of the term (Blamey, 2001; Orams, 2001; Fennell, 2003).

It has been suggested that the plethora of definitions reflects the relativeimmaturity of this sector of the tourism industry (Weaver, 2001b), with indi-viduals able to interpret notions of ecotourism as it best suits them. Unfor-tunately, this often appears to be the case, with the term often hijacked totake advantage of a mainstreaming of ‘green’ attitudes. The term ecotourismtends to be generously applied to a wide range of products and services,some of which meet the basic tenets of ecotourism, but all too many of whichdo not. This has inevitably resulted in confusion among both consumers andother stakeholders. Cynicism that the term is just a marketing gimmick thatdresses up inferior product to increase market share (see Wight, 1993) hasmeant that many have abandoned the label to avoid the stigma of being per-ceived as ‘greenwashing’. Somewhat ironically, attempts to solve the problemare sometimes made through coining new terms for tourism that still displaythe root characteristics and basic principles of ecotourism rather than takingsteps to ensure credibility of the term.

Although ecotourism may be ‘rare, often misdefined, and usually imper-fect, it is still in its infancy, not on its deathbed’ (Honey, 1999: 25). This vol-ume does not aim to add to the debate and discussion surrounding thesemantics of definitions. None the less, we do need to explore and highlightthe key principles and basic tenets present in most definitions of ecotourismto help us find out what genuine and ‘quality’ ecotourism should be.

Definitions of Ecotourism

Ceballos-Lascuráin (1987) is credited with first using the term ‘ecotourism’.While his definition and others (e.g. Boo, 1990) emphasize the nature-basedexperience, subsequent definitions have sought to emphasize the principlesassociated with the concept of sustainable development (Wallace and Pierce,1996; Blamey, 2001; Fennell, 2001, 2003). Fennell’s (2003) analysis of 15 defi-nitions of ecotourism presented over the last 15 years demonstrates that defi-nitions have emphasized different aspects of nature, relationships with localpeople, conservation and preservation. These could be construed as different‘versions’ of ecotourism. For example, the Australian Ecotourism Strategydefines ecotourism as:

nature-based tourism that involves education and interpretation of the naturalenvironment and is managed to be ecologically sustainable. This definitionrecognises that the natural environment includes cultural components and thatecological sustainability involves an appropriate return to the local communityand long-term conservation of the resource.

(Commonwealth of Australia, 1994: 3)

This contrasts with one of the most frequently quoted definitions that con-siders ecotourism more simply as ‘responsible travel to natural areas that

Quality in Ecotourism 3

conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people’ (Eco-tourism Society, 1991). Once this statement is expanded the meaning andintent become clearer, but it perhaps exaggerates even further a differentemphasis:

This means that those who implement and participate in ecotourism activitiesshould follow the following principles:● Minimize impact● Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect● Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts● Provide direct financial benefits for conservation● Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people● Raise sensitivity to host countries’ political, environmental, and social climate● Support international human rights and labour agreements

(The International Ecotourism Society, 2006)

In trying to get to the underlying principles that govern what ecotourismis or is not, it is possibly simpler to look at individual components where themajority of definitions show consensus. Perhaps one of the most obviousdimensions of ecotourism emphasized in most, especially early, definitions(see Valentine, 1992) is that it is nature-based. Despite this, ecotourismshould not be confused with or interchanged with nature or nature-basedtourism (which it all too frequently is). Nature tourism is any form of tourismthat relies primarily on natural environments for its attractions and/orsetting. Ecotourism is generally acknowledged as a subset of nature tourism,as are substantial portions of the adventure tourism sector or the 3S (sun,sea and surf) sector (Weaver, 2001a). The differentiating points here aremany, but certainly key is the fact that adventure and 3S tourism are notnecessarily sustainable and are rarely learning-centred.

The widespread consensus that ecotourism is nature-based seems a sim-ple enough precept, but even here there is considerable debate (see Blamey,2001). What exactly constitutes nature-based? Is an environment modifiedby humans able to qualify? If not, how do you reconcile vast wildernessareas in Australia that have been altered over thousand of years by fire-stickfarming or ‘virgin’ rainforests that have been altered by indigenous huntersand gatherers? At the other end of the scale, would a tourism product basedin a largely urban environment that had a nature focus (e.g. a visitors centrefor a World Heritage Site) qualify? If this visitors centre had been positionedthus to avoid damage to areas of high conservation significance, does thischange your opinion? What about a zoo or wildlife park? If this zoo sensi-tively displayed endemic species in a natural (if captive) environment andprovided education that allowed people to leave with a greater understandingand appreciation of native fauna, would this qualify?

The provision of education and/or interpretation and the concept oflearning/understanding is, according to most definitions, another crucialtenet of ecotourism (Ham, 2001; Edwards et al., 2003). This understandingmay be through non-personal methods such as brochures or displays, but morecommonly includes face-to-face mediation through a guide. These educationalexperiences satisfy the visitors’ desire for information, but this is not a need

4 R. Black and A. Crabtree

unique to ecotourism. What seems to differentiate interpretation as part ofecotourism experiences is that education is skewed to attempting to providea greater understanding and appreciation of the natural environment andprocesses that results in increased environmental care and responsibility.This may occur through influencing the visitors’ attitude or even behaviour.The educational component of ecotourism thus does not just serve infor-mation needs, but helps to minimize environmental impacts and create a moreinformed and pro-conservation society (Blamey, 2001). Rather ironically, themore dedicated the ecotourist and the ‘harder’ the ecotourism experience (see‘hard’ and ‘soft’ ecotourism later in this section), the more likely it is that youare simply preaching to the converted and not effecting change.

A third important principle of ecotourism is ‘sustainability’. We havealready discussed the fact that ecotourism needs to fully embrace and possi-bly exemplify sustainability. The two sustainability principles that are com-monly associated with definitions of ecotourism are the need for return tolocal communities (and by default local economies) and returns for the envi-ronment through support for conservation. For example, the definition ofecotourism provided in the Australian National Ecotourism Strategy recog-nizes that the natural environment includes cultural components and thatecologically sustainable involves appropriate returns to the local communityand long-term conservation of the resource (Allcock et al., 1994: 3). Economicsustainability is usually provided in the form of both direct and indirect bene-fits of employment, diversification, foreign exchange earnings and even infra-structure development. Environmental sustainability is enhanced throughbetter resource conservation, as well as cash or in-kind participation for conser-vation and biodiversity protection. However, some suggest that ecotourismshould simply minimize its footprint through preventing, as far as possible,the negative effects of tourism. We argue that this is not enough and thatquality ecotourism has to maximize the positive impacts of tourism andactively contribute to enhancing the environment.

This ‘enhancement’ is usually through visitors’ involvement in conser-vation of the natural environment, although increasingly ecotourism isportrayed as a development tool that will help poverty alleviation, especiallyin developing countries or amongst indigenous communities with littleto sell apart from their natural and cultural resources. It is indisputable thatthe long-term viability of the ecotourism industry is intrinsically reliant onmaintaining the natural environment on which the industry depends, and,whilst respecting and being sensitive to the sociocultural environment andproviding fair economic return to local communities is undoubtedly impor-tant, they are not the main focus of ecotourism. There are a distinct overlapand union between ecotourism and more people-oriented sectors such asfair trade and pro-poor tourism, but also fundamental differences. It ishoped that our examination of some of these overlaps (see Chapter 14 onFair Trade) will enable exchange of best practice for both sectors to beconsidered.

While this and other reviews (see Blamey, 2001; Weaver, 2001b; Fennell,2003) of ecotourism definitions continue to reveal a lack of consensus on the

Quality in Ecotourism 5

precise interpretation of ecotourism and a somewhat ‘fuzzy’ delineation ofthe exact bounds of basic principles, it is hoped that the intent or essence ofecotourism can be extracted from the sum of the core components. These areas follows. Ecotourism:

● Has a natural area focus.● Is environmentally sustainable.● Has some component of interpretation or education.● Provides returns to the environment.● Provides returns to local communities.● Is culturally sensitive.

Identifying these key principles of ecotourism is a crucial step in the processof commencing our exploration of quality in ecotourism. However, as thereader will discover, some of the quality tools and mechanisms discussed inthis volume attempt to address quality in all the principles of ecotourism,while other cases or discussions revolve around examples or programmesthat are by no means ecotourism but serve as useful examples to emphasize aspecific ecotourism element or principle.

Ecotourism Segmentation

To add to the difficulty of trying to define what quality ecotourism is, it isnecessary not only to explore what the core principles that define ecotourismare, but also to consider the spectrum of products or activities that could beconsidered as ecotourism. This has obvious implications in operationalizingthe term (as most ecotourism certification programmes have discovered),and also leads on to some interesting philosophical debate.

Not surprisingly, ecotourism, like any tourism sector can, and does,include a wide spectrum of different sectors, be it accommodation, tours,attractions, travel, retail or a myriad of support elements. Ecotourism activi-ties show an enormous variety in products – the ‘boutique’ ecolodge ortented safari, trekking with indigenous people in the desert, a 2-hour whalewatching trip or a lazy stroll down a boardwalk. Attempts to rationalize, orat least classify, the diversity of the ecotourism product are often made byseparating ecotourism into ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ ecotourism (Laarman and Durst,1987; Orams, 2001; Weaver, 2001a, b).

These terms refer to two dimensions – the ecotourist’s degree of inter-est/expertise in the natural attraction and the level of challenge/physicaldifficulty involved in the activity. For example, a ‘hard-core’ ecotouristmight be a passionate birdwatcher who is willing to live with few comfortsin order to get the best chance to observe a new bird. Hard ecotourism mayinvolve an immersion experience where visitors are totally removed fromtheir home comforts and environmental bubble, perhaps living with and asthe host communities/indigenous peoples do. On the other hand, it mightinclude a physically challenging activity such as an extended bush trek,snow camping or sea kayaking. When an activity includes an adventure

6 R. Black and A. Crabtree

sport such as scuba-diving, skiing or mountaineering, this is used as a‘vehicle’ to observe wildlife or ‘feel’ the landscape rather than being the mainfocus of the experience.

Hard ecotourism usually occurs over extended periods of time. In con-trast, a ‘soft’ ecotourist, while still interested in the natural attraction, tendsto have a more superficial and often highly mediated experience. Thesetypes of ecotourists are less likely and willing to experience discomfortand/or physical challenges as part of the experience (Orams, 2001; Weaver,2001a). Hard ecotourists usually participate in extended, specialized eco-tours (Orams, 2001), while soft ecotourists tend to engage in a short experi-ence as part of a more multipurpose and multidimensional travel experience.

The hard–soft dichotomy is a useful construct that differentiates productsand segments; however, it does not adequately account for differences inactual sustainability outcomes. A recent analysis by Weaver (2005) of thecore criteria of ecotourism suggests two ‘ideal types’ based on the level ofsustainability outcomes. The first type, ‘minimalist’ ecotourism, occurs whenthe focus is on a charismatic element (e.g. a dolphin), the educational mes-sage is shallow and a status quo approach is adopted towards sustainability;this is the manifestation of ecotourism that is most likely to mutate intosomething less benign, as it meets three key criteria only ‘minimally’. In con-trast, ‘comprehensive’ ecotourism is ecosystem- and deep learning-focusedand oriented towards the enhancement of sustainability. Weaver (2005) arguesthat contemporary ecotourism is generally unable to fulfil the potential toachieve meaningful environmental and sociocultural sustainability and, ofmore concern, is capable of mutating into less benign forms of tourism.

The diversity of ecotourism experiences raises another hurdle when try-ing to define quality ecotourism experiences. How do we compare qualitywhen legitimate expressions of ecotourism can be so fundamentally differ-ent? Should soft ecotourism be excluded from consideration as it may notnecessarily exemplify environmental sustainability or has relatively superfi-cial interpretation, or returns to the environment and local communities arerestricted to minimizing harm, rather than maximizing benefits, and so areless than perfect? Or should hard ecotourism be ignored because it involves‘such a small number of participants as to render it almost irrelevant in termsof economic impacts’ (Weaver, 2001a: 2).

We have already commented on the problems of hard ecotourism per-haps having a negligible environmental impact as a result of ‘preaching tothe converted’, but there is also a paradox in the tendency for ecotourism tobe slanted towards elitism. Hard ecotourism often requires physical fitness,often the domain of the young or at the very least the healthy. Extendedtrips, often to exotic locales and remote destinations, are frequently expen-sive, and hence there is a tendency for ecotourism to skew towards thewealthy. Highly specialized information often provided by ecotourism mayalso mean a bias towards more highly educated customers. These facts aboutthe demographics of ecotourists are well known (see Wight, 2001) – but whatare the results? There is some disquiet and perhaps a loss of credibility whena form of tourism that proclaims social sustainability has such an inclination

Quality in Ecotourism 7

against equity of access and contradiction of social justice. This is perhapsbest expressed in the uneasy tendency for ecotourism to often tend towardshigh cost, low volume. The smaller volume still provides the same economicreturns but environmental impacts are usually reduced – but could it andshould it still be considered quality ecotourism? There are certainly validarguments that suggest that small size should not necessarily automaticallybe considered to be more environmentally sustainable, but this remains acommon perception. On the other hand, whilst soft ecotourism might bemore accessible, there is a clear and present danger that it becomes somainstreamed, and the principles are so diluted by its multidimensionalnature that the potential positive impacts of ecotourism become negligible.Trying to isolate and delineate individual aspects of ecotourism may confuseand hinder the intent to determine what makes up quality ecotourism.

Quality in Tourism

Let’s look instead at what constitutes quality in tourism. Most people’s per-ceptions of ‘quality’ equate relatively simply to ‘luxury’, be it the size of thebed, the softness of the towels, the extras such as bathrobes and cosmetics, orthe number and type of facilities such as restaurants, spas, swimming poolsand gyms. Some of the earliest certification programmes in tourism, such asthe AAA and Michelin guidebooks, rated this type of quality, along with serviceand price, in the well-known ‘star’ ratings (Honey and Rome, 2001).

Many people think they have an intuitive understanding of the term‘quality’, and yet even they find it surprisingly difficult to define (Price, 1994;Reeves and Bednar, 1994; European Commission, 1999). According to Gilbertand Joshi (1992), the problem lies in the fact that quality has traditionallybeen used as an adjective (e.g. as in a quality product) to imply a high degreeof excellence or as an associated distinguishing attribute. Quality can thushave very many different meanings, depending on the organization or cus-tomer using the term (Crosby, 1979; Deming, 1982; Feigenbaum, 1983). Thequality management literature clearly suggests that the customer and his orher satisfaction should be the basis for measuring and improving quality. Assuch, quality exists only to the extent to which a product or service meets theexpectations or requirements of the customer (Oakland, 1994; Weiermair,1997).

It is certainly accepted that quality in tourism is equally as vexing anddifficult to define as ecotourism (Toplis, 2000; Williams and Buswell, 2003).Quality is not an easy concept (Hjalager, 2001), simply because quality maybe a product of or apply to a tourist destination, a region or nation, or simplyan individual tourism business. Toplis (2000) suggests that the range ofproduct and service categories, the complex nature of the overall touristexperience and the largely unpredictable and ever-changing preferences andattitudes of tourists are to blame.

Again, we have to accept that there is a plethora of meanings associatedwith the concept of quality tourism and perhaps that it is a relatively

8 R. Black and A. Crabtree

ambiguous classificatory term used by tourists to describe their constructionof a tourist experience: ‘This term may mean excellence, a matching of expec-tations to lived experience, a perception of getting value for one’s money, orhowever the individual tourist chooses to define it’ (Jennings and Weiler,2005: 59). A discussion of the challenges of defining quality tourism experi-ences and the multiple interpretations and meanings can be found in Jenningsand Polovitz Nickerson (2006). According to La Lopa and Marecki (1999),quality tourism may therefore be simply defined as a customer determinationand it depends upon the tourist’s actual experience with a tourism product orservice, measured against his or her expectations.

However, the World Tourism Organization’s work on quality in tourismis guided by an understanding of quality being the result of a process thatimplies the satisfaction of all the legitimate product and service needs,requirements and expectations of the consumer, at an acceptable price, andconformity with the underlying quality determinants such as safety andsecurity, hygiene, accessibility, transparency, authenticity and harmony ofthe tourism activity concerned with its human and natural environment(Toplis, 2000).

Quality is considered a critical factor in the success of destinations andtourism businesses and many agencies have identified quality and itsimprovement as a key strategic objective. For example, the World TourismOrganization (2006) has a programme, ‘Quality in Tourism Development’,that deals with specific measures to improve the design and supply of tourismproducts and services. Improved quality, and hence satisfaction of visitors,will help result in increased competitiveness for tourism businesses and des-tinations. Governments are also showing increasing interest in the qualityissues as Westernized economies shift from a manufacturing to a servicebase (Toplis, 2000). Ensuring that quality tourism products are deliveredmeans that governments can attract international investment and marketshare, vital when tourism is becoming such a globally competetive industry(World Travel and Tourism Council, 2005).

The interest in raising the quality of tourism as a whole (and, implicitlyor explicitly, the quantity) has been fuelled by a number of factors, includingchanges to the business environment, a growing sophistication of consum-ers, an increasingly competitive environment within which enterprises oper-ate and more differentiated markets. At the same time, we have also seen ageneral shift away from just measuring success through profit to recognizingthat other factors are important, such as the benefits to the environment,economy and society – as evidenced by a triple bottom line. These mirror thepreviously mentioned pillars of sustainable development and indicate theimportance of sustainability as a component of quality. Trends indicate thatcorporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming more common and almostmandatory in many industries (Overseas Development Institute, 2003;Ward, 2004), although still relatively poorly applied in tourism (see WorldBank, 2006).

Consumers now have increased choice and expect to have products andservices of a higher than minimum standard. As Camison (1996: 193) states,

Quality in Ecotourism 9

‘the key change in tourists’ behaviour, connected to customer satisfactioncriteria has been the swing in their preferences, more and more towards pro-ducts with better quality/price ratio’. It may be that choice is becoming lessfocused on price and needs other sources of advantage in this highly competi-tive market (Tourism Victoria, 2000). The advent of value-adding to tourismproduct through ensuring quality by such means as using highly qualifiedguides, providing gourmet products, ensuring authenticity and appealing toenvironmentalism has huge potential for the ecotourism market.

Quality in Ecotourism

For the purposes of this volume we are considering quality ecotourism tomean tourism that has distilled the sum of all the key principles of a naturalarea focus, environmental sustainability, interpretation/education, returnsto local community and cultural sensitivity such that the negative impacts oftourism are minimized and the positive impacts are maximized.

Exploring what makes up quality in ecotourism is important becauseit is clear that ecotourism is not a panacea that always guarantees that theenvironment is protected, economic activity is supported and local commu-nities are equitably rewarded. Ecotourism is clearly a complex concept, andits manifestations or operationalization does not remain static.

Ecotourism, or best attempts at ecotourism, are often embraced in earlystages of development because there are few apparent negative impacts andthere appear to be positive benefits for the local community and environ-ment. Unfortunately, ecotourism often mutates as a result of its own success– for, no matter the best of intentions, once the economic juggernaut startsrolling, controlling tourism is extremely difficult (for example, AmboseliNational Park in Kenya). The spectre of ecotourism being the catalyst andpaving the way for mainstream, mass tourism that has less regard for thenatural and sociocultural environment occurs again and again. This is not aproblem restricted to the ecotourism sector of the tourism industry – it iswell known that tourism often carries the seed of its own destruction (Butler,1980). Despite, or possibly because of, the major economic role tourism canhave (Lindberg, 2001; Leiper, 2004), it has the capacity to degrade or destroythe very natural and cultural resources that it relies upon, with the popular-ity of a destination leading to adverse environmental, social and culturalimpacts (Buckley, 2001; Wearing, 2001; Leiper, 2004).

Although much of the mainstream tourism industry relies on the samedraw cards of the natural environment and local communities, in ecotourismthe relationship with the natural environment and local community is a fun-damental and essential link. The potential for the very worst of the negativeimpacts of tourism and the very best of the positive impacts appears to cometo a head in the particularly fragile or sensitive natural or cultural environ-ments that ecotourism tends to gravitate towards. Although this does notmean that ecotourism only occurs in protected areas, there appears to be anincipient disdain and almost contempt for ecotourism that uses areas of

10 R. Black and A. Crabtree

lower conservation significance or rehabilitated land. Most ecotourism occurswithin areas of high conservation significance and unfortunately is relativelyrare outside these areas. This may be a reluctance to go to supposedly inferior,lesser ‘quality’ environments, or even equating less meaningful experienceswith an environment that may not be entirely authentic. Again, isolating indi-vidual aspects of ecotourism tenets can be detrimental; for the reality thatconservation is significantly enhanced through efforts towards rehabilitationand destructive effects of ecotourism are significantly ameliorated by usingdegraded, rather than pristine, sites is apparent.

It could be argued that all these complexities in examining or providinga definitive interpretation of ecotourism are a reflection that it is nothingmore than a mythical beast – something to aspire to, but clearly difficult toactually observe, and perhaps just a dream. Unlike mainstream, mass tour-ism, ecotourism promises far more than just a good time – it promises abetter and greener world with proclaimed benefits for both the environmentand the community. Successful application of all the concepts and ideals ofecotourism may be difficult, but it does not mean that striving for qualityecotourism should be abandoned or that the concept itself is flawed.

Perhaps the difficulties merely reflect the immaturity of the industry,although there is clear evidence of ecotourism coming of age with a recentand increasing focus on delivering genuine, high-quality ecotourism productswith commendable performance, using a range of quality assurance tools(Manidis Roberts Consultants, 1994; Issaverdis, 1998, 2001; Toplis, 2000) andincreasing professionalism (Black, 2002). The quality assurance tools includecodes of conduct, awards of excellence, certification and professional certifi-cation and will be explored in more detail in Chapter 2 and Part One ofthis volume.

Summary

Ecotourism is generally considered to be a rapidly expanding sector of thetourism industry and, although there is still considerable debate over its pre-cise constituents, there is little doubt that this level of interest is generated bya range of stakeholders who see ecotourism’s potential.

While ecotourism and sustainable certification programmes have beencomprehensively addressed in the literature (Font and Buckley, 2001; Honeyand Rome, 2001; Honey, 2002; WTO, 2002), there have been few criticalreviews of other quality assurance tools and initiatives in the ecotourism lit-erature nor has there been a more general discussion of issues of quality inecotourism. Much of the academic, and even grey, literature simply describesa range of programmes and best practice guidelines, promotes the benefits ofsuch techniques and provides case studies on best practice companies andschemes. To date there has been little critical analysis of the challenges andopportunities associated with planning, developing and implementingquality in ecotourism, which we try to address in Part One of this volume.The extensive interest in ecotourism has not been reflected in any substantial

Quality in Ecotourism 11

critical review and appraisal of the various tools and initiatives for develop-ing quality ecotourism products. There is continued ignorance and abuseof what could or should be considered quality ecotourism. So, in Part Twoof the book we aim to present a range of ecotourism stakeholders’ perspec-tives on quality in ecotourism, with a particular focus on certificationprogrammes.

The reality is that it is difficult to define quality. This is because there is asomewhat intangible notion of exactly what a quality ecotourism product is,furter confused by the different perceptions of primary consumers (tourists)and secondary consumers (primary stakeholders such as local communitiesor protected area managers). The situation is further muddied becauseexpectations are always changing.

None the less, we hope this collection of ideas and issues will construc-tively add to the debate and development of better ecotourism.

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