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Genuinely Sustainable Marine

Ecotourism in the EU At lant ic Area:

a Blueprint for Responsible Market ing

Co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)


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Genuinely Sustainable Marine Ecotourism

in the EU Atlantic Area:

a Blueprint for Responsible Marketing


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ISBN 1 86043 326 X

University of the West of England, Bristol


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Contents

1 Introduction

2 General Market Information for Marine Ecotourism

3 Making Market ing Work for Marine Ecotourism

4 A Step by Step programme for Marketing

Marine Ecotour ism

5 Moni toring, Evaluat ion and Ecolabell ing

Annex 1: the META-Model for genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism

Annex 2: Examples of Accreditation Criteria for Ecolabels

Notes

Acknowledgements

Genuinely Sustainable Marine Ecotourism

in the EU Atlantic Area:

a Blueprint for Responsible Marketing


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Genuinely Sustainable Marine Ecotourism in the EU Atlantic Area

2

This blueprint first summarises what is meant by marine ecotourism and provides some

general market information on marine ecotourism with suggestions on how that

information may be used in a local context. Principles for the responsible marketing of

genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism are set out and the implications of these for the

use of a standard marketing approach are identified for the different aspects of marketing

that may be involved. These are then demonstrated in a step by step programme for

marketing marine ecotourism. This draws on the practical experience of the META- projects

partner in the West of Ireland to derive a transnationally applicable model, which is finally

taken a step further towards an Ecolabel-assured branded marine ecotourism product.

1.1 Audience for this Bluepr intThe audience for this document includes both potential users and readers. It is aimedprimarily at local initiators and facilitators working in or for EU Atlantic Area coastal areas

that have actual, or potential for, marine ecotourism activities.

Local initiators may include entrepreneurs who are operators of existing boat trips or

fishermen, accommodation providers, existing attraction providers, members of local marine

wildlife protection societies and residents groups. All these can be described as local

stakeholders, who will have an interest in the ways marine ecotourism is marketed even if

they are not themselves directly involved. However, in many cases such local init iatives to

develop genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism may, with advantage, be stimulated by

people working in the public sector or as agents of the public sector.

Such facilitators, whose role will be to build a capacity for independent, continuing, marineecotourism activity in a locality, may include:

Regional Government Agencies

Tourist boards

Economic Development Boards

Local Authority Departments:

Tourism

Planning

Environment

Heritage

Transportat ion

Local Economic Development

Local Agenda 21

Coastal Zone Management

Associated organisations:

Trusts aff iliated to a local authority

Joint public/private tourism marketing

Further readers and potential users of the document may be voluntary sector policymakers

and initiators including those working f or, with or as members of

NGOs (non-governmental organisations)

Semi-state bodies

1. Introduction


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Introduction

3

QUANGOs (Quasi-autonomous non- governmental organisations)

QUALGOs (Quasi-autonomous local governmental organisations)

Private sector consultants working for such bodies may also be included.

The associated document Good Practice Guidance for Planning for Marine Ecotourism in

the EU Atlant ic Area is aimed at an overlapping audience.

1.2 PurposeTo succeed, marine ecotourism needs to be marketed effectively. This document aims to

offer local marine ecotourism init iators and facilitators a blueprint for t he responsible

marketing of genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism. It should be used in conjunction

with Good Practice Guidance for Planning for Marine Ecotourism in the EU Atlantic Area ,

which considers issues important to and provides advice for policy makers. Marine

ecotourism concerns the activity of enabling tourists to appreciate and enjoy the natural

marine environment in all of its forms.

1.3 ScopeThis blueprint is designed for use as part of a bottom-up approach to marine ecotourism.

Yet the local stakeholders, whose active support and participation is essential for genuinely

sustainable marine ecotourism may see any blueprint as an imposition from above unless

it is clearly open to interpretation in the local context. It is designed for use by more or less

formal associations of tourism providers, which are seen as a generally effective approach

to organising marine ecotourism in a competitive market place. Individually small

ecotourism providers may be unable to resource such a marketing approach, although they

may be able to adapt it.

1.4 ContextMany coastal communities are now t urning t o new forms of t ourism. In general, new

tourism, contrasted with traditional mass tourism, is a response by an environment-

intensive industry to global imperatives demonstrating the limitations to unrestrained

growth1. The development of marine ecotourism represents an important opportunity f or

peripheral communities to improve the quality (including environmental quality) of their

tourism product to meet t he expectations of t he new consumers of t he new tourism.

Tourism is the system of leisure or holiday travel, away from home for the day or overnight .

The components of tourism include activities, facilities, transport and (when overnight)

accommodation as well as local and international tour operators. Ecotourism is tourism

that is based on enabling people to experience the natural environment in ways consistent

with the principles of sustainable development. Because it is dependent on and seeks to be

supportive of the local and global ecosystem, ecotourism must focus on the natural world

but to be successful needs also to be economically viable and socially and culturally

supportive of the local human community. This relationship between the ecosystem

resource base for ecotourism and the business and social systems involved has specific

implications for marketing.


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Marine ecotourism as used in this document means ecotourism that takes place in the

coastal zone, in the marine environment, or in both. The local providers of ecotourism

activities may be specialist local operators of tours or may be from the local accommodation

or transport sectors.

1.5 How this document has been preparedThis document has been prepared as part of an EU Interreg IIc transnational research project

Marine Ecotourism for the Atlantic Area (META-). META- is part-funded by the European

Regional Development Fund (via the Interreg IIc Atlant ic Area Programme) and the UK

Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. (since June 7th 2001

Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions) with significant co-funding

from the partners themselves Torbay Council, Marine Instit ute (Dublin), MBA Escuela (Gran

Canaria) and UWE, Bristol.

This marketing blueprint draws on the practical experience of developing marine ecotourism

in West Clare in the West of Ireland2. The Irrus website (www.irrus.com) promotes that

product. Throughout the points made will be illustrated from that experience.


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World tourism has grown rapidly over the past 50 years, so much so that it is now

considered to be the worlds largest industry, contribut ing over 10% of world gross

domestic product and employing more than 10% of the global workforce. Ecotourism,

meanwhile, is reputed to be t he fastest-growing sector of the world tourism industry, with

estimates of its rate of growth ranging anywhere between 10% and 30% per annum.

Ecotourism is reputed to attract high spending tourists, and estimates suggest it to be

worth between (Euros)C= 12 andC= 20 billion w orldwide, although the bases on which such

figures are calculated are rarely explained. Ecotourism activities of some kind now take place

in almost every country of the world, including those located along the EUs Atlantic

coastline.

2.1 What is Marine Ecotourism?The focus of t his document is on t he particular form of ecotourism known as marine

ecotourism. Whale and dolphin watching is a high-profile example of t he sort of activity

that might qualify as marine ecotourism. Whales and dolphins have become important

symbols of the environmental movement and cetacean watching is estimated, by research

carried out for the (UK) Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, to be growing at 10% a

year. In 1998, 300 communities around the world hosted 6 million whale watchers and

generated someC= 500 million. Not all this revenue remains in the host community and not

all whale and dolphin watching is genuine sustainable ecotourism but on the other hand

there is much marine ecotourism that does not involve whale and dolphin watching. These

figures do therefore give an initial idea of t he current size and growth potent ial of the

global market for marine ecotourism. Localising these figures to the European marine area,

based part ly on estimates by Hoyt3 (2000), Berrow4 (2001) identif ied approximately 1.5

million whale watchers, benefiting some 67 communities with a direct value of C= 32 million

and indirect cash benefits of C= 121 millions.

Table 1 indicates that 70% of t hese were in the Canary Islands and a further 20% or more

in the rest of the Atlantic Area (some of France may be in the Mediterranean). By value 80%

is in the Atlantic Area, with 57% in the Canaries, indicating that the spend per head in the

Canaries is much lower than other whale watching areas.

Marine ecotourism activities may be water-based, land-based, or both. They may be

formally organised or undertaken independently. They may form the basis of a specialist

holiday or simply be an element of a conventional holiday. Examples of activities that could

be marine ecotourism include: watching whales, dolphins, sharks, seals and other marine

animals, seabird ornithology, diving and snorkelling, nature-based sightseeing trips by

surface boat or submarine, rock-pooling, coastal footpath and beach walking and visiting

seashore and sea life centres. Whether such activities are indeed marine ecotourism

depends on how they are planned, managed and marketed.

Marine ecotourism can generate positive outcomes for the natural environment, for

example by raising funds that can be used for environmental protection, by providing

economic alternatives to activities that degrade or deplete the natural environment, and by

more widely propagating eco-awareness and the principles of sustainable development. Yet,

experience has shown that if marine ecotourism is to play this role effectively, it must be

developed and marketed w ithin a planning framework that ensures that the practice of

2. General Market Information for Marine Ecotourism


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Geniunely Sustainable

Marine Ecotourism

Is focused on the enjoyment and

appreciation of nature, involving: (a) local

participation in planning and management;

(b) sustainable management with

environmental protection as the key

priority; (c) appropriate interpretation and

education of the natural environment; (d) a

judicious mix of formal and voluntary

management measures; (e) collaboration

among stakeholders; (f) responsible

marketing; and (g) appropriate monitoring

and evaluation.

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ecotourism is compatible with sustainability considerations. Marketing marine ecotourism

encourages tourists to come close to nature: an activity that carries with it the risk of

causing serious harm to the very things that ecotourism providers are helping tourists to

experience. Marine ecotourism that is done badly, or excessively, may do more harm than it

does good. Any marketing plan for ecotourism therefore needs to be based on awareness

of these risks

Marine ecotourism is fundamentally about attempting to establish and maintain a symbiotic

relationship between tourism and the natural marine environment. Good ecotourism

marketing dictates that the tourism be designed in such a way that tourists receive a

satisfying experience - one that they will pay for - while respecting the natural environment

in which such activities take place and on which such activities depend. Bearing these

points in mind, the META- project has derived the f ollowing definition:

These features of genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism are dynamic, in that they

identify sustainability as a necessary orientation for marine ecotourism, rather than simply a

set of qualifying conditions which marine ecotourism must achieve. Local participation in

planning and management as well as the collaboration of stakeholders will ensure that the

ecotourism benefits local people economically as well in other ways.

Sustainability is the key concept in defining genuine ecotourism. It has been argued,

The Value of Marine Ecotourism(adapted f rom Hoyt (2000), furt her adapted from Berrow (2001)

Count ry/ Year No of Communit ies Direct value Indirect Value % of European M arket sharearea began whale- total WWs (% of indirect

watchers C= C= value)

Azores 1989 9,500 2 652,000 3,774,000 1% 3%

Canaries late 80s 1,000,000 5 19,902,000 69,658,000 70% 57%

Croatia 1991 21 1 16,800 20,000 - -

Cyprus late90s minimal

Denmark mid 90s minimal 1

Faroe Islands 1996 minimalFrance 1983 750 6 460,000 573,000 - -

Germany early 90s minimal 1

Gibralter 1980 18,750 2 504,000 3,024,000 1% 2%

Greece late 80s 3,678 3 157,000 292,000 - -

Greenland early 90s 2,500 6 932,000 3,080,000 - -

Iceland 1991 30,330 8 3,313,000 7,246,000 2% 6%

Italy 1988 5,300 2 270,000 608,000 0% 1%

Ireland 1986 177,600 3 1,480,000 7,973,000 12% 7%

Monaco early90s minimal 1

Norway 1988 22,380 2 1,828,000 13,488,00 2% 11%

Portugal early 80s 1,398 1 35,000 97,000 - -

Spain late 80s 33,000 11 616,000 2,156,000 2% 2%

UK mid 80s 121,125 12 2,110,000 9,219,000 8% 8%

Europe 1,426,332 67 32,275,800 121,208,000 100% 100%

Atlantic Area 1,362,123 42 25,759,000 96,474,000 95% 80%


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General Market Information for Marine Ecotourism

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however, that the requirement of sustainability oft en represents the weak link between the

principles and practices of ecotourism. While those responsible for ecotourism areas tend to

be very willing t o sign up to the concept of sustainability, too of ten the driver of ecotourism

in practice is the desire to generate economic returns from otherwise under-used (and

hence low opportunity cost) resources. Typically this implies stimulating progressive

increases in visitor numbers (often through aggressive inappropriate marketing), inevitably

leading to greater damaging impacts to the natural environment, in addition to various

adverse socio-cultural impacts on the local population. The irony is that poorly planned and

managed ecotourism can contribute to its own demise since genuinely sustainable

ecotourism requires a high quality environment in which to operate.

When analysing the potential for marine ecotourism in a particular area, there needs to be arecognition that the universal dependence of marine ecotourism on a high quality natural

environment is at the same time both its major weakness and its major strength. On the

one hand, marine ecotourism is an activity that involves bringing people into contact w ith

the natural environment, risking damage. Whale watching activities from motorised boats

may, for example, have the effect of disturbing the animals concerned at critical points in

their life cycle (e.g. mating or suckling young). This in turn may threaten the biological

viability of the population of whales that the ecotourists are being encouraged to watch.

On the other hand, the reliance of marine ecotourism providers on a high quality

environment in which t o operate presents them with a strong incentive to respect and

protect it. Furthermore, marine ecotourism can help to provide the necessary funds for the

management of the activity and for conservation work relating to the components of the

natural environment concerned.

International experience suggests that those ecotourism providers that are most seriously

and effectively addressing the criteria set out in the above definit ion tend to operate in

relatively remote areas, have evolving environmental and tourism management structures in

place, and be run by self-motivated operators. Moreover, as ecosystem-based tourism,

marine ecotourism has an obligation also to respect the global environment, which may be

adversely affected by the global warming implications of the transport needed to reach

such remote areas. For the European tourism market, one of the largest in the world, the

Atlantic periphery is relatively close at hand but includes many areas still remote from

industrial and other human interference with wildlife and the natural world.

2.2 Who are Marine Ecotourists?There exists a whole range of niche markets in which the ecotourist might be found, while

those who are located in other tourism markets might still engage in ecotourism

experiences. One widely cited classification of ecotourists is based on their level of

dedication and time commitment5:

Hard-core nature tourists: scientific researchers or members of tours specifically

designed for education, removal of litter, or similar purposes

Dedicated nature tourists: people who take trips specifically to see protected areas

and who want to understand local natural and cultural history

Mainstream nature tourists: those who visit natural destinations primarily to take an

unusual tourism experience

Target Species for Marine

Ecotourism

Marine ecotourism is typically not targeted

on a single species of wildlife. Due to the

incidental nature of sightings for many of

the species of interest to marine ecotourists,

many tour operators focus their provision

on multiple species. Other marine ecotours

are concerned with the appreciation of the

marine environment in general, rather than

with watching particular species of wildlife.

Non-Wildlife Resources forMarine Ecotourism

Marine ecotourism has the potential to

utilise a wide variety of non-wildlife

resources. Tours based on the appreciation

of seascapes and geological features (such as

caves) are good examples. Many coastal

communities also have a rich maritime

heritage and unique cultural characteristics

that will also be of interest to tourists.

Land-based facilities, such as marine

interpretation and sea life centres, can also

help to extend the spectrum of ecotourism

activities. Not only do such facilities extend

the spectrum of ecotourism activities, but as

wet weather attractions they help iron out

seasonality (an example is the H ebridean

Whale & Dolphin centre in Mull,

Scotland). Furthermore, they can facilitate

participation by a broader section of the

population (crafts, artisanal skills, local

products etc. and, very importantly, can

even act as drop in educational centres for

the local population.

It is important that marketing plans

recognise such opportunities, since this will

help marine ecotourism to grow without

unduly increasing the burden of pressure on

marine wildlife.


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Casual nature tourists: those who experience nature incidentally as part of a

broader-based holiday

And t he eff ects they have?

Different levels of ecotourism can also be distinguished from one another by their effects

rather than their intentions. These effects take two main forms:

The effect on the ecotourist, in which participating in ecotourism moves the

ecotourist experience beyond mere enjoyment and progressively toward incorporating

learning and changes in the ecotourists behaviour, both while on holiday and after

return home

The effect on the environment, in which participating in ecotourism moves the

ecotourist from a passive role, where their satisfaction is based purely on enjoyment of

the natural setting, to an active role, where their activities actually contribute to

protecting and/or enhancing the quality of the natural environment.

There is also a useful framework, which is based on a spectrum between hard and soft

ecotourism6 as ideal types against which the characteristics of actual ecotourists can be

measured. The following figure illustrates these types. In most cases, particular ecotourists

(or groups of ecotourists) will fall somewhere between these two polar cases:

While, it is perhaps safest to conclude that the typical ecotourist simply does not exist with

an identifiable market profile, ecotourists can be found in a very wide spectrum of markets.

The range extends from the small niche market of the dedicated wildlife watcherat one

extreme, to the larger but under-researched casual nature-based touristat the other.


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Hard and Soft Ecotourism

HARD SOFT

(Active, Deep) (Passive, Shallow)

The Ecotourism Spectrum

Strong environmental commitment Moderate or superficial environmental commitment

Enhancive sustainability Steady state sustainability

Specialized trips Multi-purpose trips

Long trips Short trips

Small groups Larger groups

Physically active Physically passive

Physical challenge Physical comfort

Few if any services expected Services expected

Deep interaction with nature Shallow interaction with nature

Emphasis on personal experience Emphasis on interpretation

Make own travel arrangements Rely on travel agents and tour operators


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The West Clare Ecotourist

The META- partners have conducted surveys within their own tourism markets and identified

the local awareness of, and potential for, marine ecotourism. While the areas are not necessarily

typical of the Atlantic Area as a whole they do represent examples from three different types of

tourism and three different marine eco-systems. Spreading from the subtropics to the sub-Arctic

seasonality in the EU Atlantic Area is largely dictated by sea temperature. West C lare, in the West

of Ireland has a short two-month summer season.

The West C lare ecotourism survey illustrated that the dedicated wildlife watcher type of

ecotourist is in the minority. This became evident when the respondents were asked whether they

(a) would choose a holiday mainly for the ecotourism experience(s), (b) would choose a holiday

with some ecotourism experience(s), (c) would not be interested in an ecotourism experience, or

(d) dont know. Only 10% chose (a) while 69% chose (b). Respondents to (b) could be classified

as casual nature-based tourists as they would like an ecotourism experience but as a part of theirnormal holiday experience. This point was even more strongly emphasised when only 27 out of

312 respondents were members of any organisation involved with the conservation of wildlife or

the natural environment and of those 27 respondents only 4 would choose a holiday mainly for

the ecotourism experience, while 20 chose some ecotourism experience. There was therefore a

moderate or superficial environmental commitment from the majority of respondents. This

response supports the argument that the ecotourism product is desirable but cannot stand on its

own and must be integrated with other tourism activities. Marketing packages should therefore

be constructed with this in mind.

Further response showed a strong preference for undertaking ecotourism activities in small

groups (less than 7 people), which would include family and friends and would take place in

scenic areas. Respondents expressed a preference for operators offering such packages to provide

good quality information on the natural resources and conservation issues of the region through

printed material and guiding services, while providing opportunities to view these natural

resources without impacting on the environment. Operators should be active in conservation

matters and abide by codes of conduct and regulations to reduce their and their visitors impact

on the environment.From these findings the West Clare ecotourist appears to be located at the softer end of the

ecotourism spectrum. which suggests that there may be an opportunity to market harder forms

of ecotourism which may also, in this case, be more commercially attractive. While harder

ecotourism tends to be a smaller market, it may also be less seasonable and, while more expensive

to provide for7, may attract higher spending visitors.


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3.1 Responsible Market ingThe starting point for making marketing work f or genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism

is the set of principles for responsible marketing set out in t he META- document: Good

Practice Guidance for Planning for Marine Ecotourism in the EU Atlant ic Area . That

document sets responsible marketing into the wider context of the META- model (See

Annex 1 of t his document) for Marine ecotourism:

To quote:

The marketing and management of marine ecotourism are necessarily interdependent

activities; there needs to be a process of integration to ensure mutual compatibility/

complementarity.

Sustainability requires that management and marketing is supply-led influencing

demand to meet supply constraints, which are themselves determined by sustainability

considerations.

The involvement of stakeholders (and particularly the community) is essential in the

development and implementation of both management and marketing plans.

The process of developing and implementing management and marketing plans is

not achievable through individual agents collaboration and co-operation are

necessary.

There needs to be a process of continual monitoring and review of marine ecotourism

marketing and management plans.

The central aspect of the principle is that the management and marketing of marine

ecotourism are necessarily interdependent activities. It therefore advises that a

management plan pays due consideration not only to the resource base and existing

planning policies relating to it (the supply side) but also to associated patterns of actual

and potential demand for marine ecotourism activities (the demand side). The

underlying principle linking these two aspects of marine ecotourism activity is that any

management, and therefore marketing, should be supply-led. The drawing up of a

management plan should provide a robust foundation for the development of an

appropriate marketing plan. Furthermore, the information that is required for drawing

up such a management plan might additionally serve to meet the data requirements

for the development of an associated marketing plan. It is also argued that stakeholder

involvement is essential at the development and implementation stages of both the

management and marketing plans. Finally, both types of plan should undergo a

mutually informing process of periodic monitoring and review. 8

At first sight, t his set of principles may appear incompatible w ith conventional marketing.

Normally, marketing as a philosophy for a company or other organisation is founded on the

premise that the customers needs are the starting point . It is about f inding out what the

customer wants and then producing a product to meet the demand. This is the marketing-

orientated approach, carefully distinguished by marketers from t he product-orientated

approach, which looks to find a market for and ways of selling a given product or service. It

is this marketing-orientated approach, with its the consumer as king viewpoint which has

given marketing its successes (on its own terms) over the past 50 years, from Ford to

McDonalds to Thomson Holidays.

3. Making Marketing Work for Marine Ecotourism


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Making Marketing Work for Marine Ecotourism

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Tourism marketing9 within that philosophy does recognise certain general peculiarities of

tourism. It can therefore also be about regulating and managing rather than simply

stimulating demand and sales. Tourism as a product has been described as intangible ,

heterogeneous, perishable and inseparable. Marine ecotourism shares these attributes

and each is illustrated in an Irish marine ecotourism context below but is briefly described in

the box.

Sustainable marketing10 seeks to incorporate sustainability principles and specifically

recognises the dilemma posed in Hardins classic tragedy of the commons The tragedy of

the commons occurs when a limited (typically natural) resource is in common ownership

and therefore unpriced to any one seeking to exploit its value. Without regulation, it will be

worthwhile for any and each individual to go on exploiting the resource until it has beenoverexploited (as with fish stocks).

The basic marketing philosophy of primacy for the consumer or the sovereignty of the

tourist remains problematic for genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism, which must focus

on conserving and enhancing the marine ecosystem, which in marketing terms appears to

be the product. However, the marine ecosystem is only a part of the raw materials of the

product , which does not come to market as a packaged product before being combined,

inseparably, with other more standard tourism elements like transport and accommodation.

It is through the packaging process to create a range of int egrated marine ecotourism

products (see below), that marketing techniques and skills can be responsibly applied to

marine ecotourism. The advantages of the marketing philosophy can be garnered withoutputting at risk the resource, which is the marine ecosystem if due care is taken. This should

involve the precautionary principle, which demands that because irreversible changes can

occur with long lead times, action needs to be taken to avoid them even before the science

is certain. This is how responsible marketing may reflect the supply-led emphasis that is

required for genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism.

This Blueprint sets the objective for marketing clearly to enhance the quality of the marine

ecosystem, while recognising that, to achieve this goal, pleasing and serving the tourist is

critical to success. Similarly critical is providing economic benefit to the local community,

working with local stakeholders and working w ithin global environmental constraints such

as the greenhouse effect.

The Paramount Need to Protect the M arine Ecosystem

The ecology and behaviour of many species of wildlife that are the subject of marine ecotourism

are still relatively poorly understood. A vital prerequisite for genuinely sustainable marine

ecotourism, therefore, is to ensure that appropriate programmes for achieving a better

understanding of the interactions between ecotourism and wildlife are implemented. In the

meantime, it would seem prudent to adopt a strongly precautionary approach to the development

of marine ecotourism, avoiding those operations and practices where there is a high degree of

scientific uncertainty about their possible negative impacts on the marine ecosystem. Responsible

marketing has an important role to play in the implementation of such an approach.

Brundtlands challenge is that there is still time to save species and their ecosystems. It is an

indispensable prerequisite for sustainable development. Our failure to do so will not be forgiven

by future generations11.

The Intangibility,

Heterogeneity,

Perishability and

Inseparability of Tourism.

(Holloway and Robinson 1995)

Intangibility: tourism usually has to be

bought before it can be experienced and it is

a service rather than a physically product

based.

Heterogeneity: is the opposite of

standardisation: no holiday experience isexactly like another as is the case with a

branded physical product or commodity

Perishability:unsold transport seats,

unsold beds in an hotel or unsold places on

group tours become instantly worthless

Inseparability: tourism has diverse

elements transport, accomodation,

activities, with many different people

involved, each of whom can critically affect

the quality of a holiday.


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Responsible marketing of marine ecotourism needs to balance the cost to the global

environment of air and motor t raffic but not discourage local or world regional travel, in

such a way that longer-distance (air) travel is made relatively more attractive. 12

Hyper-taxing leisure car t ravel may therefore simply encourage air t ravel, especially long-

haul air travel, which uses untaxed fuel no less inefficiently per kilometre per head than the

private car. Nevertheless, information for surface public transport needs to be provided.

A key tool, which is also discussed in more depth in the META Good Practice Guidance for

Planning13 is interpretation and education of the tourist. This can raise their ecological

awareness of the constraints of the natural environment as assets to be enjoyed and so

manage their expectations and subsequent satisfaction.

3.2 Using Different Types of Marketing for Marine

EcotourismConventionally, marketing comprises Social, Industrialand Consumermarketing. In tourism

terms, socialmarketing, which is the marketing of non-commercial ideas for instance

religion or ecology, is used by NGOs such as Tourism Concern. So-called Industrial

marketing is when business deals with other business. In Internet terms this is called B2B

(Business to Business) marketing and is important to marine ecotourism in terms of

destination clusters marketing to each other and to transport and international tour

operators. Consumermarketing is marketing f or and to the actual tourist. In Internet terms

this is called B2C marketing. Each has its own techniques, though some are common to all.

3.2.1 SocialMarketing for Marine Ecotourism

Because marine ecotourism has an environment enhancing purpose, it has the opportunity

to be promoted by the environmental and ecologically aware charities and NGOs. Some

even operate or promote their own ecotourism. Examples include the RSPB, the Whale and

Dolphin trust etc. Such organisations market their ideals through the techniques of club

membership and public relations to the press and opinion formers. Increasingly they make

effective use of the Internet and database and relationship marketing. Mutual links to and

from their websites can be important to raising awareness of particular types and localities

for marine ecotourism. Access to their membership lists can be a useful way into market

segments for marine ecotourism. However McKercher14 has noted that many members may

only be interested in gaining inexpensive access to high quality experiences. Locally it is

essential that marine ecotourism markets itself within its own community so that the local

people are aware of the benefits to them and their locality of this activity.

3.2.2. Industrial (or Business to Business)Marketing for Marine Ecotourism

In Internet terms this is called B2B (business to business) marketing and is important to

marine ecotourism in terms of destination clusters marketing to each other and to transport

and international tour operators. Important aspects of industrial marketing for marine

ecotourism will be the use of tourism trade-fairs, such as the World Travel Market. However,

the expense of making an impact at such fairs, dictates that much of the effort for marine

ecotourism should be in raising the awareness of the activity among larger players, such as

tourist boards. In this way promotion of more general tourism in appropriate areas may

refer to the marine ecotourism potential and marine ecotourism opportunities and thereby

reach the international and major national tour operators who market themselves to the

The Global Environmental

Cost of Travel

This global effect is largely from the

transport involved. Taking the figures for

whale watching alone and making the

assumption that the origins of

whalewatchers within Europe reflect more

general visitors to the Atlantic areas

destinations, about a million tonnes of CO 2are deposited into the atmosphere each year.

If all went instead to (eg) the great Barrier

Reef, Australia, it would be four milliontonnes or more (see Hoyts figures for the

numbers (quoted above) and the Transport

Impact Toolkit of the Good Practice

Guidance for Planning Marine Ecotourism

in the EU Atlantic Area for the analysis)


16/3613

general public. These will include significant tourism players in the general business to

consumer (B2C) market such as late booking specialists and direct sell transport operators.

The risk in such indirect marketing may be the loss of control of the message and therefore

of the principles of responsible marketing for marine ecotourism. Such risk can be reduced

by targeting responsible tour operators, who themselves seek to work w ith their suppliers

to achieve greater sustainability.

3.2.3 ConsumerMarketing

For marine ecotourism, consumer marketing, which is directly aimed at attracting the actual

tourist has the advantage of keeping the activity under the control of the marine

ecotourism providers. In Internet t erms, consumer marketing is called B2C (Business to

Consumer) marketing. In many cases, marine ecotourism is very small compared to ot hertypes of tourism in the area, or the area itself is relatively unknown, it can therefore be

expensive to make an impact relative to competitors for the tourists expenditure. It is for

this reason that this blueprint is more appropriate to local associations of marine ecotourism

providers rather than to small individual businesses, such as a boat operator. Exclusive

marine ecotourism is always going to be a niche within the larger tourism market.

Where consumer marketing is going to be most important is in the local area itself. Local

publicity material from providers and from their associations can be highly effective in

encouraging marine ecotourism experiences as part of a holiday and can have an important

role in demonstrating the commitment to the principles of marine ecotourism, for example

by stressing adherence to codes of practice.

Making Marketing Work for Marine Ecotourism


17/36


18/36


19/36


16

The relevant agency personnel, at local and regional level, should be informed of the plans

for marine ecotourism development at an early stage. This helps to create a personal

connection with relevant people within the agencies. Such people should be consulted in

advance, brought through the planning, asked for advice and developed as a jury to assess

progress. This will save time and money in prevention of duplication of research and will

provide access to valuable technical expertise. By the time the marketing plan is complete

the marketing group and the product are well known and trusted.

Current developments and future plans for marine ecotourism at an international, national,

regional and local level should be taken into account, not least because of the significance

of migratory species among marine ecotourism resources. The position of the service being

promoted in t erms of how it f its into these plans should be determined. This will indicatethe product position in t he market and w ill also provide information on any grant aid or

funding. Limitations to development must be explored e.g. rules and regulations which

must be complied with. (For example West Clare: providing monitoring data on the

Shannon Dolphins, obeying codes of conduct; obtaining a licence for seaweed harvesting

for thallasotherapy17) If so, these should be allowed for in terms of time and cost. A

relationship with the planning authorit ies will be of great benefit in terms of advice on such

issues.

Once the feasibility of the marketing promotion for marine ecotourism has been established

and support pledged from the relevant authorities, all relevant product providers in the area

should be contacted to form a cluster marketing group.

4.2 Developing a Marketing Group (II)A marketing group must be formed to promote the product/service i.e. the marine

ecotourism of the region. This group should consist of the local stakeholders who are

directly involved in the industry e.g. activity, accommodation and transport providers. People

support a plan that they have created, so it is essential that the people who are to

implement the plan, contribut e to t he vision that creates it and in t his way the project is

given local ownership. Recognition of the importance of those indirectly involved may need

to be through broader community representation, for instance through the Local Authority.

This will also allow recognition of the interests and role of those local people not

automatically beneficiaries of marine ecotourism but affecting the marine environment-

such as fish farmers.

The stakeholders must first be identified. This type of information will be available through

the regional tourism authorities operating in the region and through local knowledge.

All the aforementioned stakeholders should t hen be invited to an information meeting held

in a central location in the region. This meeting should be used to detail the potential for

marine ecotourism in the region, the benefits of group marketing and networking of

tourism providers and the proposed development of a marine ecotourism marketing group

for the region. The stakeholders should then be invited to become part of this marketing

group and elect a chair person.

A mission statement for a marketing plan for the group should be developed, defining who

the plan is for, the area in question and what will be the desired outcomes. This mission

statement should then be officially adopted by the group. Developing such a mission

Shannon Development

Shannon Development Ltd. is irelands only

dedicated regional development company.

The Companys brief is to develop industry,

tourism and rural development in the wider

Shannon area, known as the Shannon

Region, which includes County Clare

META-project and their willingness to

provide practical advice and expertise has

been invaluable.

West ClareThe Mission atstement of the IRRUS

Marketing group:

IRRUS brand members are committed to the

sustainable development of West Clare tourism

through caring for their environment,

contributing to conservation and enhancing

visitor enjoyment through interpretation.


20/36

A Step-by Step Programme for Marketing Marine Ecotourism

17

statement will establish the overall direction for the group and will serve as a homing

beacon to prevent the process wandering in the future into issues which are not directly

relevant to the marketing of the region for marine ecotourism.

The skills and abilities of the marketing group should be strengthened through the provision

of workshops and seminars. The objectives of these workshops and seminars are two-fold:

firstly to enhance the awareness of ecotourism among the stakeholders and secondly to

enhance the capacity of the individual stakeholders to participate in market research and

collective marketing action.

The involvement of the local stakeholders throughout the process is vital to ensure local

ownership and enhance the sustainability of the project. Training needs should be identified

as the process develops and training programmes should be ongoing as required. Contact

with relevant t raining authorities will determine availability of t raining and funding.

The development process should follow the example of leadership, through facilitation to

independence. This was exemplified in the West Clare project and is detailed in the

Planning for Marine Ecotourism in the EU Atlantic Area: Good Practice Guidance18. In

accordance with the advice in that document, it w ill be essential that the type of

management employed and process used be adapted to local conditions. For instance the

level of participation by stakeholders, the nature of relationship between manager and

stakeholders and the nature of the tasks being undertaken will need to be carefully

considered and a critical aspect will be the reconciliation of the external agenda of the

manager with the internal local agenda of any stakeholders association. In the West Clare

case, this has been achieved by the withdrawal of the manager, once the process hadbecome established and the local Association (IRRUS) had taken on board t he principles of

marine ecotourism, as part of their brand image

.

4.3 Marketing Research (III)Through init ial and continuing marketing research, the marketing group will be able to find

out what the specific needs of the customer are and how they can aim to satisfy those

needs at a profit. Success will flow from finding and exploiting responsibly a particular need

that cannot be satisfied elsewhere.19 The service should be continually refined to meet the

actual needs of the customer as opposed to the perceived needs of the customer. This will

then be mediated through the necessary parallel analysis of the needs of the marine

ecosystem and the community, to develop responsible marketing solutions.

This type of analysis is vital to the development of the marketing plan. It w ill help in the

identification of the market segment and the target market, which the marketer should

exploit in the promotion of the given product/service. The information gleaned from t he

analysis will also indicate the product positioning, the design of the marketing mix f rom

which a marketing strategy is formulated and f inally the marketing plan.

The marketing group must direct and manage the market research process. It should be a

hands-on activity by the local stakeholders with external expert help employed only when

necessary at stages requiring specialist expertise. This wil l enable the local stakeholders to

understand and work through the process from the start. It will also help to ensure that a

unique product, built on the local knowledge, experience, t raditions, culture, crafts and

artisanal skills is developed. This very local familiarity with the market research will also fine


21/36


18

tune the ability of the stakeholders to detect any changes or f luctuations in the market

which occur at local level and thus allow action to be carried out immediately.

The objectives of the marketing research should be written up on the basis of the agreed

group mission statement. Objectives should include:

what information is required,

how it will be collected,

who will collect it and

how much time and budget should be spent on the process.

A detailed work plan, assigning tasks and responsibilities, should then be compiled and

agreed by all members of the group.

4.3.1 Defining the Product/Service

The first task undertaken should be the compilation of an audit of the tourism resources of

the area with emphasis on those that relate to marine ecotourism. This should include a full

description of each potential resource, its location, its current status of development in

relation to tourism and any conflicts which may arise in terms of its development. It will

also relate to the local knowledge, experience, traditions, culture, crafts and artisanal skills.

When complete, this audit of resources should be assessed using a SWOT analysis by all

members of the group and relevant agency advisors. This will determine the unique

resources for marine ecotourism and the strengths of the area for such a development.

This definition process defines the competitive edge, which should then form the main

focus for future promotional purposes. It will reveal areas of weaknesses that may need

strengthening or removal; opportunities for f uture development that may give added value

to t he product at some future stage and threats or conflicts that need to be dealt wit h. In

the case of West Clare, a preliminary study had been carried out. 20

4.3.2. Defining the Target M arket

Target markets are people who are willing to spend, possess purchasing power and have

identified needs. Analysis of the information gathered by the marketing group should

determine what the market buys, why it buys, who are the main buyers and in what way

do they buy. The target market may vary under different circumstances e.g. if the marine

ecotourism product is being marketed as part of a general regional tourism package, the

target market may be the general holidaymaker who may want to experience some

ecotourism as part of his overall holiday; while if the product is being marketed as part of a

joint marketing venture between different regions offering a total ecotourism experience

the target market will be a more defined ecotourist. It is important to analyse who the

target market will be so that promotional material is suitably adapted for each segment

and is advertised and available in the right place.

Each stakeholder w ithin the marketing group should identify their individual target

markets: who has been using their product to date, visitor numbers, profiles and reasons

for using the product: what type of promot ion they have been involved with, how and

with what level of success. This process will help determine the market segment that is

currently being targeted, how effective that targeting21 is and what segments are not being

exploited.

The above information gathering process carried out among the immediate marketing

Resident School of Dolphins

In West Clare the unique resource for

marine ecotourism promotion, identified

through the Special Interest Marine

Tourism Study (see below), was the resident

school of dolphins in Shannon Estuary and

the competitive edge was the emphasis on

their conservation with the local operators

and community working towards this

objective. The wish to maintain the resource

while developing a marine ecotourism

product in a sustainable manner became the

competitive edge or selling point of the

West Clare META-project as a whole. The

aims of the marketing group were built

around eveloping ecotourism with a strong

conservation ethos. This competitive edge

was then carried through all the

promotional materials.


22/36

A Step-by Step Programme for Marketing Marine Ecotourism

19

Special Interest Marine

Tourism Study

the West ClareMETA-project was preceded

by a study commissioned by the Marine

Institute. Shannon Development Ltd and

Clare County Council in 1999 to examine

the potential for the further development of

special interest marine tourism in the West

Clare peninsula. The recommendations of

this report formed the basis for the

objectives for the West Clare META-

project. The Special Interest Marine

Tourism Study carried out a resource auditand SWOT analysis of the potential marine

tourism resources of West Clare.

The survey of resources included:

a population profile.

infrastructure (sanitary services, roads,

marine infrastructure, tourist

accommodation, access, tourist

information and environmental

improvement),

natural resources (topography, soils and

landscape, coastline, nature conservation

designations, river angling. lake angling,

sea angling, swimming and sub-aqua

diving, bird watching, dolphin watching)

other tourism resources, including cultural

resources and grant-aided projects

Assessment of West Clare in the light of

domestic and international market trends

played a central role in this audit.

The SWOT analysis provided a summary of

the strengths and weaknesses internal to the

West Clare area and an evaluation of the

external apportunities and threats that the

development of marine tourism activities

and the potential markets for these activities

was then prepared.

group should be supplemented by further secondary and primary market research.

Secondary research should be carried out using the information available through the

contact agencies established and any known local surveys completed in the past.

Primary research should be carried out to fill information gaps left after the above two

actions are completed e.g. what other visitors come to t he region, from where, when and

why. This research may be developed through postal surveys, telephone surveys or

questionnaire surveys. Questionnaire surveys are likely t o give the highest degree of success

as a snapshot of visitors to the area at a given time can be obtained and used for

comparative purposes in the future. Sampling methods and sampling points should be

carefully selected. Expert advice from contact agencies on sample selection and

questionnaire design should be sought . It is essential to pilot test the questionnaire. A pilotsurvey should be carried out in t he selected area for the selected sample. The results should

then be analysed and interpreted. This pilot survey will reveal whether the required

information is actually being collected. Problems in questionnaire design, sampling

technique and analysis will be uncovered at this point and can be refined, thus preventing

wastage of resources in future sampling and analysis.22

4.3.3 Defining Competitors

When the target market has been established, competitors must be identified at regional,

national and international levels. These are businesses that are offering the same type of

tourism service. Information can be located in public and business directories, through

tourism industry contacts and f rom local information. When ident ified, their marketing mix

and competitive edge should be examined i.e. what they are selling, how they are selling it,

who are they selling it to and at what price. When this information has been uncovered it

can be used to help the marketing group to design a marketing mix for their own service

that will distinguish it from the competit ion. Uniqueness in the product is likely to be

enhanced by building in such assets as the local cultural heritage. All information gathered

on product, price, promotion, target markets and the actual needs and demands of the

customer will form the basis of the marketing strategy; that is to say the approach the

group will use to marketing their service.

4.3.4 The Marketing Plan

When analysed and interpreted, the data used to determine the marketing strategy will

form the basis for the marketing plan which will be put into operation by the group. Both

short term and long term marketing plans should be developed. Short-term plans (one year

to 18 months) should be detailed with activities and tasks assigned to various personnelwith attached timescale and budget. A less detailed long-term plan should outline the

objectives and direction for the marketing group over at least a five-year period

4.4 Implementing the Marketing Plan (IV)The marketing plan should be detailed with month-by-month implementation plans for

different aspects.

4.4.1 Promotion

Through the market research process the competitive edge for the marine ecotourism

product of the region will have been identified. This should now form t he basis from which

a brand image and promotional tools are developed.


23/36


20

Makesurethe

designerknows

whatproduct

youaretryingto

reflect

Donthave

blocksoftext,

breakupwith

headings,

picturesetc

Fontsize9pointormore:greaterifthe

audienceisolder(thistextis9point)

Putcountryoflocatin

onfront(forinternationalmarket)

Whatarethekey

message

s?

Assume

readerknows

nothing

Whoisthe

Audience?

Haveag

oodmap

showing

thelocation

intheco

ntextofthe

countryandlocal

region

Whereisthe

audience?


24/36


25/36


26/3623

IRRUS has been launched as a brand , which signif ies firstly Irish marine ecotourism in

West Clare and secondly that as a brand, it is based on the responsible marketing of the

natural marine ecosytem.

5.1 Service Quality matching performance to

expectationIn conventional marketing, the launch of a brand for a product or service will be followed by

a process of continual monitoring and review of customer satisfaction. Market research by

the group should be ongoing to keep track of changing customer needs and attitudes,

product satisfaction and effectiveness of the marketing mix. Techniques such as SERVQUAL24

seek to establish an iterative process of improvement. SERVQUAL sets out 23 elements

where customer expectation may exceed performance and works on the basis of such gap

analysis. The assumption of SERVQUAL, however, is that the only stakeholder needing to

be satisfied is the client or tourist.

This approach can only be reconciled with the principles of responsible marketing for

genuinely sustainable marine ecotourism by managing the tourists expectations to the

point where only a high quality marine environment will satisfy the discriminating tourist in

the chosen niche market.

If that can be achieved then conventional marketing is self-sustaining and sustainable.

However, given the commercial pressures on local ecotourism providers and especially on

international tour operators, it is normally necessary to have an external regulatory

framework at least to re-enforce voluntary good practice. Such external input , w ith due

accreditation, may lead to an Ecolabel.

5.2 Accredit ationApplying the principles set out in Section 3 above (and detailed in the META- Planning

Good Practice document 25), baseline data, monitoring and evaluation programmes need to

be established to assess the effectiveness of the marketing process, what return it has given

for investment, what is working/not working and what needs to be refined.

Criteria to which brand members must adhere for inclusion under group marketing need to

be developed. The voluntary codes of practice also discussed in the planning good practice

guidance are an important element. These are what will distinguish the product on offer

from others and what will begin to identify it as a genuinely sustainable ecotourism service.

There will need to be some form of independent body to monitor and assess brand

members.

A series of indicators to measure the environmental, social and economic impacts of the

marine ecotourism project should be developed to monitor and evaluate the project to

ensure that its development is sustainable. The marketing group should liase with expert

agencies in this field. These are the accreditation agencies which seek to ensure that

brands, claiming to be green meet their own standards. While not being part of one of

the currently known schemes does not necessarily imply that an ecotourism provider is

operating UN-sustainably, an ecotourism brand for a group of providers, which carries no

specific criteria for inclusion, is what has been described as a pseudo-ecolabel.

5. Monitoring, Evaluation and Ecolabelling


27/36


24

5.3 An Ecolabel f or Marine Ecot ourism: Assuring

Cont inued Compliance wit h Responsible Market ingPrinciplesMoving f rom brand t o ecolabel is the f inal stage in stabilising the long t erm ecological

quality of the products that are to be sold as marine ecotourism to an increasingly

discerning market. The purpose of an ecolabel is to give assurance, by independent

monitoring, that products, such as ecotourism, advertised as green will live up to their

actual or implied promises to enhance and protect t he environment and w ill comply with

responsible marketing principles.

Ecolabels in general are subject to European Union rules, which are associated with the

Internat ional Standards Organization requirements for the ISO14000 series. There has been

considerable debate about their applicability to tourism26. Lardarel of the United Nations

Environment Programme (2000) 27 identifies six key factors in t he credibility of the voluntary

initiatives including ecolabels:

In the Planning Guidance, a tool kit for monitoring and evaluation is put forward as a basis

for keeping track of progress on the road t owards sustainabil ity. It uses the PREPARe

model28, which has previously been used in connection with destination-based ecolabels.

That model is linked to ISO 14001 practices, simplified for tourism but still including both

global and local environmental protection criteria. Progress will be required within each and

eventually all of the six areas headlined: Policy, Responsibility, Eco-awareness,

Programmes, Audit and Re-view (PREPARe). The toolkit is designed to furnish theresponsible authorities with information on the degree to which their destination is

compliant with the process needed to achieve an ecolabel. Standards for such

Environmental Management and Audit Schemes (EMAS) are voluntary in inception but as

the basis for an ecolabel they become entrenched by the requirement to honour the

marketing promise. Once, therefore, the six elements have, on average, achieved a

signif icant (about 60% or above) degree of compliance on a self-assessment basis, the

final stage will be t o int roduce, the oft en costly and t ime-consuming, external accreditation

to establish a destination ecolabel. At this point PREPARe is made into PREPARE the last E

now standing for externally accredited Ecolabel .

Existing authenticating bodies are listed and reviewed in the book29 that reports a recent EC

funded project on ecolabelling for tourism generally. Many established labels focus on land-

based ecotourism and almost all ignore the journey to and from the destination. Ecotrans

keeps an updated list at http://www.eco-tip.org/Eco-labels/ecolabels.htm . Each is described

and the requirements to be met are specified. Regional and national Tourist Boards also

sponsor ecolabels. There is current work in progress perhaps in time for the United Nations

World Year of Ecotourism (2002), to harmonise the criteria so that the consumer is

presented with less confusion30.

At present none are automatically and wholly appropriate for marine ecotourism but the

following are good examples and may be the most appropriate:

PAN Parks (http://www.panparks.org),30 which is aimed at National Parks in Europe but

whose criteria, while are not yet f ully developed, are adaptable to the Marine

environment

Lardarels Credibility Factors

All stakeholders participate in their

development;

their criteria are based on sustainable

development, including environmental

protection and social factors, and take into

account best available technology;

they provide business with a significant

but achievable challenge that leads to real

and continuous performance

improvements;

technical support is available to businesses

that wish to implement the criteria; information about the actual performance

of participating enterprises is publicly

reported;

they are supervised by independent, not-

for-profit organizations.


28/36

Monitoring, Evaluation and Ecolabelling

25

Green Globe (htt p://www.greenglobe21.com)32, an international commercially funded

authentication body.

Green Tourism Business Scheme, UK (http://www.green-business.com)33 based on work

originating in South Hams, Devon and the South West Tourist Board (now South West

Tourism) and applied in Scotland since 1998.

Ecotourism Symbol Alcdia (Distinctive Ecotuistico Alcdia, Spain)34 is an example of a

local destination generated scheme in operation since 1994 and which has

demonstrably raised standards in that resort.35

The criteria for these four ecolabelling accreditation schemes are shown in the Annex 2.

They each share a commitment to continued monitoring, which contrasts with the award

based schemes, such as the Brit ish Airways Tourism for Tomorrow. That award, although

recently awarded to a marine ecotourism destination (Chumbe Island Coral Park off

Zanzibar, Tanzania) is limited by being one off and therefore potentially encouraging short -

term exploitation. Sponsored by an airline, its criteria do not include and are unlikely ever to

include minimisation of long-distance travel. Many other ecolabel schemes in tourism are

geared mainly to particular sectors, usually hotels.

This Blueprint recommends that all marine ecotourism should seek to be authenticated and

accredited t hrough an Ecolabel, which though init ially voluntary carries ongoing obligations

to measure performance against compliance criteria for genuine sustainability.

Finally to quote from the META- Planning Good Practice Guidance:

Marketing is the means of implementing marine ecotourism but marketing that does not

prioritise environmental protection can serve to compromise even the most well planned

and managed marine ecotourism experience. This is because the marketing of marine

ecotourism may be in contradiction with the planning and management objectives,

particularly in that it is likely to result in excessive visitor number or inappropriate behaviour

on the part of the tourist. The same is also t rue of community participation in the marketing

process, for unless the community is fully in control of the marketing of the activity,

marketing efforts are likely to run counter t o the planning and management of the activities

being promoted. Responsible marketing in this context should embrace a notion of

environmental and socio-cultural stewardship. In all respects, the marketing of marine

ecotourism should therefore be consistent with the principles of sustainability 35.


29/36

26

(page 18 of META- Project, 2001, Planning for Marine Ecotourism in the Atlantic Area:

Good Practice Guidance, UWE, Bristol).

A model of marine ecotourism planning has been developed for the EU Atlantic Area, in

accordance with good practice evidence from both the research findings of the META-

project and from international experience of planning for genuinely sustainable marine

ecotourism. Planning and management policies, structures and processes need to be

developed so that marine tourism can be moved towards ecotourism and more sustainable

practice.

Sustainability

Local Participation

Environmental Prot ecti on as a Prior it y

Balance of Stat utory and Volunt ary Approaches

Education and Interpretat ion

Collabor ative Approach

Responsible Market ing

AuditandRevie

wToolkit

EconomicImpactAssessmentToolkit

TransportImpactAw

arenessToolkit

VoluntaryCodesToolkit

EducationandInterp

retationToolkit

Community-BasedPlanningToolkit

Contin ual monit oring of actions against the

principles of genuinely sustainable marine

ecotourism

Tool book

Toolkit s: actions

for implementing

the principles

Principles of

Genuinely

Sustainable

Marine

Ecotourism

Annex 1: The META- Transnational Model for Marine

Ecotourism Planning in the EU Atlantic Area.

The META-Transnational Model for Marine EcotourismPlanning in t he EU At lant ic Area


30/3627

1) PAN Parks (ht tp://www.panparks.org)Development/Partners

Project organiser: the PAN Parks Organisation

Supervisory Board: WWF International, Molecaten groep

Background: the PAN Parks concept was initiated under the umbrella of WWFs

European Forest Programme by the World Wide Fund for Nature in 1997, as a label for

excellent protected area management.

Partners: various protected area authorities, national and regional WWF Offices, local

business partners

Objective: by creating a certif ication label for well-managed protected areas PAN Parkswishes to raise public awareness and appreciation for European natural heritage and

thus foster acceptance and financial support for conservation issues.

Principles and Criteria

Protected areas and their partners wishing to receive the PAN Parks label have to f ollow

guiding Principles split up into furt her Criteria and Indicators:

Target groups: Principle 1-3 - protected area authorit y, Principle 4 - sustainable tourism

development strategy in and around protected area, Principle 5 - local business partners

Principle 1. Natural Values: PAN Parks are large protected areas, representative of

Europes natural heritage and of international importance for wildlife, ecosystems and

natural or semi-natural landscapes.

Principle 2. Habitat Management: Management of t he PAN Park maintains and, if

necessary, restores the areas ecological processes and its biodiversity.

Principle 3. Visitor M anagement: Visitor management safeguards the natural values of

the PAN Park and aims to provide visitors wit h a high-quality experience based on t he

appreciation of nature.

Principle 4. Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy (under development in

cooperation with Europarc Federation)

Principle 5. Local Business Partners (under development)

2) Green Globe (htt p://www.greenglobe21.com)Development/Partners/Costs

Development: unique global environmental management and certif ication scheme

dedicated to t he worlds Travel & Tourism industry, working with communit ies,

companies and consumers to promote sustainability in tourism through sound

environmental management practices.

Preferred Partners: Hagler Bailly (provider of consulting, research and professional

services), Montgomery Watson (private employee-owned environmental services), Scott

Wilson

Advisory Council: An international Advisory Council is being formed to steer the activities

of Green Globe. The Council is chaired by CRC Tourism and Green Globe Asia Pacific Pgy

Ltd and includes representatives from a number of industry bodies, including: IATA, UNEP,

WWF, PATA, Open Africa, Montgomery Watson, IUCN, Forum for the Future.

Annex 2: Criteria for four examples of

accreditation bodies for Ecolabels


31/36


28

Members could be: hotels, airlines, tour operators, car hire companies, travel agents,

tourist boards

Development and introduction of Green Globe for accommodations and tour operators

(not for t ravel offers!); Development for destinations under construction

Criteria

Target group: tour operators, hotels, resorts, other accommodation providers.

Criteria: Waste minimisation, re-use and recycling, Energy efficiency, conservation and

management, Management of fresh water resources, waste-water management,

Hazardous substances, transport, Land-use planning and management, involving staff,

customers and communities in environmental issues, design of environmentally sensitive

products, partnerships for sustainable development, protection of air quality, noise

control, environmentally sensitive purchasing policy

3) Green Tourism Businesses:

http://www.green-business.comDevelopment / Partners / Costs

main auditors for the scheme: Scottish Tourist Board, Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Financing: Scottish Enterprise

Development of criteria and application form: Shetland Environmental Agency Ltd. (SEA

ltd); SEA Ltd. are responsible for the main administration of the scheme and for

distributing the awards

costs members 75 Euros to join at Bronze, 150 Euros for Silver and 220 Euros for Gold.

These fees are payable every two years.

Criteria

nearly 100 measures are divided into 10 sections

10 sections: compulsory (have a number of staff with environmental responsibilities),

waste (reduction, recycling), energy (lighting, hot water and draught-proof ing), water,

transport/cycling/walking, green products, monitoring, communication of environmental

practices to guests (joint ventures, Community, World Wide Web), wildlife and

landscape, bonus

Bonus includes examples of innovation or part icularly good practice not covered by othersections (examples: use of electric vehicle to transport laundry, plastic curtain in doorway

of walk-in fridge, establishment of nature reserve in grounds)

Applications / Assessment procedure / Control

Members apply for one of t hree levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold)

The application form is a self-nomination form: a multiple choice for tourism business,

takes account of regional environmental differences, encompasses the diversity of tourist

business, business chooses how to achieve environmental targets

All applicants are visited every two years by qualified environmental auditor

(Environmental Auditors Registration Association) from SEA Ltd. to assess the business

against the nominated criteria; to identify addit ional appropriate measures and off er

advice and information


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Annex 2

29

businesses have to sell in one, two or three items from each section depending on the

level they are applying for. Additional measures which the business has to be taken

into consideration can be included under the Bonus section.

Quality assurance scheme: Flexibility and choice, Accounts for different, geography,

age, style and local energy and waste options, involving stakeholders, Customers, staff,

local community, insurers, shareholders and regulators, Opportunity for businesses,

Potent ial t o reach EMAS/ISO 14001 standard

telephone support line to help business undertaking measures, achieving the different

levels, basic costs, etc.

three levels: Bronze (basic environmental good practice); Silver (Examples of signif icant

good practice and performance improvements); Gold (significant good practice,

monitoring and supplier screening (ISO 14001)

4) Eco Tourism Symbol , AlcdiaAlcdia - Municipio Ecoturstico: Label for the hotel trade/tourist accommodation

and restaurant industry

This project to establish the first Environmental Quality Label in Spain was initiated in 1994

by the Alcdia Municipality with the support of the Alcdia Hotel Trade Association. Its

introduction resulted in the following actions:

Consumption of drinking water was reduced through the installation of flow limiters,

in municipal buildings and hotels carrying the Environmental Quality Mark. Lower

energy consumption was achieved through introducing energy saving street lighting

and timers in all the municipalitys buildings. Traffic was reduced through promotion

and improvement of public transport, extension of cycle paths and the introduction of

traff ic-calming areas in the town. Ecological improvements to the historic town centre

were made by offering subsidies for the restoration of faades, setting up new green

areas with indigenous plants and drawing up a plan for the restoration of Alcdia s

old town wall.

Improved coordination and information has been achieved through the establishment

of a municipal environmental department (Servicio de Medio Ambiente). This

department coordinates a campaign to control illegal waste dumps, carries out water

quality tests (blue flag) and is responsible for refuse collection and recycling. Since1997 the polica verde (green police) check off ences against the environment and

monitor the observance of environmental regulations.

Source: ECOTRANS at htt p://www.eco-tip.org/Eco-labels/ecolabels.htm

Further informat ion on Alcdia is from a study in 1999 in connection wit h t he

PREPARe approach37

1994 hotel eco-label crit eria38

1 Training Courses on Tourism and Environmental Protection to be taken by the hotel

staff (Eco-aw arenessenhancement).

2 Programmes to reduce waste and selective rubbish collection, with adequate

containers for every kind of waste.


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3 Programmes to use recycled materials and ecological products (whenever possible,

that is, if they are obtainable in the market).

4 Programmes to reduce electrical consumption and to increase eff iciency in the use of

energy.

5 Programmes to save water: there is a chronic scarcity of water in Mallorca.

6 Programmes for improved waste-water collection systems.

7 Programmesof noise reduction and elimination.

8 Programmes for gardens areas: 40% of the site to be gardens planted w ith

indigenous Mediterranean plants with low water consumption.

9 Behaviour that respects the environment and the avoidance of any action t hat can act

against the environment (Eco-awareness).

10 The establishment should enhance Eco-aw arenessby giving information to its

customers about environmentally conscious behaviour, promote the use of public

transport or other environmentally friendly/ pollution free transport modes. The

establishment should try to convince customers to make savings in water and energy

consumption during their holidays through displays or informative talks. The

establishment should have a environmental suggestions/ claims/complaints mail-box

available to hotel customers.

11 Respect for t he cultural herit age of Alcdia. The establishments advertising should

demonstrate respect for the culture, traditions, language, history and monuments ofAlcdia (enhancing Eco-aw areness).

12 A Programme for building design to be adapted to the architectural characteristics of

the region with use of local materials.

13 Programmes for regional menus promoting the use of fresh food or food from the

area. (The idea is that a potato, for example, from New Zealand in less environment

friendly than a potato from Sa Pobla, which is at 9 km from Alcdia: CO 2 emission is

less because the lack of transport component).

The Alcdia Council includes the list of eco-tourism establishments in its Internet promotion

and brochures on eco-tourism. Tour operators, who play an extremely important role in

Alcdia, have welcomed the programme. They have nearly complete control over the

25,000 beds in the dominant hotel and apartment sectors (Alcudia Council 1999).

Germany, is the major originating tourism market for Mallorca and Alcdia and is the most

environmentally aware. German Tour Operators promoted the initiative at the Berlin ITB,

one of the worlds largest tourism fairs.

In 1998, t he Alcdia Council extended the Policy to the food and beverage sector

(restaurants, bars, cafeterias, etc). The rules are more or less the same, with small

adaptations for the special characteristics of these establishments.


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Notes

1 Poon, A. (1993) Tourism, Technology and

Competitive Strategies, CAB International

Wallingford

2 The West Clare parallel study of the META-

project is reported in Hoctor Z. (2001)

Marine Ecotourism: A marketing Initiative in

West Clare, Marine Resource Series No 21,

Marine Institute, Dublin.

3 Hoyt, E. (2000) Whale Watching 2000:

Worldw ide Tourism Number, Expenditures,

and Expanding Socioeconomic Benefits.

International Fund for Animal Welfare,

Crowborough UK

4 Berrow S. (2001) A study of Deep Sea

Marine Ecotourism META-Project

http://www.tourism-research.org

5 Lindberg, K. (1991), Policies for

Maximising Ecotourisms Ecological and

Economic Benefits, World Resources

Institute.

6 Weaver, D.B. (2002), The Evolving

Concept of Ecotourism and its Potential

Impacts , International Journal of

Sustainable Development (special edition on

ecotourism), Vol.5, No.3, forthcoming.

7 McKercher, B. (2001), The Business of

Ecotourism , in Weaver, D. (ed.), The

Encyclopedia of Ecotourism, CABI

Wallingford

8 META-Project (2001), Planning for Marine

Ecotourism in the EU Atlantic Area: Good

Practice Guidance , UWE, Bristol,

http://www.tourism-research/meta (p29-30)

9 Holloway J.C. and Robinson C., (1995)

Market ing for Tourism Longman Harlow, UK

10 Fuller D. 1999 Sustainable Marketing:

Managerial-Ecological issues, Sage,

Thousand Oaks CA

11 World Commission on Environment and

Development (WCED) (1987) Our Common

Future, OUP, Oxford p168.

12 The events of 11th September 2001 in

New York, have sadly reinforced on

additional safety grounds, the disadvantages

of promoting long-distance air travel over

more locally or regionally based tourism.

13 META- Project (2001) Planning for Marine

Ecotourism in the EU Atlantic Area: Good

Practice Guidance op.cit.

14 McKercher B. (2001) op.cit

15 META-Project (2001) op.cit .

16 META-Project (2001) op.cit .

17 a health treatment based on sea water.

18 META- Project (2001) op.cit .

19 McKercher B. (2001) op.cit

20 Marine Institute (1999) Special Interest

Marine Tourism Study for Marine Insti tut e,

Shannon Development Corporation and

West Clare Council

21 For instance a stakeholders experience in

Kyle of Lochalsh (Scotland) has suggested

that significant repeat business can be

generated

22 Paul Brunt (1997) Market Research in

Travel and Tourism, Butterworth

Heinemann, Oxford details the issues

involved.

23 McKercher B. (2001) op. cit.

24 Palmer A (2001) Principles of Services

Marketing 3rd Edition McGraw Hill.

25 META- Project (2001) op.cit .

26 Font, X and Buckley R.(Editors) 2001

Tourism Ecolabelling: certif ication and

promotion of sustainable tourism CABI

Publishing, Wallingford

27 ibid Forward by de Lardarel J.

28 Bruce D., Jackson M. and Serra Cantallops

A. (2001) PREPARe: A model to aid the

development of policies for less

unsustainable tourism in historic towns,

Tourism and Hospitality Research3:1,21-36

29 Font X., and Buckley R.C. (Editors) (2001)

op.cit

30 Xavier Font personal communication

2001

31 Font X., and Buckley R.C. (Editors) (2001)

op.cit p336

32 ibid p.306

33 ibid p.314

34 ibid p.293

35 as reported in Bruce et al.(2001) op.cit.

36 META-Project (2001) op.cit. p30

37 Bruce et al.. (2001) op.cit

38 in compiling this table each criterion has

been allocated to an appropriate segment

of PREPARe (qv) in META- Project (2001)

op.cit.


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The authors of this docume

sustainable 2

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