Green Globe Scheme Aims to Curb Excesses of Tourism

Forest and Bird, Issue 300, 1 May 2001, Page 12

Green Globe Scheme Aims to Curb Excesses of Tourism

writes

about the outdoors and travel from a base in Wellington.

— KATHY OMBLER

rowing international demand for ‘ecofriendly’ tourism could provide strong incentives for tour operators to become proactive conservationists, and we are talking beyond the obvious ‘dont kill the goose’ analogy. The year 2000 was a record breaker for New Zealand tourism: another one. Nearly 1.8 million international visitors flocked here and Tourism New Zealand gleefully forecasts these numbers will continue to soar. But millions of tourists drawn to our parks, our tracks, our coastline, our wilderness, and by our wildlife, obviously bring with them huge pressures on our natural environment. In one response, the New Zealand Government has recently sanctioned an environmental certification programme called Green Globe 21 for the tourism and travel industry. There are also encouraging signs that tourists themselves want operators to ‘clean up their acts. Research by international tourism organisations sends a clear message: that travellers are seeking proven ‘green’ travel operators, and are prepared to pay more for their holidays to ensure a commitment to environmental protection.

Studies commissioned by the World Tourism Organisation, British Tourism, and the United States Tourism Industry Association have established some interesting evidence of this: ¢ 83 percent of travellers are inclined to support ‘green’ travel companies; 52 percent of people are prepared to pay an average of NZ$18 more to every tour operator, transport company, accommodation provider, tourist attraction, caterer and retailer, to ensure commitment to environmental protection. More than 50 percent of British tourists are willing to pay more for their overseas holiday — provided the extra money goes towards the preservation of the local environment, and that workers in destinations are guaranteed good wages, or their money goes to local charities. These findings apply not just to ‘ecotourism’ style operations but to the entire travel and tourism industry, including transport companies, accommodation providers, tourist attractions and retailers. The ramifications are obvious — run a tourist operation on the basis of sound environmental principles and not only does the environment

benefit; so does the business. ‘Our greatest business asset is the environment we operate within, says Darryl Wilson of Abel Tasman National Park Experiences, a New Zealand Tourism Award winner in 2000. ‘Working to protect the environment and educating those passing through it makes the utmost sense. The natural environment may be our trump tourism card, but in the rush to welcome the touring millions there are still a scary number of examples that blow the ‘clean green’ myth. Looking at the big picture, there is the tourist industry’s incredible reliance on energy consumption. Speaking last year at TRENZ — the annual trade show where New Zealand tourism operators sell their wares to overseas travel wholesalers — conservationist and ecotourism operator Dr Gerry McSweeney said a major ‘attitude change’ is needed in the way we are doing tourism. ‘So much of our tourism industry is built around the natural environment yet the activities we’re undertaking in that environment are often alien to the natural principles of water quality, air quality and above all the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, Gerry McSweeney said. "We are an industry whose flagship is energy consumption. You only have to look around TRENZ displays to see this: huge 4WD vehicles, high-powered jetboats and helicopters. ‘In quite a short time I believe consumers are going to look at the issue of fossil fuel consumption and make their choices, he said. "The sort of activity we’re engaged in here now is akin to tiger hunting a hundred years ago.’

Green Globe 21

With Gerry McSweeney’s prophecies already coming true, the establishment of Green Globe 21 in New Zealand could

be a positive move. Three agencies, the Ministry for the Environment, Office of Tourism and Sport and the Tourism Industry Association (TIA) have jointly funded an initiative to encourage New Zealand tourist operators to join this international accreditation programme. Green Globe 21 is based on the Agenda 21 principles, developed 10 years ago at Rio de Janiero by the world biodiversity congress ‘Basically the principles for sustainable tourism fit perfectly with where Green Globe 21 is going, says Malcolm Anderson of the Tourism Industry Association, who is responsible for its implementation. "The programme is based on internationally agreed principles, requires a commitment to continuous improvement, has an independent certification component and is reviewed on an annual basis by an international advisory council. This year, the TIA has negotiated free entry for New Zealand companies to enter the first stage of Green Globe 21 accreditation. This involves the completion of an environmental plan, requiring companies to consider key performance areas, and identify and address their environmental impacts. Performance areas include minimising and recycling waste, energy efficiency, management of fresh water resources, ecosystem conservation, and management, social and cultural issues, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, optimising wastewater management and air quality protection and noise control. In early March, Malcolm Anderson reported that 48 New Zealand tourism operators had applied for certification.