By Dr Thomas Bauer (aka mickdundee)

Since the end of World War II the world has seen an unprecedented growth in the number of travellers who cross international borders. Never in the history of humanity have so many people packed their bags and suitcases and travelled to places outside their home towns.

With this increase in the number of people on the move have come many positive impacts including employment generation, economic benefits, the establishment of many SME that cater to the needs of the travellers and the opportunities for cross-cultural exchange between travellers and the host population as well as between travellers from different countries. As is widely acknowledged, international tourism can lead to a better understanding and appreciation of other people’s cultures and hence can reduce tension around the globe.

On the flip-side of the tourism coin the increase in volume of tourists from 25 million in 1950 to over 900 million in 2007 has led to severe threats to some of the most visited tourist sites many of which were not initially established as tourist attractions and hence have only a limited capacity to absorb large visitor numbers. Some of them are in danger of being ‘loved to death’ by eager visitors. As a result, access to some sites are increasingly being restricted and, in some instances, reservation systems for peak periods are being introduced.

The pressures on visitor sites will continue to grow as more and more people travel within their own countries and abroad, and as new groups of people start to travel, in particularly the Mainland Chinese. These novice travellers will in the first instance want to see the highlights of the world’s major cultural sites such as the museums and cathedrals of France, the castles of Germany, the ancient monuments of Cambodia or the best and most well-known natural sites, such as national parks and wildlife reserves in Asia, North America, Australia or Africa. The increased volume of Chinese tourists will be superimposed on the already high demand from other nationalities for these sites and unless strict regulations are in place some sites will be overrun by tourists. This will threaten the integrity of sites and will greatly diminish the enjoyment that visitors get from their visit. There is also the danger that too many visitors from one country can ‘crowd out’ visitors from other countries and hence any increase in visitor numbers from a single country needs to be monitored carefully.

The concept of sustainable development and hence also the underlying principle of sustainable tourism is that today’s tourism activities should not negatively impact on the rights of future user groups, including the ability of the host population to benefit from tourism, the maintenance or where possible positive enhancement of local environmental conditions and the enjoyment that tourists gain from their visit to a destination. Underlying the philosophy of sustainability is the concept of intergenerational equity which takes a long term view of tourism development. Unfortunately, particularly in developing countries where many people are struggling to survive from day to day, a planning and responsibility horizon that spans hundreds of years is perhaps an illusion. Instead what are needed are initiatives that can benefit the poor immediately while forming the foundation on which a sustainable tourism activity can be build.

As far as the tourism industry is concerned there is clearly a need for all component parts and in particular the transport and accommodation sectors to play a major role in limiting their negative impacts on the social and natural environment. Every organisation or individual participant in tourism needs to ensure that they do not consume more resources than is necessary. In particular they need to be careful with the use of fresh water and energy. PATA’s Sustainable Tourism Advisory Committee was established to support the efforts of the Association in making the industry more sustainable.

Best practices in sustainable tourism can take many forms. They include respect for the local host population and their culture, heritage and customs as well as respect for the natural environment and all its living parts. My experience as a guide in Antarctica has exposed me to the world’s best practices in tourism. There we find a close co-operation between tour operators, cruise companies, governments, guides and tourists and the shared interest in the maintenance of this near pristine environment by all parties has led to Antarctic tourism being the best managed tourism in the world. Other destinations are advised to learn from Antarctica if they want to follow best tourism practices.

In conclusion if tourism wants to continue to grow and prosper and to provide enjoyment for millions of tourists it has to ensure that all its component parts are fully aware of the need to make their activities as benign as possible. If the industry does not take note of the need to protect the social and natural environment, legislators across the globe will enforce such harsh operating conditions on the industry that tourism will be permanently damaged.

Finally, the PATA’s Gold Awards provide an excellent opportunity for interested parties to learn more about the best practices in the industry in general and in sustainable tourism in particular.

Thomas Bauer, Phd, FRGS, Rainforest Guardian
2008/2009 Chairman, PATA Sustainable Tourism Advisory Committee
School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University