3.2 Effectiveness of stakeholders in influencing sustainable tourism development

Question 1

How stakeholders influence sustainable tourism development

Answer 1

Stakeholders:
1. governments
2. international organisations
3. businesses
4. local communities
5. tourists
————
- To ensure sustainable tourism development, stakeholders need to work together.
- They need to have a common understanding of what sustainable tourism development is and how it can be measured.
- All stakeholders should have a say and a consensus should be reached on how tourism should be developed.

Question 2

Effectiveness of Governments

Answer 2

What they can do:
1. Establish policies and creating plans
2. Enforcing regulations
———
What limits their effectiveness:
1. Poor enforcement
2. Decision to prioritise economic development

Question 3

Establishing policies and creating plans

Answer 3

• Governments can set up policies or plans that stakeholders may be required to adhere to.
• These can help ensure minimal damage to the environment while maximising benefits to locals
  ———
  Example:
• In Sentosa, Singapore, the authorities bring together different stakeholders to develop a series of plans to enable the island to become more sustainable. These plans include:
  1. Conserving Sentosa’s rich heritage.
  2. Protecting the island’s biodiversity.
  3. Achieving carbon-neutral status by 2030.

Question 4

Enforcing regulations

Answer 4

• Governments play a key role in enforcing regulations to ensure sustainable tourism development.
• These include enforcing regulations on the types of tourism activity and the number of tourists who can enter.
  • Enforcing regulations is critical to ensure that the policies and plans are adhered to.
  ———
  Example:
• In Bhutan, tourists can only enter the country by organising their trp with licensed tour operators.
• They are tasked with ensuring tourists adhere to laws and regulations to minimise the negative impacts of tourism, such as ensuring tourists only trek on designated trails.

Question 5

Poor Enforcement

Answer 5

• In order for regulations to be effective, active enforcement is required.
• Governments which lack resources or political influence, or face corruption, may not be able to ensure that regulations are adhered to.
• This might hinder sustainable tourism development.

Question 6

Decision to prioritise economic development

Answer 6

• Some governments put economic development first, and may neglect the environmental and social dimensions of sustainability.
• This might hinder sustainable tourism development.
  ———
  Example:
• Every year, Mount Everest receives hundreds of tourists who wish to scale up the mountain, but poor enforcement of waste disposal leads to the mountain becoming increasingly polluted.
• Tighter regulations have not been imposed by the Nepali authorities.
• If tighter regulations were imposed by the Nepali authorities, the flow of tourists might be reduced, affecting the revenue received.

Question 7

Effectiveness of international organisations

Answer 7

• consist of governmental (IGOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
• often have the knowledge, financial and technical expertise to provide assistance, and can influence sustainable tourism development by:
  1. Offering consultancy to countries on how sustainable tourism development can be achieved.
  2. Providing financial assistance to different stakeholders.
  3. Raising public awareness on how they can contribute to sustainable tourism development.
  ———————
  Example:
  In handicraft villages in Ha Tay Province, Vietnam, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, an IGO, provided the following support:
  Consultancy and technical assistance:
• A marketing plan was developed with the villagers to encourage independent travellers and tour operators to visit the villages.
• Locals received handicraft skills training for them to create handicrafts to be sold to tourists.
  ———
  Financial assistance:
• Financial aid is given to carry out small-scale infrastructural improvements, such as a public toilet and a village information board to support tourism development.

Question 8

What limits effectiveness of international organisations

Answer 8

1. Lack of understanding of local contexts:
   - International organisations comprise members from various countries and backgrounds.
   - They may have different perspectives regarding an issue and may not understand the local contexts of places they work with.
   - Locals may not support their actions, hindering sustainable tourism development.
   ————
2. Lack of funding:
   - Many international organisations tend to be non-profit. It may be challenging when it comes to choosing projects to provide financial assistance for.
   - Without funding, some plans may not be able to be implemented, hindering sustainable tourism development.

Question 9

Effectiveness of businesses

Answer 9

• Businesses have an incentive(motivation) to pursue sustainable tourism as it can keep them profitable
• They often have the financial resources to influence sustainable tourism development.
• Businesses can influence sustainable tourism development by:
  1. Seeking advice from other stakeholders regarding sustainable tourism practices.
  2. Participating in decision-making for sustainable tourism development.
  ————
  Example:
• Quicksilver Cruises in Australia specialises in tours of the Great Barrier Reef.
• It works with:
  1. The planning authorities to promote ecotourism.
  2. A research team of marine biologists to observe and monitor the marine ecosystem, which helps the planning authorities in managing the Great Barrier Reef.

Question 10

What limits effectiveness of businesses

Answer 10

1. Compromising on sustainable practices to survive:
   - businesses may prioritise profits above sustainability, which can hinder sustainable tourism development by, for instance, polluting the environment or exploiting resources.
   ———
2. Differing understanding and ways of measuring sustainability
   - Different businesses may have a different understanding of sustainability and how to measure it.
   - Businesses may end up greenwashing - marketing themselves as ‘sustainable’ when their practices may not be so.

Question 11

Effectiveness of locals

Answer 11

1. Seeking advice from other stakeholders regarding sustainable tourism practices.
2. Participating in decision-making for sustainable tourism development.

Question 12

Seeking advice from other stakeholders regarding sustainable tourism practices.

Answer 12

• Locals may not have the necessary knowledge and experience, which other stakeholders such as governments, businesses and international organisations have, to pursue sustainable tourism.
• By seeking advice from these stakeholders, locals can adopt sustainable tourism practices that have already been tried and tested.
• This will help to protect the environment and ensure that sustainable tourism can continue to grow and thrive.
  ———
  Example:
• In Singapore, locals can seek guidance from NEA to pursue sustainable tourism practices such as waste management and recycling when hosting international events, meetings and conventions.

Question 13

Participating in decision-making.

Answer 13

• Having local knowledge, the involvement of locals in decision-making is critical. They can suggest ways to minimise the harmful impacts of tourism, such as protecting the flora and fauna in their local community.
• This can be done through community-based tourism which prioritises the participation of the local community and ensures that the benefits gained from tourism stay with the local community.

Question 14

What limits effectiveness of locals

Answer 14

1. Lack of financial or technical assistance:
   - Some locals may not have the information on how to apply for financial or technical assistance, and therefore lack sufficient resources to carry out plans for sustainable tourism development.
   ———
2. Prioritising economic benefits over sustainability:
   - Some locals may pursue tourism practices that may not be sustainable as long as it brings in a higher income to support themselves and their families.

Question 15

Effectiveness of tourists

Answer 15

1. Developing a genuine interest in the tourist destination and seeking to enhance its environment, culture, and economy.
2. Interacting responsibly with the environment and people when they travel.

Question 16

Developing a genuine interest in the tourist destination and seeking to enhance its environment, culture, and economy

Answer 16

• Tourists can choose tours or services which prioritise sustainable tourism or channel their revenue toward environmental conservation efforts.
  ——
  Example:
• At the Tiger Tops Elephant Camp in Nepal, an ethical elephant camp, elephants can walk around freely in the jungle with no routine imposed on them. This allow tourists to observe the elephants interacting in their natural state.
• The revenue generated by tourism is used for the conservation and upkeep of animals in the region such as tigers and elephants. It can also be used to invest in the education of local students.
  —————
• Tourists can also get involved in environmental conservation or community projects that benefit the tourist destination.
  ——
  Example:
• At the sea turtle volunteering conservation programme in Costa Rica, tourists can help care for injured sea turtles and patrol the beaches for sea turtles and their nests to protect them from poachers.

Question 17

Interacting responsibly with the environment and people when they travel.

Answer 17

• Tourists can read up on the local practices and cultures, and be mindful of their attire or behaviour when travelling as a way to show respect to the local customs and cultures.
  ——
  Example:
• In Bali, Indonesia, tourists should be aware that they have to dress modestly when visiting religious sites.
• They can look after the environment when travelling such as not littering or vandalising the areas they visit.

Question 18

Limitations to effectiveness of tourists

Answer 18

1. Some sustainable tourism options may be out of their budget:
   - Some sustainable options may be more expensive due to the costs required to ensure the tourism experiences are sustainable, such as fees to conserve the environment.
   - Tourists may not be keen to pay these fees.
   —————
2. Lack of clear information, which may confuse tourists on the sustainable options available:
   - There are varied understandings of “sustainable tourism” and the ways of measuring it.
   - Tourists may be confused about whether a tourist business they engage with or their tourist practices are truly sustainable.

Question 19

Other Challenges faced by stake holders

Answer 19

1. Stakeholders may have different understandings and measurements of sustainable tourism development.
2. Stakeholders have differing amounts of control over resources.
3. Stakeholders have different priorities which can make negotiation challenging.

Question 20

Different understandings and measurements

Answer 20

• Understanding and measurement of sustainability vary from place to place, as well as amongst stakeholders themselves.
• This can lead to a conflict of ideas between stakeholders, which may make coming to a consensus on sustainable tourism development difficult.

Question 21

Differing amounts of control over resources

Answer 21

• Stakeholders may have varying degrees of power and influence.
• Those with more power and control over resources might have more “say” over the final decision made, which may override the perspectives of other stakeholders, hindering sustainable tourism development.

Question 22

Different priorities

Answer 22

• Stakeholders often have different priorities.
• This can make negotiations among them challenging.
• For example, locals may want to limit the number of tourists in their neighbourhood to minimise congestion, but governments may oppose this as it might reduce tourism revenue.
• Ultimately, there could be economic, social, and/or environmental trade-offs that stakeholders may have to compromise and accept.

Question 23

Example of challenges

Answer 23

• The Isle of Man, United Kingdom used to be a popular tourist destination, but from the 1960s onwards, it began to decline.
• Conflicts between planners, businesses, and locals have made it difficult to revive the island.
• To boost tourism numbers, planners were keen to capitalise on the rugged landscapes as a motorcycle racing destination to boost tourism numbers.
• However, locals are against motorcycle racing as it could potentially damage the environment. They felt that their views were not considered seriously by the planners.
• These poor negotiation processes led to greater miscommunication and mistrust, which hinders sustainable tourism development.