Factors that researchers have previously linked to sustainability have now been systematically addressed to provide a definitive picture of what sustainable nature-based tourism in TFCAs means to southern African stakeholders. The consultation provided an array of data that supported and contradicted existing knowledge, in particular regarding economic and environmental aspects of sustainable tourism, and also generated new debate regarding the specific characteristics of nature-based tourism and TFCAs across southern Africa.
The application of the Delphi technique in other regions in the future may be useful in ascertaining the similarity of factors relevant to sustainable nature-based tourism in southern Africa with other regions of the globe. If perceptions of the critical factors are consistent, and value systems are similar (Butler, 1998), this would have important implications for the transferability of international efforts to promote sustainable tourism development in destinations.
At a wider level, the political, planning, economic, environmental and social results of the Delphi consultation were used to develop and field test a Sustainable Nature-based Tourism Assessment Toolkit (Spenceley, 2003a). In addition to the consultation results, the toolkit incorporated lessons from complementary research programmes on responsible tourism (DEAT, 2002; Spenceley et al, 2002), sustainable livelihoods (Spenceley, 2003b), pro-poor tourism (Ashley et al, 2001; Spenceley and Seif, 2003) and fair trade (Seif, 2002).
The toolkit provides a mechanism that goes beyond simply defining sustainable tourism, and has begun a process of tangibly and transparently measuring its characteristics in a reliable and comparable way. By developing a database of economic, environmental, and social benchmarks relevant to sustainability, the toolkit may be used as a mechanism to develop baseline standards and improve performance within the tourism industry: both within and outside TFCAs.
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138 Transfrontier Conservation Areas and Sustainable Nature-based Tourism
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Chapter 10
Sustainable Nature Tourism in Europe:
An Overview of NGOs
Marielies Schelhaas
Introduction
In the Netherlands, stakeholders in outbound tourism increasingly work together in developing sustainable tourism in nature areas across Europe. This chapter describes projects of some Dutch stakeholders, many of them IUCN members, including members of the Dutch platform for sustainable outbound tourism (IDUT), who cooperate to make outbound Dutch tourism more sustainable. The focus is on Dutch tourism in Europe, and on the efforts of stakeholders on several material projects. This chapter outlines results of some projects, the threats and opportunities for protected areas tourism in European destination countries, and the role of non-governmental organizations.
The Netherlands, Nature and Tourism
Tourism is one of the largest economic sectors in Europe, in terms of employment and money involved, and has large impacts on destinations. Tourism generates income and employment, and impacts on culture, environment and biodiversity. The relationship between biodiversity and tourism is strong, as nature is an important ingredient in many tourism experiences. At the same time tourism developments can seriously affect natural areas when planning and management are deficient.
Tourism is a growing industry, with increasing numbers of foreign vacations, more money spent, and further jobs generated. Economic depressions have a short-term influence but the expectation is that in the long term tourism will continue to grow. In Europe, tourism is not only a large but also a long-existing economic sector. The most heavily visited areas are the (Swiss-French-Austrian) Alps and the Mediterranean Sea.
This paper concentrates on the Netherlands. The Dutch people are relatively frequent tourism consumers and often travel outside the country. Of the Dutch going on vacation, about one-third stay in the Netherlands, while two-thirds go to a foreign country. Of the people going outside the county, 88% spend their vacation in European countries, while 12% travel outside Europe. In Europe, 29% visit the Mediterranean area of Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and 19% visit the Alps. In terms of individual countries, France is the
© CAB International 2007. Tourism and Protectef 141 Beyond Boundaries (eds R. Bushell and P.F.J. Eagles)
142 Sustainable Nature Tourism in Europe: An Overview ofNGOs
most popular destination, accepting 17% of all Dutch vacationers, and Spain and Germany are the second and third most popular country destinations. The fastest-growing visitation is to Turkey, while recently more Dutch tourists are finding their way to Central Europe, particularly the new EU countries of Hungary and the Czech Republic. In 2002, the Dutch spent €9,730 million on vacations (Eurostat, 2002; WTO 2002, 2003; TIAA, 2003).
Sustainable Outbound Tourism
Making tourism more sustainable is a long-term and complicated process. Many stakeholders are involved in tourism developments. Individual tourists are difficult to reach with messages of sustainability. However, when striving for more sustainable tourism, it is necessary to look at all aspects of tourism, and to all stakeholders, including the tourists.
It is also important to look not only at the vacation destinations themselves but also at the relationship between the countries of origin of the tourists and the destination. The efforts to realize a more sustainable type of tourism may be more effective when both sides, the outbound operations and destinations, are involved. The Netherlands Committee for the IUCN decided to develop a project to look at the impact on nature and culture of Dutch tourists going on vacation.
In regard to outbound tourism, many stakeholders are involved in making tourism more sustainable. Tour operators can play a role in preserving nature and culture by choosing to work with those local suppliers of accommodation, excursions and transportation that operate with an eye on sustainability issues.
Tourism schools and institutes play a role through the education of future tourism staff, ranging from hostess to tour operator and manager. These educators can train their students on issues of sustainability and on how to contribute to sustainable development of tourism.
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have specialized knowledge and contacts on specific issues and can use their expertise in resourcing, lobbying and monitoring.
The government has a role in adopting pro-sustainability policies with respect to the travel industry, NGOs, other organizations and consumers. Therefore, to develop sustainable tourism all such groups need to be involved.
In the Netherlands, all such organizations work together in a platform for sustainable outbound tourism, entitled IDUT (Initiatiefgroep Duurzaam Toerisme - Initiative Group for Sustainable Tourism). Members include: tour operators, NGOs dealing with nature conservation and agritourism, educational institutions and the Dutch government. The Netherlands Committee for the IUCN (NC-IUCN) has a significant role in the group, as it houses the secretariat, and many IDUT members are also IUCN members.
The programme goal of the IDUT is to maximize use of the knowledge of the different organizations and to join forces at a time that sustainable outbound tourism is increasingly important. The platform members cover a broad range of tourism activities, including a range of destination types from ecotourism in remote areas to mass tourism on popular beach destinations. They deal with culture, nature and social aspects of tourism and focus on protected areas and their vicinity.
Sustainable Nature Tourism in Europe: An Overview ofNGOs
Sustainable Tourism Projects of IDUT Platform Members
The Dutch platform for sustainable outbound tourism, IDUT, does not have its own projects or activities. Member groups undertake project work. Members share knowledge of their projects with the network, use input of other members and start joint projects and programmes. The range of projects and activities is broad, both in both subject, and in theme and geographical coverage. In this chapter, European-orientated projects are described, and especially those that focus on protected areas.
NC-IUCN: Natourdata
Nature is a major attraction and resource of tourism. If tourists are unaware of the value and the fragility of nature and if tourism operators and providers are not careful about the natural environment, tourism can be disastrous for nature and biodiversity. At the same time, tourism can contribute to nature conservation, for it gives nature an economic value, it raises awareness, and provides a motive for conservation as well as an effective venue for environmental education. Because of this strong, fragile and mutual relationship, the Netherlands Committee for the IUCN started a three-year programme: 'Sustainable outbound tourism and conservation of biodiversity'.
The main partners in the programme are Dutch tour operators, the Dutch government, education institutes and NGOs. Together with these partners, NC-IUCN stimulates and supports tour operators to develop more sustainable tours that have positive effects on biodiversity, conservation and poverty reduction. It also develops educational material and information brochures about nature and tourism. The web-based knowledge centre, Natourdata, is a website listing information about nature and sustainable tourism on popular destinations around the world. In cooperation with a tourism information company, the data is available for travel agents. This is also one of the few projects of NC-IUCN that focuses on individual Dutch tourists. Tourists can find basic and easily accessible information about nature in the region they are going to visit: what national parks are in the region; what is special about the landscape; and what is unique about the nature. The information is made for ordinary tourists who would like to know more about the natural environment they are visiting and become more aware of the natural values of the vacation region.
In addition, to further educate tourists and others who access the site, NC-IUCN developed a world map with information about sustainable aspects of tourism, emphasizing destinations that are popular among Dutch tourists.
Tour operators: environmental management system
Many projects that aim for more sustainable tourism are started by 'forerunners': in outbound tourism this is usually NGOs or small tour operators. Unfortunately, successful practices often remain small scale and are not widely understood. Not many tourists and tour operators are reached and the effects remain relatively unrecognized and under- utilized.
The umbrella organization for tour operators, ANVR (Algemeen Nederlands Verbond van Reisondernemingen - Netherlands Travel Agencies Association), started a product and 143
144 Sustainable Nature Tourism in Europe: An Overview ofNGOs
environmental management system that involved the whole Dutch tour operator sector. The 200 or so tour operators who are members of ANVR collectively have agreed to take a step- by-step approach to minimize the impacts of their products on nature and environment, culture and the social climate in vacation destinations. The project encompasses performance levels and measures to be reached by each tour operator. For this purpose a special e-learning course was developed, compulsory for at least one staff member of every tour operator. Further, each tour operator is to have an environmental coordinator. They commit themselves to some basic 'dos and don'ts' and they must all have at least a basic environmental programme with standards in the fields of transport, accommodation, excursions, and information to customers included on the internet. The system was established in 2003.
Because 90% of all tour operators in the Netherlands are members of ANVR and therefore incorporate the system, these environmental measures now have a very broad application in the Dutch travel industry. Even if the level of measures is very basic, the broad approach is promising for further development in the future.
WWF-Netherlands: Pan Parks
Pan Parks is an initiative founded and funded by WWF Netherlands, with the IUCN/WCPA as one of the conservation partners. Pan Parks aims to conserve European nature by creating an expanding network of protected areas with high conservation value. The three pillars of the Pan Parks method are: 1) improvement of wilderness management, 2) sustainable tourism, and 3) work with local people. Criteria for inclusion in the system include: 1) good conservation management in the park, 2) a large area of nature, and 3) valuable flora, fauna and landscape. The park has to be accessible to visitors and cooperation with local communities is essential.
Pan Parks build partnerships with nature conservation organizations, national parks, tourism businesses, local communities and other interest groups on a local, national and international level. Pan Parks cooperate with tour operators. One of these is a large Dutch tour operator, SNP, specialized in nature-based hiking tours.
The Pan Parks brand is supposed to become analogous to a 'Michelin Star' for European nature sites. Four areas have attained the 'Pan Park' label: 1) Fulufjallet in Sweden, 2) Bieszczady National Park in Poland, 3) Oulanka National Park in Finland, and 4) Central Balkan National Park in Bulgaria. Eight other parks that are nominated to become Pan Park certified, mainly in Eastern Europe, are under investigation.
Fulufjallet in Sweden, for example, is advertised to be one of the rare wildernesses in Western Europe. It was established in 2002 and is 385 km2 in size. Spectacular species like the brown bear, wolf, wolverine and lynx live in the park. Tour operator SNP and WWF- Netherlands have developed an organized tour to the park. Special elements of this eight- day tour are visits to nature conservation projects and use of small-scale accommodation that supports the local economy. Special attention in the travel brochure is given to the cooperation with WWF, the special value of the nature in the area and the Pan Parks status.
SNP and WWF are developing similar tours to other Pan Parks.
Pan Parks and tour development are in the early phases. It is not clear yet if the results will follow expectations, whether the tours will be successful, and, most importantly, if this alliance between nature conservation and tourism contributes to improved nature conservation. In the short time of its existence, the concept of Pan Parks appears to have