Experts Convene on Sustainable Tourism and Healthy Oceans

The GPO convened a panel of experts to advise on responsible tourism opportunities for sustainable development of coastal economies. - Photos: Iris Nory Johanna de Graaf

Tourism is the world’s largest service industry and a potential source of wealth creation and sustainable development in small islands and coastal states. The tourism sector accounts for 30% of the world’s export of services and nine percent of global GDP. In 80% of developing countries, tourism is in the top five export industries and almost half of international travelers are selecting developing countries as vacation destinations.

Highlights:

Tourism sector accounts for 30% of the world’s export of services and 9% of global GDP

 

GPO brought together leaders on sustainable tourism to examine the industry for sustainable development of coastal economies

 

Over 50% of expensive fossil fuel imports to island and coastal areas are consumed by the tourism sector

The Global Partnership for Oceans (GPO) recently convened some thought leaders on sustainable tourism to examine ways and means of harnessing the enormous power of the industry for the sustainable development of oceanic and coastal economies.

The tourism industry, which has often drawn criticism for its negative environmental impacts, can also play a role in building environmental awareness. Dr. Sylvia Earle, oceanographer and keynote speaker at the meeting pointed to whale watching as an example of ecotourism that shows how protecting an ocean species vastly increases its value. Whale watching underscores the biodiversity value of tourism by showing “whales dead are not as valuable as whales alive,” she said.

Tourism also offers opportunities to educate and conduct research. Jamie Sweeting of the cruise line Royal Caribbean International said marine research laboratories on the company’s ships were enabling onboard scientists to gather rich oceanographic and climate change data while educating the public.

Motivating the industry

Participants discussed the challenge of “incentivizing” the tourism industry to lighten its environmental, social and cultural footprint and to extend its successes.

Dr. Kristin Lamoureux, Director of the International Institute for Tourism at George Washington University, said education and training are crucial to ensuring tourism becomes more environmentally responsible. She said the industry needed to engage students in local communities on the importance of tourism as a future career if it is to be sustainable and resilient.

Dr. Ghislaine Maxell, founder of The TerraMar Project, explained how she was using technology and social media to engage youth in conservation and ocean stewardship programs. “It was important to inspire citizen engagement in the battle to protect the ocean and its valuable resources,” she added.

Dr. Randall Brummett of the World Bank contended the hundreds of millions of recreational fishers worldwide generating a $190 billion market could provide sustainable livelihoods for oceanic communities struggling with loss of income due to steadily dwindling seafood catches. Training would avoid unnecessary injury to fish and fragile ecosystems.

Sustainable Tourism is not just an environmental issue, it’s about economics and health
 
–  Dr. Sylvia Earle, Sylvia Earle Alliance

John Perrotet of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group, saw the need to “make tourism a much more political issue” because “investors can influence entities to take up best practices.”

Seleni Matus, of the consulting organization Sustainable Travel International, stressed the need to strike a balance between government protection and tourism. She held up the Healthy Reefs Initiative as one which mobilizes action from governments and the private sector by highlighting problem areas in Mesoamerican reef countries as well as the potential tourism gains from improved protection.

Sweeting of Royal Caribbean International agreed that the public should demand more from their governments and also from mass tourism companies. Companies need to work collectively as it was “hard for them to change practices and become sustainable” by themselves.

Participants agreed that an important driver of responsible tourism would be the use of sustainable energy. More than half of expensive fossil fuel imports to island and coastal areas are consumed by the tourism sector. More energy efficiency and renewable energy generation could make the sector more profitable and more responsible.

As Dr. Earle concluded, sustainable tourism “is not just an environmental issue, it’s about economics and health.”

The solutions and successes shared by these experts will inform the actions of the GPO to achieve the targets set in the 120+ member-strong GPO declaration (pdf). Best practices and strategies will be explored and implemented at scale with optimal partnerships and the option for finance to assist countries with ocean-friendly tourism.