2012 STS Marketing College

Doug Arbogast

Tourism Specialist

West Virginia University Extension Service

Morgantown, WV

Travel Green 101

Part 1:

• Green Tourism Indicators

• Destination Stewardship

Part 2:

• The Market for Green Tourism

• Developing a Strategy for Sustainable Tourism

West Virginia is located within a 250-mile radius of several major metropolitan markets and within 500 miles of more than 60% of the United States population. Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Charlotte all are within a day’s drive.

6

International Tourist Arrivals Worldwide (million) (1990-2004)Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO)©

Multiply by five for rough estimate of in-country tr ips

458 464

503

519

550565

597611

635

652

697 693

715

691

760

800

846

898

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

458 464

503519

550565

597611

635

652

697 693

715

691

760

800

846

903 904

880

900

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

International Tourist Arrivals Worldwide (million) (1990-2008+)Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO)©

Multiply by five for rough estimate of in-country trips

Gulf War

9/11 attacks

Tech bubble bursts

Millennium travel spike

Tourism growth goes on. . .

SARS & Iraq War

Credit -crisis collapse

Recovery?

Tourism = >10% of global GDP and 200 million jobs worldwide

Tourism = 5 percent of global CO2 emissions

The entire country of Russia produced 5.72% of global CO2 in 2011

the 2007 Travel Industry of America Research Report

Travelers are becoming more sustainability-conscious

and are beginning to make decisions based on

sustainability criteria.

a 2009 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey

Despite the state of the economy, 34 percent of

American consumers indicate they are more likely to

buy environmentally responsible products today.

According to a 2012 TripAdvisor® study

57% of travelers say they “often” make eco-friendly

travel decisions, such as their choice of hotel,

transportation, or food choice

What the f is green travel?

Greenwashing?

• Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.[1]

• The term is generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising being green (that is, operating with consideration for the environment), rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices.

Source: Wikipedia

According to a 2012 TripAdvisor® Survey

Travelers are interested in eco-friendly practices,

but most feel they are not informed enough and are

hungry for more information about which green

plans and policies are actually in place

the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations:

“Environmentally aware travelers patronize businesses that

reduce pollution, waste, energy consumption, water usage,

landscaping chemicals, excessive nighttime lighting and respect

local culture and tradition.”

10 Green Travel Performance Indicators

According to a 2009 Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social

Marketing study

Consumers are verifying green claims by reading the

packaging (24%) and turning to research (going online,

reading studies 47%).

According to a 2012 TripAdvisor® Survey

60% of travelers said they rarely feel informed

about whether hotels are truly eco-friendly, and

13% said they never do.

West Virginia Program Participant Survey Results

• Summary

– Survey of WV-based tourism destinations and service providers

– 110 responses

– 27.5% see “A Lot” of demand for green tourism; 43.1% “Some”

– 44.8% “Very Interested” in the certification program; 43.1% “Somewhat”

– Most attractive perceived benefit of participation: “Attracting Green-Conscious Travel Consumers” – 46.5%

– 67% would like to see a payback window of <5 years on any investments they made in improving their sustainability score

– #1 need to help improve their sustainability score: financing/funding

54

Is the green market one of your target niche’s?

What’s your strategy for getting them to your destination?

Being greener is a start. Quality of place completes the appeal.

Tourism is like a fire…

it can cook your food

It can burn your house down

Geotourism What More and More People Want From Travel

Tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place — its • environment, • culture, • aesthetics, • heritage, and • the well-being of its residents.

New Trends in Travel • TIA-National Geographic Study in 2002

– 73% want clean, unpolluted environment

– 80% want outstanding scenery

– 61% believe their trip is better if it preserves natural, historic, and cultural sites

– 62% (95M) key to learn about other cultures

– 54% want places off the beaten track, local places

– 41% want an authentic travel experience

62

Longwoods International 2009 West Virginia Visitor Report

?? Some hotel, somewhere

DESTINATION TOURISM STYLES DIFFER IN RELATION TO PLACE

Touring R & R Entertainment

Touring-style tourism

Relies on human and physical character of place.

Touring-style tourism

Relies on human and physical character of place.

ACTIVITIES • sightseeing • history • nature • scenery • hiking / Nordic skiing • local shopping • typical cuisine • photography • culture & festivals

CHARACTERISTICS

• Diffuse impact

• Supports small businesses

• Requires protecting nature

and heritage

• Needs architecture,

landscapes, culture unique to

the locale.

• Quality vs. quantity

R & R tourism Depends only on physical character of place.

R & R tourism Depends only on physical character of place.

ACTIVITIES

• coastal resorts

• golf

• downhill skiing

• water sports

• vacation homes

CHARACTERISTICS

• Risk of sprawl

• Environmental impacts

• Opportunity for architecture,

landscaping, cuisine, day tours,

that suit the locale.

Entertainment-style tourism Manufactured attractions that do not depend

on character of place.

Entertainment-style tourism Manufactured attractions that do not depend

on character of place.

ACTIVITIES

• theme parks

• outlet malls

• amusement parks

• convention centers

• sports arenas

• casinos

CHARACTERISTICS

• High employment generator

• Changes nature of locale

• High social and env. impact

• Mass tourism; high traffic

• Quantity vs. quality

DESTINATION STYLE DRIFT . . .

if development unchecked, unguided

Touring R & R Entertain-

ment

Unspoiled

destination

SPOILED ?

The Geotourism Charter

A set of principles to

promote sustainable

tourism and enlightened

destination stewardship.

1. Integrity of place

2. International codes

3. Market selectivity

4. Market diversity

5. Tourist enthusiasm

6. Community involvement

7. Community benefit

8. Protection and enhancement of

destination appeal

9. Land use

10. Conservation of resources

11. Planning

12. Interactive interpretation

13. Evaluation

The Geotourism Principles

Yeah, whatever. I gotta pee!

Marketing Geotourism Assets

To ensure sustained demand and a sustainable place,

plan not for “tourism,” but for the best tourists.

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Treehugger.com by Discovery

Attracts ecologically-engaged, creative, urban professionals who are willing to pay a premium for nicely designed goods and services made with the environment in mind.

Our largest group of readers:

• Are in their 20s and 30s (47% are 21-30 years old; 31% are 31-40 years

old)

• Are students, designers, technologists and journalists

• Are either men or women (50/50)

• Are comfortable financially (25% earn over 90K annually, over 60% earn over 45K)

• Are looking for green products and services (85% report that they will spend “somewhat more” to “a great deal more” on green goods and services)

• TreeHuggers are a young, influential, and affluent demographic who

make significant purchases online and turn to TreeHugger to find products and services they can trust.

• Reader base is largely female, aged 25 - 54.

• Very well educated (88% with college or university education)

• They have a high average household income (37% earn $100k+).

• Internet savvy and considered the expert on green issues and tips among their social circles.

• Research their purchases online, even if they may eventually make that purchase offline.

“Eco” on a

billboard?!!

A Sustainable Tourism Strategy

tourism assets

• Identify

• Sustain

• Develop

• Market

stewardship

Tourists— How to get more out of my trip; how to be a good visitor.

Presevationist/conservationists—

How tourism can protect (not

destroy) our distinctive assets.

Residents— How tourism can help us,

enrich our lives.

Politicians— How we can create

prosperity, boost our govt’s popularity.

Tourism promoters— How we can claim success.

Tourism businesses— How we can grow and thrive.

A constituency

of stewardship

Norway’s Queen Sonja at final signing of the

Norwegian Geotourism Charter at NGS

Sightseeing

Culinary

tourism

Cultural

tourism

From eco- to geo-

Nature-based

tourism

Heritage

tourism

Green

tourism

GEOTOURISM

Agri-

tourism

All place-based

types of tourism =

the ENTIRE destination

Geotourism Stewardship Councils Public/private representatives for. . .

• historic preservation • nature & ecotourism • farm/restaurant programs • beautification • traditional performing arts, artisanry • indigenous and minority groups • urban renewal • local, state, and federal government • tourism and local business expertise • tourism promotion • other characteristics of the place

• Communication

• Energy Saving

• Water Saving

• Waste Reduction

• Local Involvement

• Purchasing

• Transportation

• Natural Environment

• Built Environment

• Sustainability Policy

Authenticity What makes your town, region, or state unique? What makes you different from the rest?

1. Integrity of place

2. International codes

3. Market selectivity

4. Market diversity

5. Tourist enthusiasm

6. Community involvement

7. Community benefit

8. Protection and enhancement of

destination appeal

9. Land use

10. Conservation of resources

11. Planning

12. Interactive interpretation

13. Evaluation

The Geotourism Principles for Destination Stewardship Green Travel Performance Indicators

Geotourism

Virtuous

Circle

Place-based

tourism Community

benefit

Motive to

protect

Leakage; irresponsible

business practices

The Circle

Broken

Place-based

tourism Community

benefit

Motive to

protect

Obstacles to protection

Benefits too selective, or not apparent

Environment +

The geotourism equation:

culture +

history +

aesthetics +

people =

sustainable

economic

benefit

Thank You!

Doug.arbogast@mail.wvu.edu

304-293-8686