COMMUNICATION AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM UN-WTO / G. VERECZI VERECZI G. / UN-WTO UN-WTO / G. VERECZI VERECZI G. / UN-WTO UN-WTO / G. VERECZI VERECZI G. / UN-WTO PROCEEDINGS OF THE GLOBAL E-CONFERENCE AND SUMMER SPEAKER SERIES ON THE ROLE OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM May 29 - June 9, 2006 World Bank Development Communication Division – SDO; USAID Development Communication & Sustainable Tourism Unit; United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) COMMUNICATION AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROCEEDINGS OF THE GLOBAL E-CONFERENCE AND SUMMER SPEAKER SERIES ON THE ROLE OF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM May 29 - June 9, 2006 Hosted on www.devcomm-congress.org Lucia Grenna (World Bank) Roberta Hilbruner (USAID) Emanuele Santi (World Bank) Gianmarco Scuppa (World Bank) Gabor Vereczi (UNWTO) The e-conference was made possible through a partnership between 2, Susy Karammel (GTZ), Giulia Carbone (IUCN) and Alice Crabtree the World Bank Development Communication Division, the USAID (TIES) for Session 3, Chris Seek (Solimar International) and Metilde Development Communication & Sustainable Tourism Unit and the Wendenbaum (ECEAT) for Session 4, and Daniel Mattson (Heritage United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). It also Design) for Session 5. benefited from collaboration with SNV - Netherlands Development Finally, we would like to thank Natasha Scripture (World Bank) and Organization, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) and Carol Hansen (USAID/NRIC) for editing and production; Daniele Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (G TZ), all of Calabrese, Riccardo Torrado and Eliana Esposito (World Bank) for the which contributed to specific sessions. The findings, interpretations support with the web posting on the website and Mr. Claudio Piazzi and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and do (freelance consultant) for assembly of this document. not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, USAID, UNWTO nor those of the other partner institutions. Furthermore, statements For further information on the Communication for Sustainable by participants do not always reflect the view of the organizations to Tourism activities of the three main partners, please visit: which they belong. The authors are grateful to all participants who www.worldbank.org/developmentcommunications made contributions to the e-conference, and are particularly appre- www.nric.net/tourism.htm ciative of the excellent work done by the moderators of the five ses- sions, namely Judith Voermans and Toot Oostveen (SNV) for Session www.unwto.org/sustainable ChEmonICS IntERnatIonal InC. / J. MacGREgoR INTRODUCTION ourism is one of the world’s largest economic sec- tors1 and one that continues to expand very rapidly2. Done well, tourism development can be a power- 3 T VERECZI G. / UN-WTO ful tool for economic growth, poverty reduction , and for the conservation of natural and cultural resources. While tourism represents an important development opportunity for many countries and communities, it can also have very negative impacts, such as disrupting social structures, harm- ing the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, and threatening natural and cultural heritage. Wise planning and management of tourism development is key to keeping it a force for good. Tourism is truly cross-sectoral, involving a wide range of issues that can include the following: multiple stakeholders at both national and local levels • trade and investment policy must be able to access the information they need to un- • employment and labor laws derstand their long-term interests, articulate their opin- • enterprise development ions, identify proposals, and network effectively with one • public-private partnerships another. Tourism development choices must balance be- • community and urban planning (land use planning, tween national and local needs, public and private sector, transportation, etc.) host communities, civil society, tourists, and mass media. • infrastructure development Political choices, in particular, must reconcile immediate • conservation of cultural heritage, protected areas and returns and longer-term benefits, which requires a clear biodiversity and well-defined vision. Sustainable tourism develop- • management of natural resources (water, energy, waste) ment thus represents a very complex task. • safety and security Communication has a huge role in supporting sustainable • education and workforce development. tourism development and managing its multiple dimen- There are vast numbers of stakeholders, with their differ- sions. Communication can create and facilitate a system ent and sometimes opposing interests and agendas. The that allows stakeholders to exchange opinions and arrive 1 In 2005 international tourism generated around US$ 753 billion (including receipts from international tourism and transportation, passengers fares), which represents 40% of worldwide exports of services and 7% of all exports, surpassing those of food, textile and clothing or computer industries (UNWTO, Tourism Market Trends, 2005 Edition). 2 In 2005, international tourist arrivals reached over 800 million, generating US$ 682 billion in tourism receipts. The increase in flows measured since 1950 equals an average annual growth of 6.5%. In that same period revenues have risen at an average rate of 11% a year. This growth rate far outstrips that of the world economy as a whole. According to the projections of UNWTO, international tourist arrivals will double in the next two decades and possibly reach 1.6 billion in 2020 (UNWTO, Tourism 2020 Vision). Domestic tourism is also dynamically growing in both developed and developing countries. 3 World Travel and Tourism Economy employment is estimated at 234,305,000 jobs in 2006, 8.7% of total employment. 2006 Travel and Tourism Economic Research of the World Travel & Tourism Council and Accenture. INTRODUCTION 1 at consensual solutions. Effective use of communication tourism strategies and projects at national and local lev- tools can also link products to markets, and can contrib- els; to share experiences, information and perspectives; ute to visitors’ safe and positive experiences. to identify and share lessons learned and best practices; In a sustainable tourism development scenario, the vari- and to consolidate knowledge on development commu- ous stakeholders have not only the right to participate in nication in sustainable tourism programs. the decision-making process, but have also the responsi- Discussions focused on the following topics: bility to adopt environmentally, socially and economically • The role that communication can play in designing sustainable behaviors and practices. Communication and implementing sustainable tourism strategies and processes can build awareness of this responsibility and projects at national and local levels; persuade stakeholders that sustainable practices ultimately • The importance of sharing experiences, information benefit their long-term interests. and perspectives; A comprehensive communication strategy, which should • Identification of lessons learned and most effective identify how information, awareness creation, advocacy, practices; and network building, conflict mitigation, and communica- • The exchange of knowledge on development commu- tion platforms will be supported, is essential for any suc- nication in sustainable tourism programs. cessful sustainable tourism development activity. The e-conference was part of the preparation for the World An e-conference addressing the role of communication Congress on Communication for Development (WCCD) in sustainable tourism development took place between and was hosted on www.devcomm-congress.org. It consist- May 29 and June 9, 2006. The World Bank, the US ed of the following five concurrent sessions, moderated by Agency for International Development (USAID) and the persons listed below. The e-conference benefited from the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) envi- the active contribution of more than 700 registered partici- sioned the forum as a means to bring together develop- ment practitioners, tourism professionals, decision-mak- pants from all six continents. Archives of the e-discussions ers, academicians and communication specialists repre- can be found at http://forum.devcomm-congress.org. senting various national institutions, private sector and A seminar series in was held in Washington, DC, during media organizations, NGOs, international institutions, the summer of 2006 as a follow-on to the e-conference in and donors active in the field of communication and order to further explore ideas raised in the five sessions. sustainable tourism to discuss the role that communica- Material from those presentations has been woven into tion can play in designing and implementing sustainable the session summaries that follow. Session 1 The Role of Communication in Planning and Gabor Vereczi (UNWTO), Iain Christie and Implementing Sustainable Tourism Policies Gianmarco Scuppa (WB) and Strategies Session 2 Communication for Community Involvement Judith Voermans and Toot Oostveen (SNV) in Sustainable Tourism Development Session 3 The Role of Communication in Promoting Christina Cavaliere, Alice Crabtree, Amos Bien and Corporate Social Responsibility in Sustainable Martha Honey (TIES), Susy Karammel (GTZ), Giulia Tourism Development Carbone (IUCN) Session 4 The Role of Communication in Linking Chris Seek (Solimar International), Robin Goldberg Sustainable Tourism Products