Integrating Business Skills into Ecotourism Operations the designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of iuCN concerning the legal Imprint status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. the views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of iuCN or the Kuoni Group. this publication has been made possible in part by generous funding from thewiss s federal office for the environment (FOEN) and the Kuoni Group. 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CitatioN: integrating business skills into ecotourism operations.witzerland: s iuCN and Kuoni. 80pp. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1484-4 Cover design by: Kuoni Group, soraya Gaouaoua layout by: Kuoni Group, soraya Gaouaoua ProduCed by: IUCN business and biodiversity Programme PriNted by: Colaris,witzerland s available from: IUCN (international union for Conservation of Nature) Publications services rue mauverneey 28 1196 Gland switzerland tel +41 22 999 0000 fax +41 22 999 0020 [email protected] www.iucn.org/publications Kuoni Group Corporateesponsibility r Neue hard 7 8010 Zurich switzerland t +41 44 277 52 44 [email protected] www.kuoni.com Photos: © Kuoni Case study Photos: African Conservation Centre and michel laplaceoulouse, t p18; Jorg sundermann and Cat vinton, sonevaesorts, r p20; blue yonder, p28; Caiman ecologicalefuge, r p30; belvedere Grindelwald, p40; Grootbos, p42; Wild Jordan,undación p52; f Natura Colombia, p54; Nihiwatu.com, p62; ecoColours, p72. for printing this report we used balance Pure Paperstock. balance Pure delivers a low carbon footprint and is manufactured from fsC printed carbon neutral 100% recycled pulp, supporting responsible use of forest resources. 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About this Book 4 Table of Acknowledgments 6 Contents Introduction 9 Skills Map 10 1 Understanding your Market and Product 13 2 Developing a Sustainable Business Plan 25 3 Running Sustainable Operations 35 4 Marketing and Sales 47 5 Human Resources 59 6 Health and Safety 67 Conclusion: Are you ready? 77 Glossary 78 Resources 79 4 This book is designed to help conservation organisa- Kenya (June 2011) Each of the six sections includes a tions, community-based organisations and protected discussion of why that particular topic is important, About this area managers plan and run effective ecotourism what it means, and how it applies to ecotourism busi- businesses It was created as part of the Business Skills nesses Each section also includes case studies, checklists Book Transfer Programme for Ecotourism Development, and revision questions At the end of the book, there is a joint effort by IUCN and Kuoni Group aimed at a list of resources that may be useful in developing your supporting conservation organisations in managing ecotourism business ecotourism-related businesses through business skills, knowledge and experience sharing While the principal intended audience of this book includes conservation organisations, community-based This joint Programme includes capacity-building organisations and protected area managers planning workshops in selected destinations, which are targeted at and running ecotourism businesses around the world, enhancing the business skills of participants, who may it will also prove useful to anyone looking to develop have had limited experience with the tourism industry an ecotourism business, by providing a foundation in in their roles as conservationists The workshops business skills that can help a project become market feature presentations by tourism sector leaders, aimed viable and a more effective and successful tool for at providing participants with a strong foundation in conservation business skills that will better enable them to design and run successful ecotourism businesses This book has For further information on this book been developed with the cooperation of several of these and the project, please contact: tourism industry professionals, who lent their time and expertise to the development of the chapters IUCN Rue Mauverney 28 · 1196 Gland · Switzerland The book is divided into six sections: Understanding mail@iucn org · Tel +41 22 999 0000 · Fax +41 22 999 0002 your Market and Product, Developing a Sustainable www.iucn.org Business Plan, Running Sustainable Operations, Market- ing and Sales, Human Resources, and Health and Safety Kuoni Group These chapters are based on interviews with tourism Corporate Responsibility industry professionals from around the world, as well Neue Hard 7 · 8010 Zurich · Switzerland as presentations given by business leaders at IUCN-led cr@kuoni com · T +41 44 277 52 44 workshops in Barcelona, Spain (October 2008), near www.kuoni-group.com Phnom Penh, Cambodia (January 2010), and Nairobi, About IuCN About the Kuoni Group IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Kuoni’s head office is located in Zurich, Switzerland, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most where Alfred Kuoni founded the company in 1906 Over pressing environment and development challenges the years Kuoni has developed into today’s global travel services company, now employing around 12 000 people IUCN works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, in more than 60 countries In its European source human livelihoods and greening the world economy by markets the company has more than 160 of its own retail supporting scientific research, managing field projects outlets and tour operating offices Its global destination all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the travel services business has several different types of UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and office: sales offices in the source markets, particularly best practice in Asia for group travel business; agency offices that look after guests at the destinations; offices dedicated to IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environ- buying in and selling online-based destination services; mental organization, with more than 1,200 government and offices specialising in MICE business (meetings, in- and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts centives, conferences and events) Visa services provider in some 160 countries IUCN’s work is supported by over VFS Global (external consular services) runs a worldwide 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in business through more than 500 offices spread across public, NGO and private sectors around the world every continent Overall, counting all business activities, Kuoni has more than 700 offices in 62 countries around www.iucn.org the world Kuoni has been committed to a sustainable development of the tourism industry for many years and strives to act as a good corporate citizen which takes into full account the current and future economic, social and environmental impacts of its business www.kuoni.com IUCN and Kuoni would like to thank all those that have been involved in this project since its beginning in Acknowl- 2008 We are particularly grateful to the instructors and participants of previous “Integrating business skills into edgments ecotourism operations” training workshops at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and in Nairobi, Kenya, for their support, enthusiasm and knowledgeable input, without which this book would not have been possible The development of this book was also made possible thanks to the generous financial support of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd A special thanks to: the knowledGeAble intervIewees: h Shirley Fisher, Head of Health & Safety and Quality the CommItted Author: Control at Kuoni UK h Amy Sweeting h Urs Hauser, Owner, Belvedere Grindelwald Hotel, Switzerland the projeCt Coordinators: h Klaus Henkel, Head of eHRM Systems, Kuoni Group h Maria Ana Borges, Global Business and Biodiversity h Thomas Iten, Managing Director, Programme, IUCN Kuoni/Private Safaris, Kenya h Giulia Carbone, Global Business and Biodiversity h Kenneth Johnson, Owner and General Manager, Programme, IUCN EcoColors, Mexico h Matthias Leisinger, Corporate Responsibility, Kuoni h Michael Lutzeyer, Owner/GM/MD, Grootbos Private Travel Holding Ltd Nature Reserve, South Africa h Sabine Loetscher-Ehrler, Corporate Responsibility, h Thomas Meller, Director General, Mesoamerican Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd Reef Tourism Initiative, Mexico h Michael Njogu, Head of Marketing and Sales, Kuoni/Private Safaris Kenya h Arnfinn Oines, Social and Environmental Conscience, Six Senses, Thailand h Gopinath Parayil, Founder, The Blue Yonder,