Fostering Responsible Tourism Business Practices through

Collaborative Capacity Building

Bruce Simmons, Robyn Bushell, Jennifer Scott.

Aims

To ensure sustainable economic, environmental and socially responsible management of tourism related businesses that meet the expectations of staff, customers, the community, and the needs of future generations.

Sustainability Management Systems for Small Business

Addressing Barriers to Adoption of Sustainability Management Systems for Small

Business

Barriers Proposed Methods to Overcome

Lack of time Planning by the industry itself and integration into existing activities.

Excessive cost Planning by each business within their budget constraints. Recognition of actions already undertaken

Low priority High level of industry and community publicity through association journals and public recognition of achievement. Achievement use as a marketing tool.

Lack of knowledge

Training workshops essential part of the process, followed by extension and access to information.

Lack of Credibility

Independent assessment

Lack of Commitment

Investment of time and costs in the program by participating businesses to promote ownership

Sustainability Management Systems for Small Business

•Internal and external partnerships

•Self development through awareness raising of staff and customers

•Building business capacity through a progressive sequence of steps

•Transparency and accountability in process and outcomes

•Taking environmentally and socially responsible approach to running any business

Sustainability Management Systems for Small Business

• 10 categories of assessment

• Three levels of achievement:

• engagement

process

performance

• Training workshops & extension

• Annual re-assessment

• Progressive improvement

Sustainability Management Systems for Small Business

Assessment Categories

1. Site management / Visual amenity2. Water and Wastewater 3. Solid Waste 4. Energy Efficiency 5. Air and Noise Pollution 6. Environmental Initiatives / Stewardship 7. Responsible Business 8. Work Practice9. Local Community 10. Safety and emergency response planning

Sea Change for Sustainable TourismThe program consists of five stages called one to five stars:

Stage 1 involves attendance at a preliminary workshop and completion of a business checklist.

Stage 2 entails carrying out a short business self-audit.

Stage 3 involves attendance at a second workshop and development and implementation of an environmental management plan (EMP).

/ Stages 4 and 5 involve completing goals set out in the EMP.

Seachange For Sustainable Tourism (12 month enrolment)

Seachange for Sustainable Tourism Engagement

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Jan-05 Jan-06 Jan-07

Time

Pa

rtic

ipa

tio

n N

um

be

rs

1Star 2 Star 3 Star

Gumnut Award Adoption

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Jan-June2003

June-Dec2003

Jan-June2004

July-Dec2004

Jan-June2005

July -Dec2005

Jan -June2006

July -Dec2006

Jan -June2007

July -Dec2007

Years (per 6 months)

To

tal

par

tici

pan

ts

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Bronze

Active participants

Silver

Gold

Table 1: Comparative Process between the Gumnuts and Sea Change Programs

Process Gumnuts Sustainability Management Sea Change for Sustainable Tourism

Constituents Members of the same association Local business in a tourism precinct

Driver Industry Association Local Government (Council)

Program developed Industry with guidance Council (with guidance) industry consultation

Funding Industry association and members .

Council and grants

Incentive development

Planned staged publicity Opportunistic publicity

Education process Awareness building, workshops, extension and ongoing resource guidance.

Awareness building, workshops, extension and ongoing resource guidance.

Award Levels Three (Bronze, Silver, Gold) Five (one to five stars)

Number of Categories

Ten Ten

Auditing Initial stage self audit Initial stage self audit

Planning and action

Later stages of program. Later stages of program.

Assessment Independently assessed Council assessed