Sustainability and Greenness as an issue of Sri Lankan Mangers

in the Tourism Industry

By Evan Pathiratne

Tourism industry plays a significant role in the Sri Lankan Economy

Industry main focus

Heritage tourismCoastal tourism EcotourismMICE (Meeting Incentive Conference and Exhibition)

tourism -comparatively low market

The Issues

1. Preservation Vs Infrastructure development infrastructure development can lead to negative environmental consequences.

2. How much development, at what cost?

• Banerjee, S.B (2003) argues – – “…..now a corporate discourses on

sustainability produce an elision that displaces the focus from sustainability to sustaining the corporation through ‘growth opportunities’ …......….”

Source : Banerjee, S.B (2003), “Who Sustains Whose Development? Sustainable Development and the Reinvention of Nature”, Organization Studies 24(1): 143–180

3. Increasing pressure from foreign entities

The Issues

Aggressive marketing campaigns has made tourists rethink their travel destinations ….

• Shiva (1991) argues – – “…….universalized scientific discourses of the

environment tend to ignore local cultural differences and environmental relations while masking neo-colonial modes of development in which ‘global’ environmental problems create the moral base for green imperialism…..”

Source : Shiva, V (1991) ‘The violence of the Green Revolution’

• Menon (1997) identified – in response to environmental concern of many

companies as typified by the establishment of specialist environmental functions……public relations begins to play a bigger role in a firm’s marketing communications strategy to allay public concerns to mollify interest groups and regulatory agencies

Source: Menon, A. and Menon, A. (1997), “Enviropreneurial marketing strategy: the emergence of corporate environmentalism as market strategy”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 61, pp. 51-67.

Approaches to Mitigate the Issues

1. Why not a Corporate Social Responsibility Lobbying Nexus

1. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA)2. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB)3. Sri Lanka Tourism Convention Bureau (SLTCB) 4. Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM)

Complex governance structure within the Sri Lankan context

Why not a Corporate Social Responsibility Lobbying Nexus

Strengthen capacity of government, private sectors and NGOs to effectively use tourism as a tool for sustainable development.

Source: ‘Capitalist globalization, corporate social responsibility and social policy’ -Sklair, L and Miller,M (2010)

2. A more effective Green Communication Strategy

• Walley and Whitehead (1994) and Shelton (1994) mentions

– that green strategies can become progressively more unpalatable for all but the most environmentally committed companies.

• Peattie and Crane(2005) says a successful green marketing campaign must be ,

Starting and focusing on the customer and not the firm Having a long-run ‘brand building’ perspective involves full use of all the company’s resources and not just temporary roles innovative focus beyond current consumer needs

Sources:1.Peattie, K Crane, A 2005, “Green marketing: legend, myth, farce or prophesy?”, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal Vol. 8 No. 4 2.Walley, N. and Whitehead, B. (1994), “Its not easy being green”, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 72 No. 3, pp. 46-52.

• Hewawasam, B & Abeysekara, N (2010)identified Sri Lankan consumers based on green

consumption patterns-1. Green Unaware2. Green Incapable3. Anti-Green4. Green Contributor5. Green Rebel

Source :Hewawasam, B & Abeysekara, N (2010) "Offsetting the green guilt or bargaining for cheapest; Discourse of green consumption of develop and developing world of customers”, University of Kelaniya

Thank You !