Planning Your Ecotourism Products Workbook

1. Planning Your Ecotourism Products Workbook Department of Tourism – Region III RD Ronnie Tiotuico Adapt to the unexpected, Create the desirable, Avoid the undesirable.

2. Definition of Ecotourism World Tourism Organization “Traveling to undisturbed natural areas with specific object of studying, admiring and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals as well as any existing cultural aspects found in those areas.”

3. Definition Ecotourism Society “A purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the culture and natural history of the environment taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem while producing economic opportunities that make the conservation of natural resources beneficial to local people.”

4. Definition Pacific Asia Travel Association “A form of tourism inspired primarily by the natural history of an area, including its indigenous cultures. The ecotourist visits relatively underdeveloped areas in the spirit of appreciation, participation and sensitivity. Non-consumptive use of wildlife and natural resources and contributes to the visited area through labor or financial means aimed at directly benefiting the conservation issues in general and to the specific needs of the locals.”

5. Choose the best answer

11. What is common to these?

12. In short…. • Natural area • Undisturbed • Wildlife (plants and animals) • Cultural biodiversity • Educational to tourists • Conservation of nature • Benefits to local community

13. Ecotourism Criteria Rich natural attractions and conducive to travel Unique features and education to visitors Rich in flora and fauna, endemic/endangered species Not frequented by commercial tourists Native traditions of local people remain untouched Rich in biodiversity Beneficial to local host population

14. The Tourism Boom In 1950, only 25 million international tourists worldwide In 1997, nearly 25 times larger at 613 million international arrivals Direct receipts stood at US$448 billion WTO predicts by 2010, arrivals will increase to 1.018 billion or 71% more tourists than in 1996. Direct receipts to rise to US$1.55 trillion by 2010

15. Statistics on domestic tourism generally poor • Domestic generally outnumber intl tourists • More than 3 billion people travel around their own country every year • Economic activity generated by domestic and intl tourism in 1998 is predicted to be US$4.4 trillion, providing employment to 230 million people worldwide

16. Trends in Tourism • Increasing wealth and leisure time • Decreasing travel cost • Airline industry expansion • Fewer travel restrictions • Countries pursuing tourism as means to create jobs, diversify their economies and earn foreign currency • Tourism as a source of private profit and economic development

17. Characteristics of eco-tourists • Tourists are younger, better educated and better informed, and have traveled to or visited the same place before • Tourists are seeking more individualized trips, a wide range of activities and more “authentic” experiences, both environmentally and culturally • Focus is on enjoyment of nature such as beaches, coral reefs, rain forests and wildlife (about 40-60% of tourists worldwide) • Focus on unspoiled and less developed areas with low tourist density such as rain forests and coral reefs • Tourists now have higher sense of environmental and social responsibility and a greater demand for tourism products that do not degrade the environment

18. Survey in the Philippines showed that 70% of tourists were willing to spend US$50 more per trip to conserve the areas they visited • Tourists are choosing not to visit areas that have been degraded

19. Tourism Planning • Developing a theme for product ID and development for tour operators or a community • Guide for future actions • Solve future problems • Predict future scenarios

20. Ecotourism Planning • Systematic or a logical sequence of steps • An opportunity to evaluate alternatives • Community-based and supports community economic development • Iterative and dynamic • Integrated and comprehensive

21. Eight Phases of Ecotourism Planning • Phase I Mission Statement and Goal Setting • Phase II Resource Inventory and Analysis • Phase III Market Analysis • Phase IV Product Market Matching/Theme/Concept • Phase V Overall Development Plan • Phase VI Tour Product Development • Phase VII Market Strategy • Phase VIII Implementation Strategy

22. PHASE I: MISSION STATEMENT AND GOAL SETTING • what is important and deeply cared about • the opportunity to serve a need • the values to be protected • what business are you in • overall purpose for community existence • Mission means expectations/values; Goals means aims or purposes; Objectives means quantified targets; and strategies means types of action • Example: Mission (Be healthy); Goal (Lose Weight); Objective (Lose 10 lbs by Oct. 5); Strategy (Diet and exercise)

23. Mission, Goals, and Objectives • Mission: To provide socially and environmentally responsible tourism at a profit • Goal #1: Implement sustainable economic development • Objectives: • Increase visitor spending • Identify areas of unique value for conservation • Attract more tourists • Decrease leakages • Expand the tourism season

24. What is your Mission? Your Mission Statement is:

25. Mission, Goals, and Objectives • Goal #2: Encourage community involvement • Objectives: • implement community action group • provide opportunities for local investors

26. PHASE II: RESOURCE INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS All resources are inventoried on the ff: criteria: 1. attractiveness 2. ability to draw visitors 3. accessibility and availability of services 4. integrity 5. contribution to environmental and cultural protection.

27. PHASE II: RESOURCE INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS Ecotourism Products can be grouped according to: • natural or environmental • community • heritage or historic • cultural • outdoor recreation • tourism services • special events • information/interpretive services

28. Identify your ecotourism products

29. PHASE III: MARKET ANALYSIS There are two sources of market demand that can contribute to determining an ecotourism product. • primary research, including questionnaires and interviews with the travel trade; and • secondary or desk research including the analysis of written data or both the local markets as well as the international tourism markets.

30. 1. PRIMARY RESEARCH Primary research generates data, directly from the travel trade or consumers that is used to shape the ecotourism product. It is gathered by: • informal observation of the ecotourism market • surveys or interviews with members of the travel trade (wholesalers, tour operators and local suppliers such as hotels and resorts, guides, adventure tour operators, NGOs, etc.) • questionnaires distributed to visitors in your region/province/community that potentially represents the ecotourism market

31. 2. SECONDARY RESEARCH Secondary or desk research is provided by the literature and survey results that have been prepared by others. At the regional, provincial or community level, it may include: • visitor exit surveys • surveys of the adventure market since there is very little available data on the ecotourism market • adventure travel surveys in other provinces or regions • market research from consumer magazines that provide nature-based tourism • national/regional planning agencies, travel associations, city/municipal or provincial tourism offices

32. PHASE IV: RESOURCE / PRODUCT MARKET MATCHING

33. COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS Depending on your location, the competition may be in an adjacent province or region, or another ASEAN country. It is important to appreciate that similar ecotourism operators in an adjacent area may be a collaborator or contributor to your overall package.

34. COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS Name of Competitor? _______________ Its Product Component: _____________ Its Competitive Features and Special Appeal? _________________________ Market Origin? _____________________ Price Structure? ___________________ Marketing Approach? _______________

35. PHASE V: OVERALL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Separate workshop

36. PHASE VI: TOURISM PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT • Preparation of Daily Itinerary • Securing all services and suppliers • Establish Price Structure • Developing a partnership with tour operators and wholesalers

37. Prepare the detailed tour package itinerary Date: Time: Places to Visit/Activities: Special Events: Services/Facilities to be offered: Total Net Cost:

38. Itinerary

39. Tour Package Cost

40. PHASE VII: MARKETING STRATEGY It responds to the definition of Eco-Tourism It responds to the development strategy It meets Important Ecotourism criteria

41. ANNUAL MARKETING BUDGET WORSKEET Suggested Components of a Marketing Budget: ADVERTISING e.g. brochures, newsletter, newspaper SALES e.g. trade shows, fam trips, exhibits and displays, AVPs, web MARKETING e.g. data analysis, surveys, questionnaires OTHER

42. Marketing your product

43. PHASE VIII: IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES There are variety of agencies, associations, organizations and companies responsible for the implementation of a Development Strategy. A matrix that outlines the specific responsibility assure response to the opportunity as well as Action.

44. Action Plan

45. OTHERS • FINANCING AND FUNDING SOURCES • TRAINING REQUIREMENTS Culture of Tourism Tourism Awareness Seminar Basic Tour Guiding Techniques Homestay Program Accreditation Program Waitering and Bartending Seminar Front Office Management Tourism and E-Commerce Travel Agency Operation

46. A Visitor Friendly Test for a Place NOTE: The following 10 questions provide approximation to determine the level of friendliness of a certain tourist-oriented place. Provide 10 points for each favorable answer. A passing score is 60. Anything less may probably spell trouble. • Are the central access points to your community (road, rail, plane) equipped with visitor information centers or do they provide instructions to easily accessible information? • Should an airport be the primary access point, does it provide a full range of visitor information services (e.g. accommodation, tourist booth, visuals on-site, etc.)? • Do visitor facilitators – cabs, buses, airline personnel, security, airport operators, reservation personnel – receive any formal training and does a system exist to monitor the quality of visitor facilitator services? • Do hotels/lodges offer in-house television access channels for visitors with information on events, attractions, restaurants, and things to do? • Is a single organization or agency responsible for visitor business and are public funds provided for its activities?

47. Friendly Test ……. • Does that organization or agency have a marketing profile of visitors, and is this profile used for marketing activities? • Does the place’s hospitality industry accommodate foreign visitors’ needs (language, directions, special interests, do’s and don’ts)? • Does a range of accommodation exist to meet actual or expected visitor needs (by price range, size of facilities, access to site)? • Is access to sites, attractions and amenities (events, recreational, central location), easily available at reasonable cost and frequency? • Does the place welcome visitors and accommodate their needs (commercial hours, credit cards, language, signage, traffic, parking, public services)?

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