The international environmental policy and the tourism industry

1. The international environmentalpolicy and the tourismindustry Mia Tarhanen, M.Sc., HAAGA-HELIA University of Appliedsciences, Finland

2. Content I) Justification: environmental impact II) History of Sustainable Tourism; from international environmental policymaking´s point of view III)UNWTO: the development of climate change policy in tourism industry IV)EU: the environmental actions towards more sustainable tourism V)Finland in environmental action VI)Macro level: the environmental policy of a tourism sector company & Group working: from policy to practice; practical solutions

3. I) Justification: environmental impact

4. Tourism - a special relationship with sustainable development • How can places of great natural beauty, or wildlife, be preserved once tourists start visiting in their thousands, bringing with them the need for services and development? • Is it possible to have a guilt-free holiday? • Can you visit a place without damaging it in some way? • What are the environmental impacts of tourism?

5. Tourism spreads quickly around the world • Some tour operators realize that the industry relies on natural and cultural diversity as well as security of the destination to attract customers. • Sustainable tourism, therefore, is crucial not only for the people and environment in destination countries, but for the survival of the industry itself. • The only sustainable solution however - people staying at home - is not a feasible alternative since in many developed countries holidaying is seen as a basic right rather than a privilege.

6. At least 80% of this waste is recyclable

7. We can choose to have this

8. Venice Under Water: Deepest Flood in 22 YearsFlood waters Venice reached a depth of 1.56 meters

9. The International Ice and Snow Festival, Harbin, China • A winter fantasyland featuring ice and snow everything: an ice church, an ice bar, a giant snow Buddha, an ice lighthouse, and a mini Great Wall of Ice. • But!!! “This is the worst year ever,” • “The Festival is usually much bigger. It was too warm, so there wasn’t enough time to prepare [the sculptures].” • China’s heating up! • The diminished Ice and Snow Festival is just one small effect of unsettling warming weather trends already being seen. • This is the warmest winter northeastern China in more than 50 years.

10. What Spain will look like in the future, in a world transformed by climate change. • The Guardian recently introduced us to a series of images, produced by artists Pedro Armestre and Mario Gómez, for a new project by Greenpeace.

11. Increased frequency of coral bleaching events is expected as a result of global climate change • A bleaching event, likely caused by high sea water temperatures, affected these staghorn corals in Tumon Bay Marine Preserve, Guam. 

12. The Global Warming Swimming Pool: Imagine Swimming Above a City

13. II) History of Sustainable Tourism; from international environmental policymaking´s point of view

14. History of Sustainable Tourism • Sustainable tourism is a paradigm that evolved as a reaction to criticism of tourism's unprincipled growth in Europe in the 1970s. • Among the first who wrote about the negative environmental impacts of tourism was a Swiss researcher Jost Krippendorf. • The researchers Mathieson and Wall (1982) defined sustainable tourism in terms of economical, physical and social impacts. • the carrying capacity which will determine the level of impact, e.g. the number of visitors who can visit a particular area without affecting the area physically

15. History of Sustainable Tourism • During the late 80´s the sustainable development approach was adapted as part of tourism development • The concept of sustainable development, a generic term, was defined by Brundlandt Commission: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

16. From Rio to Johannesburg: New Paths for International Tourism • Rio Conference was the starting point • Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 1992. • Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally in every area in which human impacts on the environment.

17. From Rio to Johannesburg: New Paths for International Tourism • In1992 Rio Earth Summit, was made a little reference to the environmental and social impacts of tourism. • Since Rio, international concern about the sustainability of tourism has grown steadily. • Countries have endorsed declarations on a wide range of related topics • including tourism and sustainable development • the social impact of tourism • tourism and biodiversity • tourism and ethics

18. From Rio to Johannesburg: New Paths for International Tourism • In 1996,,the World Tourism Organization, the World Travel & Tourism Council, and the Earth Council released their own action-plan, Agenda 21 • The focus was in an effort to integrate tourism into broader sustainability discussions

19. From Rio to Johannesburg: New Paths for International Tourism • The Year of EcoTourism • In 2002 UNWTO had dedicated the year for Eco Tourism. • Some 500 delegates from 100 countries selected four themes for the International Year of Ecotourism 2002. • The four themes were • ecotourism policy and planning • the regulation of ecotourism • the marketing and promotion of ecotourism • monitoring the costs and benefits of ecotourism. • Environmental sustainability and empowerment of local communities were listed as "cross-cutting issues".

20. From Rio to Johannesburg: New Paths for International Tourism • Tourism was also be an important topic at the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg

21. From Rio to Johannesburg: New Paths for International Tourism • The Tourism Industry • Many tourism businesses are beginning to take positive steps to become more environmentally and socially responsible • Priorities for Action: • Restructure management and operations along environmental lines, including reducing consumption of water, energy, and other resources and improving management, handling, and disposal of waste. • Accelerate the transfer of environmentally sound technologies, practices, and management tools to the developing world, including desalination plants and other water-saving systems, renewable energy technologies, and ecologically sound chemical management practices. In Practice • Under the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators' voluntary code of conduct, the 40 member tour operators are required to land no more than 100 people per site at a time and to make sure that visitors do not disturb wildlife. • Europe's Blue Flag Campaign eco-labelling of high environmental standards and safe, sanitary facilities.

22. From Rio to Johannesburg: New Paths for International Tourism • Government • Governments will need to play a proactive role in supporting the growth of sustainable tourism. • Priorities for Action: • Encourage tourism planning authorities at the national, regional, and local levels to incorporate key social and environmental goals. • In 1997, the Council of Europe recommended that member governments limit tourism development to a level compatible with ecological capacity • Develop regulations and policies that support smaller-scale tourism initiatives that are actively planned and managed by local communities. In Practice • The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan practices an official policy of "high-value, low-volume" tourism. It accepted only 7,500 visitors in the year 2000, at a cost of $250 each per day.

23. From Rio to Johannesburg: New Paths for International Tourism • Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and International Institutions • Non-governmental players have played an important role in generating much of the pressure for more sustainable tourism. • International institutions such as the World Bank and UNEP have also stepped up their support for sustainable tourism, including engaging in efforts to create benchmarks for sustainable tourism that will make it easier for governments and businesses to measure progress. • Priorities for Action: • Discourage unsustainable and inappropriate tourism developments. • Help raise awareness of tourism's negative impacts through information campaigns and training. • Encourage tourists to engage in environmentally and culturally sensitive behavior

24. III)UNWTO: the development of climate change policy in tourism industry

25. Djerba Declaration 2003 on Tourism and Climate Change • The participants gathered at the First International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, held in Djerba, Tunisia, April 2003, convened by the World Tourism Organization, upon an invitation of the Government of Tunisia

26. Djerba Declaration 2003 on Tourism and Climate Change • Agree the following:1. To urge all governments concerned with the contribution of tourism to sustainable development, to subscribe to all relevant intergovernmental and multilateral agreements, especially the Kyoto Protocol, and other conventions and similar declarations concerning climate change and related resolutions that prevent the impacts of this phenomenon from spreading further or accelerating;2. To encourage international organizations to further the study and research of the reciprocal implications between tourism and climate change, including in the case of cultural and archaeological sites, in cooperation with public authorities, academic institutions, NGOs, and local people; in particular, to encourage the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to pay special attention to tourism in cooperation with WTO and to include tourism specifically in its Fourth Assessment Report;3. To call upon UN, international, financial and bilateral agencies to support the governments of developing, in their efforts to address and to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change and to formulate appropriate action plans;4. To request international organizations, governments, NGOs and academic institutions to support local governments and destination management organizations in implementing adaptation and mitigation measures that respond to the specific climate change impacts at local destinations;5. To encourage the tourism industry, including transport companies, hoteliers, tour operators, travel agents and tourist guides, to adjust their activities, using more energy-efficient and cleaner technologies and logistics, in order to minimize as much as possible their contribution to climate change;

27. Djerba Declaration 2003 on Tourism and Climate Change • 6. To call upon governments, bilateral and multilateral institutions to conceive and implement sustainable management policies for water resources, and for the conservation of wetlands and other freshwater ecosystems7. To call upon governments to encourage the use of renewable energy sources in tourism and transport companies and activities, by facilitating technical assistance and using fiscal and other incentives;8. To encourage consumer associations, tourism companies and the media to raise consumers' awareness at destinations and in generating markets, in order to change consumption behaviour and make more climate friendly tourism choices;9. To invite public, private and non-governmental stakeholders and other institutions to inform WTO about the results of any research study relevant to climate change and tourism, in order for WTO to act as a clearing house and to create a database on the subject and disseminate know-how internationally; and10. To consider this Declaration as a framework for international, regional and governmental agencies for the monitoring of their activities and of the above mentioned action plans in this field.

28. From Davos to Bali: A Tourism Contribution to the Challenge of Climate Change • Davos Declaration (Davos, Switzerland, 3 October 2007) • Conclusions of the Ministers’ Summit on Tourism and Climate Change (London, United Kingdom, 13 November 2007) • Resolution on Tourism and Climate Change (UNWTO General Assembly, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, 23-29 November 2007) • Statement by Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of UNWTO, on the occasion of the UN Conference on Climate Change (Bali, Indonesia, 12 December 2007)

29. Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, Davos, Switzerland, 2007 • The Conference reunited stakeholders from across the sector to review developments and re-chart the future • The Davos Declaration acknowledged the reality of climate change and its strong interrelationship with tourism. • It acknowledged the need for a long term strategy for the sector to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in line with other sectors.

30. Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, Davos, Switzerland, 2007 • The Conference agreed that: • climate is a key resource for tourism and the sector is highly sensitive to the impacts of climate change and global warming, many elements of which are already being felt. It is estimated to contribute some 5% of global CO2 emissions. • tourism - business and leisure - will continue to be a vital component of the global economy, an important contributor to the Millennium Development Goals and an integral, positive element in our society. • the tourism sector must rapidly respond to climate change, within the evolving UN framework and progressively reduce its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) contribution if it is to grow in a sustainable manner; this will require action to: o mitigate its GHG emissions, derived especially from transport and accommodation activities; o adapt tourism businesses and destinations to changing climate conditions; o apply existing and new technology to improve energy efficiency; o secure financial resources to help poor regions and countries.

31. Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, Davos, Switzerland, 2007 The Conference calls for the following actions. 1) Governments and International Organizations: • Incorporate tourism in the implementation of existing commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, • Implement concrete, simultaneous actions for mitigation, adaptation, technology and financing, • Introduce education and awareness programs for all tourism stakeholders – public and private sector – as well as consumers. • Develop regional and local climate information services tailored to the tourism sector

32. Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, Davos, Switzerland, 2007 2) Tourism Industry and Destinations • Take leadership in implementing concrete measures in order to mitigate climate change and to reduce risk to travellers, operators and infrastructure due to dynamic climate variability and shift. • Promote investments in energy-efficiency tourism programmes and use of renewable energy resources, with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of the entire tourism sector. • Raise awareness among customers and staff on climate change impacts and engage them in response processes.

33. Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, Davos, Switzerland, 2007 3) Consumers: • Tourists should be encouraged to consider the climate, economic, societal and environmental impacts of their options before making a decision and, where possible to reduce their carbon footprint, or offset emissions that cannot be reduced directly. • Tourists should also be encouraged to opt for environmentally-friendly activities that reduce their carbon footprint as well as contribute to the preservation of the natural environment and cultural heritage.

34. Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, Davos, Switzerland, 2007 4) Research and Communications Networks: • Encourage targeted, multi-disciplinary research on impacts of climate change in order to address regional gaps in current knowledge, develop tools for risk assessment and costbenefit analyses with which to gauge the feasibility of various responses. • Include environmental and climate specific subjects in the study curricula of tourism training programmes and extend these to broader educational systems. • Raise awareness on tourism’s economic role as a tool for development, and present information on causes and effects of climate change based on sound science, in a fair, balanced and user-friendly manner.

35. London and Cartagena, November 2007 • Subsequent to the Davos conference, the issues related to climate change and tourism, were further discussed at a • Ministerial Meeting held in London on November 2007 and • UNWTO General Assembly held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, November 2007. • The following points were underscored: The urgent need for the tourism sector: • to adapt to climate change conditions; • to mitigate greenhouse emissions • to help to transfer new technologies especially through the clean development mechanism and to make efforts to secure financial resources to assist developing countries which are especially vulnerable to climate change.

36. UN Climate Change summit in Bali, December 2007 • UNWTO, in cooperation with other international Organizations, its member States and partners from the private sector will maintain “climate change and tourism” as a priority on its agenda, and has adopted for the 2008 World Tourism Day and the related year-long campaign the theme “Tourism: responding to the challenge of climate change”.

37. IV)EU: the environmental actions towards more sustainable tourism

38. Launch of Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria 2008 1/2 • The Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria were launched by the United Nations Foundation, UNWTO, UNEP and the Rainforest Alliance at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2008. • The new criteria were developed to offer a common framework to guide the emerging practice of sustainable tourism. • http://www.unwto.org/media/news/en/press_det.php?id=2851

39. Launch of Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria 2008 2/2 • the criteria focus on four areas experts recommend as the most critical aspects of sustainable tourism:  • maximizing tourism’s social and economic benefits to local communities; • reducing negative impacts on cultural heritage; • reducing harm to local environments; and planning for sustainability. • The GSTC Partnership is developing educational materials and technical tools to guide hotels and tour operators in implementing the criteria.

40. Sustainable Tourism in EU • European Union’s so called Green Book in 1995 was the first attempt that stated that tourism is one of the rare industries that is made for to the realisation of sustainable development in practice. • From 1998, DG Enterprise, in co-operation with DG Environment, has been helping to identify and analyse best practices and methods in sustainable tourism. -It Co-operates also with the European Community Network for Environmental Travel & Tourism (ECoNETT) and with LIFE. • In 2005 the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) identified an agenda of 12 aims for sustainable tourism. • The EU Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) has three key objectives: economic prosperity; social Equity and cohesion; and environmental protection. • Taking each of these in turn, while reflecting on the above 12 aims, the following aims for the sustainability of European tourism are proposed: • 1. Economic prosperity: a) To ensure the long term competitiveness, viability and prosperity of tourism enterprises and destinations. b) to provide quality employment opportunities, offering fair pay and conditions for all employees and avoiding all forms of discriminations. • 2. Social equity and cohesion: a) To enhance the quality of life aof local communities through tourism and engage them its planning and management. b) To provide a safe, satisfying and fulfilling experience for visitors, available to all without discrimination by gender, race, religion, diability or inthe other ways. • 3. Environmental and cultural protection: a) To minimise pollution and degradation of the global and local environment and the use of scarce resources by tourism activities. b) To maintain and strenghten cultural richness and biodiversity and contribute to their appreciation and conservation.

41. EU included aviation in emission trading system 1/2 • The European Parliament voted in favour of including aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) from 2012. • Under the new directive greenhouse gas emissions from flights to, from and within the EU will be included in the system. • Greenhouse gas emissions from international air transport are increasing faster than from any other sector in the EU • "This agreement will enable the aviation sector to make a fair contribution to Europe's climate change targets as many other sectors are already doing." • The directive is part of a comprehensive approach to addressing aviation emissions, which also includes more research into greener technologies and improvements in air traffic management through the creation of a 'Single European Sky'.

42. EU included aviation in emission trading system 2/2 • Aviation currently account for about 3% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions, but they are increasing fast – by 87% since 1990. • Someone flying from London to New York and back, for example, generates roughly the same amount of emissions as the average person in the EU does by heating their home for a whole year. • On current trends, aviation emissions are likely to more than double from present levels by 2020. This rapid growth contrasts with the success of many other sectors of the economy in reducing emissions.

43. Task • The sustainable issues have been discussed over 20 years. • Can you find any practical results of these attempts as a travel consumer?

44. V)Finland in environmental action

45. Sustainable Tourism in Finland • Finnish Tourist Board (FTB) noticed the need of sustainability and started in 1993 a programme “Towards Sustainability Tourism in Finland (YSMEK)”, which covered an eco audit experiment in ten tourist enterprises and suggestions for further measures, and guidelines how sustainability can be fulfilled. • A report on continuation programme YSMEK 2: Environmental management system for hotels and restaurants was published by FTB in 1997. • Finland is the promised land for events and therefore a publication that handles the environmental matters to be considered when organizing an event was the next action Finnish Tourist Board took (1999). • Today the environmental aspects of tourism are part of the Q1000- national quality system coordinated by FTB. • The corner stones of success in tourism “– ethical values – quality of operations- take into consideration the environment and local cultures.“

46. Helsinki Declaration, January 2009 • Over 70 stakeholders of tourism industry made a commitment for the sustainable tourism development in Helsinki • Helsinki Declaration is a Finnish response for the UNWTO´s work • The aim is to adapt to climate change conditions and to mitigate greenhouse emissions • The signed stakeholders represented the variety of tourism indutry from education to travel agencies and from air traffic to cruise operators & from accommodation to program services • The declaration launched a process which will monitored every year • The next step will be a similar declaration for the international stakeholders who co-operate with Finnish travel industry

47. VI)Macrolevel: the environmentalpolicy of a tourismsectorcompany Group working: from policy to practice; practical solutions

48. On a macro level: Environmental policy • An environmental policy is a written statement outlining an organisation's mission in relation to managing the environmental effects and aspects of its operations • states the environmental aims and principles of an organisation • should recognise organizations impact on environment • States the communication forms

49. On a macro level: Environmental policy • Basic rules to follow to ensure the policy is clearly written and concise: • keep the statement short - a sheet of A4 • the statement is meant for everyone to see, so make sure it's easy to read and understand • the statement must be realistic, achievable and relevant to an organisation's activities and practices • demonstrate commitment to making the policy work and get the statement signed, dated and endorsed by the MD, Chief Executive or other senior manager.

50. On a macro level: Environmental policy • There is no standard content for an EP, although policies normally contain the same themes: • a commitment to continuous improvement • recognition of compliance with relevant environmental legislation as a minimum level of performance • the education and training of employees in environmental issues • the monitoring of progress and review of environmental performance on a regular basis (usually annually)