WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM? -New Zealand, the nation leading Sustainable Tourism -

1. The importance of sustainability

In recent years, we hear the word "sustainable" more and more. In addition, various industries that drive the world's economy are increasingly adopting sustainable practices as a standard. One example of this is The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs for short, are an agenda of 17 sustainable goals to be achieved by 2030.

The SDGs were adopted at the UN summit in September 2015, with 193 UN member countries committed to achieving these goals. 17 Goals include CLIMATE ACTION, taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, NO POVERTY, ending poverty in all its forms everywhere, and so on. (UN, 2021)

2. WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE TOURISM?

The tourism industry is also the economic sector that is deeply connected to the SDGs. According to Lenzen et al. (2018), tourism is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. The negative impact of climate change brought on the tourism industry for the future. For instance, increased forest fire, the melting of the Arctic ice, erosion, and so on are the main negative influences caused by climate change.

It is also well known that a specific country is on the verge of extinction due to climate change. Tuvalu, situated in the Polynesian region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, is expected to completely disappear in the next 50 to 100 years because of Sea-level rise. 

Besides the global environment, such as climate change and global warming, sustainability also has two critical keywords, economic and social aspects.

For instance, an unexpected pandemic brought devastating damages to almost all economic sectors, and especially the tourism industry is one of the industries most negatively affected. According to UNWTO, revenues from tourism fell by $910 billion to $1.2 trillion in 2020. This will have a broader impact and could reduce global GDP by 1.5% to 2.8% due to the Covid-19 crisis. (UNWTO, 2021)

Thus, in order to develop tourism in post-Covid-19 and global warming, it is essential to promote Sustainable Tourism, which is the tourism development that focuses on the three elements of economic, social, and environmental sustainability.

According to UNWTO, they defined Sustainable Tourism as follow,

"Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities" (UNWTO, n.d.)

3. The best three practices of Sustainable Tourism in New Zealand

New Zealand (hereinafter referred to as NZ), located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, is one of the countries leading Sustainable Tourism. Because tourism is one of the essential industries in NZ, its awareness and commitment to sustainability are remarkable.

Thus, this blog introduces the best sustainable practices in NZ based on the three elements of sustainability (economic, social, and environmental), DMO (Destination Management／Marketing Organization), and the roles of tourists.

(1) The Mark of Quality

Retrieved from Tourism New Zealand

The Mark of Quality provides a trusted guide to iconic travel experiences. This activity is a unique initiative conducted by Governmental DMO, Tourism New Zealand. 

This mark logo awards visitor accommodation, activities, service, and transport providers. Tourists can book confidently knowing a business operates ethically, professionally, and environmentally friendly to make sustainable tourism in NZ. In addition, if the accommodation and other tourism services meet specific criteria based on sustainable tourism business standards, they will receive a Qualmark award (Bronze, Silver, or Gold). For instance, The Pure Pods and Kokohuia Lodge are certified and awarded by the Mark of Quality. (Tourism New Zealand, n.d.)

Kokohuia Lodge was built with a sustainable mind and is self-sufficient in solar power and solar hot water. The lodge also uses bamboo and organic cotton for dishes and linens and energy-efficient eco-gas heaters for heating. The Sherwood hotel in Queenstown, located in a city in southern NZ, contributes to sustainable tourism in terms of the environment and economic and social aspects. In interior design, as the environmental part of the building, recycled waste materials are used for everything, including furniture, furnishings, and various indoor items.

Retrieved from Kokohuia lodge

Also, in terms of economics and society, they are committed to local production for local consumption. For instance, 99% of the food served in their restaurants comes from NZ, 40% of the vegetables are organic from the on-site garden, and 60% of the beverages are from the family-owned winery, contributing to the development of the local economy. (KoKohuia Lodge, n.d.)

So here's the question, who benefits from the existence of this Qualmark?

Qualmark is beneficial to sellers, buyers, and society. For sellers, they can select products that meet the needs of tourists and confidently recommend products to tourists even if they have never actually experienced them. Similarly, buyers and tourists are reassured that a product is environmentally safe, even if that product is new to them. Lastly, the benefits to society are sustainable in terms of economic, social, and environmental aspects and contribute to maintaining the high product quality of NZ tourism as a whole.

(2) Sustainable Maori Tourism

When it comes to social culture, the Maori, the indigenous people of NZ have a unique social culture in NZ that deserves special mention. The Maori people came from a legendary place called Hawaiiki in the Polynesian Islands about 1,000 years ago. Then now that they make up 14% of the total population in NZ. (Wikipedia, 2021)

Today, the Maori language is recognized as an official language along with English, and signs are written in both English and Maori. Also, the haka, a traditional Maori dance of the NZ rugby national team is globally famous.

Retrieved from https://www.allblacks.com/

In tourism, Maori culture is significant as an important tourism resource. Tourism New Zealand says, "Today there is a much wider range of tourism products that incorporate a Māori element." (Tourism New Zealand, n.d.)

Rotorua, located on the North Island, is especially popular among tourists as a place where tourists can enjoy Maori culture. Rotorua's Māori tourism is characterized by its emphasis on cultural tourism experiences, rather than just enjoying buildings or food. In addition to experiencing a traditional Maori dance, there are also workshops that visitors can experience traditional crafts and other hands-on activities to promote understanding of Maori culture from an educational perspective.

However, after World War II, the Maori population, Maori language speakers, and traditional crafts were lost due to the government's assimilation policy.

Then in recent years, Sustainable Maori Tourism has been attracting attention as a way to preserve Maori culture. Sustainable Maori Tourism contains three main elements advocated by The James Henare Mäori Research Centre;

1. Tourism activities must be Maori-owned;
2. Maori tourism must be environmentally, socially, culturally and economically sustainable;
3. Maori tourism must be community oriented and supported by the community.

Also, Tourism New Zealand's work in Māori development focuses on a few key areas below;

• Building the organization's own internal capacity and understanding of Māori culture
• Helping build the capability of Māori tourism businesses
• Working with international travel sellers to raise awareness of Māori tourism products

These DMO initiatives and developments have benefits for all stakeholders, including consumers, destinations, the tourism industry, and local residents.

Consumers, namely, tourists, can understand the culture of Maori and meet their needs to experience the destination's own culture. For destinations, obviously, the culture of Maori itself is an important resource and product of tourism and the tourism industry. Finally, local residents can be more proud of being part of the people of the country to understand the culture that has been cultivated over the years. In conclusion, this Maori tourism gives benefits and consequences for the destination, tourism industry, and the local residents as part of Sustainbale Tourism.

(3) The Tiaki Promise

Retrieved from https://tiakinewzealand.com/

In a larger framework, Tourism New Zealand launched The Tiaki Promise, a set of principles to be followed by all visitors to New Zealand in 2018.

The Tiaki means "To care for people and place" in the Maori language. The promise calls for tourists to protect nature and not leave any damage or traces to the places they visit. It also mentions the importance of traveling with respect for the culture. With these guiding principles, travelers can respect the approach to Sustainable Tourism from environmental, cultural, and social sustainability and enjoy their trip. (Tiaki Promise, 2021)

The Tiaki Promise consists of 5 elements that all tourists have to follow.

Retrieved from https://tiakinewzealand.com/

This simple commitment is stated in Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand, travel blogs, CNN, and many other tourism-related companies and media, and travelers are encouraged to be a guardian to protect and preserve the destination. This clear statement of environmental protection from the host community serves as a guideline for all stakeholders, including tourists, tourism stakeholders, local residents, and other DMOs.

As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" refers to the importance of adapting tourists to the customs in a destination or situation and behaving as local people do. Therefore, it is natural that tourists should follow a guideline that local people set.

As seen from the three best practices, The Mark of Quality, Sustainable Maori Tourism, and The Tiaki Promise, NZ is one of the most committed countries globally to sustainable tourism. Although New Zealand may be a small remote country with little political influence, it is paving the way for global sustainability. For the future, NZ's Sustainable Tourism will be a great success story that should be used as a reference for countries worldwide to achieve SDG goals.

4. Who should encourage sustainable tourism?

In this country, there are 30 RTOs (Regional Tourism Organizations, the New Zealand form of destination marketing organizations)  and they are mainly in charge of destination marketing in their territories. Also, it cover the whole of New Zealand and assist travel sellers by providing information on their region and local tourism product. (Tourism New Zealand, n.d.)

As is actually the case, three best-practice initiatives should be undertaken by DMO that promote tourism as a national organization, similar to what Tourism New Zealand is encouraging. Thus, it is appropriate that these initiatives, which are the code of conduct for all tourism stakeholders, should be handled by Tourism New Zealand. In other words, Tourism New Zealand's leadership as a national tourism promoter will be critical to the prosperity of sustainable tourism in NZ.

If I were the one in charge of promoting sustainable tourism, I would "export" the structure system of  NZ's sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism is already a major axis of tourism strategy in NZ, and it appears to be already mature. That's why in the next phase, NZ has to take on the role of evangelist to countries and regions where Sustainable Tourism is still underdeveloped. Thus, there is a good chance that they will be able to sell the know-how it has accumulated so far as an "educational product" to overseas markets.

5. What can we do for sustainability?

Sustainable Tourism will surely become more important and valuable in the future in achieving the SDGs, global warming, and preserving and sustaining the old culture that every country has. Therefore, NZ has the responsibility to tell and teach the importance to other tourism industries overseas as the leader.

Also, as tourists, namely tourism stakeholders, we have an essential role in encouraging sustainable tourism by promoting it. For example, on the website of The Tiaki Promise, they encourage us to show the attitude of supporting sustainable tourism by sharing posts on social media with #tiakipromise . By participating in this campaign, we will be able to spread awareness of not only The Tiaki Promis but also Sustainable Tourism to a wider people.

Again, tourism is an important economic sector and a guardian of the country's culture and global environment. This is why sustainable tourism has great expectations and responsibilities in fulfilling these three roles. As the nation leading Sustainable Tourism, NZ will play a major role in this situation.

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※All images, except those with special captions, were taken from Canva