Sustainable tourism development has received considerable attention from both academic and practical contexts in recent years. This, as explained by Liu (2003), is attributable to the potential benefits it brings not only to the host community but to the destination, tourists/visitors, and the national economy as a whole. With the view of promoting sustainable tourism development, ethics has become a key factor of consideration to the host and visitors of a destination. As Lovelock and Lovelock (2013) put it, ethics in tourism has become a matter of concern to all the stakeholders (including visitors, tourism destination, host community, tourism entrepreneurs, and national agents managing tourism development) especially given the negative impacts tourism inflicts on the environment, human beings and culture, thus putting at risk its sustainability in future. Nonetheless, to promote destination competitiveness, destination marketing organisations through their strong collaborative relationships with the government, local business, media, host community, and travel intermediaries, support the marketing of sustainable tourism destinations. This excerpt is about a sustainable tourism marketing campaign. It seeks to achieve the following; critically discuss the importance of sustainable tourism development, analyse the role of ethics in developing and promoting sustainable tourism, and evaluate the marketing of sustainable tourism destinations.
A critical discussion of the importance of sustainable tourism development
Sustainable tourism refers to tourism activities that are committed to making a low impact on the environment and local culture whilst generating future employment for the host community/people as well as ensure future generations have the resources to meet their own needs (Slocum et al., 2020). Sustainable tourism development calls for the informed participation of all pertinent stakeholders as well as a strong political leadership that can influence and support wide participation and consensus-building. Sustainable tourism development is a continuous process that demands constant monitoring of tourism impacts and the introduction of appropriate and necessary corrective or preventive measures whenever necessary (Sharma, 2019).
The importance of sustainable tourism development is discussed extensively by previous scholars. For instance, Drammeh (2015) explained the importance of sustainable tourism development from the perspective of benefits derived from sustainable tourism. In this respect, sustainable tourism development provides better economic benefits to the host community and local people, improves the environment, improves the living standards of the local people, brings socio-cultural awareness, and reduces the negative impacts of tourism development in a region. Drawing from the study by Muhanna (2006), the importance of sustainable tourism development is demonstrated through the ability of tourism activities to meet the needs of not only the visitors but also the needs of local people in the host destination. Here, sustainable tourism creates job opportunities for the local people, ensures natural resources are used responsibly and protected for the future generation, as well as advocates for the protection of local culture, diversity, and heritage for the future survival of local communities and tourism as well. Further, Gossling (2000) explained that sustainable tourism development is important because it helps reduce or eradicate poverty, conserve biodiversity, promote cultural heritage, reduce waste and protect the environment, and provides safe and enjoyable tourist experience.
Cape Verde is a typical example of a tourist destination engaged in sustainable tourism development. In fact, sustainable tourism is one of the key founding axes of the Cape Verde tourism master plan. Cape Verde strives to be a sustainable tourism destination that ensures the satisfaction of the needs of both the tourists and local communities whilst supporting respect for cultural and natural values. Some of the sustainable tourism measures and strategies pursued by the destination include proper management of natural resources, water-saving, use of renewable energy, water, and waste treatment, community participation and empowerment, and environmental resources optimization (Cape Verde, 2020). The importance of sustainable tourism development in Cape Verde has been evidenced through the reduction in poverty levels, creation of more job opportunities for the local people, improved social and well-being of the local people, protection of natural resources, culture and heritage, increased tourist satisfaction levels and improvement in the economic performance of Cape Verde (Graci and Dodds, 2010).
On the contrary, Calvia in Spain represents a worse practice of sustainable tourism development. Despite the region having implemented a sustainable tourism policy, the sustainable tourism considerations outlined in the policy have not been achieved. Importantly, congestion and pollution in Calvia continue to be a significant and growing issue of concern. Besides, lack of planning in Calvia resulted in over-development and critical environmental destruction, which impact negatively on the human wellbeing and the environment. Also, mass tourism in Calvia has resulted in a human strain on natural resources and the environment, pollution and overconsumption of water and energy. This has in turn led to depletion and extinction of natural flora in the region, which has in turn increased the levels of poverty in some parts of the region (Dodds, 2007).
Another worse example of sustainable tourism is the case of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands. Mallorca is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Spain. However, in recent times, sustainable tourism development in Mallorca has come under scrutiny after a surge in the number of visitors/tourists placing immense strain on local natural resources such as water and water. Besides, the tourism activities in the region have resulted in acute problems like pollution and increased waste. In fact, mass tourism in Mallorca is damaging the destination’s environment and cultural heritage. The negative impacts on the environment come not only from tourists but also from other tourism-related industries like accommodation and transportation. For instance, the surge in the number of hotels and tourist apartments, the constant construction of infrastructure, and the expansion of roads have led to immense destruction of the environment and increased pollution. Besides, millions of tourists each year continue to put severe pressure on the ecosystem and natural environment of this small island and this has seriously affected the survival and interest of local people (Shuo, 2018).
Analysis of the role of ethics in developing and promoting sustainable tourism
The history of sustainability as a concept traces back to the 1970s when the idea of sustainable development was first highlighted in the agenda 21 of the World Conservation Strategy. In this respect, sustainable tourism refers to tourist destinations that support the satisfaction of the present tourist needs and host regions/communities whilst protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future (Liu, 2003).
The significance of the role of ethics in tourism has received considerable attention in recent years. In general, ethics refers to the moral principles that govern an individual’s behavior of code of conduct. In tourism, ethics is concerned with how tourism is managed at industry and individual tourist levels (Zebardast, 2018). Ethical tourism benefits both the tourists, the destination, environment, and local or host communities/people. All the relevant stakeholders have a part to play in promoting the role of ethics in developing and promoting sustainable tourism. To understand how different stakeholders play a role in influencing the role of ethics in developing and promoting sustainable tourism, the life cycle of the destination development model is used as depicted in figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Destination development life cycle model
Source: Butler (2006)
As depicted in figure 1, Butler’s model six stages through which a tourist destination goes through during its life cycle. During these stages, ethics can be applied by all the relevant stakeholders involved to help develop and promote sustainable tourism. In this excerpt, the role of ethics in developing and promoting sustainable tourism is analysed in the context of the first three stages- exploration, involvement, and development.
The exploration stage begins when a small number of visitors looking for something different in a holiday find a destination that is different and special in terms of its history, culture, landscape, and natural beauty (Butler, 2006). At this stage, tourists or visitors can practice ethics in their consumption behavior when seeking to book a holiday room or accommodation and transport ticket to the destination. In regards to transport ticket, tourists or visitors can choose to use the services of tour and travel companies that promote ethical and responsible travel and use their tour transport activities to financially support issues of health, poverty, women empowerment, hunger and education in the host communities (Weeden and Boluk, 2014). For example, Meaningful Tours is a tours company in Seattle, USA, which promotes ethical and responsible travel consequently using its tours to offer financial support to social issues in host communities like eradication of poverty, hunger, and improvement of health and education. Therefore, visitors using the services of this tour company engage in ethical tourism by promoting and developing sustainable tourism (Khan, 2014). The host/destination can also develop and promote ethical tourism through practicing sustainable management of the local destination through such practices as responsible waste disposal and management, water conservation, and responsible energy use or using renewable energy. As well, the destination can practice inclusive tourism. As explained by Crowe-Delaney and Koscak (2019), an inclusive tourism destination is that which offers a tourism experience based on its own attributes, creates decent employment transforms the tourism industry by promoting its competitiveness and promotes equal opportunities for all particularly the most vulnerable groups in the host communities. Nepal is an example of a tourist destination that has thrived on inclusive tourism. The destination encourages and supports the inclusion of groups disadvantaged groups in the community, hence promoting ethical tourism (Nepal, 2020).
Involvement is a stage where local people get involved in the tourism activity following an increase in the number of visitors touring the destination. As such, the developing tourism industry creates the opportunity for other product/service providers like accommodation, transport, tour operators/travel agents, and food/beverage companies to flourish, which also benefits the local residents. At this stage, ethical development directly or indirectly related to tourism can be pursued to develop and promote sustainable tourism. This can include paying attention to the protection of cultural heritage and natural resources during development initiatives (Crowe-Delaney and Koscak, 2019). Besides, the destination and tourism products providers need to show full commitment to responsible tourism through the adoption of responsible and ethical business models. Some of the ethical and responsible business models and strategies can include creating equal employment opportunities for local people and ensure that the economic benefits of tourism are retained within the community in which the businesses are located. Yet still, companies like tour operators/tour agents, accommodation providers, and transport service providers can package their sustainable products/services in such a manner to meet the visitors’ needs whilst also taking the environment and local cultures into consideration (Mokoena, 2019).
The development stage is characterized by the influx of large numbers of visitors to a destination. Usually, the number of tourists may equal or exceed the permanent local population. As such, local involvement and control of development initiatives begin to decline rapidly while big companies start to invest heavily in the region. To promote sustainable tourism, these big investment companies can engage in ethical development initiatives as described above. Importantly, the development initiatives of these big companies should be geared towards improving the quality of life for the residents and the economic well-being of employees and providers of tourism products and services. For the tourism destination, changes in the physical appearance of the destination may be noticeable including an increase in waste disposal, destruction of flora and fauna, and depletion of natural resources. In this context, ethical tourism practice on the part of a tourist destination can help change improve the quality of tourism products and services provided and consequently change the negative mind of the locals and tourists about the destination whilst promoting sustainable tourism (Szromek, 2019).
Bornholm in Denmark is an example of a tourist destination that has benefited from the ethical tourism behavior of key and big investment companies involved in the development of the region. Notable, as the tourism area of Bornholm entered its development phase, tourism products providers in the sectors of accommodation, transportation, food and beverage, and other related companies engaged in ethical development initiatives that take care of the environment and well-being of the local people. These practices contribute to the development and promotion of Bornholm as a sustainable tourism destination (Szromek, 2019).
The marketing of sustainable tourism destinations
In the current era of ethical and sustainable consumerism, the marketing of sustainable tourism destinations has taken a center stage in the tourism industry. In fact, Hanna et al. (2018) explained that the marketing and communication of sustainable forms of tourism in a tourist destination are done so to brand a region as a sustainable tourist destination in the eyes of consumers/tourists. This is more so important in the current times where tourism marketing has typically been perceived as exploitative and fuelling hedonistic consumerism. The marketing of sustainable tourist destination, by default, entails sustainability marketing which involves the application of techniques, processes, and functions to a tourist destination product offering and/or resources, which serves to ensure the satisfaction of the needs of visitors and stakeholder community today whilst ensuring protection of opportunities of future visitors and other stakeholders to meet their needs in the future (Martini and Buffa, 2020). In other words, it is a marketing practice that seeks to elevate the brand position and image of sustainable tourist destinations.
The marketing of sustainable tourism destination, however, has been associated with numerous benefits. Drawing from the arguments of Font and McCabe (2017), marketing of sustainable tourism destinations uses marketing techniques and skills to good purpose by understanding the needs of consumers/tourists in the target market(s)¸designing more sustainable marketing products and consequently identifying appropriate methods of communication to bring behavioral change among target consumers/visitors. Besides, the marketing of sustainable tourist destinations seeks to make and showcase tourist destinations as better places to not only visit but to live in as well, raising the brand image and reputation of tourist destinations, consequently enhancing their competitiveness. Further, the branding image created by marketers about sustainable tourist destinations helps create and enhance the brand awareness of the tourist destination in consideration as well as sensitise consumers of the implied benefits and satisfaction from the tourist experience in the said destination. This consequently helps generate increased tourist influx in the said destination and benefit the local communities in return through raising the economic standards of the region (Martini and Buffa, 2020). The marketing of sustainable tourism destinations such as Palau, Berlin, Chile, Bhutan, Sumatra in Indonesia, and Lost City in Colombia has not only resulted in raising the brand image of these destinations but also benefited the visitors by increasing their awareness about these destinations and raising the economic wellbeing of these regions through increased tourism activities.
But the marketing of sustainable tourism destinations has its own share of challenges. A major challenge is the matching of sustainable tourism products within the destination with the appropriate target market. More often, the marketing strategies in such scenarios are too broad or vaguely defined to be effective in promoting sustainable tourism destinations (Jamrozy, 2008). In this respect, sustainable and collaborative network marketing on the part of marketers to help create synergies that enhance further the image of sustainable tourism destinations. Also, destinations need to make informed choices in selecting the type of marketers to use (those that engage in sustainable marketing) to ensure continuity of their sustainable tourism through the marketing process.
Conclusion
This excerpt has analysed the importance of sustainable tourism development, the role of ethics in developing and promoting sustainable tourism, and the marketing of sustainable tourism destinations. From the analysis, it has been shown that sustainable tourism, sustainable tourism creates job opportunities for the local people, ensures natural resources are used responsibly and protected for the future generation, as well as advocates for the protection of local culture, diversity, and heritage for the future survival of local communities and tourism as well. Also, it has been demonstrated that the role of ethics in developing and promoting sustainable tourism calls for the active involvement of all relevant stakeholders during the different stages of the life cycle of tourism destination development. Further, the analysis has shown that the marketing of sustainable tourism destinations results in immense benefits to the destination, the tourists, and the local communities.