Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Practices - Vancouver Island University

Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Practices: A Study of Rural Tourism Operators in BC

An initiative of the Fostering Innovation in Sustainable Tourism Project

Conducted by

In Partnership with

This initiative was funded in part by the Government of Canada

Title: Sustainable Tourism Practices: A Study of Rural Tourism Operators in BC Authors: Lea Thuot, Nicole Vaugeois, Andrew Scherck and Brad Goodwin Copyright 2009, Recreation and Tourism Research Institute, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, BC Canada

Fostering Innovation in Sustainable Tourism Project The goal of this project is to diffuse innovation and build capacity in sustainable tourism practices within rural regions of BC by showcasing innovators, sharing their practices, and providing tools to build the competitiveness of the province. Copies of this manual are available free on the project website at: http://web.viu.ca/sustainabletourism/

Project Coordinators: Nicole Vaugeois BC Regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development Vancouver Island University 900 Fifth Street Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5 Phone (250) 753-3245 Local 2772 Email [email protected] Lea Thuot, BTM Vancouver Island University 900 Fifth Street Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5 Phone (250) 753-3245 Local 2829 Email [email protected] Project Partners Pat Maher, University of Northern BC Rob Hood, Thompson Rivers University Grant Unger, College of the Rockies Research Assistants Tracy Simpson, Amanda Keir, Scott Bastian, Sam Egan, Greg Simmonds, Scott Ballhorn, Amber Faktor, Jessica Pighin, Brad Goodwin, Laurel Sliskovic, & Andrew Scherck. This initiative was funded in part by the Government of Canada.

Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Practices

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Table of Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... 5 Findings ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 9 Sustainable tourism practices .................................................................................................. 10 BC – the place to make it all happen........................................................................................ 10 Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 11 Findings......................................................................................................................................... 13 Going deeper… understanding adoption of sustainable practices by businesses who have different levels of commitment to sustainability ................................................................ 22 Recommendations from Tourism Operators ........................................................................... 26 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 29 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 30 References .................................................................................................................................... 31


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Preface Sustainable tourism was coined in the 1990’s amidst a growing recognition that all industries need to reflect on, and revise practices to contribute to global sustainability efforts. Since then, some national and regional efforts have been initiated and recognized in an effort to encourage progress. Similarly, at the operator level, award programs have emerged to recognize businesses that are leading the way in sustainability. Despite these efforts, there is a common consensus that we need to do much more. Sustainable practices are not yet the norm in tourism businesses, nor are they commonly seen as a primary focus of regional and provincial government agencies. The question remains – if sustainable tourism practices are important – how do we influence change so that more businesses adopt sustainable practices? While no clear answer to this question yet exists, there is growing evidence in other industries that one way forward is to build on our successes. We know there are businesses out there that are forging new ground and coming up with innovative ways to be more sustainable. What we don’t have a handle on yet however, is what sorts of practices are being adopted, by which businesses and with what impact? If we could talk to these operators, what would they tell us about their efforts, their successes and the lessons they have learned? The Fostering Innovation in Sustainable Tourism (FIST) project tried to answer some of these questions by conducting a survey of rural tourism operators throughout BC in March 2009. The purpose of the study was to learn more about what types of sustainability practices operators using, where they are running into challenges, and what recommendations they have to facilitate further initiatives. On behalf of the research team for the Fostering Innovation in Sustainable Tourism project, thank you to all the operators who took time to contribute their thoughts to this study and we hope the collective responses will be valuable to help individual businesses and the province of BC further sustainable tourism efforts.

Nicole L. Vaugeois, PhD BC Regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development


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Executive Summary The purpose of this study was to: 1. Determine the attitudes of tourism operators towards sustainability; 2. Assess the extent and type of sustainable tourism practices adopted by operators; 3. Understand the forces that have influenced the adoption of sustainability practices including motivators and constraints; 4. Determine ways to support the adoption of sustainability practices among tourism operators. The survey was administered via an online system and was open for four weeks in March 2009. A database of 300 business operators was used as a preliminary sample plus additional invites were sent out via Chambers of Commerce and Destination Management Organizations. The survey was completed by 208 respondents. Overall, the sample had the following characteristics:   



About 40% of respondents have been in operation for 16 or more years. The remaining 60% were fairly evenly spread between 1-5, 6-10, and 11-15 years in business. The majority of respondents have between 1-5 employees (57%), whereas 15% had 6-10 employees or 30+ employees. All sectors of the tourism industry were well represented, and the majority of operators indicated engagement with more than one sector. Of the top five services provided 43% operated accommodations facilities, 40% food and beverage, 38% tours or guiding, 36% adventure or nature based services, and 30% recreation or entertainment experiences. The regions of the province were not all equally represented by respondents. Vancouver Island made up 43% of the respondents while the rest of the BC regions had an average of 12% representation each. This does not necessarily represent sustainable operators present in each region.

Findings There were very strong “pro-sustainability” attitudes among the respondents. Leading the pack and a reoccurring theme throughout the study, 81% of businesses felt that incentive programs should be developed to encourage businesses to become more sustainable. Approximately 96% of the businesses indicated agreement that customers preferred businesses that were making efforts towards sustainability. In keeping with pro-sustainability attitudes, there was strong disagreement to statements such as “there is not enough of a good business case for sustainability”, “ the eco crisis has largely been exaggerated”, and “the costs to become sustainable outweigh the potential gains”. Overall, the majority of respondents indicated that they had adopted some practices into their operation with environmental practices being the most common. Similarly, the most commonly incorporated practices included no to low cost initiatives such as recycling, recruiting local people, Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Practices

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buying locally etc. At the opposite end of the spectrum, initiatives that required significant financial, human, or intellectual capital were used by fewer respondents such as carbon offsets, green certification, green buildings, or using alternative energy sources. The majority (47%) had initiated some sustainable practices and were planning to initiate more. Another 27% had fully committed to sustainability at many levels in their business, while 21% had either piloted a few practices or not incorporated any at all. Approximately 64% of businesses were self starters, meaning that they made a decision to incorporate sustainable practices and then figured it out as they went. Further, 18% borrowed ideas from other businesses and then modified them to fit. Of those who communicate their sustainable practices, 24% use the internet, 16% use their other marketing materials, 15% profile them on-site, 14% have had their practices profiled in the media, and 10% are using social networking media. Businesses were motivated in large part due to altruistic reasons such as personal values about sustainability (65%), and wanting to protect natural and cultural resources (56%). Following this, the motivations switched to business reasons including wanting to enhance the reputation of the business (34%), attracting new markets (21%) and saving money (19%). In keeping with the theme about the need for incentive programs, only 2% indicated they were motivated by incentive programs (which are currently not prevalent). The most dominant barriers were lack of available money to invest, lack of incentive programs, other business priorities and limited access to suppliers who sell sustainable products. There are three distinct groups of operators based on their level of adoption of sustainable tourism practices. These three groups are based on: 1. Those that have not incorporated sustainable practices into their business operations. 2. Those that have piloted a few or some sustainable practices and are potentially planning to initiate more. 3. Those that are committed to sustainability practices at many levels in the organization. Those who are more committed to sustainability tend to be practicing more of the initiatives listed. Hiring local people, purchasing from local suppliers, and using low energy lighting are practices used by all businesses regardless of their level of commitment to sustainability. Whereas practices such as using low impact techniques, donating funds, using low water management systems, educating visitors, and even composting are more likely found in businesses further along the adoption path. The most prominent recommendations were about incentive programs whereas the least common were about accreditation programs. Following incentives, a strong theme about the lack of available information emerged. Many operators commented that clear information in simple, layman terms and examples from other businesses would be helpful. Access to products and programs was a common Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Practices

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theme as well, followed by education opportunities, not just for businesses but for consumers. Comments about government legislation and support and marketing of green initiatives were made by a few individuals as well. The results from this survey suggest a few areas where policy makers and researchers can build upon. The following are some recommendations to consider in moving forward: 1. Incentive programs should be a priority to advance sustainable tourism practices. Further research should be done to determine what types of incentive programs have worked to bring sustainable practices into other industries. Incentives may not be solely financial incentives, but may include things like rewards and recognition, peer support programs, networking opportunities and profile to visitor markets. It is important to get some feedback from operators in different contexts and from different levels of incorporation prior to piloting programs so they can give comment on the viability and attractiveness of incentive programs. This research suggests that early adopters were motivated by altruistic reasons; therefore it is important to note the specific role of incentives in bringing about behaviour change. Incentives are perhaps better applied to businesses that have already made some level of commitment to sustainability. 2. Strategies must emerge that recognize the differences between different levels of adoption of sustainable practices. This study showed that there are significant differences between those who are fully committed, somewhat engaged in, and not incorporating sustainability into their business. These groups differed in many respects and in order to advance sustainability overall, their needs must be met in different ways. Coming up with strategies that eliminate or reduce barriers for those fully committed are not likely going to be as useful for those just starting out. Phasing in of all strategies is therefore recommended. 3. Education and information sharing should be pursued in ways that meet the needs of rural operators. As sustainability is a “new” topic for many, there is a strong need for education and information sharing among operators. This information must be communicated in simple ways and using mechanisms that are accessible to operators. One to one, face to face audits by experts is recommended so that specific feedback to operators can be provided. Innovation is known to spread most effectively when done from peer to peer networks, therefore facilitating opportunities for business owners to get together and learn from one another, or early innovators, is recommended. 4. A platform to help businesses become identified and promoted as sustainable operators is needed. This study and the insights from innovators suggest that the fear of “eco-labelling” is real for operators and may be impeding them from sharing their early successes. Having external, credible audiences profile operators as sustainability leaders in a platform that is accessible to consumers would be a recognition feature for businesses, but it would also profile BC as a destination that cares about sustainability. This could come in many forms such as social networking, a central “sustainable tourism” organization, or a phased in certification program. 5. With regards to certification. There was little evidence in this study that there is a strong appetite for a certification program. We may be reading into the results a bit, but based on workshops with operators and interviews with others, there is an overall lack of awareness Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Practices

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about what certification is or how it would benefit a business. If a certification program is pursued, it is strongly recommended that ample input from all sizes and locations of businesses is factored into the design, a phased in approach is used, the needs of rural and remote operators are considered in the requirements, and opportunities for continued education is embedded within it.


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Introduction As we have become more aware of the impacts that humans are having on our planet, we have also witnessed the emergence of leaders across every industry who are trying to incorporate more sustainable practices into business operations. Sustainability is gaining ground as a better way to do business as it contributes to the triple bottom line – or economic, environmental and social/cultural benefits. Despite this trend, efforts to make sustainable practices mainstream have not yet taken root. Research tells us that this is due to a host of barriers which include things like: a) uncertainty about the issue of sustainability, b) lack of knowledge of how to change, c) lack of supports or incentives to change, d) concerns about costs of implementing new ideas, and e) complexity of the issue and options available (Asproth and Nystrom, 2008; Biondi, Iraldo and Meridith, 2002; Bramwell and Lane, 2007; Reid and Schwab, 2006). The tourism industry has been one of the industries attempting to introduce more sustainable practices into the delivery of visitor experiences. Some of the more “macro” approaches have included the development of certification programs to allow businesses to differentiate their products to consumers, or the development of sustainability task forces to influence policy development. At the “micro” or business level, all sorts of practices have been introduced ranging from the introduction of alternative energy sources to contributing staff time to volunteer at community events. While the industry collectively wants to move forward, there is currently little empirical evidence about how businesses are pursuing sustainability practices. We need to know more about what types of practices are being adopted, by whom and with what level of success. Furthermore, we need to develop a better understanding of what is motivating the pursuit of sustainability, what is impeding it and what sorts of recommendations business operators have to improve further rates of adoption. Without this type of information, we are limited in our ability to design support systems that work. This research report highlights the results of a study conducted in the spring of 2009 with businesses throughout British Columbia. It provides research evidence on the level of adoption in businesses, types of sustainability being pursued, as well as barriers encountered in implementation. Operators provided recommendations to improve the “climate” for sustainable tourism practices in BC and we have provided further ones at the end of the report based on our analysis. We hope the results are timely to assist with BC’s collective pursuit of tourism sustainability, and that the results benefit individual operators as well.


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Sustainable tourism practices Despite often being deemed a “non extractive” industry, tourism is still a resource dependent industry. It relies on natural surroundings, communities and the steady supply of products to create experiences for visitors. As long as tourism has been acknowledged as an industry, advocates have pushed forward tourism agendas citing the benefits of economic growth without the same environmental impacts of resource extraction or manufacturing industries. But as the industry grew, it became apparent that tourism could in fact be unsustainable. Tourism, at its worst, can have a tendency to concentrate high volumes Key tenets of sustainable tourism of people in sensitive eco-systems, place a population are that "a sustainable tourism boom on communities without the infrastructure or development plans to handle it, and displace cultures in business fulfills economic, desirable destinations. And of course the industry is environmental and socio-cultural forever battling the indisputable fact that it is inherently obligations while generating linked to substantial “luxury” fossil fuel consumption.

income, contributing to employment, maintaining cultural integrity, and preserving essential ecological processes and biological diversity”.

As early as the 1970’s the most basic principles of sustainable tourism were introduced in an attempt to mitigate or eliminate some of these impacts. Key tenets of sustainable tourism are that "a sustainable tourism business fulfills economic, environmental and sociocultural obligations while generating income, contributing to employment, maintaining cultural integrity, and preserving essential ecological processes and biological diversity" (Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Canadian Tourism Commission and Parks Canada, 2008, p.1).

BC – the place to make it all happen BC’s tourism industry is taking steps to ensure that it becomes a leader in sustainability. Some of these steps include the following:  

The Foresight Project in 2007 brought together leaders throughout the industry to focus on the future of the industry and priority areas. Sustainability was a key theme and helped influence dialogue in the province. In 2007, the BC Sustainable Tourism Collective (BCSTC) was created. The collective represents six leaders in sustainability in tourism in BC. The leaders of these organizations have been instrumental at the industry level to raise awareness of the need for collective action on sustainability in BC.


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

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In October 2007, and April 2008, the Ministry of Tourism, Sport, and the Arts (as it was then known), Tourism BC, and the BCSTC, in partnership with the Council of Tourism Associations (COTA) BC hosted the inaugural and second Green Tourism Forums. The forums provided a venue for further dialogue on sustainability and the identification of key priorities. In 2008, The Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Canadian Tourism Commission, and Parks Canada, in partnership with Marr Consulting, produced the “Green your Business Toolkit”. The Toolkit is a guide for tourism businesses of all kinds to develop or implement sustainable practices into their operations. This initiative demonstrated an earnest effort to build capacity in new practices in the industry. The Tourism Research Innovation Project (TRIP) 2006-2009 had academics from Vancouver Island University, Thompson Rivers University, University of Northern BC, College of the Rockies and College of New Caledonia travel throughout rural and remote areas of BC to meet with innovators. In the 60 or so innovators profiled, the theme of sustainability was evident. In October 2008, the Premier announced a new BC Regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development at Vancouver Island University. The new Chair, Dr. Nicole Vaugeois, will work with operators and rural communities throughout the province to provide research, information and education opportunities. In the same week in October 2008, the BC Partnership for Sustainable Tourism was announced at the International Ecotourism Conference held in Vancouver.

With this trend in collaboration and dialogue on sustainable tourism happening in BC, a host of academic partners who study in the area decided to apply for funding from the Canadian Rural Partnership. The project “Fostering Innovation in Sustainable Tourism” was established in 2009 with a mandate to: a) identify and profile rural BC innovators in sustainable tourism, b) conduct a study to understand adoption of sustainable tourism practices, and c) pilot workshops on sustainable tourism and share the newly released “Green your tourism business toolkit”. This research report provides the findings of the study on the adoption of sustainable tourism practices. The manual and DVD of innovators in sustainable tourism can be located on the project website at: http://web.viu.ca/sustainabletourism/

Methodology The purpose of this study was to: 1. Determine the attitudes of tourism operators towards sustainability; 2. Assess the extent and type of sustainable tourism practices adopted by operators; 3. Understand the forces that have influenced the adoption of sustainability practices including motivators and constraints; 4. Determine ways to support the adoption of sustainability practices among tourism operators. Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Practices

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In order to achieve these objectives, the study design incorporated two research methods including; a. A literature review b. An on-line survey Additionally, the results have been validated with additional data obtained from in-depth interviews with twenty business operators in rural BC who have adopted sustainable tourism practices. The survey was designed based on a review of current academic literature on sustainable tourism, sustainability in other industries, adoption behaviour, and innovation theory. Some of the results of the literature review indicated that: a) Attitudes should be included as a potential explaining variable to the adoption of sustainable practices; b) Sustainability is about economic, environmental and social responsibilities and moves beyond environmental or “green” practices. To that end, the measurement of sustainable practices must include listings of activities in each domain; c) Businesses are likely to incorporate sustainability for different reasons with potentially different success rates. Therefore, to understand adoption behaviour, motivations for pursuing sustainability need to be measured; d) As sustainability is a “new” or “emerging” business practice and collective efforts are trying to encourage its expansion, it is important to understand decision making behaviour. The study needed to measure how people pursued sustainability. e) Barriers and constraints have been shown to impede business success and can include internal and external conditions. As these are not yet fully understood in the BC tourism context, two questions were included to a) measure level of support for those that are assumed to limit adoption rates, and b) allow for open ended comments on the key challenges faced by businesses.

As well, the survey concluded with an open ended question to allow respondents to make recommendations to improve the BC business climate with respect to fostering sustainable practices. The survey was developed collaboratively by academics at Vancouver Island University, Thompson Rivers University, the University of Northern BC and College of the Rockies. It was launched in March 2009 using Survey Monkey, an on-line data collection platform. The invitation to participate was sent directly to a database of approximately 300 business operators’ email addresses with a cover letter. This list was generated based on direct contact with businesses throughout the province from 20062009, and all were from rural BC. A second invitation was sent to Destination Management Organizations and Chambers of Commerce contacts to encourage operator participation using a snowball sampling technique. The link was also provided on the Fostering Innovation in Sustainable Tourism project website.


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The results of this study are not intended to be generalized to the entire tourism industry in BC. While the results come from all regions, all sectors, and many types of businesses, they are largely gathered from rural operators who face very unique business challenges. They likely over represent the number of businesses that are pursuing sustainability and are therefore not intended to generalize about the overall level of adoption amongst businesses. Likely, those who are at later stages of adoption or have negative attitudes towards sustainability may not have taken the time to participate in the study. In summary, the results are useful to understand businesses operating in rural BC and give valuable insights on rates of adoption, types of activities adopted, attitudes towards sustainability and barriers and recommendations.

Findings The survey was completed by 208 respondents. Overall, the sample had the following characteristics:   



About 40% of respondents have been in operation for 16 or more years. The remaining 60% were fairly evenly spread between 1-5, 6-10, and 11-15 years in business. The majority of respondents have between 1-5 employees (57%), whereas 15% had 6-10 employees, or 30+ employees. All sectors of the tourism industry were well represented, and the majority of operators indicated engagement with more than one sector. Of the top five services provided, 43% operated accommodations facilities, 40% food and beverage, 38% tours or guiding, 36% adventure or nature based services, and 30% recreation or entertainment experiences. The regions of the province were not all equally represented by respondents. Vancouver Island made up 43% of the respondents while the rest of the BC regions had an average of 12% representation each. This does not necessarily represent sustainable operators present in each region.

Attitude towards Sustainability Attitudes towards sustainability was measured early in the survey. Figure 1 indicates that overall there were very strong “pro-sustainability” attitudes among the respondents. Leading the pack and a reoccurring theme throughout the study, 81% of businesses felt that incentive programs should be developed to encourage businesses to become more sustainable. Approximately 96% of the businesses indicated that customers preferred businesses that were making efforts towards sustainability. In keeping with pro sustainability attitudes, there was strong disagreement to statements such as “there is not enough of a good business case for sustainability”, “ the eco crisis has largely been exaggerated”, and “the costs to become sustainable outweigh the potential gains”. Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Practices

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Figure 1. To what extent do you agree with EACH of the following statements about economic, social, and environmental sustainability? Incentive programs should be developed to encourage businesses to become more sustainable Customers prefer businesses that are making efforts to be sustainable We need stricter laws and regulations to protect the environment Businesses should purchase from suppliers who provide sustainable products Sustainability is NOT a top priority for the Tourism Industry in BC The Tourism Industry as a whole is negatively impacting the environment There is not a good enough business case to become more sustainable (i.e. profit) The "eco-crisis" has been largely over exaggerated by society The costs to make a business sustainable outweigh any possible financial gains

81

14

65

31

46

36

3 1

15 Agree

46

46

20

39

6 Somewhat Agree

32

Disagree 15

37

8 8 4 0

43

31

51

21

66

28 20

54 40

60

80

100

Percent

Sustainability practices incorporated Respondents were then asked about the types of sustainability practices that they had incorporated into their business. Figure 2 provides a summary of these results. Overall, the majority of respondents indicated that they had adopted some practices into their operation with environmental practices being the most common form. Similarly, the most commonly incorporated practices included no to low cost initiatives such as recycling, recruiting local people, buying locally etc. At the opposite end of the spectrum, initiatives that required significant financial, human or intellectual capital were used by fewer respondents such as carbon offsets, green certification, green buildings, or using alternative energy sources.


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Figure 2. To what extent have you incorporated EACH of the following sustainable practices into your business operations? Recycling of materials

70

Recruit and hire local people for job opportunities

70

Purchase from local suppliers

26 23

59

Use of low energy lighting

45

42

51

4

25

Composting of waste

38

31

Use of a low use water management system

36

35

15

41

11

33

Limiting visitor access to sensitive sites

30

Limited paper-based marketing and promotional materials Established environmental education programs for visitors Donated funds or in-kind services to green initiatives

24

17

Renovated a heritage building

17

Grow or raise organic foods

15

Use renewable energy sources (i.e. Solar, wind, etc.)

13

Purchased and used "green" building materials

13

Established a "green team" or committee

11

Green certification

6

Use of carbon offsets

4 0

14

41

27

32

31

17

21

27

18

44 40

12

17 8

9 21

46

11

To a great extent To some extent Not at all

59

20

Use of alternative fuel sources

7

6

30 20

2 4

40

Established a Green Culture in the workplace (i.e. Encouraging car pooling, ride your bike to work day)

0

38

48

Use green products for business (i.e. biodegradable materials, recycled paper etc.) Use of low impact or no trace practices in natural environments

1

39 47

19

50 20

40

60

80

100

Percent


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Level of Adoption After asking about specific practices, respondents were asked to indicate to what extent they had committed to sustainability. Figure 3 shows that the majority (47%) had initiated some sustainable practices and were planning more. Another 27% had fully committed to sustainability at many levels in their business while 24% had either piloted a few practices, or not incorporated any at all.

Figure 3. Overall, which of the following best describes your business/organization with respect to HOW you have incorporated sustainable tourism practices into your operations? Our business has not incorporated sustainable tourism practices into our operations 10% 27%

14%

Our business has piloted a few sustainable practices Our business has initiated some sustainable practices and is planning more

47%


Our business has committed to sustainability practices at many levels in the organization

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How people went about incorporating sustainability The study was interested in learning about the decision making process of businesses who were pursing sustainable practices. Figure 4 shows that 64% of businesses were self starters, meaning that they made a decision to incorporate sustainable practices and then figured it out as they went. Further, 18% borrowed ideas from other businesses and then modified them to fit. This pattern replicated diffusion of innovation theory which shows that innovators pave the way and have to sort things out themselves because there is no one else to learn from. After they chart their course, borrowers or early adopters as they are known in innovation theory, can follow their lead.

Figure 4. Which of the following best describes HOW you went about adopting sustainable tourism practices (STP's) into your operation? Self starter - we decided to do it and figured it out as we went

64%

Borrower - we got some ideas from other businesses and modified them to fit our business

18%

Planner - we mapped out a strategy or plan to make our business more sustainable Experimenter - we tested a few ideas on a small scale first before committing

8% 6%

Fact checker - we researched extensively before 5% deciding to incorporate a STP 0

20

40

60

80

Percent


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Marketing of sustainability practices Respondents were asked if and how they were publicizing their sustainability initiatives. Figure 5 shows that of those who communicate their practices, 24% use the internet, 16% use their other marketing materials, 15% profile their practices on-site, 14% have been profiled for their practices in the media and 10% are using social networking media. The use of the internet to communicate commitment to sustainability seemed low to the researchers, so in an effort to understand this better, a small sample of websites from innovators (from the innovation manual for FIST) were analysed as well. A little more than half of the operators (who had incorporated sustainable practices) actually marketed those initiatives directly on their websites. With a trend that is seeing consumer choice increasingly weighted, or at least impressed by an operator’s sustainability efforts, tourism operators may need to find ways to convincingly communicate their initiatives to customers.

Figure 5. To what extent do you publicize your sustainable inititatives? Check each that apply.

We describe our initiatives on our website

24%

We promote our efforts in our marketing materials (brochures, etc.)

16%

We profile our efforts on site (posters, guides, etc.)

15%

We have been profiled in the media

14%

We use social networking to profile our practices (blog, etc.) We have produced a video on our practices

10% 2% 0


5

10 15 Percent

20

25

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Motivations to adopt sustainable practices Understanding why business owners decided to adopt sustainable practices is important if we want to influence further adoption rates. Figure 6 highlights that businesses were motivated in large part due to altruistic reasons such as personal values about sustainability (65%), and wanting to protect natural and cultural resources (56%). Following this, the motivations switched to business reasons including wanting to enhance the reputation of the business (34%), attracting new markets (21%) and saving money (19%). In keeping with the theme about the need for incentive programs, only 2% indicated they were motivated by an incentive program. This is important to note as bringing in incentive programs may not be the motivation to adopt sustainable practices, but more a facilitator for those who are already motivated to make changes to business practices. Appealing to values of sustainability may be an important component to expanding sustainable practices among businesses.

Figure 6. Which of the following items MOTIVATED YOU to incorporate sustainable tourism practices into your business? Select the TOP THREE. Personal values about sustainability

65%

Wanted to protect the resources I depend on (land, culture, wildlife, etc.)

56%

Wanted to enhance the reputation of the business

34%

Wanted to attract environmentally conscious markets

21%

Attracted by the potential cost savings

19%

Listened to staff or family suggestions

16%

Wanted to differentiate my business from the competition

15%

Felt some social pressure to be more sustainable

12%

Attracted by an incentive program 2% Approached by a partner or supplier to adopt new 2% practices 0

20

40

60

80

Percent


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Barriers and Challenges In an effort to understand what factors impede the adoption of sustainability, respondents were asked about barriers and challenges they faced. Figure 7 shows that the most dominant barriers were lack of available money to invest, lack of incentive programs, other business priorities, and limited access to suppliers who sell sustainable products. In order to facilitate further adoption, strategies to remove or limit the influence of these barriers will need to be developed.

Figure 7. Adopting STP's often requires businesses to overcome challenges. To what extent has EACH of the following barriers impacted your ability to adopt STP's into your operation?

Lack of available money to invest (i.e. Equipment, renovations, systems)

50%

Lack of incentive programs

36%

24%

46%

10%

21%

Other business priorities leave little time to plan for sustainability

19%

55%

23%

Limited access to suppliers who sell sustainable products (organic food, alternative fuels, biodegradable items etc)

19%

56%

19%

Significantly Somewhat

Limited access to ideas on how to be more sustainable

11%

Lack of commitment to the need for STP's

7%

Restrictive legislation

6%

0

50%

34%

42%

21%

20

Not at all

38%

34%

40

Percent

60

80

100

The results in figure 7 were corroborated with the results of interviews with innovators in tourism sustainability (see innovation manual from FIST). For these innovators, the most common and largest barrier to the implementation of sustainability practices is viewed as, not surprisingly, cost. Many operators perceive initiatives with the potential to significantly reduce their carbon footprint as cost prohibitive. In the world of small tourism operators, investments are more likely if they can bring about immediate or short term economic benefits. There is a general perception that sustainability costs Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Practices

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money. This perception is also a reality for many initiatives often come with a higher cost, be it buying goods from small local stores, purchasing organic foods, or buying higher efficiency appliances. At the same time, it is important to point out that many sustainability practices are “no to low” cost and by reducing the inputs required in a business (i.e. water, energy), savings are possible as well. While many indicated that they would sacrifice some economic benefit for the pursuit of sustainable initiatives, it is generally conceded that there is a breaking point for that ethic, and that economics are the driving force behind all business decisions. Quite simply, if an initiative makes no sense economically, and a business can’t sustain itself by pursuing that initiative, then no rational business will pursue it. Federal programs were cited as barriers with the innovators interviewed in that they are perceived as inaccessible. Rural operators have a difficult time meeting the extensive red tape involved in accessing government programs, particularly energy reduction programs. Many companies, who have approached sustainability with a high degree of conviction, recognize the inherent amount of carbon associated with guest travel as the main barrier to sustainability. At this time few other options are available, particularly on a mass scale to reduce this aspect of the carbon foot-print. A significant number of companies are voluntarily turning towards carbon off-set programs to achieve sustainability, although many acknowledge that this is not the solution, but a ‘better-thannothing’ approach. One barrier to the concept of carbon off-setting is that a detailed accounting system needs to be in place if businesses are to know the exact size of their carbon foot-print, and few templates for this system exist. The ability to source local products and services is also an issue. The obvious link here is organic food production, which is being sought, but not always found by the operators we spoke with. A common phrase is “we source local organic produce, when it’s available.” The availability of contractors with knowledge of sustainable initiatives such as alternative energy generation is still sparse. Some indicated that they are interested in alternative energy generation but cannot find trades people with adequate knowledge to consult with. An increased awareness of the importance of supporting local industry also poses challenges. Many times specialized manufactured products are only available from out-of-country suppliers, which prevents local purchasing. Finally, many of the innovators interviewed provided examples of barriers that are situation or industry specific, therefore reduction and elimination of their impact may be difficult until they are better understood. For example Crannog Ales Brewery cited an inability to participate in brewing events because it does not bottle its beer, a practice it does not partake in for sustainability reasons. Another interesting issue was brought forward by Island Lake Lodge, who cited lease agreement issues in its inability to use bio-diesel fuel in its CAT skiing operation. As sustainability initiatives become ever-more inventive, these types of barriers could become ever-more prominent, with rental/mortgage, equipment, and previous inter-stakeholder agreements possibly coming into play.


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Going deeper… understanding adoption of sustainable practices by businesses who have different levels of commitment to sustainability Upon deeper analysis of the findings of the study, it is evident that there are three distinct groups of operators based on their level of adoption of sustainable tourism practices. These three groups are based on: 1. Those that are committed to sustainability practices at many levels in the organization. 2. Those that have piloted a few or some sustainable practices and are potentially planning to initiate more. 3. Those that have not incorporated sustainable practices into their business operations. These three groups were targeted for further analysis including their attitudes, practices they have incorporated, and specific barriers and challenges they face.

Level of Adoption and Attitudes towards Sustainability There were a number of significant differences between businesses at different levels of adoption and their overall attitudes towards sustainability. The overall trend suggests that those who are further along in their commitment are more pro-sustainability in their attitudes. Figure 8 profiles the differences between the groups. All those with an * are statistically significant differences (Tested using Chi Square and at a p