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048<br />
UNIT 2: TOURISM, HOSPITALITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT – IMPACTS AND SOLUTIONS<br />
11) Industry networks within and between the service sectors of tourism<br />
(transport, tour operators, hospitality, travel agents and the leisure<br />
sectors) are critical, as they will provide for the sharing of<br />
experience and expertise and the establishment of mutually beneficial<br />
environment projects.<br />
Examples of Good Practice<br />
The Tour Operators’ Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development was<br />
launched in March 2000. Supported by UNEP, UNESCO and the World Tourism<br />
Organisation (WTO), the Initiative comprises 20 members who have committed<br />
themselves to adopting good environmental, social and economic practices<br />
in the management of their internal operations and in working with their<br />
suppliers and at destinations. Through the Initiative, members are able to<br />
share information on best practices and explore new ways of addressing<br />
environmental, cultural and socio-economic issues.<br />
The Tourism Council of the South Pacific compares the tourism experience<br />
of member countries and produces guidelines for environmentally-sound<br />
tourism.<br />
12) Tourism revenues must be visible and equitably spread. All<br />
stakeholders – the international and local tour operator and travel<br />
agent, the accommodation provider, the natural park tour guide and<br />
the small-scale farmer whose produce the tourist consumes – must<br />
receive a fair income in return for their goods and services. The tourism<br />
industry must make a positive difference to the lives of its employees<br />
and service providers.<br />
Examples of Good Practice<br />
The Campfire Project in Zimbabwe helps rural villages to develop tourism and<br />
benefit from the revenues.<br />
Ruins of a Mayan city were discovered during the restoration of Tekax, a<br />
group of villages in Yucatan, Mexico, after a hurricane in 1998. With assistance<br />
from government authorities and the tourist board, the local people excavated<br />
the site, designated zones of archaeological significance that needed extra<br />
protection, developed a local education programme on the importance of<br />
preserving the site, improved water availability, and set up a small hotel<br />
designed on traditional architectural principles. Tourists began arriving and the<br />
revenues generated remained with the people of Tekax.<br />
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13) Tourists must be informed of the natural and cultural values, as well<br />
as the impacts they cause during their stay. They must also be told<br />
what they can do to ensure these destinations can still be visited and<br />
enjoyed by their children and grandchildren.<br />
14) Regular environment monitoring of tourist sites and business<br />
operations is essential. Monitoring provides the data to anticipate<br />
future impacts and plan the mitigation measures to avoid them.<br />
15) Realistic indicators for environment improvement and sustainable<br />
development need to be established, from which overall progress can<br />
be monitored and assessed.