Role of Communications in Sustainable Tourism: TIES Perspective

This 35-slide PowerPoint presentation explores the role of communication strategies in sustainable tourism from the perspective of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES). The Executive Director of that organisation gave these remarks at the July 2006 Evaluation of E-Conference Session III: "Communication for Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR)", United States (US) State Dept, Washington, DC, US.

Founded in 1990, TIES is an ecotourism organisation with offices in Washington, DC, Costa Rica, and Australia. TIES' corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives seek to respond to consumer demand: Tourists say their travel should not damage environment; the majority say they want to learn about customs, geography, and culture; and at least 1/3 say they are willing to pay more to companies that benefit local communities and conservation.

In response, TIES has established a consumer education programme that is built around strong consumer support for travellers' philanthropy as a tool for CSR. An organised "movement" has emerged, with its own website, and travellers' philanthropy is described here as a "hot press topic."

This presentation characterises "green certification" as an important CSR procedure in that it assesses, audits, and gives written assurance that a facility, product, process or service meets specific standards. It awards a marketable logo to those that meet or exceed baseline standards. Reasons for certification, consumer demand for certification, and criteria (with 4 examples provided) are presented. In short, green certification programmes are designed to:

• Provide tourists with environmentally and socially responsible choices/ "brands";
• Increase public awareness of responsible business practices;
• Raise industry standards;
• Provide technical advice to businesses;
• Protect resource base for tourism;
• Protect the country's image; and
• Provide marketing advantage to those certified.

Communication tools/venues for marketing hotels' certified status listed here include guidebooks, the press, and interpersonal communication on the part of tour operators.