Sustainable Tourism is gaining traction also in Australia: From Karijini National Park in Western Australia to tropical Queensland on the East Coast – Image: Karijini Eco Retreat
The first ever Global Sustainable Tourism Summit in Australia focused on responsible travel and the traction it is enjoying worldwide. According to certification organization Ecotourism Australia, more than 280 passionate sustainable tourism operators and businesses, destinations, government departments and national park agencies, solutions providers, researchers, and conservation advocates congregated in June in Meeanjin/Brisbane for the event. As recently highlighted by the world’s biggest online travel engine, Booking.com, more than 1.4 m listed properties globally are now sharing their sustainability information, including 16 500+ accommodation providers with a third party certification.
Risks and opportunities for sustainable tourism was at the heart of Ecotourism Australia’s inaugural 2024 Global Sustainable Tourism Summit centred on the theme People, Planet, Place, Purpose. Each state and territory in Australia as well as five internationalities were represented at the Summit, allowing attendees to gain a sense of the common challenges faced by the industry and how they can work together to overcome them.
“With the launch of Ecotourism Australia’s Sustainable Tourism Certification and Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard, our audience is now larger than ever, ” said Nadine Schramm, Head of Sustainability at Ecotourism Australia. “Sustainability takes forever, and that’s the point.”
Quentin Long, Managing Director at Australian Traveller Media, energised the audience with his impassioned presentation exploring the sustainability ‘say-do’ gap, however he noted that when businesses lead with sustainability at the forefront, consumers will follow. Austrade’s Head of Visitor Economy Sustainability, International Markets and Tourism Research, Grant Ferres, shared Tourism Research Australia’s plan to release a dashboard in the coming months to track indicators including against key sustainability outcomes.
At the Summit, Ecotourism Australia’s CEO Elissa Keenan (left) and Board Chair Dr Claire Ellis (right) presented Anthea Hammon (Scenic World) with a Hall of Fame award, recognising the business’ achievement of 20 years continuous ECO Certification – Image: ETA
Ecotourism Australia at ATE 24
Already at the end of May Ecotourism Australia’s CEO Elissa Keenan, Head of Sustainability & Business Operations Nadine Schramm and Sustainability Certification Specialist Corinne Lewis attended ATE2024 in Melbourne, where they had the opportunity to see about 100 of ECO and Sustainable Certified operators showcase their products to the world.
This provided a valuable chance to connect directly with operators and observe the ever-increasing demand for credible eco experiences from international buyers, underscoring the importance of sustainability in the global tourism market.
Melbourne-slogan at Australian Tourism Exchange 24: “Every bit different” – Image: Neuseeland News
Sustainable development of global tourism
“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”, underscores the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Sustainable tourism development guidelines and management practices should be applicable to all forms of tourism in all types of destinations, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments. Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability.
Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary. Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them. (NN/ETA/UN Tourism – 25-06-24)
