A leading tour operator has urged industry leaders to distribute a greater share of revenue to destination communities and embrace regulation on sustainability.
Intrepid Travel chief executive James Thornton told the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, last week: “We want governments to pass regulation to make sustainable travel required, not just the right thing to do.”
He pointed out: “We talk about one in 10 jobs being in tourism and the industry being 10% of GDP, but travel has the potential to be the greatest redistributor of wealth. Travel companies can get caught up with the customer experience, but we need to make sure revenue goes to communities. Supporting community-based initiatives means we can ensure wealth redistribution.”
Rodney Ellis, commissioner for Harris County, Texas, which includes the city of Houston, told industry leaders: “If we want more sustainable policies, we have to bring people with us. The public can be fickle. You have to help us.”
Ellis noted: “Most rational people realise the reality of climate change. [But] there are people in the Texas state legislature who don’t believe in climate change. Half are faking it, but some really don’t believe it. That makes it harder. Help us make the case.”
He argued current tourism practices restrict the revenue flowing to destinations, saying: “What stays in the destination is a small percentage. If you look at the total trip, the amount staying in the community could be 5%.”
Thornton suggested things “won’t change unless the financial incentives change”, saying: “Intrepid is a for-profit business, but it’s about having more than one goal, not just profit.”
Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths argued the travel industry is not taking climate change “as seriously as we need to”. and said prices would have to rise to cover the costs.
He argued industry action on global warming “needs to move up several gears”, suggesting emissions reduction should be made as much part of aviation operations as air safety.
Griffiths pointed out: “The whole supply chain has invested in safety. The industry worked with governments around the world to make it happen, [and] the cost of safety has been embedded in the supply chain.”
He insisted: “We shouldn’t be producing anything without sustainability. That means costs are going to have to go up. But I would rather pay the price of ensuring my children and grandchildren can live safely on the planet.”
Griffiths told the Summit: “This is not receiving the urgency it needs. Governments and industry together need to get it done.”
Daniel Fenton, executive vice-president of consultancy JLL Hotels and Hospitality, agreed: “I don’t know that we do enough. We talk each year about more and more [tourism]. Maybe that shouldn’t be the metric of success. There should be other metrics.”
Wilderness Safaris chief executive Keith Vincent argued: “For too long, the tourism conservation sector has been too defensive. We need to expand the areas under conservation while improving income opportunities for communities. It takes time, [but] communities have to become custodians.”
He said: “We have a responsibility to provide alternative income-generating opportunities.”
Hamish Keith, chief executive of destination management company EXO Travel in Asia, said: “In Thailand, 10 years ago we announced we would no longer offer elephant riding. Over 10 years there has been a massive shift. It’s understood now in the destination that people are much more interested in observing elephants than riding them and those that would not change have ceased operating.”