Sustainable Travel

From Food to Music to Sporting Events, 87% of Respondents Indicate that Travel Involving Personal Interests Will Remain the Same or Increase Over the Next Two Years

From jetting overseas for a culinary experience to a desire to learn life-enriching skills while on vacation, travelers are intent on continuing to pursue travel experiences that allow them to indulge in their personal interests despite the softening economy, according to a recent survey of 501 U.S. adults by American Express Travel. Indeed, 87% of respondents indicated that the number of vacations involving one or more personal "passions" would either remain the same or increase over the next two years; of those, 28% indicated that they expect the number to increase.

These findings may come as somewhat of a surprise in light of the fact that 90% of respondents indicated that they feel the US economy is currently in or edging toward a recession. But at least 60% of respondents say that it's because travel is so important to their mental health and lifestyle that they have not let economic concerns impact their plans. Although these travelers are not immune to the softening economy, they are still moving ahead with their vacation plans but acting more resourceful in their planning. Taking savvy approaches to travel, 66% of respondents are tapping into rewards points or miles earned to offset costs, 58% are visiting more affordable destinations, and 24% are taking shorter vacations.

"Given the uncertain economy, we wanted to see how people's passions drive behavior when it comes to travel," says Audrey Hendley, vice president of marketing, American Express Travel. "The survey results overwhelmingly show that people whose vacations are tied to personal interests intend to continue to travel by taking advantage of money-saving resources, such as rewards programs."

The Purpose-Driven Vacation

From cooking and fitness to theatre and the arts to fashion and spectator sports, the survey found that personal interests are key drivers in vacation decisions. A few interesting facts:

-- 87% of travelers indicate that personal interests drive the majority of their vacation plans
-- 60%* of travelers say the stronger they feel about a passion, the further they've traveled for it
-- 57%* of respondents are willing to travel any distance to explore their personal interests
-- 36% of those surveyed said they wouldn't consider a vacation destination that doesn't help them fulfill at least one personal passion
-- 71%* of respondents have discovered a "new passion" while on vacation
-- 34% of vacationers have discovered a passion on vacation and incorporated it into their home life

Vacations that incorporate personal passions also tend to be longer by almost double the number of days compared to those trips that do not include personal interests (16 days versus 9); more frequent (6 trips versus 3); and more expensive ($3,900 versus $2,400).

America's Favorite Passions

While the survey showed that Americans have a broad array of passions and interests, here are just a few popular ones:

-- Culinary Interests: A growing number of travelers are inspired by the desire to expand their culinary horizons. In fact, 42% of respondents said that culinary factors, including the ability to try new cuisine and indulge in truly exotic/native dishes, were extremely/very important to their travel choices. This was particularly true among the younger respondents (18-34 year-olds), of which more than half (55%) said the ability to enjoy distinctive culinary experiences while on vacation was either extremely or very important.
-- Sporting Events: 28% of respondents have traveled to attend a sporting event in the past.
-- Adventure: 25% of respondents have taken a vacation in pursuit of adventure and thrill from hiking to whitewater rafting.
-- Music: 21% of respondents have taken a vacation that included attending concerts and/or music festivals.
-- Educational travel: More than 15% of respondents reported traveling to delve deeper into the history and/or culture of a particular destination.

At American Express Travel

Many travel counselors at American Express Travel report seeing an increasing number of travelers book vacations with specific interests in mind. For example, one travel counselor arranges travel for a horse racing aficionado client that travels faithfully throughout the year following the circuit, from the Kentucky Derby to Preakness and Belmont. Another travel counselor reports working with a group of travelers that visits London every year to enjoy the latest theater productions. Other travel counselors routinely get requests from clients interested in visiting the best destinations around the world for surfing or skiing. And many travel counselors attribute the growing draw to Africa to the increasing number of photography and nature aficionados in pursuit of their passions.

"The great benefit of American Express Travel is that we have hundreds of travel counselors that have expertise in categories of travel- adventure, safari, ski -- as well as expertise in an endless list of destinations listed on americanexpress.com/travel," says Hendley. "In addition, American Express Travel offers vacation experiences customized not only for any traveler or personal interest, but also for every budget."

About the American Express Travel Survey

Data for this travel survey was collected via an online poll conducted by Harrison Group on behalf of American Express Travel of 501 consumers across the U.S. The poll was fielded in early June 2008. All statistics reflect the percentages of consumers polled.

*% - agree strongly/somewhat on a 4-point scale

Posted by BrianM at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The new website for the Oceania Sustainable Tourism Alliance (OSTA) has just been launched: www.oceaniatourismalliance.net.

‘OSTA is an opportunity for sustainable community-benefit tourism in the Pacific Islands modeled on the USAID funded program, the Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance (www.gstalliance.org)’ said Steve Noakes, Director of Pacific Asia Tourism Pty Ltd, one of the Founding & Managing Partners of the OSTA.

The other three Founding & Managing Partners are The Foundation of the People of the Pacific International (Fiji), Counterpart International (Washington DC), and Victoria University (Melbourne, Australia)

Like the GSTA, the OSTA program aims to allows tourism destinations in developing countries such as the South Pacific access world-class expertise with proven success in addressing sustainable development challenges.

The OSTA Mission: Working with Pacific Communities through sustainable tourism programmes to deliver economic growth, community benefit & connection, cultural & environmental stewardship and adaptations to climate change.

The Australian Government has noted that many South Pacific countries continue to face a difficult future. Patchy economic progress is often insufficient to cope with ethnic and social tensions and rapid population growth. Most of the island countries have limited resources, and therefore limited capacity to deal with these pressures. Governance is poor. Imported national institutions can find it difficult to deal with traditional practices, especially in relation to authority structures, land ownership and land use. Local loyalties often take priority over national interests and challenge principles.

Tourism is already a major contributor to the economies of the Pacific Islands – some 50% of GDP for the Cook Islands and Palau, and high in numerous other destinations such as Fiji and Vanuatu explained Noakes, who is also an Adjunct Professor in Sustainable Tourism at Australia’s Griffith University. He said that sustainable tourism has significant potential to contribute more to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals in the Pacific context – a key guiding principle of the new OSTA.

The key objective of the OSTA is to encourage Community-benefit tourism – resulting in Reducing Poverty, Stimulating Economic Growth, Promoting Natural Resource Stewardship, Conserving Biodiversity and adapting to climate change through Regional & Global Partnerships and Collaborative Actions.

OSTA Contacts:

Counterpart International: lelei@counterpart.org
Foundation of the People of the Pacific International: rex.horori@fspi.org
Pacific Asia Tourism Pty. Ltd.: steve@pacificasiatourism.org
Victoria University: terry.delacy@vu.edu.au

Posted by BrianM at 7:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NBTA Announces Environment-Friendly Meetings Practices, New CSR Awards

The National Business Travel Association (NBTA), the leading business travel industry association, today published details of its efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the NBTA International Convention & Exposition, the largest business travel event in the world. The association also announced plans for new Business Travel Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards Program.

“NBTA has a longstanding commitment to serving the community through initiatives that are now known as CSR, or corporate social responsibility,” said NBTA President & CEO, Kevin Maguire, CCTE. “Based on input from our members, we are now expanding our efforts to create an industry CSR awards program and to make NBTA’s meetings eco-friendly.”

NBTA Convention Green Program

In addition to the world’s largest business travel industry event – the NBTA International Convention & Exposition – NBTA hosts leading industry events in key markets around the world. Earlier this year the organization quietly implemented a policy to minimize the environmental impacts of these meetings through a variety of tactics, including reducing paper, eliminating waste, recycling, and leveraging low-impact facilities and materials.

As NBTA’s largest meeting, the annual convention is also the opportunity to make the greatest positive impact on the environment. The 2008 NBTA Convention, to be held July 27-30 in Los Angeles, will feature the following green initiatives:

Reducing Paper
· Rethinking registration handouts. NBTA engaged in a dialogue with exhibitors regarding the reduction of materials distributed in attendee registration bags. Historically, each attendee has received a bag containing dozens of informational and promotional handouts. This year, most of those handouts will be distributed only to the exhibitors’ primary audience—buyer attendees. Exhibitors will receive only a handful of necessary printed materials in their registration bags, significantly reducing the amount of paper used.
· One attendee, one Convention Journal. Pre-registered attendees of past NBTA Conventions received the Convention Journal once in the mail and again upon arrival at the convention. Starting this year, each attendee will only receive one copy of the 144-page book.
· Electronic education handouts. Rather than distributing paper handouts to all attendees of all 40 education sessions, attendees will be able to download handouts, and those who wish to print select handouts may do so. Thumb drives and download stations will be available on-site, as will printing stations.

Eliminating Waste, Recycling
· No single-service water bottles. Water coolers will be provided during breaks instead of individual water bottles.
· No food waste. Unused food from Convention meal functions will be donated to local food banks as appropriate. Food that cannot be donated, food service ware and plants will be composted or recycled as part of the Los Angeles Convention Center’s (LACC) standard practices.
· Recycling bins. Attendees will know their used paper, plastic and glass are destined to be recycled as they place the materials in bins throughout the convention center. Additionally, the LACC further sorts all waste to ensure all recyclable materials are recycled.

Low-Impact Facilities, Materials
· Paper and inks. Printed materials for the convention are printed on recycled paper using vegetable-based inks by a Forest Stewardship Council-certified printer.
· Energy and water. The LACC is one of the greenest facilities of its kind in the world. It is the largest solar energy-generating convention center in North America. Specialized equipments throughout the convention center contribute to cleaner air and water, while reducing the facility’s carbon footprint and the use of energy and water. For detailed information on LACC’s environmental programs, see http://www.lacclink.com/pdf/press/2008_May_20_GREEN_ALL_OVER_Fact_Sheet.pdf.
· Registration bags. The registration bag given to each attendee is made of recycled materials, thanks to the support of Northwest Airlines.

Carbon Offsets

The carbon footprint for the 2008 NBTA Convention is being offset by Carbonfund.org, a leading nonprofit carbon offset organization. Carbon offsets represent the reduction of CO2 in one location, such as a wind farm in Texas, to offset the CO2 produced in another location, in this case, the convention center. The reduction of CO2 emissions slows the pace of global warming.

Business Travel CSR Awards Program

NBTA and its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee will launch a Business Travel CSR Awards Program later this year. Awards will be given annually to one Direct (travel buyer) Member and one Allied (supplier) Member in recognition of their leadership in the most innovative and significant business travel initiatives implemented for their companies to take greater responsibility within their communities while minimizing the environmental impact of business travel.

The call for nominations will be issued in September 2008, and the first NBTA Business Travel CSR Awards will be given in the first quarter of 2009.

For more information on the NBTA CSR Committee, see www.nbta.org/Members/CommitteesCouncilsTaskForces/CSR.htm.

Posted by BrianM at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The creation of a Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC) moved a step closer to becoming a reality recently as a coalition of international organizations agreed to establish a body that will increase credibility around sustainable tourism certification programs, and ultimately help protect the environment, rights and livelihoods of local communities. The United Nations Environment Program, the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the United Nations Foundation are among the supporters of this initiative. As part of this joint scheme, they will work with the Rainforest Alliance, an international environment organization, and other NGOs and industry groups, to raise funds, recruit stakeholders and launch the STSC in early 2009.

“With tourism as the world’s largest industry, and nature-related tourism the fastest growing market segment of the industry, certification programs have become more relevant than ever to help conservation and community development through sustainable tourism operations,” said Tensie Whelan, executive director of the Rainforest Alliance, who was listed last year by “Ethisphere” magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in business ethics. “We are delighted that various U.N. agencies, NGOs and industry leaders are committed to getting the STSC off the ground.”

If not executed properly, tourism can be a damaging industry: rapid development and improper management can overwhelm a vulnerable natural area, contributing to pollution and erosion, disturbing wildlife and once-isolated cultures. However, certification can address the impacts of tourism through a process of assessing compliance with pre-established criteria. Credible and transparent certification programs provide a tool to reward tourism operations exhibiting best practices and differentiate them from others that are less environmentally and socially sound.

Unifying Body Needed

Through sound certification, tourism businesses can channel the effort to alleviate poverty and generate respect for local communities in countries rich in natural and cultural resources. However, a missing tool to make certification effective has been the lack of a council that will unite the programs that currently exist.

The STSC will become the accreditation body that will endorse sustainable tourism certification programs. It will create the first set of comprehensive global requirements that such programs will have to meet.

Among its responsibilities, the STSC will issue a seal of approval to certification programs that meet accreditation requirements; evaluate the social and environmental impacts of STSC-accredited certification programs; and provide guidance for the establishment of new certification programs in countries where there are none.

Introducing an STSC will bring about many benefits to the tourism industry. Governments will be able to call on the STSC to assist them in raising the profile of destinations with high environmental standards. It will also provide legitimacy and credibility to all those sustainable tourism certification programs that meet STSC requirements, and through its seal of approval, differentiate from those programs that have lower standards and weaker certification practices.

Easier to Make Smart Choices

“The STSC will give tourists the confidence that programs are audited, accredited and will continuously monitor those programs that are serious about social and environmental accountability,” said Erika Harms, executive director for Sustainable Development of the U.N. Foundation, speaking about the necessity of the STSC. “This will also improve the quality of information that tourists can consider when planning their trips and will make it easier for them to make smart choices when they travel.”

The Rainforest Alliance has provided technical and administrative support for the STSC initiative since 2001. Having achieved this and other commitments to sustainable tourism, the Rainforest Alliance and its director of Sustainable Tourism Program, Ronald Sanabria, have also been recognized with the prestigious 2009 Friend of Nature award, in Costa Rica.

The proposed STSC will have an elected international board representing all stakeholder groups in the tourism industry. The work of the board would be supported by an independent (and non-voting) scientific and advisory board comprising research and academic institutions, associations and international organizations.

For more information, visit the Rainforest Alliance website.

Posted by BrianM at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)