First presented at the Victoria Tourism Industry Council’s (VTIC) 2012 May Quarterly Forum.

2. • Changing Times
• The Challenge for Tourism
• Changing Business
• Mechanisms to Respond
• Conclusion

3. A planet under change and pressure
• Warming Planet
• Ocean Acidification
• Running out of Resources
• World’s species taking the strain
• A growing population…
... requiring more each year!

4. Changing Consciousness
 IPCC Reports
 Rio Earth Summit 1992
 Kyoto Protocol 1998
 Stern Review - 2006
 Davos Declaration 2007
 Climate Change Act 2008
 Carbon Reduction
Commitment
 UK Low Carbon Transition Plan
 National Government
Indicators 185, 186 & 188
 South West UK - first Low
Carbon Economic Area - July
2009
 Government strategies & plans
 SW RDA Zero Carbon Portfolio

7. A Changing Context for Tourism
• Sustainability can’t be separate
• Embed not Bolt-on
• What is success?
• Value over Volume
• Environment and Social Benefits Visitor
Industry
‘Meeting the needs Community
of the visitor, Environment
industry and
community within
environmental and
social limits’

8. “Gentlemen, the world
is not flat…” “It is difficult to get a man to
understand something when his job
depends on his not understanding it.”
Upton Sinclair
“Bring on global warming and let's
have some hot summers! Rev those
engines and let’s get cooking!”
“One day it will get more attention from
me...lack the time at the moment, though
I'm sure a catastrophe would focus the
mind!”
“Our particular business is small and
whatever will affect it, as far as climate
change is concerned, will affect us too,
so we are gradually making changes,
as we need them ourselves.”

11. We can be daft about risk… Risk attitude research
suggests that we have, at
best, a dysfunctional
response to the concept
of risk.

12. The Low Carbon Challenge 321,106
2020 34% Government Target
tonnes
CO2e!!
South West Per Visitor Day Carbon
Footprint (Kg CO2)
90 Services
80
Event
70
60 Attraction
50 Activity
40
30 Shopping
20 Travel
10
Food
0
Overseas Staying Domestic Staying Day Visitor Accommodation
Visitor Visitor
5.5kg 2050 target line
Overseas visitor impact is disproportionately high
(26% higher than the average Day and Domestic
impact combined)

13. Understanding our Visitors
• Profile 1 – Money to burn
– Hotel for 2 days, flies from Scotland, hires a car, eat out at
Restaurants for lunch and dinner, first day shopping and buys
local jewellery, art work and clothing, second day took part in
water sports
• Profile 2 – Cheap trip
– Holiday village for 4 days, travels by car from Wales, eats out
once during the visit in a café, all other food is bought and
cooked, buys gifts and some treats, takes part in boating
activities, visits art galleries
• Profile 3 – Green Dream
– Camps for 5 days, travels from London by train. Takes bicycle
for tour of Devon, Eats out for most meals, limited purchases,
visits an attraction every other day and ends the trip at a festival

14. The different footprints of the 3 profiles. We
need a conscious understanding of the
growth we want!?

15. Event Operations
Events operations only 4%
of the total impact and
protected 6x the area of
rainforest
Air Display,
between 194 and
217 tCO2, only 1.4%
of estimated visitor
emissions

16. The Challenge of Responsible Growth
 20% growth in visitor numbers by 2020
◦ 800,000 additional visitors
 25% growth in visitor spend by 2020
◦ £63 million increase
 34% reduction in emissions by 2020
◦ No obvious environmental objectives or targets
££££ CO2e
££££
££££
££££

18. Mechanisms for Change
 Policy & Legislation
 Measurement
 Research
 Technological improvements
 Environmental Management
 Social & Behavioural Change
 Economic Drivers
 Initiatives
 Managerial Approaches
 Communication

19. Review Business Priorities

20. Competitive
Resilience Edge / USP
Effective
& Business
Management
Continuity
Reputation Efficiency &
& Image Cost Control
Legislation,
Conserving Business
Regulation
Resources Case & Liabilities
Procurement,
New
Funding
Markets
& Investment
Demonstrate Stimulate
Leadership Community & Innovation
Staff
Acceptance

22. Integrated sustainability within existing
activities businesses participate in…
Case studies inspire others to follow…

24. www.climateprepared.com

26. Thank you
Emma Whittlesea
University of Plymouth / ISSR
emma.r.whittlesea@plymouth.ac.uk
http://www.swtourismalliance.org.uk/