• Presentation made at the Sustainable Tourism in Small Island Developing States conference, 23-24 November 2017, Seychelles. A partnership of the Seychelles Sustainable Tourism Foundation, IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group, University of Seychelles, Paris Tourism Sorbonne (IREST), and Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

1. Social Responsibility and Sustainable
Tourism in SIDS
• Dr. Madina REGNAULT
• Head of Department, Department of
Tourism & Cultural Heritage, Unisey,
Seychelles

2. Tourism -> 10% of the World GDP and support 284 million jobs, equivalent to 1 in 11
jobs in the global economy (2016 WTTC Annual Economic Reports)
Sustainable Tourism -> an holistic approach :
Environmental
Economical
Socio-cultural
SIDS -> VULNERABILITY
Introduction

3. Streets of La
Havana, after
Hurricane Irma,
September 2017

4. What are the main social issues that SIDS are facing regarding tourism
development (I) and whose stakeholders are involved in the field of
sustainable tourism in SIDS (II)?

5. I- SIDS Social Main Issues and
Tourism Challenges

6. A- The Touristification of SIDS
Paradise Island
Resort & Spa,
Maldives
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Tourism Imaginary of ‘the
islands’
Many small islands are seen as a
paradise : social construction
Tourists wants to “escape from
their mundane life” (Urry 2002)
Touristic “bubble”
Creating enclaves
Confronting different worlds ->
inequalities

7. Marina Bay Sands in Singapore
Over one million guests each year
Many difference of contexts between SIDS
Different types of touristification
Depending of the level of development
- Difference of infrastructures
- Difference of capacity building
Different sustainability issues

8. B- Environmental Impacts of Tourism in
SIDS
Examples (among others) of consequences of tourism development :
mangrove forests and seagrass meadows have been removed in order to create open
beaches for tourists,
tourist developments such as piers and other structures have been built directly on top
of coral reefs
the increasing numbers of tourists on the beaches have been destroyed and disturbed
nesting sites for endangered marine turtles
development of cruise tourism in SIDS -> The lack of adequate port reception facilities
for solid waste, especially in many SIDS, as well as the frequent lack of garbage storing
facilities on board
SIDS issues in waste management in general

9. Thilafushi: the "Rubbish Island"
in Malé, Maldives
A single tourist in Maldives
produces 3.5kg of garbage a
day, twice as much as someone
from Malé and five times more
than anyone from the rest of
the Maldives archipelago.

10. Solutions ?
Facilitate responsible management of natural resources
Avoiding mass tourism in SIDS (dangerous for the environment
but also regarding socio-cultural impacts).

11. C- Cultural Impacts of Tourism Boom in SIDS
Folklorisation of identities
“Staging Authenticity” (MacCannell,
1973)
Tourists want to see “backstage”, not
what is touristified or commodified
Cultural Heritage is one of the fields
that could/should be developed
through Sustainable Tourism :
opportunities for new markets
Cultural Intangible Tourism -> more
Experiential and Creative Tourism (the
tourist as an actor)
Staging Authenticity : The Polynesian cliché

12. Cultural Tangible Tourism
The UNESCO SIDS Programme develops World Heritage
activities
34 World Heritage Sites in the SIDS -> 21 are Cultural Sites
and 2 are both natural and cultural
Sites promoted not per-se but for the symbolic power they
have
High recognition of sites symbolizing a sensitive past ->
Importance of slavery in Indian ocean and Caribbean
Transforming the stigma into a cultural and touristic wealth
Sites representing the cultural hybridity of the SIDS
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park,
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Aapravasi Ghat in Mauricius

13. Ambivalent relation to Tourism :
“Tourism developments constitute a major
risk for potential negative impact on the
property and have to be strictly regulated,
and where approved carefully designed and
evaluated by Heritage Impact Assessments
following the ICOMOS Guidance for world
cultural heritage properties (2011).“
Levuka Historical Port Town in Fiji, UNESCO
Website

14. II-Sustainable Tourism in SIDS: A Multi-Scale Social Responsibility

15. A - The International Recognition of SIDS
Specificities in Term of Sustainability
1992 : The SIDS were first recognized as a distinct group of developing countries
at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
2005 : International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme
of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States,
Mauritius
2013 : Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development in Islands, Reunion
Island
2014 : Third International Conference on SIDS, Samoa

16. B- Governmental Involvements and
Responsibilities
Various levels of involvements and actions :
Identifying capacities and set a national plan
to promote sustainable tourism
Passing legislation to promote sustainable
tourism
Giving guidance to tourism industry
stakeholders
Implementing sustainable tourism practices
Initiating Awareness Campaigns
Creating Sustainable Tourism labels

17. C- The Private Actors from the Tourism Industry
Challenges depending on the type of establishments and the type of
“touristic experience” that is promoted = depending on the type of
niche tourism

18. D- Tourists’ Awareness
1999: UNWTO, Global Code of Ethics for Tourism by
tourists
2005 : a more user-friendly text and format of the leaflet
“The Responsible Tourist and Traveller” was prepared by
the World Committee on Tourism Ethics.
2017 : On the occasion of the International Year of
Sustainable Tourism for Development, preparation of the
"Tips for a Responsible Traveller" brochure.
----
Tourists = Constant need to live new experiences

19. E – Involvement of Local Communities
COMMUNITY BENEFITS :
Control remaining in the community
Long term viability of economic activities
Environmental Quality
Natural and Cultural Heritage Promotion and Protection
Cultural Viability
How facilitate community’s involvement ?

20. Conclusion
“ Sustainable tourism in SIDS will require a change in mentality of all stakeholders in tourism
development and management. It is thus essential that awareness campaigns and
educational programmes be developed to reach the various stakeholders“
(UNWTO-UNEP International Conference on Sustainable Tourism in Small Island Developing
States and other Islands, in Lanzarote, 1998)
All the decisions and actions are interconnected

21. SIDS are depending of tourism
Instrumentalisation of tourism
Tourism is a powerful weapon that could be
use against some governments : boycott of
touristic destination
From a Top-Down to a Bottom-Up Approach
Tourists and individuals are the new deciders -
> Importance of social media
The power to change everything is on
everyone hands, especially is SIDS