As part of the ITB CSR Programme a panel discussion “Who is the EcoTourist” was held that yielded some interesting results.
Jurgen Maier of American Express Int presented results of research they conducted looking into the green marketplace, which suggested that a typical eco-traveller is around 30 years old living a broadly healthy lifestyle that is good for themselves and good for the world – the “Conscious Consumer”. “Green” says Amex is new luxury
Andrew Harding, founder of Nature and Kind said he believed that travellers desire more immersive and diverse experiences yet lack the time to research holiday options. Harding suggested here that green and ethical travel is actually not the luxury commodity; it is time that we crave..
The important point was made that going local actually costs less while being a more sustainable way to travel, and so the future of eco-travel may not be considered luxury only that it makes sense.
Going local makes as much sense to business as to the consumer by saving time and money while enhancing the overall experience. Harding also argues that ‘responsible tourism’ often coincides with emerging niches in the market and is an effective way of securing new business in difficult times, a way of looking ahead to the future. So, if the eco-traveller is the ultimate prize, how do we go about winning that market?
Amex’s research found the key interests of this customer lie in a unique experience, value for time and money, access to valuable knowledge and the opportunity to be conscientious. Some established points here along with new ideas of building a holistic package that affords the customer that feel-good sentiment.
Consumers occupying these niches are loyal, passionate travellers, argues Harding, and there are rich rewards for any company that can strike a relationship with them.
So how to do this? Offering something unique, intimate and responsible. For inspiration look at Ritz-Carlton’s work in community participation. Sue Stephenson explained how the company’s hotels are all connected with local projects, supported actively throughout the year by their employees. Guests who show an active interest are invited to visit the projects and even be involved, proving a huge hit all round, not least with families. This initiative was enlarged after Hurricane Katrina boosted interest.
Ritz-Carlton suggests these breaks allow visitors to understand how their trip is making an impact locally.
The most interesting thing about this programme is that it is not marketed, promoted only by word of mouth and yet with 50% uptake.
Marc Aeberhard, founder of luxury Seychelles Frégate Island travel, adopts a similar approach. He says that the truly green credentials of their resort, which again are not actively marketed, are only fully demonstrated on a guest’s arrival and this is where that message has its strongest impact. As with Ritz-Carlton’s approach encouraging visitors to participate and learn during their holiday there is huge potential here to combine a strong sustainable tourism policy with a fantastic product and service.
What does this say for how ‘green’ and ethical travel is combined into traditional travel packages? It seems customers don’t want to be labelled as ‘green’– perhaps there are too many socialist connotations with the term, but this begs the question, as had been so often asked before, whether a change in language is required to stimulate a change in perception. Green washing agendas have demanded a chance in language and accountability, leaving the seminal question as whether eco travel is just the new form of travel.
The panel moderator concluded by suggesting that ‘conscience’ as an attitude could replace the rhetoric of green to bring about a shift change in the way people travel and the way company’s operate.
Sally Broom
First published on TravelMole
Wednesday 18 March 2009
Sunday 15 March 2009
What does travel mean to you?
Travel means something different to everyone, as with each individual trip we take. Yet we treat travel as a group of generalisations – backpacking, luxury travel, volunteering, cultural exploration and so on. Travelling is, or should be, about the individual experience you want to have and the one you ultimately do have.
Each trip can be a unique formula that is tweaked to include all the things you enjoy most. What's more, people are often really important to that process. We meet amazing people randomly and it invariably makes a huge difference to our trip, but such chance encounter depends largely on our mindset. If we are in a rush, having a bad day or feeling a little insecure in a new place then our attitude and persona changes dramatically and the chance of meeting that great person decreases. Think about it - you're having a bad day or it's raining, you don't want to meet anyone else let alone go looking for them. But then consider you're having a fantastic morning, walking along with a spring in your step and bump into someone. The chance that you'll engage at that moment is significantly more likely.
This is important to consider when we travel because arriving in a new place is exciting but often disorientating and it takes time to find our bearings. During this our heads are often inside a guidebook or filled with directions for getting from A to B. But these moments are critical to our resulting travel experience and a positive initial experience has a big impact on our overall trip.
We find that when we are already equipped with a little local knowledge and especially when we know someone in the destination it changes our whole attitude. We become more personable, so that the chance of being open to and encounter with a great person increases.
Now, it would be fantastic if we could all be open minded and chilled the whole time but in reality we are not and there are a huge number of influences on that attitude. So YSP is, effectively, the chance to encourage this to happen by introducing you to a great local person before you arrive.
It’s like having a connection to that place before you get there, so you start the relationship with the destination before you arrive. The value of the overall experience increases and this means when you do arrive you’re already miles ahead of the crowd. While the tourists are standing outside the airport with blank stares you are already on the way, ready to hit the ground running.
So YourSafePlanet doesn’t replace those wonderful chance encounters that flexible planning allows, or the stumbling across buried gems and unknown adventures. If anything the YSP connection enhances the chance of that happening because you are more open to the possibility. And interaction, as we know, is what travel is all about.
Other great websites offering that invaluable local connection:
Each trip can be a unique formula that is tweaked to include all the things you enjoy most. What's more, people are often really important to that process. We meet amazing people randomly and it invariably makes a huge difference to our trip, but such chance encounter depends largely on our mindset. If we are in a rush, having a bad day or feeling a little insecure in a new place then our attitude and persona changes dramatically and the chance of meeting that great person decreases. Think about it - you're having a bad day or it's raining, you don't want to meet anyone else let alone go looking for them. But then consider you're having a fantastic morning, walking along with a spring in your step and bump into someone. The chance that you'll engage at that moment is significantly more likely.
This is important to consider when we travel because arriving in a new place is exciting but often disorientating and it takes time to find our bearings. During this our heads are often inside a guidebook or filled with directions for getting from A to B. But these moments are critical to our resulting travel experience and a positive initial experience has a big impact on our overall trip.
We find that when we are already equipped with a little local knowledge and especially when we know someone in the destination it changes our whole attitude. We become more personable, so that the chance of being open to and encounter with a great person increases.
Now, it would be fantastic if we could all be open minded and chilled the whole time but in reality we are not and there are a huge number of influences on that attitude. So YSP is, effectively, the chance to encourage this to happen by introducing you to a great local person before you arrive.
It’s like having a connection to that place before you get there, so you start the relationship with the destination before you arrive. The value of the overall experience increases and this means when you do arrive you’re already miles ahead of the crowd. While the tourists are standing outside the airport with blank stares you are already on the way, ready to hit the ground running.
So YourSafePlanet doesn’t replace those wonderful chance encounters that flexible planning allows, or the stumbling across buried gems and unknown adventures. If anything the YSP connection enhances the chance of that happening because you are more open to the possibility. And interaction, as we know, is what travel is all about.
Other great websites offering that invaluable local connection:
- www.whl.travel - the original website for connecting to great local service providers and ensuring more of your money is spent locally
- Another great website offering connections to great local knowledge is www.spottedbylocals.com - check them out!
- Find a local tour guide www.leaplocal.com
- For authentic local travel experiences try www.tourdust.com
Tuesday 3 March 2009
To pay or not to pay, that is the question
A note in response to this blog
Daniela Papi, founder of PEPY writes about the need for volunteers to make meaningful contributions to the projects they join. If a volunteer does not provide an unfulfilled skill set then a financial contribution ought to be offered.
YSP strongly supports the notion that contributions must be meaningful, but with regards payment for placements I believe this should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Ideally I would like to ensure every volunteer donated a 'decent' amount of money to their host project, but so many are put off with the idea of paying to volunteer when this is not the case for volunteering at home. Perhaps the duty should be for the connecting organisation to donate part of their revenue rather than the volunteer? This is something we must consider with YourSafePlanet.
I deliver a keynote speech this Thursday on social enterprise for the Annual Conference of the Specialist Schools and Academies trust. I will argue that social enterprises and NGOs/charities alike must be run as businesses in order to achieve their goals. Relying on grants or donations removes long term sustainability which is vital for long term positive impacts.
The question here, therefore, is whether an organisation can ever sustain projects by providing a steady inflow of volunteers with cash donations. My feeling is that they might do better donating a proportion of their own revenue and delivering volunteers when requested. But then do we run the risk of recreating profit-making volunteer companies?!
I think I’m returning to my original argument - although more time-consuming a case-by-case basis is the most reliable.
Daniela Papi, founder of PEPY writes about the need for volunteers to make meaningful contributions to the projects they join. If a volunteer does not provide an unfulfilled skill set then a financial contribution ought to be offered.
YSP strongly supports the notion that contributions must be meaningful, but with regards payment for placements I believe this should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Ideally I would like to ensure every volunteer donated a 'decent' amount of money to their host project, but so many are put off with the idea of paying to volunteer when this is not the case for volunteering at home. Perhaps the duty should be for the connecting organisation to donate part of their revenue rather than the volunteer? This is something we must consider with YourSafePlanet.
I deliver a keynote speech this Thursday on social enterprise for the Annual Conference of the Specialist Schools and Academies trust. I will argue that social enterprises and NGOs/charities alike must be run as businesses in order to achieve their goals. Relying on grants or donations removes long term sustainability which is vital for long term positive impacts.
The question here, therefore, is whether an organisation can ever sustain projects by providing a steady inflow of volunteers with cash donations. My feeling is that they might do better donating a proportion of their own revenue and delivering volunteers when requested. But then do we run the risk of recreating profit-making volunteer companies?!
I think I’m returning to my original argument - although more time-consuming a case-by-case basis is the most reliable.
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