Legacy Magazine

by Diane Gaede

Eco-touring in an Eastern Beach Town

Coastal Kayak guide Ken Arni

I was biking with a mission on a perfectly clear, sun-shiny morning in June—the start of the tourist season in Fenwick Island, Delaware. Most of the attraction to this small beach town is sun, sand, and the Atlantic Ocean two blocks to the east, but I would be exploring the bayside of the barrier island this morning. I had signed up for the salt marsh eco-tour with Coastal Kayak (a local sailing and kayaking center) and I busied myself selecting my life jacket and water shoes as the other tour customers arrived—15 of us in all, some families, some couples, and some singles like myself.

Once we were all outfitted, we piled into a cargo van and drove north up the coastal highway with our guides, Ken and Mary, towing kayaks and paddles. Arriving at the launch site north of Indian River Inlet, we unloaded and sorted ourselves into nine colorful kayaks. As our group paddled off, I grinned to myself—I was on the water, in the quiet, peaceful environment of Assawoman Bay, and I was about to become immersed in bay ecology.

How the Green Consumer Movement Impacts the Tourism Industry
“All things that are considered natural, organic, authentic, and healthy are considered to be part of the green market, which is one of the fastest growing markets in the consumer marketplace,” says Peter Krahenbuhl, vice president of Sustainable Travel International.

“Green” as both a term and a theme is very “top of the mind” these days, and corporations are becoming savvier in their consideration of environmental and social responsibility as a part of their strategic development policy. Consumers have become more aware of the potential consequences of climate change, toxins in the environment, natural resource depletion, poor health and nutrition, and other social issues. And they are taking their “green” concerns to those from whom they buy goods and services.

Economist Michael Conroy describes a consumer revolution that is catalyzing a move toward sustainability within corporations and the global economy in his book Branded! How the “Certification Revolution” is Transforming Global Corporations. The book is rich with stories of polluting companies, crusading nongovernmental organizations, green marketing campaigns, and corporate successes and failures.

According to the Natural Marketing Institute (2006) the segment of “green buyers” who make purchases with preserving the environment in mind, and who aspire to live a Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS), has grown to 17 percent. Another 21 percent of conscientious consumers classified as “naturalites” have a strong natural/organic preference for healthy food and beverage products. Taken together, that means 38 percent of all U.S. consumers think green when making purchasing decisions. (The remaining consumer categories include “drifters” (19 percent), who have green intentions, but can let other factors such as price or current trends influence their purchasing decisions; “conventionals” (20 percent), who do not have green attitudes, but may practice environmental behaviors such as recycling; and “unconcerned” (21 percent), who do not consider the environment to be a priority.)

A recent survey by Deloitte’s Tourism, Hospitality, and Leisure research group found that U.S. business travelers are increasingly making daily choices to reduce their environmental impact, and they have specific expectations about the green practices that hotels should be adopting. About a third of travelers surveyed were very concerned about green travel, and said it affected their travel behavior. Some 34 percent “seek out hotels that are environmentally friendly,” and 38 percent have researched green lodging facilities either online or by asking friends and relatives.  Similarly, 28 percent say they would be willing to pay 10 percent more to stay in a green lodging facility.

Additionally, 71 percent say they believe the lodging industry is only “somewhat” green, with an additional 23 percent saying the lodging industry is “not at all green.” Several travelers reported that they stayed at a hotel that didn’t allow them to be as green as they wanted to be because their requests to not change sheets or towels were ignored by the hotel.

“Today, sustainability is a market imperative as customers increasingly hold the nation’s hotels accountable for green practices,” said Neale Redington, the Deloitte hospitality leader. “We found there is often a discrepancy between what travelers expect of hotels and the green initiatives that hotels ultimately undertake.  Those that do the best job of delivering on their promises of sustainability will win the day with tomorrow’s increasingly discerning business travelers.”

The Many Faces of Green Tourism
Green tourism is a broad term covering several niche categories that include ecotourism, sustainable tourism, heritage tourism, geo-tourism, responsible tourism, and even civic tourism. While each of these terms has its own definition, professionals from these fields agree that tourism can be more personally meaningful, more beneficial to the local community, and less exploitative of the environment than the mass tourism business model. As evidence of the growing demand for travel that has a positive impact on the planet, a recent study sponsored by the Travel Industry Association of America and National Geographic Traveler found that 55 million Americans could be classified as “sustainable tourists.” The study concluded: “These travelers have ceaseless expectations for unique and culturally authentic travel experiences that protect and preserve the ecological and cultural environment.”     Eco- and heritage tourism create opportunities for visitor understanding and appreciation of nature and culture to be integrated in the tourist experience. Ecotourism as a term was first used in 1987 by Hector Ceballos-Lascurain, a Mexican architect and regional planner who defined ecotourism as “environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features—both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low negative visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations.” Ecotourism incorporates ethical elements that educate tourists on how to reduce their environmental impacts and how to relate in a meaningful way to the surrounding natural environment.

Ecotourism, when done well, directs economic and other benefits largely to local residents and maximizes their participation and control over the kind and amount of tourism that occurs. Part of the process of a community’s conversion to ecotourism engenders the creation or strengthening of social and working relationships among locals, conservation agencies, and the natural resource itself.

Ecotourism aspires to match a transformative tourist experience with environmental or socially responsible behavior—illustrated by donations made by most ecotourists to local schools, health clinics, or conservation groups at the end of their visit. As an economic engine, ecotourism also aligns well with the principles of sustainable tourism development. (Sustainable tourism is broadly concerned with the triple bottom line—the social, economic, and environmental impacts to a physical setting and its human community.) The international ecotourism community has been working hard to encourage the tourism industry as a whole to operate with integrity to promote natural ecosystems, cultural heritage, and other elements of local and indigenous communities around the world. While ecotourism professionals lament the lack of universal guidelines for eco- and sustainable tourism providers (as well as the “greenwashing” that occurs by those tourism providers who use ecological  terms, but who do not deliver a true ecotourism experience), a program to pressure truth in advertising is about to be launched.

Sustainable Tourism International has created “STEP into Sustainability,” an education and training program covering eco-certification. The STEP program hopes to demonstrate to tourism providers that getting certified has positive impacts on their bottom line. By visiting accredited sites, tourists will feel confident that the business they patronize is indeed protecting ecosystems and the well-being of local people.

Interpretation to Facilitate a Sustainable Tourism Agenda
Facilitating a sustainable interpreted experience for an area has tourism industry professionals paying attention to four primary questions:

Laughing gulls (with black heads) and herring gulls (white heads) prepare to feast on horseshoe crab remains as mating season ends.

How can interpretation make the visitor experience fun and memorable? Certainly, ecotours can be entertaining and fun for those who have selected an activity that is usually recreational (hiking, biking, kayaking, bird-watching, etc.) and educational. It is the interpreter’s touch that makes a tour personally relevant and thematic, creating good memories of the experience. The National Association for Interpretation’s training and certification programs for interpretive guides and hosts strongly contribute to the sustainable tourist experience.

How can interpretation mitigate negative tourist impacts? As part of a themed talk, interpreters incorporate examples and demonstrations that illustrate negative environmental, developmental, and human impacts. Interpreters address such topics as habitat loss, endangered species, and ethical considerations of conservation versus urban development. Sustainable development solutions and ecotourism benefits to the local community can involve the visitor through “voluntourism” opportunities. Tourists can be educated on positive environmental impacts.

How can interpretation encourage positive attitudes toward nature conservation? Tourism companies and conservation agencies that provide an advertised ecotourism experience pay attention to who their audience is and work hard to create interpreter-led experiences that stay with the visitor after they have returned home. Communication psychology can be useful in changing behavior, and invoking lessons from the theories of “reasoned action,” “planned behavior,” and the “likelihood of persuasion” helps interpreters make a difference in how other people think, feel, and behave. Interpreters convey the “so what” message that holds our attention, remains in our memory, and has a positive effect on our behavior.

How should/could interpretation be used to link tourism outcomes to corporate/strategic objectives? Interpreters and tourism providers would be well served to partner with convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, non-governmental conservation agencies, universities, consultants, and others to create a long-term strategic plan where sustainable tourism and interpretive activities are strongly linked. As award-winning ecotourism projects have found, strong interpretive programs make good business sense.

In the United States, many tourism/hospitality leaders have been looking to understand the full package of opportunities gained through implementing a sustainable heritage tourism strategy—not only the financial, profit-generating side, but also heritage tourism programming, risk mitigation, and the broader marketplace attraction of sustainability. The tourism, hospitality, and leisure industry is recognizing the importance of environmental and social responsibility as a core business strategy—along with the understanding that this philosophy involves partnering with shareholders, consumers, retailers, suppliers, employees, nongovernmental organizations, state and federal governments, and scientific and academic institutions.

Vacation Landscape, “Eco-terpretation” Opportunities
Certainly, Fenwick Island loves the mass tourist who comes to the resort town to play in the ocean, lie on the beach, eat crabs, and play miniature golf. (I have happily partaken in these activities myself.) Many seaside retail shops make their yearly living during the three lucrative months of the summer season. But that June morning, my eco-group had chosen an up-close, personal, and uncrowded experience with nature, and I was enjoying my kayak adventure through the grassy marsh.

As we paddled across Assawoman Bay, our guide, Ken, talked about his favorite recreational pastime: exploring the inland waterways on his kayak. It was his curiosity about this retirement locale that led him to read up on the area and seek employment with Coastal Kayak. Ken clearly cares about the bay as a natural resource that helps the Delaware watershed stay healthy.

As we arrived at a grassy strip of land, Ken emphasized how different the brackish bay water is from the salt-water ocean, having us pause for a moment to listen and hear that it was quiet—but with a lot going on.

“You will notice a lot of meadow cordgrass and spikegrass around you,” he said. “These grasses are important because they process the salt from the brackish water and extrude it out to the end of the blade of grass, where the salt turns up as nodules on the blade’s end. Notice the ribbed mussels just under the water? They attach themselves by sending out a thread from their ‘foot’ that attaches to the base of the cordgrass. These mussels are poisonous unless you harvest them when the mussel is open. Once they are washed and well-cooked, they can be eaten.”

We paddled up to a small, sandy island and our gaze was held by hundreds of horseshoe crabs, both living and dead, that surrounded us. “It’s mating season,” Ken began, and pointed to mating pairs beneath the surface of the water. Selecting one unsuspecting specimen, he flipped it over for our investigation. “This is a male – see his grabbers? He uses these to hang on to a female for five to six weeks.”

“But what if the female wants to go somewhere else?” asked a curious boy. Ken grinned and looked at us. “Well, she drags her mate along with her wherever she goes. How would you like your spouse to tag along with you for a month?” The boy’s eyes widened in concern. “The urge to create baby horseshoe crabs is very strong,” concluded Ken, “and as you can see, some don’t survive.” It was a reflective group of ecotourists that surveyed the chaotic scene—horseshoe crabs everywhere, and squawking gulls and sandpipers nearby, ready to feast on the remains. It was a passion play starring the cast of the local natural reality show, “Survival of the Salt Marsh Fittest.”

Disembarking from the van upon our return, I felt very satisfied with my ecotour experience. Coastal Kayak had indeed provided me with a unique and enjoyable experience that was the highlight of my vacation, while at the same time creating an appreciation and awareness of the importance of preserving local natural resources.

And as I climbed on my bicycle and headed back to my beach cottage, I mentally patted myself on the back for my low-carbon transportation footprint.

What You Can Do While Traveling
By exploring alternative travel choices, you can have a unique trip and avoid leaving negative marks on cultures, economies, and the environment.

• At the hotel: Ask about environmental policies and practices. Talk with staff about working conditions. Does the hotel support community projects?
• Language: Learn a few words of the local language and use them.
• Dress: Read up on local conventions and dress appropriately. In many countries, modest dress is important.
• Behavior: Be respectful of local citizens’ privacy. Ask permission before entering sacred places, homes, or private land.
• Photos: Be sensitive to when and where you take photos/video of people. Always ask first.
• Environment: Respect the natural environment. Never touch or harass animals. Always follow designated trails. Support conservation by paying entrance fees to parks and protected sites.
• Animal products: Never buy crafts or products made from protected or endangered animals.
• Buy local: Choose locally owned lodges, hotels, and B&Bs. Use local buses, car rental agencies, and airlines. Eat in local restaurants, shop in local markets, and attend local festivals/events.
• Hire local guides: Enrich your experience and support the local economy. Ask guides if they are licensed and live locally. Are they recommended by tour operators?

(From the International Ecotourism Society)

For More Information
Ceballos-Lascurain, H. (ed.) 1996. Tourism, Ecotourism, and Protected Areas: The State of Nature-Based Tourism around the World and Guidelines for its Development. Gland, Switzerland: International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Conroy, M. 2008. Branded! How the “Certification Revolution” is Transforming Global Corporations. Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada: New Society Publishers.

“Industry Trends 2008.” Deloitte: Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure. www.deloitte.com/us/thl.

Stueve, Cook, & Drew,  2002. The Geotourism Study: Phase I, Travel Industry Association of America. National Geographic Traveler.

Krahenbuhl, P. 2008. “STEP into Sustainability.” Sustainable Tourism International. www.sustainable travelinternational.org/documents/ op_ecocertification.html.

Diane B. Gaede is associate professor of recreation and tourism at the University of Northern Colorado. She teaches commercial recreation and tourism and leads interpretive study-abroad trips to Europe and Belize. She loves to travel sustainably and seeks local ecotouism opportunities and experiences wherever she goes.