Sustainable Tourism: Lessons from Around the World

(USA, Scotland, Nepal & South Africa)

Alan A. Lew Northern Arizona University

AlanLew.com

Nanjing University Nanjing, China

11 November 2012

Khumbu Valley, Nepal

Monument Valley, Navajo Nation Park, Utah, USA

Sustainable Development & Sustainable Tourism

Case 1 - Policies for Cultural Protection

Case 2 - Tourism in Peripheral Regions

Case 3 - Adapting to Social & Environmental Change

Case 4 - Natural & Cultural Heritage Protection

“ Using resources to meet

the needs of contemporary

society while ensuring

their availability to meet

the needs of future

generations. ” (Brundtland Report 1987)

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

= Oxymoron (contradictory concept) – 1- ‘Development’ perspective

• Sustaining economic activity • Greenwashing

– 2- ‘Sustainable’ perspective • Environmental stewardship • Ecosystem equilibrium

Culturally Constructed – Ambiguous - multiple interpretations – Masks support for different selective interpretations

Diversity of Planet Earth • Reason for a flexible definition • But, can mean almost anything to anyone

– Becoming meaningless, and even diabolical

Is “Sustainable Development” worthwhile or just a distraction? • Abandonment guarantees unsustainable outcomes • An ideal to work toward -- widely embraced … in principle

Green Building: Marina Barrage

building in Singapore:

A green roof with a large solar power

array

Sustainable Development – Definition Issues

“Sustainable Tourism Development”

• Subset of Sustainable Development – a Type or Form of Sustainable Development

• Subset of Tourism Development – a Type or Form of Tourism Development

ST = Applying “Sustainable

Development” Concepts to the Tourism Industry and related Social, Environmental and Economic Aspects of Tourism and Travel

SD ST TD

Electric “Go” Cars for Tourists in San Francisco

1. Ecosystem Models ① Environment

② Economy

③ Society

2. Geographic Scales ① Global

② Community

③ Personal

3. Time Horizons ① Short-Term / Immediate

② Near-Term

③ Long-Term

Shennongjia

National Forest,

Hubei, China

Actions that…

1. RECYCLE = Replenish Natural & Human

Resources at the same rate that they are used – “Circular Economy” & “Product Life Cycle Costing” – “Green Certifications” – Science & Business Approaches

2. EVOLVE - Evolution - Encourage Diversification & Niche Development to enable

communities to meet new & varying challenges - “Community Resilience” – “Resort Life Cycle” – “Longtail Marketing” - Climax Communities - Maximize & Harmonize the Opportunities for All

to achieve their optimal potential under present conditions - “Quality of Life“ – “Heritage Conservation” – “Upscaling Tourism” - Social Science & Economics Approaches

Diving in Bali,

Indonesia

2. Geographic Scale Perspectives on Sustainability

Environment Economy Society

Global Scale

Climate change, Ecosystem degradation, Biodiversity loss

Globalization, Resource inequities, Structural dependencies

Human rights, Political instability, Freedom of travel

Local / Community Scale

Infrastructure (water, energy, transportation ...), Bioregionalism

Employment, Cost of living, Business climate

Housing, Health, Sense of place, Quality of life

Personal / SME Scale

Housing, Food, & Transportation choices, Recycling activities

Career & Investment choices, Educational access, “Affluenza”

Political choices, Cultural traditions

Near the Tonle Sap Lake,

Cambodia

• The Problem of Time : – Same Problem Changes Over Time – Change is Not Linear – Limited Human Perception

• Short-Term / Immediate – Pandemic Diseases; Economic Job Losses;

Windfall Profits; Political Changes; Sudden Fluctuations in Tourist Arrivals

• Near-Term – Loss of Coral Reefs & Fishing Grounds; Oceanic Island Erosion; Legal &

Illegal Migration; Shift in Job Locations & Types; Growing Global Internet Access; Creating more Green Destinations

• Long-Term – Flooding of Coastal Lands & Cities; Need for New Types & Areas of

Education & Training; Need for New Types & Forms of Governance; Greening Airlines & Mass Tourism

Panda in Hong Kong

CASE 1 - American Indian Cultural Tourism Policy

• Indian Wars (1860-1890)

– Ethnic conflict; Near genocide many tribes

• “Reservations”

= Not available for settlement by European immigrants

• First Reservations

– California (1849)

• Following “Gold Rush”

• The California solution to the "Indian problem"

– quickly spread throughout the western West

Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico

Lockett Meadow, San Francisco Mountain, Flagstaff, Arizona

Competing Values on American Indian Reservations

TRADITIONAL INDIAN VALUES 1- Cooperation 2- Prestige & Authority = Age & Religion

3- Education from Elders 4- Animist Religious Beliefs 5- Morality = Social Conformity 6- Life organized around Ceremonial Activities 7- Communal land ownership & management

DOMINANT AMERICAN VALUES

1- Competition 2- Prestige & Authority = Family, Political Position, Education & Wealth

3- Education in Schools 4- Scientific Rationalism 5- Morality = legally defined Good & Bad 6- Life organized around Work Activities 7- Fee simple land tenure and private property rights

Arizona Snow Bowl Ski Area, San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff, Arizona

How to Maintain Traditional Culture?

• Hopi Indian Tribe - First Mesa Villages

• Possibly the most traditional (authentic?) tribe in the US

• Struggling to maintain heritage

– Threatened with loss of Language &Traditions

• Among six Hopi pueblo villages

– only First Mesa has considered these rules

Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Tourism Policy Decision Making Approaches

1 - ad hoc potential for poor decision making

& corruption of the process

2 - Policy based continuity, predictability, & a legal

basis for decision making

Tourism Policies = Legally govern the type & extent of

tourism development desired

- Laws that implement Goals & Objectives

Basic Question:

What is the Preferred Tourism Situation for Us?

Monument Valley, Navajo Nation Park

Arizona-Utah Border, USA

First Mesa, Hopi - Tourism Goals • To enable the First Mesa Consolidated Villages to provide for the health, safety,

welfare and economic security of the Villages of First Mesa, and specifically:

– A. To control and regulate visitors, visitor tours, and tour operations within their jurisdiction.

– B. To assist the Villages of First Mesa to protect and preserve the arts, crafts, traditions and ceremonies of the Hopi culture.

– C. To provide tour services and charge a fee in accordance with a fee schedule.

Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

Hopi Reservation-wide Visitor Rules (Posted on Signs)

1. Visitors are welcome, but must remember that they are guests of the Hopi, and should act accordingly.

2. Possession of alcohol or drugs anywhere on the reservation is prohibited by Tribal Law.

3. Archeological resources and ruin sites are off-limits to all non-tribal members - removal of artifacts is a criminal offense.

4. Photographing, recording, and/or sketching of villages, religious ceremonies or individuals is strictly prohibited on the Reservation, unless permission is granted by the village chief or governor.

5. If spending an unusually lengthy period of time in a village, permission must be obtained from the village chief or governor.

6. Drivers are cautioned to obey posted speed limits on the reservation and to watch for livestock on roads and highways, especially at night.

Simulated Hopi Kiva at the Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff

The Ideal & The Real

• Regulations are Difficult to Implement

– Locals:

• Sell arts & crafts from their homes

• Offer services as unauthorized guides in exchange for money

– Tourists:

• Do not pay attention to rules - on purpose?

• Sneak photographs

– strong desire to remember place

• Cost of Enforcement - can be too high

• Culture of Enforcement – the Legal System

– may not be compatible with traditional culture

Hopi Indian Reservation,

Arizona

Lessons from the Hopi • ECOSYSTEM MODEL LESSONS

– Emphasis on conservation of traditional culture economic and social/community relationships; May require legal barriers (walls)

• GEOGRAPHIC SCALE LESSONS

– Focus on community and personal privacy, though Hopi religion also has global perspectives

• TIME HORIZON LESSONS

– Using the legal system to conserve cultural heritage (past & present) against acculturation (globalization/Americanization) for future generations

Selling Indian Crafts at Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona

Pueblo Indian Dancers, 4th of July Parade, Flagstaff, Arizona

Pow Wow Festival Dancers at Arizona State University

Souvenir shop at

the Four Corners Navajo

Park

Tour Company, Sedona, Arizona

Pow Wow Festival Drummers at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Yavapai Apache Reservation, Arizona

CASE 2 : Peripheral Regions: The Scottish Highlands

A Peripheral Economy Scottish Highlands

• One of the most scenic regions of Europe

• May tourists in summer

• Among most sparsely populated regions of Europe

Peripheral Economies

• Often dependent on one or two industries

• Often resource-based industries, such as mining, forestry, fishing or extensive grazing

– Some industries may be tourist attractions

Glacier carved landscapes, peat bogs, tourists in Fort William, and Urquhart Castel

Scottish Souvenirs

Most of the tourists come to the Scottish Highlands in the summer months by motorcycle, car, tour bus, and caravan/RV.

Loch Ness

Loch Lomond National Park

Loch Lomond National Park is in the Scottish Lowlands. It is a popular camping, hiking and fishing area close to Glasgow.

Loch Lomond

A fault line runs from northeast (top-right) to southwest (bottom-left) of this model of Loch Lomond. To the north is the Scottish Highlands, to the south is the Scottish Lowlands.

Lessons from Scotland • ECOSYSTEM MODEL LESSONS

– Remote location (geography/time, economy/cost, climate/seasons) helps conserve sensitive ecosystem; Good infrastructure helps tourism

• GEOGRAPHIC SCALE LESSONS

– Internationally known icons to attract tourists; Peripheral, but accessible, with open borders

• TIME HORIZON LESSONS

– Adjustment to a high seasonality in its tourism economy; Resources based on geologic time scale

• Before 1950 - Nepal closed to world

• 1953 - Tenzing Norgay Sherpa & Edmund Hillary (NZ) – first ascent of Mr. Everest

• 1957 - Closing of Tibetan Border – Loss of Trade & Influx of Refugees

• 1964 - First ever visit of a high-level

Nepal government official to the Khumbu – Edmund Hillary School opening – Firsts: Airport, Post Office &

Police

• 1975 - Sagarmatha National Park

• Nepalization of the Khumbu – Kathmandu Nepalis = Hindu – Khumbu Sherpas = Tibetan

Bhuddism

1. Deforestation – Fuel for Cooking and Heating

2. Overgrazing – Loss of Vegetation and Top Soil

3. Solid waste, sanitation & litter

– Along trekking routes

4. Recent Warming Trend – Glacial Retreats (Ama Doblam) – Glacial Lakes Increase in Size – Desertification in some areas

• Impacts on

– Agricultural practices – Wildlife Habitats, and – Vegetation Patterns

• Development Pressures for over past 40 years – Built Environment – Natural Environment Uses

At Mongla Pass (3973m),

Trekker Restaurant,

Ama Dablam (6812m) &

Mt. Everest (8850m)

in mid-Winter

Glacial Retreat in Nepal

Source: WWF 2005

• UN Human Development Index

– Nepal = #157 out of 177 countries (2011)

• Tourism

– 1963 - Time to Kathmandu from 14 days to 40 minutes

– 1964 - First airport at Lukla

– 1999 - 491,000 international visitors to Nepal

• 2002 - 275,000 due to “State of Emergency”

– Among Nepal’s largest source of foreign currency

• 3.5% of GDP, 20% of Export Income

• Sagarmatha National Park (1976)

– 2005 = 21,960 visitors

• Plus 17,000 porters & staff

• 1000s of yak & zopkio

– 65% near park depend on Trekking economy

• ECOSYSTEM SCALE LESSONS

– Environment, Society/Culture & Economy all change over time

• GEOGRAPHIC SCALE LESSONS

– Isolation enables community & regional integration; Increased connections to world creates globalization challenges

• TIME SCALE LESSONS

– Issues and their importance change over time

– Memories are difficult to recall as we paint the past with feelings and concerns of the present

Namche Bazaar, the “Sherpa Capital”

Case 4 – Protected Areas: Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa

History of National Parks • USA

– 1864 - US Congress gave Yosemite Valley to California for “public use, resort & recreation” • First large protected land for public use

– 1872 - Yellowstone National Park • World’s 1st true national park

• Australia – 1866 - British Colony of New South Wales

reserved the Jenolan Caves (Sydney) • Later expanded into the Blue Mountains National Park

– 1879 - Royal National Park established • to provide a natural recreation area for the Sidney metropolitan area

• Canada – 1885 - Bow Valley Hot Springs in the Rocky Mountains

• 1887 - renamed as Banff National Park • New Zealand

– 1894 - Tongariro National Park • by agreement with the Maori people - important spiritual site

• South Africa – 1895 - Greater St. Lucia Game Reserve – first protected wetland in Africa – 1895 - Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve – first wildlife conservation area in Africa

Grand Canyon Preserve (1906) National Park (1919)

Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park - Sharks & Hippos

The Zulu Kingdom - Created in 1825 - Cultural Heritage Conservation

Battlefield Heritage Conservation

- Zulu-Boer Wars - 1830s-40s - The Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 - The Anglo-Boer War of 1899

A Private Game Reserve

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve

• Zulu royal hunting ground

• Oldest proclaimed wildlife park in Africa – 1895

– 3 parks merged in 1899

• Created to protect white rhino

– Most white rhinos in world today

• Only government park in KwaZulu-Natal with all “Big Five Game” animals

1. African Elephant 2. Leopard 3. Lion 4. Cape Buffalo 5. Rhinoceros

Africa’s Big Five Safari Game Animals

Lessons from Kwa-Zulu Natal, SA • ECOSYSTEM MODEL LESSONS

– Integrated conservation program, including nature and culture, public and private preserves, and local economic opportunities

• GEOGRAPHIC SCALE LESSONS

– Role of global trends and national legislation on local tourism

• TIME HORIZON LESSONS

– Heritage includes both human history and natural ecosystem time frames

Sustainable Development & Sustainable Tourism

American Indians – Policies for Cultural Protection

Rural Scotland – Tourism in Peripheral Regions

Khumbu, Nepal – Adapting to Social & Environmental Change

South Africa – Natural & Cultural Heritage Protection

View from Isandlwana Lodge, South Africa

1. Ecosystem Models Environment, Economy, Society

2. Geographic Scales Global, Community, Personal

3. Time Horizons Short-Term / Immediate, Near-Term, Long-Term