diver visiting for tourism participates in the blue economy

How Does Tourism Impact the Blue Economy?

Written by Dalia Hammad on July 26, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

Tourism can positively impact the blue economy when properly planned, developed and managed. When this happens, nature heals, marine life returns, local communities are engaged and empowered, and culture thrives. In this piece, we explore the concept of the blue economy and the impact of sustainable and unsustainable tourism on blue growth.

What is the Blue Economy and how does it connect to tourism?

According to the World Bank, the blue economy is the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem”.

The Center for the Blue Economy adds, “it is now a widely used term around the world with three related but distinct meanings- the overall contribution of the oceans to economies, the need to address environmental and ecological sustainability of the oceans, and the ocean economy as a growth opportunity for both developed and developing countries”.

Unsustainable Tourism: Pressure on Ecosystems

Tourism is the world’s largest economic industry. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), it accounts for 10% of global GDP. It introduces new jobs, promotes entrepreneurship, and drives investment in destinations.

Unfortunately, many places have experienced more harm than good due to overtourism, pollution, resource depletion, and environmental degradation. For island and coastal communities, this means overfishing, coral bleaching, and disturbing the harmony and health of marine and aquatic life.

One example of tourism gone wrong is Thailand’s notorious Maya Bay in the Phi Phi Islands. Due to overtourism, corals died and marine life disappeared. Another example is from Central American islands Roatan and Bocas Del Toro in Honduras and Panama, respectively. The islands, where marine life once flourished, became at risk of habitat loss and environmental degradation due to mass tourism.

crowded beach in portugal — Mass tourism on a beach in Lagos, in the Algarve region of Portugal

Sustainable Tourism: The Only Way Forward

When sustainably developed, tourism can be used as a force for good, where it sustains and regenerates rather than stresses and depletes. Similarly, when the damage has already been done, sustainable tourism can help restore and regenerate ecosystems. In either case, endless opportunities arise through circular and regenerative blue economy development.

The Thai authorities decided on a three-year visitor closure in Thailand’s Maya Bay to regenerate the ecosystem. Over this period, they worked on construction and restoration to plant more corals, create a conducive environment for wild residents to return, and improve travelers’ experience. Today, the bay has reopened.

Similarly, Solimar’s Go Blue Central America Project worked on developing Central American islands’ tourism without compromising the natural environment. The project supported private sector businesses adhering to blue economy principles to protect and regenerate the islands’ coastal and marine habitats.

diving is the most famous way that tourism impacts the blue economy — Coral colony in Koh Chang island, Thailand

What Types of Tourism Benefit the Blue Economy?

Residents of water-surrounded countries can keep the economy afloat with day-to-day transactions of food and certain goods that come from the ocean. However, tourism can significantly boost production and income through product, service, and experience offerings. Here are five types of tourism that are benefiting the blue economy:

Dive Tourism:

One of the main ways that tourists can contribute to a country’s blue economy is by booking a guided trip with a local dive master. In some countries, this type of trip turns out to be even more vital than guided fishing tours. People will book a trip to exclusively scuba dive, free dive, or snuba to explore reefs and exotic fish.

While some tours include spear-fishing or lobstering, most dive tours are led in particular areas where wildlife is protected. In doing so, dive tours catalyze the protection and growth of surrounding reefs. When marine ecosystems are well preserved, locals can carry on producing and providing more of the products and services that tourists love. As a result, the underwater world will be richer and more attractive to explore, fish will be more abundant, and corals and shells will become more available for harvest to be made into collectables.

Divers exploring a reef in the Maldives as tourists contributing the blue economy — Divers exploring a reef in the Maldives

Fishing Tours and Trips (Pescatourism)

Many places on the water offer guided fishing trips with town locals. Like dive tours, these trips foster blue economy development. Usually, travelers experience a day in the life of a local fisherman by joining them on a boat, helping them catch fish, visiting their local community, and cooking and eating the fresh catches using traditional recipes.

By following fishing guidelines and regulations, fishermen keep fish populations at balanced levels for healthy ecosystems. As a result, marine environments and local economies both thrive. Fishermen have a strong incentive to protect marine life and avoid overfishing so that they can continue to sell their experiential travel products. This, in turn, increases and diversifies their income streams and makes them more resilient to external shocks.

Fishing boats parked in Iraklio, Greece

Local Artisan Markets

Local markets that showcase artisan work and crafts are vital to small countries’ economies. Sellers showcase their products to tourists, who are often eager to purchase them as souvenirs and collectable decorations. In island and coastal nations, many of these products are made of materials from the ocean. Often, craftsmen use dead coral, washed-up shells, or sand, which are natural, renewable resources.

Marine Ecotourism for the Blue Economy

According to the UNWTO, ecotourism involves observation and appreciation of nature, education, environmental protection, and community engagement. It integrates ecological protection with the social and economic development of local communities. Marine ecotourism is that which corresponds explicitly to coastal and marine ecosystems. Such tourists usually visit natural, virgin areas with little to no development to observe wild species or scenic landscapes. This form of tourism highly regards nature and culture, where it focuses on protecting or improving the natural environment and preserving and respecting cultural heritage.

A sea turtle swims over top of a shallow-water reef, tourists love diving with turtles — A sea turtle swims over top of a shallow-water reef

Scientific, Academic, Volunteer, and Educational (SAVE) Tourism

This type of tourism is fundamental to blue economy development. SAVE travelers view tourism as a way to learn, explore, help, and grow. Inherently, SAVE tourism focuses on safeguarding and improving destinations, including their resources, communities, sites, and organisms.

Group of volunteers picking up trash from a beach — A group of volunteers picking up trash from a beach

All five types of tourism contribute to blue growth, where economic and environmental benefits are not mutually exclusive. Through these models, incentives are correctly aligned, where tourism success depends on a balanced, healthy, and rich cultural and natural heritage. As a result, tourism acts as a bridge between economic, social, and environmental sustainability, directly feeding into blue economy development.

How does Tourism Positively Impact the Blue Economy?

After delving into the different types of tourism, let’s explore how tourism can have a positive outcome:

Natural Conservation and Restoration

The blue economy is crucial for environmental conservation and restoration due to its focus on sustaining and regenerating marine ecosystems. This happens in two ways. First, sometimes conservation and restoration are inherent to the activity, such as cleanup dives. In this case, divers actively clean oceans and reefs out of genuine concern and demand for a fulfilling experience.

Other times, locals are incentivized by economic motives, as with pescatourism. Here, fishermen are cautious about maintaining healthy, balanced systems so they can carry on selling their experience. If they engage in overfishing, this leads to imbalance and loss. On the other hand, if there are no more fish, there is no more food or demand for fishing experiences. Hence, the blue economy properly aligns incentives and encourages fishermen to act responsibly.

Second, and in many cases, travelers who experience natural treasures such as pristine beaches or rich and colorful coral reefs recognize the importance of respecting and safeguarding our planet. Sometimes, conversations with locals about how they deal with food or freshwater shortages help visitors recognize the value of such resources. This encourages travelers to consume more responsibly, reduce waste, and urge others to follow suit.

2. Improvement in Income and Livelihoods

Tourism helps local communities in improving their income and livelihoods in two ways. The first is job creation. Tourism development naturally requires more capacity to cater to visitor needs. As a result, many new businesses will seek labor to fill newly-created jobs.

The second way is in entrepreneurship and innovation. Tourism development is an opportunity for creative entrepreneurs to unleash their innovative potential. When there is a favorable enabling environment, local communities can build their own businesses and take ownership and sovereignty for their development and long-term vision.

3. Cultural Preservation

Tourism also encourages communities to celebrate and preserve local cultures, many of which are at risk of disappearing altogether. Several recipes, dances, languages, craftsmanship techniques, and other traditions passed down from generations risk being forgotten.

With the rising demand for immersive, community-based travel, communities recognize the value of their unique cultural heritage. As a result, this encourages them to protect their heritage, embrace it, and share it with the world.

4. Preventing Social Dislocation and Rapid Urbanization

Many major cities are located along coasts and waterfronts, and these places experience pressure from rapid urbanization in many countries. People flood to urban centers for better economic opportunities, which increases stress on existing infrastructure. It also creates congestion, pollution, resource depletion, inflation, and reduced quality of life overall.

Since community-based tourism introduces livelihood opportunities in rural underserved areas, it propels members to stay. This prevents threats of social dislocation, cultural dilution, and rapid, unsustainable urbanization.

In conclusion, tourism has had adverse effects in some countries. Still, as this piece demonstrates, sustainable tourism can be a positive tool to strengthen economies and encourage ecological growth.

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Blog by Dalia Hammad and Miles Rieker

Climate Change and Tourism: How Destinations Are Responding to the Climate Crisis (Part 2)

Written by Shivya Nath on July 22, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

In part one of this series, we discussed how tourism and climate change are inextricably linked. Nature-based tourism is becoming increasingly vulnerable to changing weather patterns, while the nature of tourism itself contributes 8% of global emissions. The landmark Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism – launched at COP26 – urged destinations and the tourism industry to reduce carbon emissions by 50% before 2030, and reach Net Zero as soon as possible by 2050. Solimar Internationa’s recent white paper publication echoed this commitment, designing Five Principles for tourism businesses to invest in Nature-based Solutions to respond to the causes and consequences of climate change (see photo). In addition to a mitigation pathway of measuring and reducing emissions, it is imperative for governments and businesses to simultaneously invest in climate change adaptation – using tourism as a means to build, finance and sustain climate resilient destinations.

Five Principles for Effective Nature-based Solutions in Tourism from Solimar International’s report Climate Action through Regeneration: Unlocking the Power of Communities and Nature through Tourism

The World Economic Forum (2020) estimated that over half of global GDP, US $44 trillion, is potentially threatened by loss of nature and biodiversity, while the transition to a nature-positive economy could create 395 million jobs by 2030, or around one fifth of the total projected increase in global labor force (World Economic Forum, 2020). Global investments in NbS already surpassed US $133 billion in 2020—only 14% of which came from private finance (UNEP, 2021a; UNEP and IUCN, 2021). The UN State of Finance for Nature report 2021 argues this investment must triple by 2030 if we are to meet global climate and biodiversity goals.

The second in this article series showcases how we can increase investment in nature in destinations around the world–including those that we support through our international development projects–to respond to the consequences of climate change by investing in actions that will protect and restore nature and communities.

The Sundarbans Reserve Forest – Bangladesh

The Sundarbans Reserved Forest in Bangladesh is the largest mangrove forest on Earth, home to the Bengali tiger and hundreds of bird, fish, mammal, and reptile species. Spanning three wildlife sanctuaries across 317,950 hectares, including Ramsar and World Heritage Sites, the Sundarbans provides sustainable livelihoods for millions of people and act as a shelter belt to protect communities from storms, cyclones, tidal surges, and seawater intrusion.

The Sundarbans Reserve Forest in Bangladesh. Photo by Chloe King

A total of 7.79 million people live in the Sundarbans Impact Zone, with about 28 percent of people from this zone directly dependent on the Sundarbans for their livelihoods, including as woodcutters, fishermen, and gatherers of honey, leaves, and grass. However, according to a recent study, Bangladesh lost 73 percent of mangrove forest cover since the 1960s, with only 11 percent of the country remaining forested (Bangladesh Forest Inventory). Nearly 2.5 million people depend upon the SRF for their livelihoods (Gopal and Chauhan, 2018), and the mangrove forest naturally shields millions from increasingly erratic weather events, such as Cyclone Amphan that hit the coast in 2020, the most powerful to strike Bangladesh in 20 years (AlJazeera, 2020). Unsustainable development, such as the Ramsar Coal Fired Power Plant, under construction only 4km away from the buffer zone of the SRF may provide jobs, but ultimately risk undermining the natural climate protection the SRF offers (Chowdhury, 2017).

USAID/Bangladesh, in partnership with the Bangladesh Ecotourism and Conservation Alliance (BECA) implemented by Solimar International and the Government of Bangladesh, is currently focusing on interventions in and this iconic tourism destination and arguably most important protected area. By ensuring that tourism develops sustainably and is better distributed to local communities, this project hopes to reduce pressure on natural resource extraction, while also deterring environmentally destructive industries from developing around the periphery of the reserve. The communities living around the periphery of the last great mangrove forest cannot afford to lose the living lungs of the Earth. Without nature and wildlife, humanity can neither address the climate crisis as a whole, nor save those who are most vulnerable to its consequences.

Climate Change Adaptation in the Maldives and Sri Lanka

Climate risks in the Maldives and Sri Lanka are growing in frequency and intensity. Sea level rise, coastal storm surges, and flooding pose a significant threat to the Maldives, where more than 80% of the land area is less than one meter above sea level. Flooding and drought in Sri Lanka are among many of the consequences of climate change that negatively impact the most important elements of Sri Lanka’s economy. For these reasons, both countries have policy frameworks in place that identify climate change risks and prioritize adaptation strategies.

The USAID Climate Adaptation Project (CAP) is a five-year project in the Maldives and Sri Lanka where its purpose is to enhance the adaptive capacities of the public and private sectors and local communities to respond to the impact of climate change. The first year of the activity (2022) is focused on the Maldives, and Solimar International is leading the private sector engagement for the project. CAP will help identify and scale up solutions to climate-related challenges, strengthen governance to address climate-related risks, and improve access to high-quality information for decision-making to reduce vulnerability to climate change. Solimar will support this work by identifying innovative solutions to adaptively manage climate-related risk through market-driven private sector and community engagement.

Tourism operators in the Maldives have the unique ability to take advantage of increased interest in and funding for Nature-based Solutions for climate mitigation, while simultaneously utilizing these same solutions to respond to societal challenges and help their respective destinations adapt to the realities of climate change. Tourism can play an important role in helping communities adapt to this new reality and build resilience to future risks. For example, many of the resorts and tourism businesses in the Maldives are already investing in coral reef restoration through organizations such as Reefscapers. However, interviews with businesses revealed that this restoration work is not being done in a consistent or effective manner, with lack of national policy guidelines for tourism operators.

Coral reef ecosystems in the Maldives are threatened by climate change and coastal tourism development. A more sustainable industry can help to mitigate both of these threats. Photo by Chloe King

An example of nature based solutions include mangrove tourism projects. On the Maldives’ Huvadhoo Atoll, mangroves were covered with sand to reduce mosquito populations; however, flooding also increased as a result. Local communities pushed for restoration and the construction of eco-huts which linked tourism and mangrove restoration. Solimar is exploring opportunities for destination management at other mangrove sites in the Maldives, linking mangrove ecotourism to support conservation. These models of nature based solutions can be further explored to link tourism and climate change adaptation.

Another opportunity for tourism to be involved in climate adaptation includes creating structures that protect and nourish sand and shorelines in ways that are nature-based and nature-positive. For example, living sea walls can be created as a blend of hard engineering seawall solutions that foster growth in coral and other marine life. This could offer an opportunity to resorts in the Maldives that are looking to invest in sea walls to create more environmentally-friendly and adaptive solutions.

Are you a tourism business or destination with innovative ideas for climate adaptation? Are you financing nature restoration or protection in new or exciting ways? Take our survey here for a chance to be a featured business in an upcoming white paper publication: https://tinyurl.com/enterprise-nbs-survey

By Shivya Nath, Alexandria Kleinschmidt, Annie Combs, and Chloe King

Climate Change and Tourism: How Destinations Are Responding to the Climate Crisis (Part 1)

Written by Alexandria Kleinschmidt on July 22, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

Climate change is slowly becoming the subject of dinner table conversations in tourism destinations around the world – both for those who live in these destinations, and for those who visit them. Rising global temperatures and increasingly erratic weather patterns are making tourism offerings, especially those that involve the outdoors, highly unpredictable. From increased coral bleaching events in island nations to reduced snow in ski resorts, the tourism industry – and the livelihoods it supports – faces grave threats from the impact of climate change. On the other hand, tourism itself accounted for 8% of global carbon emissions in 2013, confirming that the industry contributes significantly to anthropogenic climate change, primarily through transport, shopping and food. In a climate-ravaged world that is economically-dependent on tourism, building resilient destinations is imperative.

Solimar Internationa’s recent white paper publication, “Climate Action through Regeneration: Unlocking the Power of Communities and Nature through Tourism”, showcased how tourism businesses are responding to the climate and biodiversity crises by regenerating destinations through investments in nature, catalyzing local solutions for both climate change mitigation and adaptation. After working in over 300 destinations globally to support sustainable development through tourism, we have witnessed the power that the tourism industry has to respond to climate change and help their communities adapt to its inevitable consequences. Read on to learn more about what destinations are doing to respond to the climate crisis.

What is the difference between climate change adaptation and mitigation? Can tourism respond to both?

Sustainable tourism should approach climate change from two perspectives: mitigation and adaptation. Put another way, this means responding to both the causes and the consequences of climate change. Mitigation includes initiatives that prevent and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which are a major contributor to climate change. Generally, tourism businesses approach mitigation by reducing energy use or increasing energy efficiency. They may also purchase carbon offsets (which essentially pay another company to remove carbon to compensate for their own emissions) or use renewable energy sources. Solimar International’s current USAID Climate Adaptation Project in the Maldives is assisting businesses identify innovative investment opportunities for responding to climate change–from enhancing resilience of energy and water sources to regenerating hyper-resilient coral reefs.

The tourism industry continues to contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Particularly in far away destinations like the Maldives, air travel is a significant contributor to carbon emissions in the tourism industry. Due to the difficult nature of removing carbon emissions, achieving Net Zero is an extremely difficult task. However, in the Maldives, businesses like Soneva Resorts employ a particularly successful mitigation strategy that focuses on both direct and indirect carbon emissions. Direct emissions, such as energy usage and indirect emissions, including guest air travel, are reduced using rigorously vetted carbon offset programs.

Despite mitigation attempts, the effects of climate change will require adaptation measures for the tourism industry, especially in SIDS (Small Island Developing States). These measures include actions which anticipate and respond to the consequences of climate change. Adaptation measures can include: limiting non-climate related stressors on fragile ecosystems through management plans, construction of hard engineering solutions such as sea walls to protect coastal infrastructure, and regeneration or conservation of degraded ecosystems. The Maldives again provides a great example, possessing a large amount of fragile mangrove forests and seagrass meadow ecosystems that provide a variety of benefits including shoreline protection, preventing coastal erosion, and are, of course, a valuable attraction for tourism businesses.

Instituting management plans and encouraging tourism businesses to protect these ecosystems can also be part of an adaptation strategy. Tourism enterprises in SIDS have used coral reef management and restoration to adapt to climate change, because coral is an incredibly valuable tourist attraction–and crucial for coastal defense. There have been a variety of projects and companies working on innovative coral restoration approaches, including a company called Reefscapers that partners with resorts to implement management and restoration plans. In Grand Bahama, Coral Vita, applies assisted evolution to grow corals with improved resilience to higher water temperatures and acidity. Despite adaptation measures, tourism in SIDS faces an existential crisis related to sea level rise.

The importance of Nature-based Solutions in responding to climate change

As highlighted in Solimar’s recent white paper, tourism businesses cannot respond to the climate and biodiversity crisis without protecting and restoring nature. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are defined as actions that protect, sustainably manage, and restore nature while simultaneously addressing societal challenges— such as unemployment, hunger, drought, poverty, or affordable housing. The concept of NbS is rooted in climate change mitigation and adaptation and has grown in recognition over the past decade, embraced as an essential framework by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which created the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions to guide practical implementation.

NbS play a vital role in both greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate change adaptation. Recent research suggests that by 2030, NbS could contribute 30-37% of the cost-effective mitigation required to limit warming to below 2°C. Global investments in NbS surpassed US $133 billion in 2020–and the United Nations Environment Program predicts that this number must triple over the next two decades. Ideally, NbS are used to protect, manage, and restore ecosystems that already exist and, if well-designed and implemented, can deliver multiple synergistic climate benefits. Although 66% of country signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement mention NbS as part of their strategy, just seventeen have recognized the combined mitigation and adaptative power of NbS. We are just beginning to realize how focused management of NbS could result in powerful multiplier effects related to climate resilience.

Examples of Nature-based Solutions
Solutions that Protect Ecosystems	Solutions that Manage Ecosystems	Solutions that Restore Ecosystems
Avoided Forest Conversion	Natural Forest Management	Reforestation
Avoided Peatland Impacts	Agroforestry	Coastal Wetland Restoration
Avoided Degradation of Coastal Wetlands	Regenerative Agriculture	Peatland Restoration

COP26 outcomes and their relevance to tourism

COP26 outcomes will impact the tourism industry, especially in relation to climate change. At COP26, there was a push to remain on track for 1.5 C of global warming. All countries were requested to update their NDCs (nationally determined contributions), or plans for emission reduction, in order to stay on track to meet this goal. Mitigation actions such as these are vital to the prevention of catastrophic effects of climate change and sea level rise that affect tourism infrastructure.

COP26 also opened the door for blue carbon projects. Blue carbon is carbon that is stored in marine ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass beds. These ecosystems are being lost at unprecedented rates globally, so conserving and restoring them prevents and offsets carbon emissions while providing important adaptation services. These ecosystems provide services and attractions that are valuable resources for the tourism industry. They act as a nursery for reef fish, maintain water quality, contribute to shoreline stability, buffer ocean acidification, and protect coastal infrastructure from storms and floods. Businesses like Iberostar, through their Wave of Change Campaign, have committed to protecting and restoring these ecosystems in the destinations where they operate, enabling guests to even offset their emissions through local restoration projects.

Blue carbon initiatives provide an opportunity for conservation, mitigation and tourism to work together. Blue carbon conservation and restoration strategies offer tourism businesses the opportunity to preserve and replenish natural resources that attract tourists. In the Maldives, a campaign pioneered by Six Senses Laamu is working to protect seagrass meadows in the Maldives and increase commitments from other resorts to protect and restore their seagrass ecosystems. Mangrove tourism is also on the rise globally; increased visitation to mangrove forests can help demonstrate their importance to local communities and industries, ensuring their long-term preservation.

COP26 also saw an increase in finance for climate adaptation. Countries recommitted to a pledge of $100 billion per year for mitigation and adaptation costs. Most funding was previously for mitigation, but now $40 billion of it will be used to support adaptation costs – especially in island nations, developing countries, and countries whose economies benefit greatly from tourism. This is an enormous opportunity for increasing critical investment in Nature-based Solutions in tourism destinations.

Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism

COP26 also introduced the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, a one page document that has over 300 signatories from the tourism industry including businesses, countries, tourism stakeholders, and destinations. Signatories acknowledged the role of the tourism sector in increasing carbon emissions and agreed to develop plans to halve their carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and to transition to net zero by 2050.

COP26 includes five pathways to promote climate action. Currently, work is focused on measuring and decarbonizing. A working group in November will focus on regeneration, which offers opportunities for the involvement of regenerative tourism practices. A future that remains safe from the harmful effects of climate change depends on the introduction of innovative practices like blue carbon and regenerative tourism programs. COP26’s negotiations offer hope that the world’s leaders are committed to solving the world’s environmental problems together to make the planet a greener place, one step at a time.

Check out Part 2 in this blog series, which highlights specific approaches that destinations and businesses are taking to mitigate climate change and adapt to a changing world. If you are a business driving innovation in this sector, be sure to take our survey here for a chance to be a featured business in an upcoming white paper publication: https://tinyurl.com/enterprise-nbs-survey

Blog by Shivya Nath, Alexandria Kleinschmidt, Chloe King, and Annie Combs

a lodge that utilizes nature based solutions

Nature-Based Solutions: The Key to Regenerative Tourism

Written by AnnieCombs on June 24, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

Solimar International’s Director of Conservation & Community Development, Chloe King, has published her White Paper: Climate Action through Regeneration: Unlocking the Power of Communities and Nature through Tourism. Chloe worked alongside Senior Sustainability Consultant, O’Shannon Burns and organizations Regenerative Travel and The Long Run on a year-long research project that sought to determine how tourism can be made into a more regenerative practice by embracing nature-based solutions.

The paper identifies Five Principles to Develop Effective Nature-Based Solutions that highlight the connectedness between travel businesses, nature, and local communities. This article summarizes the Five Principles and how they interact to make tourism a more environmentally friendly, culturally inclusive, and economically sustainable industry. If you would like to read the full white paper, please visit this link to download: https://bit.ly/3Q3T4Qx

The Five Principles of Regenerative Tourism

1 .Centering Community Needs First

The first Principle to Develop Nature-Based Solutions is centering community needs first. The most important piece of this principle is the ability to build a “collective path forward,” which establishes a relationship between a travel business and local communities that is founded on a mutual understanding of the intrinsic value of nature and a duty to protect it for the greater good of both parties’ interests. The authors note that establishing a sense of place through community engagement can often become a large part of this first principle, because it creates a shared understanding of why preserving the landscape and its inhabitants is important.

Tanzania’s Chole Mjini Treehouse Lodge has helped to address locals’ health and education challenges, embodying Principle 1.

2. Improving Ecosystem Integrity and Biodiversity

Principle number two is centered around improving ecosystem integrity and biodiversity. Tourism companies can use their financial resources to protect and regenerate ecosystems at risk, ensuring that the landscapes they profit from remain as beautiful as they are today when the next generation inherits their operations. In fact, the authors note that just “0.5% of the annual tourism turnover would be needed to fund a complete network of protected areas.” If every tourism company on Earth devoted this small percentage of profits to protecting their local wildlife, they could preserve the ecosystems that travelers like us love to see. Tourism companies that are truly regenerative should be aware of this fact and should actively attempt to support carbon neutrality and biodiversity conservation initiatives in the areas where they do business.

In Panama, Hotel Tranquilo Bay uses a portion of its profits to benefit the conservation of nearby ecosystems, encompassing Principle 2.

3. Embrace Diverse and Inclusive Business Models

Tourism businesses must understand that diversity is key to long-term success. Businesses that develop with social responsibility, equity, conservation, and profit equally prioritized become protected against potential threats. Much like a diverse ecosystem, these “pro-diversity business models” provide a safety net when unforeseen challenges, like theCOVID-19 pandemic, which took a major toll on the industry, arises. A business that can evolve will survive. In addition, employees who work in diverse business environments that support social equity and cultural preservation become more engaged and stay with a company longer. In an industry that relies heavily on staff excellence, every great employee counts! It is also important that businesses consider catering to a wide array of traveler types. The wider a company’s target market is, the more diverse and, in turn, resilient, they become.

Blue Apple Beach Club in Colombia uses their business as a means to address social inequity, exemplifying principle 3.

4. Develop Transparent Governance Structures Accountable to All Stakeholders

This principle makes sure that locals get the same attention as wealthy stakeholders when tourism companies make decisions. Businesses should make sure that they foster relationships with local communities to create a long-term support system. To successfully do this, they must seek to understand the entire space, not just the tourism industry, in their destination. They should also give communities access to the cultural and natural resources that they want to protect. Developing a sense of place and understanding through experience is the best way to keep every stakeholder motivated to continue developing a regenerative tourism model.

In Mexico, Playa Viva is dedicated to co-evolving with the nearby community.

5. Enhance Regenerative Partnerships

The final principle emphasizes the importance of collaboration to regenerative tourism. Tourism companies should serve as a bridge between communities and the government to enhance social and ecological regeneration. Partnerships with NGOs and governmental entities help manage and monitor projects’ success. Without government involvement, it may be difficult to fully understand the effects of a regenerative tourism operation on both human and natural communities. Transparency is key to creating these partnerships. You can’t have a relationship without trust, so being honest about where you are and what you do is important when developing and maintaining valuable partnerships.

South Africa’s Samara Private Game Reserve has established strategic partnerships with SANparks, NGOs, and local communities to establish wildlife corridors in the region.

Hope for a Brighter Future in the Tourism Industry

Regenerative tourism practices that encompass these Five Principles have the potential to motivate an industry-wide shift toward a “triple bottom line” that values people, planet, and profit equally. Nature-based solutions offer a way for tourism companies to avoid favoring resource extraction and activities that increase pressure on fragile natural spaces to make a profit. These solutions help build businesses that benefit both the environment and the people that call it home. With regenerative tourism, locals, tourism companies, and travelers can feel confident that the trips they provide or purchase are making a positive impact.

Having worked at Solimar for three years now, Chloe is excited that her research will help contribute to our mission. She told us that her “research attempts to merge regenerative thinking – a field that has drawn upon the vast and diverse array of Indigenous wisdom as seeing humanity as belonging to nature – with practical solutions that the [nature-based solutions] framework provides for tourism businesses seeking to address and adapt to climate change.” With environmental issues like increased storm frequency, sea level rise, and soaring temperatures threatening tourism operations worldwide, regenerative tourism models provide hope that travel can be used as a tool to help ecosystems remain resilient in a warming world. Chloe hopes to “use the Five Principles described in this research as a model to guide how we engage with communities from day one, starting by centering community needs first when designing effective nature-based solutions through tourism”.

We are so proud of Chloe and all her work to make the tourism industry a better place. We look forward to seeing what she does as our Director of Conservation and Community Development. Chloe is currently leading projects in the Maldives and Bangladesh, where she hopes to establish successful community tourism operations that encompass the five principles to develop nature-based solutions. Download the full version of Chloe’s White Paper here: https://www.regenerativetravel.com/whitepaper-climate-action/

Curious how to make regenerative travel work for your destination? Get in touch with Solimar.

Why Yakima Valley Should be at the Top of Your Summer Bucket List

Written by Emma Barfus on June 23, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

Tourism can be a transformative experience, both for destinations and the travelers who visit. While famous bucket list destinations are always fun to visit, under-the-radar destinations offer travelers the unique opportunity to see the authentic heart and soul of a place that can’t be found anywhere else (and hey, it doesn’t hurt to avoid the crowds either).

Yakima Valley: The Palm Springs of Washington State

When most people hear Washington State, the first thing they might think of is Seattle. Expansive rainforests made green from plentiful rainfall, bustling food markets like Pikes Place filled with mouth-watering aromas, and colorful street art are classic characteristics of Washington State.

But on the other side of the towering Cascade mountains is a lesser known side of Washington, a hidden gem, with 300 days of sunshine a year where life moves a little slower. Located in Eastern Washington, the Yakima Valley is famous for many things– world-class breweries & vineyards that rival famous destinations like Napa Valley, California or Portland, Oregon, hundreds of outdoor adventures and mouth-watering farm-to-table cuisine. Dubbed the “Palm Springs of Washington” by locals, here’s why Yakima Valley, Washington should be at the top of your bucket list this summer.

Washington Wine (and Beer) Country:

With five American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), over 120 wineries, and dozens of breweries, Yakima prides themselves on having something for everyone when it comes to quality beers and wines. Yakima Valley has remained more of a hidden gem when compared to more famous destinations, which means visitors to the valley can enjoy top-notch drinks and a fun atmosphere without all the crowds.

1. Wine Country

Seeing as the Yakima Valley produces over half of Washington’s wine grapes, Visit Yakima Valley DMO has winery tourism down to a science. Potential visitors to Yakima Valley can visit the dedicated Yakima Valley Wine Country website to learn about everything the valley has to offer from wine festivals to lodging near the best wineries.

While the wineries of Yakima Valley do not have the storied history or prestige of more famous wine-growing areas, there is still so much beauty to explore in the valley. Yakima Valley wineries pride themselves on offering their guests an intimate and laid back tasting experience where wines are produced for quality over quantity. The Yakima Visitor’s Center understands the unique culture the valley has and has created the Yakima Wine Pass where tourists can benefit from discounts for the best wineries in town while at the same time keeping the vibrant local economy alive.

Picture this: A beautiful sunny day, relaxing in a ridgetop winery, holding a glass of the best Bordeaux-style red wine you’ve ever tasted. There are no crowds, you’ve made friends with the family that owns the winery, life is good. This is summer- Yakima style.

2. Exploring Beer

If there’s one thing Yakima is known for, it’s hops. Summer is perhaps the most beautiful time to visit as hills and fields across the valley are blanketed with dark green vines heavy with the cone-shaped hop flowers. Under the warm summer sun, the hops bake, filling the valley with the scent of hops – lemon, floral, pine.

The Yakima Valley grows 77% of hops in the United States and ⅓ of hops worldwide, even out producing Germany, and these hops are shipped all over the world, meaning craft beer truly couldn’t exist without Yakima.

Hop growing is truly a family affair in the Yakima Valley, as most hop farms are third or fourth generation family owned farms. No one understands hops better than these farmers, who are practically hop royalty, so there was no one better to kickstart the brewery scene in Yakima than these families. Meghann Smith, the founder of Bale Breaker Brewing Company in Yakima puts it this way: “Who can you trust more to brew your beer than those who live and breathe hops in their everyday lives?””

In the past decade, breweries and cideries have popped up all over the Yakima Valley, pioneered by these hop-growing experts who really understand how to make beer an experience, not just a drink. Seeing a growing scene for beer in the valley, Visit Yakima created a dedicated beer section where tourists can discover the best breweries, tours and festivals to truly experience the Hop Capital of the World.

Yakima’s Outdoor Adventures

With 3 major rivers, 109 sparkling blue lakes, 165 campgrounds tucked in the Cascade Mountain Range, and over 300 miles of mountain trails, the Yakima Valley is heaven on earth for adventure lovers. Locals claim that the hardest part about living here is deciding what adventure to go on first.

After you’ve had your fill sipping in wineries (is that even a thing?) it’s time to enjoy all the outdoor beauty that the Yakima Valley has to offer. There are activities for every type of person, from your mom who loves to sunbathe to your adrenaline-junkie brother who loves dirt biking.

Paddle boarding at Rimrock Lake in Yakima

The nearby Rimrock Lake is the favorite summer getaway of Washingtonians in the Yakima Valley. This beautiful blue glacier fed lake surrounded by the Wenatchee National Forest has no shortage of fun activities. A personal favorite for many locals is renting a paddleboard for a sunrise paddle across the still-as-glass lake and relaxing on the shore feasting on juicy, freshly harvested Yakima cherries. At certain times in the summer, the lake gets low enough that you can dry off from a swim in the lake by dirt biking across the lake bed. Once you’ve had your fill of the lake, visitors can head over to the Tieton River for some adrenaline-pumping whitewater rafting and world class fly fishing.

Can’t make it to the Yakima Valley this summer? That’s okay! The Yakima Valley has also been blessed with an abundance of thrilling winter activities. Locals love to retreat to the mountains for a day of skiing in the Cascade Mountains, a cozy stay in a nearby log cabin and a snowmobile adventure in the Ahtanum State Forest. There is truly never a dull time to visit the Valley.

Food in the Yakima Valley

Hops and wine grapes are not the only agricultural product that the valley is famous for– in fact far from it. Yakima Valley has long been crowned the leading producer of apples in Washington State. Seriously, Yakima practically invented the concept of farm-to-table and you do not need to leave the valley to find the very best food, wine and produce!

The City of Yakima draws visitors from all over the country with its many festivals celebrating the abundance of the Yakima Valley and the hard-working people that live there. The Taco Fest each May is one of the most popular festivals. Yakima Valley has a vibrant Hispanic community and some of the best tacos in the world that are perfect served with freshly brewed Yakima craft beer. Other festivals include Bottles, Burgers and Barbecue and the Fresh Hop Ale Festival.

The Yakima Valley makes some of the best tacos in the world.

A favorite childhood memory of many natives to the Yakima Valley is spending summer afternoons picking fresh produce grown in the valley. Freshly grown strawberries are generally the first pick of the summer, followed by juicy cherries in all varieties, blueberries, blackberries, peaches and apples. Not only is fruit picking a delicious and fun summer activity, it’s also a great way to support the community and farmers of the valley.

Here at Solimar International, we truly believe in the power sustainable tourism has in making the world a better place. Yakima Valley is just one spot along the 6000+ mile trail that connects amazing towns across the United States. Learn more about other destinations along the trail and create your next dream road trip!

WE DEVELOP, MANAGE, AND MARKET SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DESTINATIONS

Category: Blog