Social media changed the tourism industry with sustainable tourism in Timor-Leste

How has Social Media Changed the Tourism Industry?

Written by Marissa Volkman on December 2, 2022. Posted in Blog.

The tourism industry looked very different merely 10 years ago. At that time, widespread internet usage had already wildly changed the landscape of the industry, increasing customer autonomy from the days of travel agency appointments and packages. But the explosion of social media platforms between 2006 and 2010 connected individuals around the world like never before, paving the way for another industry upheaval under social media marketing. Read on to learn the history of how social media changed the tourism industry.

The tourism industry before social media

Let’s rewind to 2004. TV, print, and radio advertisements prevailed as travelers and companies were still adapting to the nascent digital world. Airlines didn’t begin selling tickets online until 1994, and hotels followed a year later. Kayak–self-proclaimed pioneers of metasearch for travel–hit the stage in 2004, making it easier than ever for regular people to compare the growing number of internet sources on travel experiences and prices. These revolutionary tools meant that the industry would be forever changed for both tourists and destinations.

The Travel Cycle

A typical “travel cycle” had always looked something like this:

Internet and social media changed the tourism industry — The rise of the internet revolutionized trip planning. Photo by Z on Unsplash.

Potential tourists become aware of a destination.
They decide to go on the trip, making their payments to tourism businesses to book flights, hotels, and activities.
They go on the trip and experience all the things they have heard about.
They form their own opinions on the destination and share them with close friends and family (i.e. other potential tourists), causing the cycle to repeat.

As more people gained access to computers and populated the web with tourism content, a new step emerged: between hearing about a place and deciding to go there, people started doing their own online research. It thus became necessary for tourism businesses and destinations to develop a web presence to ensure they were findable and bookable.

The rise of the internet also led to a change in the tourism feedback loop. Previously, hotels and airlines solicited reviews through phone interviews and comment cards, which had low response rates. TripAdvisor revolutionized the industry in 2001 by making a public online platform for customer reviews. This feature impacted how travelers shared their trip and, subsequently, how they influenced other customers. Having customer relations on display made it even more important for tourism industry businesses to engage positively with customers.

Tourism marketing in the age of social media

Facebook was born in 2004 and had 50 million users by October 2006. By 2010, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube were also popular, and the rise of smartphones encouraged people to share their lives in real time. Marketers quickly realized the value of these massive audiences, which have grown to billions today.

Given the social purpose of these platforms, most users share the highlights of their lives–and traveling is a major highlight. Today, travel is the most engaging industry on Instagram, and 43% of millennials say they won’t even go on a trip if they can’t post about it.

User-Generated Content (UGC)

UGC is the content that regular people (not businesses) post about a business or destination. This type of content has been revolutionary for travel marketers. In the past, destinations had to set aside a large portion of their budget to push out different types of media, hoping it would reach an eager traveler. Even when internet sources became widely available, people had to intentionally search for tourism content. That’s where social media changed the tourism industry. Now, customers organically share their best vacation photos, putting destinations, hotels, and restaurants on their Friends’ and Followers’ radars. Developments like location tags have expanded the utility of social platforms from travel inspiration to travel planning resources. Today, 85% of millennials use social media to plan their trips.

Free Marketing Channels

Destinations and businesses don’t have to wait for users to post about them–they can (should) also create their own account. This free in-house marketing allows destinations to create a unique brand persona by publicly engaging with previous and potential customers. By posting authentic content, a destination can make their brand visible to billions of people around the world–a wider reach than any other type of media advertisement. These metrics make social media bios a great place to cross-market and insert links to drive traffic to the destination’s booking website or other social platforms.

Another perk is the free analytics the platforms provide. With these, a destination’s social media manager can analyze which posts did well, with what audiences, and at what time in order to learn more about how to engage their target demographic.

social media changed the tourism industry with free marketing analytics — Social media changed the tourism industry with free marketing analytics. Photo by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash.

Destinations can also pay for social media advertisements. Facebook first introduced paid advertisements in 2006. Nearly every social media platform thereafter has followed suit, designing advertisements to look as close to a normal post as possible. These advertisements encourage user interest and engagement, as they portray more authenticity than the big pop-up ads that break up content on other web-resources like blogs and search engines.

Most importantly, paid advertisements can get content in front of specific target audiences. Social platforms have access to some of the most telling details about users’ interests, buying habits, community, and demographics, and can use this information to increase traffic to a business page.

Influencer Marketing

A more recent way social media changed the tourism industry is with influencer marketing. Destinations or businesses pay “influencers,” people with a large social media following, to post content about their place, product, or service. The influencer’s audience already trusts them, so hiring influencers whose content aligns with the destination’s brand values makes the brand all the more likely to gain traction with that audience. On platforms like TikTok, relatively small influencers with around ten thousand followers see higher engagement and can help smaller marketing campaigns get started and reach niche audiences.

Dangers of misusing social media marketing

Social media changed the tourism industry, leading to overtourism in Positano — Crowded streets in Positano. Photo by Georgi Kalaydzhiev on Unsplash.

As a visually-based tool, social media changed the tourism industry, but did so in some negative ways too. It can be difficult for brands to compete in this space, so they may be tempted to edit out distractions and enhance photos to make them more clickable. Market emphasis on getting the “perfect shot” lessens brand authenticity, leading to disappointed travelers, negative reviews, a poor reputation, and, ultimately, a decrease in visitation.

On the flip side, viral trends and fad destinations can lead to over-tourism. When the number of visitors exceeds the capacity of a destination, tourism is no longer beneficial to local communities. For instance, while there are countless Italian beach towns, Positano went viral as the Italian beach town. Subsequently, Positano saw an influx of visitors who posted the place on their socials, further increasing the town’s online presence and visitation. This cycle has led Positano to be crowded with tourists whose focus is on getting a great picture, rather than on participating in local economic or cultural activities. These unsustainable results make it necessary for destinations to create parameters for successful marketing that go beyond sheer numbers.

Using social media for sustainable destination marketing

Sustainable tourism prioritizes the authenticity and longevity of economies, cultures, and environments in touristic destinations. Destinations can promote sustainable tourism with social media by prioritizing authentic over viral content. Responsible branding involves thoughtful storytelling such that local customs and cultures are part of the tourist drive. Strategic planners can also limit overtourism by choosing the right social platforms and influencers to target specific age groups and types of travelers. The consultants at Solimar International are experienced in navigating the complexities of social media for sustainable destination marketing all around the world.

Digital marketing on Atauro Island

In 2018, Solimar began working under the USAID “Tourism for All” project to develop sustainable tourism in the island nation of Timor-Leste. Solimar worked closely with communities on Ataúro Island–the island with the most biodiverse waters in the world–to develop a Destination Management Organization called ATKOMA.

To promote the new Ataúro Island DMO website they created in October 2020, Solimar launched the “Adventures in Ataúro” social media contest, offering the winner a free trip to the island. The campaign reached more than 7,000 people across all of ATKOMA’s social platforms and directly resulted in more than 200 clicks on the new website. ATKOMA’s Facebook page also saw an increase of 75 followers, an exciting figure for a destination that previously had next to no online presence.

Solimar continues to support the marketing of Ataúro Island through the ATKOMA Facebook and Instagram pages. Between July 2022 and January 2022, increased and consistent posting in both English and the local language of Tetum led to a 96.29% increase in website users and a 75.2% increase in Facebook reach.

Influencer marketing for domestic tourism in Tunisia

Solimar has been supporting USAID’s Visit Tunisia project since 2021 by creating and implementing a national strategy to diversify Tunisia’s tourism sector. Throughout the summer of 2022, the project used influencer marketing to promote the National Tourism Office’s domestic tourism campaign, #Weekend_Tunisia.

Between April and June 2022, the campaign reached more than 2 million people on social media, leading the Instagram page to see a staggering 300% increase in followers. By July, the campaign had over 6 million views on social media, with featured businesses reporting an increase in bookings. At the end of the season, USAID posted two videos with Tunisian influencers that got more than 12 million views from the target audience in Tunisia.

So, yes, Social Media has changed the Tourism Industry. What does that mean?

Social media is a powerful tool for destinations to use. It must be used carefully to get the right amount and type of tourists to the right decisions. Through working as a sustainable tourism consultancy since 2001, Solimar International has seen how social media changed the tourism industry, and has a successful track record of strategically planning tourism for destinations in an ever-changing digital world.

Interested in how we can help you with social media marketing? Contact us to learn more!

Travel Greenwashing: How to Spot it in the Tourism Industry

Written by Noelle Faiza on October 20, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

Travel greenwashing and the challenges of an environmentally conscious tourist: who to trust, how to spot authenticity, and more.

From backpackers to luxury travelers, the climate crisis affects us all. As travelers become increasingly aware of the issues impacting the Earth, they seek to reward and fiscally support businesses in the tourism industry with environmentally friendly practices. A subsection of the tourism industry known as “eco-tourism” has emerged in response to the demand for eco-friendly options. Some tourists are consciously opting to use their vacation time to do things like take a domestic road trip along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail instead of flying thousands of miles to an all-inclusive resort.

There is also no shortage of travel businesses touting their sustainability practices. But when businesses decide to skip a step, reaping the rewards of sustainable efforts without actually implementing sustainable alternatives, it can leave travelers struggling to navigate between who is actually sustainable and who is simply doing travel greenwashing.

travel sustainably by hiking beautiful mountain vistas — Traveler taking in the view from Ciucas, Romania (David Marcu, Unsplash)

Back to Basics

What is Greenwashing?

In general terms, greenwashing is a marketing style that falsely advertises a service or product in an environmentally friendly light. Given how pervasive greenwashing is within the tourism industry, it can be particularly tricky for a traveler to identify. For example, when a hotel claims to use sustainable practices in order to cater to a more ecologically conscious market, they would be greenwashing if they are unfaithful to those claims.

How to Spot Travel Greenwashing

Keep an eye out for lone buzz words like “eco”, “environmentally-friendly”, and “sustainable” in descriptions. If there is no information or detailed examples to back it up, it is likely false. A business committed to sustainability will not shy away from getting into specifics.

In case the irony didn’t give it away already, these plastic cups labeled “Eco” that were found at a beach cleanup on Long Island, New York are a great example of greenwashing (Brian Yurasits, Unsplash)

When in doubt, ask!

Any eco-entrepreneur worth their buck will gladly engage in conversation with a potential customer on their sustainable practices. When planning your trip, it is always a good idea to contact a business and ask for more details. Don’t let language barriers deter you either! Google Translate can be a great communication tool when using simple sentences, especially if email or instant messaging is an option.

Are they legit?

A genuinely sustainable business will typically present evidence alongside their environmentalist claims. If you want an example of what to look for, then look no further than the numerous guest houses in the Dahar region of Tunisia. Many businesses like Ouled El Khil (pictured below), boast farm-fresh dishes produced via sustainable agricultural methods like permaculture and provide pictures with in-depth descriptions to add legitimacy to their claims. If you are still on the fence after reviewing the evidence, it never hurts to engage the service provider for more information.

Environmentally friendly permaculture farming at guesthouse Domaine Ouled El Khil in Ghomrassen, Tunisia (Destination Dahar) — Environmentally friendly permaculture farming at guesthouse Domaine Ouled El Khil in Ghomrassen, Tunisia (© FTADD)

Let’s Put Our Knowledge of Travel Greenwashing to the Test

The whole point of marketing is to influence an audience into feeling a certain way, and greenwashing is no different. When done well, greenwashing can be deceiving, so let’s go for a test drive:

After a quick web search, you find a hotel for your next vacation. It looks nice enough and claims to be “eco-friendly”. The question of the hour: is it really — or is this greenwashing?

Some key questions to ask:

How does the hotel support local residents and the surrounding community?
How does the hotel prevent harming the natural habitat around them?
What is the hotel’s waste management policy?
Do they recycle and avoid single use plastics?
How do they work to conserve water?
How do they prevent pollution?

Questions that probe further into the company’s future are also a great way to get to know the ethos of the establishment you are considering to support. For example, ask about their plan to reduce their carbon footprint. The more you can target your questions, the more direct and useful the responses will be. Most business owners who prioritize sustainable practices will happily discuss their efforts with a potential guest. In fact, they likely appreciate and share your passion for solving the complex problems our planet faces.

On the off chance they do not engage, it is likely they do not have the evidence to support their claims. At this point, you may be better off taking your business somewhere that you deem truly worthy of your patronship, but at the very least you have given them something to consider by reaching out.

Litter on a beach near a resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Dustin Woodhouse, Unsplash)

Preventing Travel Greenwashing in the First Place

The World Federation of Advertisers recently updated its code on greenwashing. Their new guidance emphasizes that any environmentalist claims in a service or product description must be clear, readily backed up, and precise. Misleading by omission is also ill-advised. However, despite these strides in anti-greenwashing policy, there is no global enforcement of such initiatives. It is up to individual nations to legislate anti-greenwashing regulations. Therefore, when looking to travel abroad, it can be helpful to check the greenwashing laws of the country you are visiting. If a nation enforces anti-greenwashing advertising regulations, then claims made in descriptions may be more readily trusted.

Better yet, if you don’t feel like spending hours trying to understand anti-greenwashing legislation, there are organizations that weed out the greenwashing for you. Groups like Solimar International can help you find businesses that align with your ethical and sustainable values. Check out Solimar’s recommendations for your next eco-friendly adventure!

Regenerative travel allows you to ethically view some of these stunning sites

Why Regenerative Tourism is the Industry’s Future

Written by AnnieCombs on September 8, 2022. Posted in Blog.

When not managed or appropriately planned, tourism can be a very extractive process that comes at the expense of local people and their homes. Often, multinational tourism companies capitalize on popular destinations to the detriment of residents. These destinations are “mined” for labor, culture, land use, and natural features. Extractive tourism, a term coined by academic Vijay Kolinjivadi, contributes to climate change and environmental degradation and commodifies indigenous traditions. Local residents are often priced out of their homes due to the gentrification caused by tourist demand to be catered to.

Sustainable tourism is the first step toward counterbalancing the destruction caused by traditional tourism. The goal here is to make tourism a neutral force in destinations, causing no net harm–but also no net benefit. Regenerative tourism takes a step beyond sustainability; it encompasses the notion that tourism should leave a place better than before, taking a holistic approach to improving the well-being of destinations. Often, regenerative tourism operations offer visitors concrete ways of participating in conservation activities to increase their appreciation of the destination.

What Does Regenerative Tourism Do for the Planet?

Regenerative tourism operations require tourism professionals to brainstorm creative ways to minimize environmental impacts. Nature-based solutions integrate natural processes into the built environment to increase resilience, and are great methods for creating a regenerative tourism framework. These solutions can be big or small, ranging from building submerged structures for coastal wave-breaking and substrate for coral colonization to making plates out of locally-grown bamboo instead of plastic or paper. Nature-based solutions, implemented within a regenerative tourism plan, can help make tourism a force for good in the world. If every tour in a destination contributed to restoring the landscape, the positive change tourists could bring would be enormous!

Regenerative tourism does not only apply to previously damaged ecosystems, however. When starting a new tourism operation, it is essential to consider its possible effects on the environment. Implementing a regenerative plan before damage can even begin helps to ensure that tourism professionals do not create future problems for themselves. Keeping rivers clear, forests green, and beaches clean guarantees that tourists can continue to enjoy a destination for years to come. An unhealthy ecosystem can cause severe damage to a tourism operation’s bottom line; healing the environment as the market grows ensures business can stay booming. After all, you can’t offer snorkel tours if there are no fish to see. Regenerative tourism provides the promise of stability in both the natural and business worlds.

Sundarbans Forest in Bangladesh — Preserving natural beauty, like in the Sundarbans Forest of India and Bangladesh, is a significant part of any regenerative vacation

What Does Regenerative Tourism Do for People?

Regenerative tourism is not only focused on the restoration of the natural environment. On the contrary, it is deeply concerned with the experiences of people. First and foremost are the residents of a travel destination. Regenerative operations are either run by or look to partner with local communities. This ensures that tourism dollars flow into the destination, not the pocketbooks of outside investors.

Close relationships with local and indigenous peoples also allow for the concrete preservation of cultural heritage. Native residents can choose how to present their traditions to visitors rather than having foreign companies commodify their way of life. It can even increase local support for tourism!

Many popular destinations have become the victims of “overtourism,” or the congestion of a location by tourists, which locals perceive to have a detrimental effect on their own quality of life. The indigenous of Hawai’i, in particular, have been righteously hostile to tourists for several years, with some factions pushing for a complete halt of visitor traffic. However, a recent study in the Journal of Travel Research suggests that regenerative tourism models make tourism much more palatable for Hawai’i residents, with 96.3% of 463 respondents looking favorably to tourists who would participate in conservation activities.

regenerative tourism helps with impacts of crowds — Crowds of irresponsible tourists can reduce local support for tourism

Why Should Travelers Look for These Tourism Opportunities Moving Forward?

Booking a trip from an organization that uses regenerative tourism strategies can contribute to peace of mind, as visitors know that they aren’t promoting the destruction of the ecosystems they want to experience. These tours may not be the most well-known, but that doesn’t mean they offer a lower-quality experience. Many of them are hidden gems that give travelers unique opportunities for interaction that other tours could never provide, with smaller group sizes making for a more personalized adventure.

Local guides are a great way to support a local economy — Utilizing local guides makes for a smaller and more tailored experience for tourists.

Experiential tourism is the name of the game these days, with travelers wanting to pursue immersion over superficial encounters. Regenerative tourism operations allow visitors to get their hands dirty with activities such as planting native trees, clearing invasive plant species, and removing fishing gear and other plastics from water bodies. Local guides offer in-depth glimpses of the reality of life in these locations. These enterprises seek to create a culture of reciprocity with residents, allowing both sides of the tourism equation to learn from each other. Tourists who participate in these kinds of regenerative pursuits have reported feelings of deep satisfaction and connection with nature and are likely to continue these behaviors upon returning to their homes.

picking up trash is a meaningful way to contribute to a place — Participating in conservation activities, like beach clean-ups, makes visitors feel more connected to a destination.

On a more practical note, a 2021 study by Booking.com found that 68% of tourists want to ensure that their money goes to an operation that supports local people and is distributed equitably. On a regenerative trip, visitors can be sure that their money supports the people who live and work at these destinations. Residents are the people who have the power to keep the world’s favorite travel destinations clean, biodiverse, and economically stable while offering an honest look into their cultures. Recreational travel through regenerative tourism helps to support a bright future for the tourism industry on all sides.

To learn more about regenerative tourism and why it is the future of our industry, check out our Director of Conservation & Community Development Chloe King’s white paper about regenerative tourism here. You can also see Solimar’s regenerative tourism projects on our website.

Blog by Annie Combs and Deanna Elliott

7 New Trends in Tourism Planning You Must Know

Written by Greta Dallan on July 26, 2022. Posted in Blog, Uncategorized.

What is Tourism Planning?

Tourism planning consists of creating strategies to develop tourism in a specific destination. Knowing and understanding current trends allows those in the industry to tailor their operations to meet demand. It is crucial for DMOs and tourism businesses to stay up-to-date.

Origin and development of tourism planning

Tourism planning was born from the necessity of simultaneously balancing the economic goals of tourism and preserving the destination’s environment and local welfare. It arose in the second half of the 1990s, when mass tourism brought an unparalleled change in the travel environment. Consequently, the industry had to develop new standards to adapt to this change.

The aim of tourism planning

The current objective of tourism planning is to control tourism’s unprecedented expansion to limit its negative social and environmental effects, while maximizing its benefits to locals.

These goals can be reached by:

Analyzing the development of tourism in the destination
Examining the state of affairs in a specific area and executing a competitive analysis
Drafting tourism policies
Defining a development strategy and actionable steps

Businesses looking for support through this process can reach out to Solimar International or check out this free toolkit. Solimar has a dedicated team of staff who employ a wide range of skills to promote economic growth, environmental preservation, and cultural heritage conservation.

developing strategies and planning are key to improving destination tourism — Planning development strategies are necessary to improve tourism.

Why is Tourism Planning Important?

Tourism planning should be part of destination development plans because it supports a destination’s long term success and incentivizes the collaboration of key stakeholders.

Tourism planning maximizes tourism benefits like:

Promotion of local heritage and cross-cultural empathy
Optimization of tourism revenue
Natural environment and resource protection

Tourism planning also minimizes tourism drawbacks such as:

Overtourism, and consequently anti-tourism feelings
Economic leakage
Disrespect for the local culture
Damage to the local environment

Tourism planning is also important because, by creating plans and strategies, destinations provide an example that other destinations can follow to improve tourism in their area. It ensures that the destination is consistent with changing market trends, constantly addressing tourist and resident needs as they arise.

This was made clear in the Cayman Islands. The surge of cruise tourism caused a massive influx of tourists, which brought new challenges to the small islands. Consequently, the destination’s goal shifted from attracting tourists to sustainably managing them. The development of a National Tourism Management Plan was key to provide stakeholders with the tools they needed for sustainable tourism management.

What are the Newest Tourism Trends?

In the planning process, it is fundamental to consider how new tourism trends influence the future of tourism planning and allow destination strategies to stay innovative.

1. Safety and Cleanness

The Covid-19 pandemic brought about significant change to tourism and tourists’ perception of travel. Tourists are now more concerned about safety and cleanliness. They have a preference for private home rental, contactless payments, and booking flexibility due to the constantly-evolving global health situation. They are also more willing to visit natural environments and less crowded destinations where they feel safer.

→ Tips for DMOs: Have safety and cleanliness standards, allow flexible bookings and contactless payments, and focus on open-air experiences.

An excellent example of these practices is Thailand, which decided to boost tourism after Covid-19 by rebranding itself as a safe tourist destination, issuing safety certificates to infrastructures to build public trust.

2. Social Media

Social media is the preferred channel for travel inspiration, influencing travelers’ decision-making because videos and pictures create an emotional bond between people and places.

The preferred platform depends on the traveler’s generation:

Gen X uses Pinterest and aesthetically pleasing blogs
Millennials use Instagram
Gen Z uses TikTok

Generation Z is also more willing to travel after Covid, and they will have high spending power in the next few years.

Video content is favorable because of the high engagement and interaction it creates compared to pictures. In this context, TikTok is the future of travel marketing. On this fast-growing platform, videos are likely to become viral because of the app’s algorithm. For example, the travel campaign #TikTokTravel, where people were invited to share videos of their past trips, was viewed by 1.7 billion people.

tourists use social media like Instagram to plan travel — A tourist searches for Instagrammable locations

→ Tips for DMOs: DMOs can use TikTok to promote attractions, restaurants, and tours partnering with influencers. Social media can attract new customers, monitor Instagrammable locations, and manage overcrowding by promoting lesser-known areas. This all helps shift tourists away from hot spots.

Follow Solimar International’s success with social media promotion through their World Heritage Journeys of the European Union project. By providing research, media-rich itineraries, website promotion, and mobile maps, Solimar International can help your organization reach its target audience.

3. BLeisure Travel

Due to technology, the separation between work and life is blurred. This premise gives birth to the BLeisure travel, a genre of travel that combines business and leisure. Aside from those who travel for work, combining some leisure during their stay, there is an increasing number of digital nomads. These people are freelancers or smart workers who decide to adopt a traveling lifestyle. They will look for business hotels where they can easily obtain a fast Internet connection and a good working environment.

Some destinations are rebranding themselves, targeting those who work remotely. A good example is Aruba, which promotes itself as a paradise for workation.

BLeisure tourists could work from their favorite destinations — How working as a BLeisure tourist could look

4. Destination Uniqueness

The tourism market is becoming increasingly competitive, especially for destinations with similar climates or natural features. To stand out, destinations need to focus on their distinctive assets. Places should identify a destination brand, which highlights their culture and the unique experiences they offer to tourists, instead of branding common and widely-available tourism practices.

An example of destination uniqueness as a trend of tourism planning is Uganda, which is widely known as a safari destination. The country rebranded itself by focusing on its one-of-a-kind cultures, landscapes, food, and traditions, labeling itself “The Pearl of Africa.” This is one aspect of Uganda’s tourism planning process. By identifying and promoting a destination brand, Uganda aims to develop an immersive tourism for meaningful and transformative experiences abroad.

5. Transformative Travel

Transformative travel is an expression of the experience economy combined with experiential travel. The latter is about living once-in-a-lifetime, off-the-beaten-track experiences rather than conventional ones, connecting visitors with local cultures.

Transformative travel is defined by the Transformational Travel Council as:

“intentionally traveling to stretch, learn and grow into new ways of being and engaging with the world.”

Therefore, transformative travel is an immersive experience that aims to inspire personal transformation, growth, and self-fulfillment. People travel to transform their own lives and the lives of those who live in the destination.

→ Tips for DMOs: Destinations should focus on providing unique and authentic experiences that connect travelers with locals. This enables tourists to experience local culture, food, and lifestyles, lending way to authentic experiences that they are sure to remember.

6. Sustainability and Community Engagement

Travelers are becoming more conscious of their environmental impact, and they are more willing to adopt a sustainable travel style. This means not only doing less harm to the environment, but also making a positive impact on cultures and economies, generating mutually beneficial relationships between tourists and locals.

An excellent example of a country that stays ahead of trends in tourism planning is Jamaica. Instead of boosting sun and beach tourism development, Jamaica has recently focused on community-based tourism, providing several experiences that empower locals.

By focusing on poverty reduction, gender empowerment, equality and employment, Jamaica utilizes tourism to achieve social justice goals.

Similarly, Solimar contributed to an Artisan Development project in Morocco. By strengthening the connection between local artisans and tourists, Marrakech and Fez saw a significant increase in direct selling to consumers, which contributed to increased local welfare.

developing sustainable framework is ket to the tourism planning process — Giving tourism a sustainable framework is a necessity for tourism planning

7. Technology to Manage Overtourism

The rise of charter flights boosted mass tourism. This has pressurized cities, raising the debate on the limits of acceptable change and generating anti-tourism sentiments among residents. One example of this is in Sedona, Arizona, where we helped manage visitor flow by marketing and promoting the nearby towns and attractions in Arizona’s Verde Valley.

→ Tips for DMOs: Destinations should exploit technological advances to develop crowd management techniques. Some DMOs used gamification to manage tourism flow, spreading visitors in less known or less crowded areas. This is popular in London, for example, with the Play London with Mr. Bean app, a program that allows tourists navigate to different parts of the city and find points of interest quickly. This gives the city the opportunity to redirect tourist flows to spread-out spots in London.

To learn more about the tourism planning process and future trends in the tourism industry, visit our Institute for Sustainable Destinations website today.

By Greta Dallan & Hannah Lambert

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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