What is the Future of Tourism? Well that is a question no one can answer for certain, however we can form an educated outlook. One company, G Adventures, powered by the entrepreneurial guru known as Bruce Poon Tip is changing our planet for the better.
Bruce Poon Tip at the South Pole.
Bruce Poon Tip, was not a backpacker, however in 1989 he had no other options but to backpack to see the parts of the world he wanted to. It was from these experiences that he discovered the need to provide organized travel that gave cultural immersion, freedom and comfort to the masses.
“Many areas of tourism are being held accountable for environmental and cultural impact,” says Bruce. “The travel industry is under fire, they need to be educated. Travel agents need to provide a professional service; they need to know where the money is going locally.”
Bruce Poon Tip receiving an Amazon Clense. Photo Credit: G Adventures
By 2020 the United Nations World Travel Organization predicts that annual international tourists will reach 1.6 Billion. Ten years ago 1 in 5 people taking a holiday chose an all-inclusive; today that number has grown to 75%. In most all–inclusive package tours more than 80% of travellers’ fees go to the airlines, hotels and other international companies, not to local businessmen and workers.
Tourism has the power to affect cultural change. Successful development of a resource can lead to numerous negative impacts. Among these are overdevelopment, assimilation, conflict and artificial reconstruction. While presenting a culture to tourists may help preserve the culture, it can also dilute or even destroy it. The point is to promote tourism in the region so that it will provide both incomes and create respect for the local tradition and culture. There is a natural tipping point, where tourism often grows into mass-tourism. Mass Tourism leads to the over consumption, pollution and lack of resources.
G Adventures is one of the biggest tour operators that utilizes a sustainable tourism model and sets a benchmark for others. With their non-profit organization Planeterra, they not only support local businesses on the ground, they also create an opportunity for these same businesses to prosper from tourists. Let’s look at Peru, G Adventures is the largest tour operator on the Inca Trail with over 30% market share and 500 local people employees. The Inca trail sees hundreds of traveler’s daily, many of whom using products that harm the natural environment around Machu Picchu. Esencia Andina is a micro enterprise owned and managed by two local Peruvian women. With the support of Planeterra foundation they are producing biodegradable products for travelers and staff to use while they trek along the Inca Trail, making travel and tourism more sustainable.
Esencia Andina owners and their biodegradable products. Photo Credit: Planettera Foundation
Some things will never change. Airlines base their routes around business travelers. Sure they also offer carbon offsets to their guests to say they have one foot in the door of environmentally sustainable practices. Some airlines such as Air Canada have even gone as far to experiment with bio fuels. But is that enough? Many critics of carbon offsetting claim greenwashing, that it gives the perception of environmentally friendly practices when in reality the business fails to meet such claims.
There is a way the Airline industry could go one step further by rewarding the travelers who choose to travel responsibly. Let’s say they provided discounts to travelers who chose to travel with a responsible tourism operator such as G Adventures. The airline industry could regulate fares based on the type of travel a person does. Surely that connection is tangible and something the everyday consumer can see as an environmentally friendly way of travel that promotes sustainable tourism.
So how do you choose a tour operator that offers sustainable tourism? You can visit TIES and research those companies that are making a difference in sustainable community development. Those companies that are connecting with local business owners, hotels and bus drivers in a region. Companies that pay fair trade prices. Those companies that are fulfilling and maintaining a cycle that supports the local people and don’t take money out of the country.
So does the future of tourism include Bruce Poon Tip? Yes it does, and for that we should be grateful. Here is a man who is leading by example, who created a movement and has many other organizations following his lead on sustainable tourism practices. If you have the opportunity to hear Bruce speak at any of one of the various Future of Tourism conferences hosted by G Adventures around our globe, do yourself a favor and attend.
Bruce Poon Tip speaking at the Future of Tourism. Photo Credit: G Adventures
Bruce is a visionary, a man passionate about helping others and changing our planet for the better. We can assure you that his first book entitled “Looptail” is the heart and soul of a sustainable model. A book that combines his passion and entrepreneurial instincts that shaped his highly successful international travel company into the phenomenon it is today. A book that reveals his unusual management secrets that keeps his employees engaged and customers extremely happy. Looptail will be released on September 17, 2013 and is available now on Amazon.com and Chapters.ca for presale.
