Embodying every notion of Wild Asia's Learn, Be Inspired, Make a Difference, the "RT in Action" training workshop was conceptualized together with the Responsible Tourism Awards (RTA), as we recognized the need to go beyond rewarding the winners. The workshop aims to highlight exemplary practices and policies that have worked for recognized operators in hope that it will inspire and encourage others to embark on their own responsible tourism journey.

Written by Sharyn Lisa Shufiyan on 17 Nov 2009 with 0 comments. Be the first!

The 2-day workshop was conducted at Istana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 29-30 October 2009 and saw participants across Asia, from Malaysia, Philippines, India, Indonesia and Cambodia. Our participants, namely accommodation operators, travel writers and corporate who are actively involved in CSR were thoroughly engaged and found the workshop very informative and insightful. The workshop also provided useful insights on responsible tourism for travel writers and journalists to better understand the concept and be exposed to issues travel journalism hardly covers. All-in-all the workshop was a buzzing network of like-minded people gleaning lessons from each other.

Participants had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of respected accommodation operators as they shared on current responsible tourism practices. Professionals from within the travel industry were invited as guest speakers, among them were Andrew Steele, General Manager of Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Mariglo Laririt, the Head of Environmental Department at El Nido Resorts, Amanda Pummer, the Environment Consultant at GreenAsia Group, Gopinath Parayil, CEO of The Blue Yonder, Stuart Rees Jones, Managing Director of Camps International Ltd, Tran Trong Kien from Buffalo Tours and Sarah Baxter, an MA student from ICRT.

"88% of adults said they would find it useful to have information on the impact a holiday will have on the destination's local economy and on the use of local suppliers and employees," Concerned Consumers Summary

Over the last few years, there is a growing awareness on the impact of tourism on the environment and local communities, and more tourists are demanding for more sustainable destinations. A recent 2009 survey conducted by the Concerned Consumers Summary, found that 88% of adults said they would find it useful to have information on the impact a holiday will have on the destination's local economy and on the use of local suppliers and employees.

Hence, there is a need for tourism operators to step up and be more sustainable in their business policies and practices, namely, protecting the natural areas in which the resort or hotel is located, hiring local staff to improve living conditions and contributing to the local economy, implementing energy and water saving devices and waste management such as composting and recycling and respecting local cultures among others.

The misconception that going green is expensive to the business was challenged by Sarah Baxter. According to a study conducted in 2005, investing in green initiatives can benefit the business in terms of revenue growth, brand value and reputation, preservation of destinations amongst other benefits. Tourists are being more aware about the damages that the tourism industry make on the environment and local communities, and thus making a more conscious decision to look for greener operators and support the movement towards sustainable tourism.

"Greenwashing is giving the impression that you're doing more for the environment than you really are," Amanda Pummer

The workshop highlighted some key issues and bottlenecks that are plaguing responsible tourism, and one issue that operators are most susceptible to is "greenwashing". Amanda Pummer simply described greenwashing as "giving the impression that you're doing more for the environment than you really are" and highlighted measures that businesses can take to avoid greenwashing and communicate the correct message to their target market.

"Greenhushing... will not help the business as sustainable tourism is still a growing concept and needs leaders to be transparent in what they do," Sarah Baxter

However, with the danger of greenwashing comes the danger of greenhushing. Greenhushing, being silent about green initiatives for fear of being marked as greenwashing, will not help the business as sustainable tourism is still a growing concept and needs leaders to be transparent in what they do. These leaders raise the sustainable standards that others can follow suit, and at the same time gain market value for their investment in sustainability. Hence, initiatives such as Wild Asia's Responsible Tourism Awards are valuable to highlight these leaders in sustainability to inspire and encourage others to start thinking about their businesses and work towards being a leader in responsible tourism.

RT motivators

The workshop did not only provide learning, but also a platform to network and build relationships with like-minded individuals. For participant Dr. Mohamed Zain Hj. Mahmood from Cheringin Hills Sdn Bhd, the workshop had inspired him to "inculcate the RT attitude" and "keep in touch with local businesses on RT." The workshop had also provided him with new ideas to develop responsible tourism in his business.

"(I will) be looking out for opportunities to learn from and exchange (ideas) with RT players through events and make marketing adjustments with clearer communication with regards to CBT (community-based tourism)," Daniel Rosien, Travelution.org

Timothy Rann of Pepy Ride acknowledged the importance of building partnerships and dialogue, as he plans to cross-promote and drive the RT market in Cambodia as well as "drive discussions and dialogue via online, schools, tourists and Cambodians locally."

Now in its second year, the workshop has gained momentum and recognition from individuals within the tourism industry. However, there is still a long way to go. There are complicated bottlenecks that need more thought into finding solutions and many more ways to explore on reaching a wider audience, especially in other parts of Asia. Nevertheless, from the dedication and response that the workshop had successfully achieved, the goal to educate inspire more RT operators is well on the way, and the hope to see more sustainable destinations in Asia is flickering ever so brightly.

More on Responsible Tourism Awards

RT Workshops

This article is part of our RT Workshops series.

This series is a collection of features relating to our Responsible Tourism Workshops. We hold these workshops annually to discuss the importance and how-tos of Responsible Tourism.

Other features in this series:

• RT in Action Workshop: Highlighting Practices in the Region
• Annual "Responsible Tourism in Action" Workshop 2008

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