2023-11-22
Sustainable development has become a global consensus and a guiding principle for the development of nations. Despite the comprehensive recovery in 2023 injecting momentum into the tourism industry, numerous challenges remain. To understand how tourism can support sustainable social and economic development, let’s delve into the insights of our guests in this panel.
Moderator: David WU, Director of Greater China, Visit Finland
Panelists:
Franka GULIN, Chairwoman of the European Travel Commission China Chapter
María LLINARES, Tourism Counselor of Turespaña
Koko TANG, Board Member, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
GUO Ming, CEO and Co-Founder of HH Travel
Daniela CHIANI, Greater China Director of Switzerland Tourism
Dialogue Transcript:
Moderator: First, could each of you briefly share your understanding and definition of sustainable development and sustainable tourism?
Franka GULIN: Sustainable development is not just a buzzword but a pathway to a better future. It empowers communities, fosters gratitude, and gets everyone involved in sustainable living, whether in tourism or other sectors.
María LLINARES: In Spain, we emphasize the practice of sustainable tourism. Sustainability in tourism is crucial for the future generations’ livelihood. It’s about the sustainable interconnection of environment, economy, and society to achieve true sustainability.
Koko TANG: Sustainable tourism encompasses tourism management systems, socio-economic, cultural, and environmental sustainability. Simply put, it’s about maximizing the positive effects of tourism while minimizing the negative impacts.
GUO Ming: Sustainable tourism as a development concept in the tourism industry, as defined by the WTO, is a way of managing all resources in such a manner that economic, social, and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biodiversity, and life support systems. In plain language, it’s about minimizing negative impacts and leaving space for future generations.
Daniela CHIANI: Sustainable tourism is our collective responsibility to ensure future generations can enjoy tourism resources. It also involves respecting local environments and cultures in our travel experiences.
Moderator: There are many popular overseas destinations among Chinese tourists, such as Switzerland, Spain, and emerging destinations like Croatia. What efforts have you and your companies made in this regard?
Franka GULIN: Croatia has become an emerging destination but faces the issue of overtourism, which is why we’re discussing sustainable tourism development today. Cities suffer from overcrowding at docks, leading to decreased satisfaction among local residents. Over the past decade, sustainable tourism has become increasingly important. While ensuring authentic experiences for tourists, it’s crucial to prevent damage to cultural heritage and historical sites. Croatia also faces the challenge of uneven development across regions, and communication with local residents and governments remains a challenge. The European Travel Commission (ETC) is actively engaging in dialogue and contributing to addressing these issues.
Moderator: Could you introduce us to the situation of sustainable tourism development in Spain?
María LLINARES: Spain has implemented a plan to advance digitalization and sustainable development, achieving significant results in areas like travel convenience and environmental protection. Spain boasts 16 national parks and 180 protected areas, earning the title of “Most Sustainable Tourism Country” as a leader in natural conservation efforts in Europe. Additionally, Spain emphasizes comprehensive training for tourism practitioners, promotes the use of electric vehicles, and creates more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly cities. The hotel industry is also striving to improve efficiency, with some chains now using 100% green energy. In waste and garbage management, Spain has achieved a 76% recycling rate, leading the way in Europe. Despite these achievements in natural tourism resources, Spain faces challenges, such as developing tourism reasonably in highly protected areas.
Moderator: Could you share Switzerland’s efforts in sustainable tourism development?
Daniela CHIANI: Switzerland aims to encourage sustainable choices among travelers, especially those on long journeys. Considering the need for air travel, we’ve launched sustainable programs integrating hotels, transport companies, restaurants, and trams into our sustainable projects. By 2020, over 2000 suppliers had joined, a significant number for Switzerland. Emphasizing sustainability doesn’t mean sacrificing experience. For instance, our new trams can take tourists from the base to the top of a mountain in just 15 minutes, showcasing the perfect blend of sustainability and convenience.
Moderator: What are Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)‘s sustainable tourism initiatives in the Chinese market?
Koko TANG: GSTC aims to drive industry-wide sustainable development through standards and certification systems. We engage with travel agencies, hotels, destination management organizations, and even tourists, and local villagers to improve their awareness of sustainable tourism and how to protect their rights.
Collaborating with governments like Turkey and Singapore, we’ve standardized hotel certifications and provided financial support for GSTC-certified hotels. The Singapore government offers financial support to GSTC-certified hotels, reimbursing 70% of certification costs. GSTC also collaborates with the market players, like Trip.com to promote green hotel certification, providing market momentum. Additionally, we work to reduce the costs of meeting sustainable standards, collaborating with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) to launch a mutual recognition mechanism, offering hotels a clear sustainable development roadmap.
Moderator: Mr. Guo, what efforts has HH Travel made in sustainable tourism, and what are your suggestions for Sino-European cooperation in this field?
GUO Ming: Trip.com views sustainable tourism as a strategic focus, covering millions of tourists through our Green Plan on the app, including green accommodation, flights, travel, and business trips. We encourage businesses to actively participate in training programs by the European Travel Commission and obtain relevant certifications. In terms of promotion, we focus on raising environmental awareness among tourists, promoting local culture in product design to extend tourists’ stay and reduce resource wastage. We advocate for low-carbon travel options, like reducing luggage weight and preferring carry-ons over large suitcases. Trip.com collaborates with various sustainable development initiatives, covering restaurants, hotels, and vehicles. However, sustainable tourism is still in its early stages in China and needs gradual progression.
For China-Europe cooperation, Europe is ahead in tourism standardization, especially in certification. Chinese practitioners can learn from European practices and gradually spread certification. Europe’s progress in setting standards and certification will significantly aid China in achieving sustainable tourism, and certification bodies are a crucial factor in China-Europe cooperation.
Moderator: Regarding the standards in sustainable tourism we discussed earlier, do you think a global standard is achievable?
Koko TANG: A global unified standard for sustainable tourism is possible, similar to many ESG standards that now get unified. About 70-80% of global standards can be consistent. Collaboration is crucial, like China’s initiative of the Sustainable Travel Alliance, emphasizing reducing plastic, food waste, and illegal wildlife product trade. Finally, bringing Chinese industry organizations to Europe for learning can foster China-Europe exchange and cooperation.
Moderator: How can we further promote sustainable tourism development between China and Europe?
Daniela CHIANI: Cooperation can start from three aspects: emphasizing the practical significance of sustainable tourism, empowering B2B and B2C connections to prompt real action, and addressing the limitations of tourism products through communication with a focus on creativity and fun.
María LLINARES: Sharing knowledge and experiences, replicating best practices, and setting mutual standards for joint progress are key to future cooperation. We need to focus on transferring knowledge and best practices, sharing good practices, and promoting sustainable development together, rather than pursuing a single model of sustainability. Diverse projects with unique characteristics should be mutually referenced to share knowledge.
Franka GULIN: Over the past 15 years, the European Travel Commission has collaborated with Sichuan’s Jiuzhaigou and universities to study tourism’s impact on national parks. Joint efforts with scientists have led to effective environmental management methods in Jiuzhaigou. Collaborations with tourism experts, scientists, and global peers focusing on core issues can significantly contribute to sustainable tourism, aligning with local cultures.
Moderator: Thank you to all our guests for your insightful views. Our collective efforts towards sustainable tourism are crucial for a brighter future. Face-to-face communication and exchange are essential in achieving this goal. Ultimately, sustainability should be inherent in tourism itself. Thank you again to all our discussion participants!