EXCERPTS
The need for governments to create and maintain websites with
regularly updated information was stressed, as was the notion
that websites should not serve just for tourism promotion purposes,
but also to disseminate information on tourism policies and
plans.
There could be an award for National Tourism Boards websites
that illustrate a country's sustainable tourism practices. National
tourism portals could be rated not only by what they have online,
but also by how they participate in independent groups (ECOCLUB,
green-travel,
and Planeta) and whether
or not they link to independent sites, including blogs (internet
logbooks) and flickr galleries. Bonus points could be awarded
for showing visitors where they can stay, eat and drink.
Tourism portals, however, fail to provide regularly updated
calendars of events with descriptions of courses and instructors.
Also, participants should be able to rate their instructors
and some sort of public evaluation should occur after six to
twelve months.
Consumer surveys are confusing, for although they often proclaim
a general willingness to pay a premium for products that demonstrate
a commitment to sustainable tourism practices, only a small
percentage of consumers appear to seek these products or understand
much about what appropriate environmental, social or cultural
standards are.
Certification should be much more holistic in its approach and,
if we are to judge individual operators and hotels, we should
also review tourism officials, academics, NGOs and international
institutions including World
Bank, UNEP
and UNWTO.
Marketing has been revolutionized by the Internet. Instead of
suppliers selling through agencies, businesses can offer their
services directly to an international market. Without large
monetary investments, small businesses can perhaps profit from
the Internet through "buzzing campaigns" in which
email messages "buzz" around on their own to specific
Internet communities with the invitation to add news.
|
|
