Evaluating Ecotourism Operators and Agents
by Deborah McLaren

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There is an unprecedented "greening" of American businesses, companies tapping into the market place with new green products and services. According to the U.S. Travel and Data Center's National Travel Survey, more than 85 percent of travelers claim they are likely to support or patronize travel companies that help preserve the environment. Jim Treverso of Overseas Adventure Travel in Cambridge, Massachusetts warns, "if an agent or a tour operator sells an ecotour that is not ecologically responsible, the consumer will be the first one to call you on it." These days, stricter "green" business regulations are enforcing companies commitments to credibility and green labeling of products by discouraging eco-opportunism.

This is good news for travelers, since the Federal Trade Commission and an act of Congress may soon establish uniform, acceptable standards to definitions for environmental marketing claims.

Ray Ashton, ecotourism consultant and biologist, advises consumers to "look for informed tour operators and agents. Knowledge about conservation, wildlife, and the ecosystem they are working in is difficult to fake. It can reflect long-term commitment to environmental awareness." However, finding agents that have the kind of information that ecotourists look for is difficult.

Travelers must communicate good information about ecotourism and other alternative programs to organizations marketing ecotourism. Currently, most travel agents rely on ecotour operators and ecotourists for their information. An agent at Working Assets Travel Program says, "we rely on the participants and groups interested in traveling to provide us with information about a destination. We find that there is not a lot of information about local realities available to us, like practical information about the environment and the real living situation for local people. We get glossy brochures highlighting special interests, relaxation and cultural activities from resorts, cruise lines, even government tourism offices. We would include responsible travel information if it were available." Responsible travelers can help travel agents and operators by providing valuable information about their own experiences and other useful research information.

Ecotourists can help evaluate ecotour operators or agents. Ecotourism specialist Ray Ashton advises tourists that after making a deposit they should "receive information useful in preparing for departure. This includes not only what to bring, but detailed natural history, geographical, anthropological, and cultural background on the country and the sites to visit. If you don't get this information, get your money back." Even corporate giant Fortune magazine recommends to travel agents that "consumers want information about what or whether to purchase. Educate your customers. But you must be truthful and, in general, the more you tell your customers the better." This information should include a ecotourism code of ethics which clearly states the responsible practices and standards of the company as well as those that participants will be expected to follow.

EVALUATING ECOTOUR OPERATORS

EVALUATING AN ECOTOUR: ETHICS, RESPONSIBILITY, INFORMATION AND ACTION

1. Understand and support the reasons for Ecotourism:

- Develop your reasons for traveling and find eco-operators who can advise realistically: A traveler should know where they want to go and why. Do you really want to travel in less luxury to outback places, using less comforts? Ecotourism is not for everyone. Cultivate yourself as a responsible traveler.

2. BACKGROUND CHECKS:

- Ascertain the ecotour operators' code of ethics. Does the operator have a stated code of ethics and conduct for both the company and for tourists? Better yet, does the operator promote codes of conduct developed by people in the destination itself? Read the program description carefully and make sure their business principles match the ethical practices listed here.

- Does the operator provide travelers with an education? Does the tour company stress learning opportunities, knowledge and sensitivity to the environment and people? There is danger in thinking someone who wants to visit the environment is inherently sensitive. Does the operator provide a cross-cultural sensitivity orientation for travelers? Are participants required to educate themselves through learning materials and reading lists? Will the program educate the traveler about the implications of his or her presence in the country? Ecotourism cannot take place without some degree of environmental impact. What will the participants learn about the environmental and social realities faced by the people in the destination? What opportunities are offered for guests and hosts to meet on equal terms and learn about each other?

- Does the operator offer a "quantity" or "quality" tour? What is the staff-to-passenger ratio? Is the trip adequately staffed to permit attentive leadership and personalized service? Does the operator limit the number of participants overall? This will affect how much negative impact visitors might have on fragile habitats, and reflect on the intimacy of the ecotour experience.

- Research the qualifications of all leaders and staff. How many years has the operator conducted educational nature tourism? Make sure the company provides a biography of your expedition leader. What are their areas of interest and expertise? How long have they been doing this particular work, and what are their educational credentials? Do they have a director who establishes standards, and who trains and monitors the performance of their leadership staff? Do they offer and enforce guidelines for field behavior for their staff, especially in regard to waste disposal, and for behavior around sensitive habitat or wildlife? Do they manipulate the environment to provide a "show" rather than a respectful, non-invasive wildlife encounter?

- Determine if trip logistics are practical. How many days will the group be in each locality? How much bus, air and train travel are involved? Are the logistics well planned? Will travelers spend more time in cities and on transportation than in the community or natural area? Make sure there are a limited number of departures to the destination. Some firms run too many excursions, what tour operators call on-the-bus, off-the-bus, which causes overcrowding, creates stress on the environment, tourists are frazzled and don't experience a quality trip.

3. Support Sustainable Community Development and Conservation

- Are local people employed? In addition to the institutional leaders, are local guides employed? If so, are they trained to motivate visitors to behave in a responsible manner. Are they socio-ecological interpreters, helping visitors understand and appreciate their environments as well as the host culture? Does the tour company support training for tour guides? Does the ecotour operator employ local people for both service and management positions? Tour operators can encourage native peoples to participate in the operation of tours as guides, cooks, office staff and managers. Some tour wholesalers favor local ground operators who are willing to help educate, train and hire indigenous staff. Are local people employed in positions other than "service" jobs? Are local people in roles of management and operations? This is an extremely important point because critics of ecotravel highlight how local people are often offered low-paying service jobs and rarely given opportunities for training that would elevate them into roles of planners, managers, monitors, etc. Sometimes these low-paying service jobs actually replace more sustainable jobs such as farming, fishing, or traditional arts, yet even the low economic incentives are initially enough to recruit local people into the travel industry. There is growing concern about the long-term impacts of replacing traditional, sustainable employment with tourism service jobs.

- Determine if the operator and the destination incorporate low impact natural resource use. Does the project drain the local infrastructure - water, electricity, waste facilities - depriving the local community? Do they use clean energy sources? How do they avoid generating garbage and other wastes? Do they cause pollution problems from sewage? Do they avoid or minimize environmental impacts on fragile ecosystems? Do they monitor the group to assure all participants in your tour respect and follow low-impact guidelines?

- Will the tour directly support the host community? Does the company "earmark" a certain percentage or profits for local environmental organizations or other responsible ecotourism projects and encourage participants' support as well? Do travelers contribute, either through money, materials, or labor? How does the tour operator ensure that money goes directly into the local economy? This is another important point that can help distinguish between regular nature or adventure travel (where the traveler pays to simply experience nature), and a true conservation-oriented ecotourism project (funds go directly to protect the environment). Think locally - will travelers stay in locally-owned accommodations, eat in locally-owned restaurants, use local guides? Are foods and goods purchased locally? Are the projects visited designed and operated by the local community? Ensuring direct community support helps boost the local economy.

- Are there opportunities for local ecotourists participation? Organizers should invite people from the country to join the tour, to give participants greater appreciation of the area and its residents. Will the local population be able to participate as ecotourists? The costs of many trips are so high that they often exclude the ability of local people to participate if they want to. Some tour companies are creative, allowing part of their profits to subsidize locals participation as tourists. Again, critics of ecotourism are cautious about training programs that actually take local people out of their communities and into a majority traveler' community. Innovative ideas include support for ecotour guide training so that the guides actually share their environmental education and knowledge within their communities (i.e., with students, youth, other locals), instead of using their skills and knowledge only for tourists. Another creative idea is to actually pay for someone's day off - so they can join the trip. How creative is your tour operator?

- Does the company encourage ethical spending? Travelers, as well as companies, need to develop environmental scruples about spending. Do spend locally, environmentally, and ethically. Do not buy products made from endangered plants or animals, such as ivory, tortoise shell, animal skins and feathers. Does the operator inform and enforce tourists about purchasing animal and plant products as souvenirs? The U.S. Customs' "Know Before You Go" lists products which cannot be imported.

4. The ecotour doesn't stop here...

"Every company is going to say I am an ecotourist company," notes Victor Emmanuel, owner of Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours of Austin, Texas. "We're all for the environment. But lets get down to actual specifics by asking what each ecotravel specifically has done for the environment. These kinds of questions are going to put the kind of market place, moral and ethical pressures on people to do better."

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