My favorite DMO and destination with the best practice of sustainability
When
thinking of sustainable tourism destinations, I often think of destinations
where “the emphasis is on the long-term sustainability of natural, social,
heritage and cultural resources” (Morrison, 2013, p. 63). Using this
definition, my favorite DMO and destination with the best practice of
sustainability is Visit Greenland. Although not frequently regarded as a
prominent tourism destination because of its perceived remoteness and other
misconceptions, Greenland can be, and is becoming, a dream destination for many
global adventure travelers because of its seamlessly undisturbed history,
culture, and natural wonders that haven’t yet given way to the unsustainable
consequences of mass-tourism seen in leading destinations around the world. In
recent years, thousands of travelers have flocked to Greenland in pursuit of
the “Big Arctic Five”, which is a list of the five most essential experiences
in the country, including: dog-sledding, whales, ice and snow, northern lights,
and pioneering people (The Big Arctive Five, n.d.). However, tourism in Greenland is still in its infancy stage and
is likely classified in the involvement stage of the Tourism Area Life Cycle
model (TALC), so there is certainly still an enormous opportunity for growth
and development. Fortunately, despite its infancy, several tourism-focused
initiatives have been launched in an effort to grow the industry and to expand
the economic, cultural, and social benefits that tourism can provide to the
country. In fact, new air routes have been established, the airport is being restructured,
and cruise passenger tax fees have decreased (Stenbakken, 2016, p. 16).
Collectively, this has resulted in a record-breaking 80,862 flight passengers
traveling to Greenland in 2015 compared to 69,580 in 2014, which is an increase
of 11.3% (Stenbakken, 2016, p.9). Fully aware of the environmental, social, and
cultural damage that an increase in tourism can bring to the country, Visit
Greenland has built a strategic plan for 2016-2019 to ensure that the industry
grows sustainably and not at the expense of the natural environment and local
culture. The organization plans on achieving this through their sustainable
best practice, which is highly focused on responsible tourism, adventure
tourism, and on partnerships with stakeholders that are equally as committed to
building Greenland into a sustainable tourism destination.
The best practice of sustainability
Before
mentioning Visit Greenland’s best practice, it is important to dive a little
deeper into the two fundamental themes that help drive the organization’s best
practice of sustainability. As mentioned briefly above, one of the critical
areas that help define their brand includes adventure tourism, which “is
defined as any domestic or international trip that includes at least two of the
following three aspects: physical activity, interaction with nature and
cultural learning or exchange” (Morrison, 2013, p. 477). As a matter of fact,
according to Visit Greenland’s Tourism Strategy 2016-2019, adventure tourism:
· Creates experiences that focus on active participation and
bringing the guests close to nature and the local culture.
· Offers an experience universe with many levels of engagement and
activity from unassisted sightseeing to guided tours and demanding expeditions.
· Focuses on a form of tourism that involves immersion at the
destination and offers experiences rooted in the landscape and culture of the
country.
· Creates products that enable the guests to challenge their own
limits, be it culturally, intellectually or physically, thus making them feel
like a pioneer (Stenbakken, 2016, p. 21).
On
the other hand, while Visit Greenland wants to grow its adventure tourism
sector, they do not want exploit their resources in pursuit of this goal, so responsible tourism has been
categorized as an area that will require increased attention since it:
· Contributes positively to the preservation of natural and cultural
heritage.
· Minimizes negative environmental and social consequences.
· Offers experiences that create meaningful connections with the
local population and thereby a greater understanding of the local cultural,
social and environmental elements.
· Creates commercial areas of cooperation between local tourism
operators and international travel agencies that are aimed at the tourism segments
relevant for Greenland (Stenbakken, 2016, p. 21)
In
order to satisfy both of these major themes that define tourism in Greenland, the
DMO has established a best practice that can be best described in two words:
shared responsibility. Since sustainability is a battle that can’t be fought
alone, Visit Greenland has made it a point to create partnerships with stakeholders,
at both the local and international level, that share a common vision in hopes
that they can ensure the longevity of the destination’s resources. A
significant example of this is their collaboration and membership with the
Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), which is “an association of
companies in the adventure tourism industry which are all working for the
industry’s continued growth in ways that support sustainable and responsible
development throughout the world” (Adventure Travel in Greenland, 2015). While this is more of a
wide-scaled collaboration, Visit Greenland is also heavily involved in
partnering and promoting local businesses demonstrating sustainability best
practices.
Why this is the best practice
Partnerships
with like-minded organizations at all levels of the tourism supply chain is
Visit Greenland’s best practice because “natural and cultural
resources are the building blocks for adventure tourism, and public-private
collaboration on preservation and protection can create a platform for
sustainable resource management and future business development” (Adventure Travel in
Greenland, 2015). You see, the people of Greenland take a lot of pride in not only
their natural and cultural resources but also in the protection of these
resources because it helps define their long-lasting culture and heritage,
which is critical to their identity as “The Pioneering Nation”. In addition,
these resources are responsible for attracting a majority of tourists that visit
the country and contribute towards the economic, social, and environmental
benefits from the industry, so protecting these resources is incredibly
important for the country. Sustainability, however, is a challenge that
requires efforts beyond just the government and DMO, so partnering with
like-minded organizations, at both the local and international level, helps
ensure that all stakeholders contribute towards protecting these resources.
Considering that Greenland, compared to other countries, has very limited
resources and only a population of 57,000 people, they require this best
practice to take on a challenge of this magnitude. Lastly, ensuring quality
partnerships with responsible tourism organizations is also a best practice
because it enhances the relationship that the industry has with the local
population, who “want to be assured that tourism is sustainable and also that
it will not adversely affect cherished natural, heritage and cultural
resources” (Morrison, 2013, p. 182). By partnering with responsible organizations,
the local population may become more accepting of the industry, which can not
only help attract a larger workforce but it can also help the destination’s attractiveness
to foreign visitors since they would feel more welcome.
Benefits and consequences for consumers
As
mentioned in the previous section, one of the clear benefits of this best
practice to consumers is that they are visiting a country that takes an
enormous pride in their natural and cultural resources and have thus gone the
extra mile to partner with like-minded companies to protect these resources. As
a result, when visitors arrive in Greenland, they will most likely be greeted with
very authentic and undisturbed experiences because the partnerships help ensure
that the natural environment is taken care of and the local culture hasn’t been
manipulated to satisfy a purely economic goal, which is often the case in
several destinations that have become overly globalized and are experiencing
the disastrous effects of over-tourism, such as the pollution of prized natural
and cultural heritage sites. In addition, another benefit that these
responsible partnerships provide to consumers is an enhanced product quality
because multiple organizations are not only now sharing their resources, but
they are also sharing a common vision. In fact, through these partnerships,
international organizations can help local small-businesses with resources that
help them deliver a better product and experience for consumers. One of the
only consequences I can think of for these partnerships in Greenland is that the
country is relatively still in its infancy stage as a tourism destination, so
the partnerships that are currently in place may not be as developed, organized,
or experienced enough to consistently deliver a positive experience to
consumers.
Benefits and consequences for the destination, tourism industry
and the local residents
Through
this best practice of sustainability involving responsible partnerships,
Greenland, its tourism industry, and local residents would experience various
social, economic, and environmental benefits. As mentioned in previous
sections, responsible partnerships increase a destination’s product quality, reputation,
and attractiveness, which ultimately make the destination more desirable in the
international tourism market. A positive result of this is that an increase in
the amount of visitors traveling to Greenland and spending money on these
enhanced experiences provided by these partnerships stimulate the local economy
and ensure that more funds could be reinvested into local community development
projects. Not only that, but with such a limited population and workforce,
responsible partnerships can help attract international workers, such as tour
guides and operators, because of a connection they may have had to the
sustainable efforts and a desire to contribute. In addition, these responsible
partnerships can help influence the local population to better accept the
industry because they may feel that tourism, conducted in a responsible and
sustainable manner, isn’t as destructive or threatening to their culture and
environment as they may have initially perceived. Furthermore, another
important benefit of these partnerships is that organizations can help keep
each other accountable towards a common goal because “even the smallest company
in a chain is able to call upon large suppliers to make demands when it comes to
environmental issues, local community involvement, and so on” (Adventure Travel in
Greenland, 2015). Finally, since Greenland isn’t fully established yet as a
prominent and fully developed tourism destination, a consequence of these
responsible partnerships could be that they are not yet fully ready, organized,
or experienced enough to accommodate an influx of foreign travelers yet. This
lack of preparation and experience to deal with millions of potential travelers
can result in a wide range of miscommunication and production issues that could
certainly result in the reduction of product quality and visitor experience
quality, which can diminish the destination’s reputation.
How can this best practice be encouraged for other DMOs?
When
it comes to sustainability, numbers don’t lie and the best way to influence and
encourage other DMOs to establish responsible partnerships that lead to
sustainable development is simply through data. Therefore, Visit Greenland
should consider developing a comprehensive report on their sustainability
efforts while also highlighting qualitative and quantitative data showing the
economic, social, and environmental benefits those sustainable partnerships
have provided the country’s tourism industry with. In addition, Visit Greenland
can also establish partnerships with other DMOs and encourage them to join associations
devoted to helping countries and organizations develop their adventure tourism
sustainably, such as the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA).
Organizations like this are great ways for other DMOs to network, exchange
ideas, and learn with like-minded organizations about sustainable tourism
development. In fact, notable DMOs such as Visit Florida, Visit California, and
Visit Sweden are already members of the organization.
The organization that should be in charge of encouraging more
sustainable practices by DMOs
Although
Visit Greenland is a government-owned entity that should be responsible for
encouraging more sustainable practices by DMOs, “effective destination
management is not only in the hands of the DMO, but also requires effort by
other stakeholders within the destination and partners in other places”
(Morrison, 2013, p. 16). Therefore, although the government of Greenland should
be in charge of encouraging more sustainable practices since they own and
operate the DMO, sustainability requires more of a collective approach that
involves several organizations, both domestic and international, playing a
significant role. As a result, non-government organizations that are devoted to
sustainable tourism development should be involved in promoting sustainable
practices. For example, Visit Greenland currently collaborates with the
Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO), which is an
organization “dedicated to managing responsible, environmentally friendly and
safe tourism in the Arctic and strive to set the highest possible operating
standards” (Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators, n.d.). In fact,
the AECO has even established wildlife, community, visitor, and site guidelines
to help DMOs, such as Visit Greenland, to better promote sustainability
practices for people traveling to the Arctic. Therefore, organizations such as
this should have an increasingly significant role in helping other DMOs with
sustainability practices.
If you were in charge of this organization, strategies, tactics
and actions that I would use to encourage more sustainability
If
I were in charge of Visit Greenland, I would have two interrelated strategies
to encourage more sustainability in the country’s tourism products. My first
strategy would be to use Visit Greenland to create a market and promote
opportunities for voluntourism because it is tightly linked to sustainability
and can help local communities in the country protect their cultural and
natural resources. In fact, “people who engage in voluntourism are on holiday
but they also want to help local destinations through volunteer elements within
their trips. They feel good by giving something back to local communities and
believe they get more authentic cultural exchange” (Morrison, 2013. p. 488). In
order to supplement this strategy, I would use social media marketing to my
advantage and incorporate a strategy revolving around influencers who
specialize in sustainability, volunteering, and traveling in order to extend
the organization’s reach and ensure that we are attracting like-minded visitors
to the destination.
As a consumer and/or
industry practitioner, what is your role in supporting and
improving sustainability of tourism destinations?
If
I were a consumer traveling to Greenland, I would do my best to improve the
country’s sustainability by first following the visitor guidelines on the DMOs
website, which was developed by the reputable AECO to help promote sustainable
Arctic travel. Some of the community guidelines that visitors can follow
include:
· Engage the people and cultures with respect; an open mind leads to
the best experiences.
· Talk with, and not about, the people you meet.
· Think of yourself as an ambassador for your country and culture,
as the locals are for theirs. Politeness and good manners are always appreciated.
· Please do not litter. In remote areas, please also consider the
community’s ability to handle waste. Perhaps you should bring some of it, and
especially special category waste, back with you (AECO Community Guidelines,
n.d.)
Other
than these guidelines, I would treat the destination as if it was my own home,
so I would visualize myself as a local and do my best to minimize my footprint
and respect the natural and cultural resources.
AECO Community Guidelines. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://corporate.greenland.com/en/tools/aeco-community-guidelines/
Adventure Travel in Greenland
(2015). Retrieved http://corporate.greenland.com/media/6549/what-is-adventure-travel-revised-edition-of-adventure-in-greenland-uk.pdf
Association
of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2018, from
https://www.aeco.no/
Morrison, A. M. (2013). Marketing and
managing tourism destinations. Vancouver, B.C.: Langara College.
Stenbakken,
A. (2016, February). Tourism Strategy 2016-2019 (Rep.). Retrieved http://corporate.greenland.com/media/8043/turismestrategi_eng_light_senest.pdf
The
Big Arctive Five. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2018, from https://visitgreenland.com/articles/big-arctic-five/
