source: thecrazytourist.com

Visit Savannah!

How A Small City Can Inspire Sustainable Tourism Across the Globe

One of my favorite destinations exhibiting best practices in sustainability is Savannah, Georgia, and the Destination Management Organization (DMO) Visit Savannah. The city is currently in the development stage of the tourism area life cycle as it is experiencing visitor growth, expanded product offerings and outside investment interest. Effective long-term planning is key and sustainability as a goal will be instrumental in keeping the destination from moving too quickly along the life cycle and into stagnation. In this blog I will describe:

Most of the effective practices in sustainability utilized by Visit Savannah stem from the desire to protect and maintain the history and natural beauty of the city displayed in its numerous historic districts and abundant urban forestry. In the words put forth in the Tourism Development Plan (TMP) – created by multiple stakeholders including the City of Savannah, Historic Savannah Foundation, the Tourism Leadership Council, and the Downtown Neighborhood Association as well as Visit Savannah – the community vision involves “maintaining its historical integrity and respecting the unique residential and pedestrian quality of life.”

Using great practices in sustainability would not be possible without cooperation from all key stakeholders, and Savannah had proven to be effective at this even prior to the creation of the tourism development plan. Previously residents and officials worked together to prohibit double decker buses and military vehicles in historic districts to prevent tree damage and possible violations on resident privacy. They campaigned to vote against a cruise ship terminal being built after hearing of the impact this product had on Charleston residents, with that city now in a legal battle about quality of life issues brought about by the terminal. In one more example the tourism leadership council worked with experts and stakeholders to create more structured guidelines for tour companies, including a tour guide certification test.

With that experience of successful stakeholder partnerships it comes as no surprise that Savannah’s best practice in providing for sustainability is the planning itself, and the ideals stated plainly in the opening section of The Plan: Strategies. Those three strategies are Collaborative Approach, Data-Driven Ethos, and Comprehensive Communication. Savannah’s best practice in sustainability is the collaboration involving all relevant stakeholders in the planning and implementation of the destination’s sustainable tourism goals.

There are multiple basic practices that are encouraged or necessary for successful implementation and maintenance of sustainable tourism such as resource protection and conservation, visitor management, green travel, reduction of carbon footprint, and ultimately yield per capita. However if they are not properly planned with the inclusion and support of all relevant stakeholders the chance of long-term success is slim to none. For example the City of Savannah implemented limits on after hours walking tours to reduce nighttime disturbances and revisions to the horse-drawn carriage ordinance to protect the health and safety of the horses. Both of those actions require more effort or reduce possible hours in revenue production for local business owners impacted by these changes, and they could have fought to prevent them or even blatantly ignored them in protest. This did not happen in Savannah though, likely because those involved understood the long-term goals at hand due to the inclusion of local business owners as stakeholders.

An example showing where lack of collaboration can have an adverse effect can be seen in this story out of Toronto: a law was passed requiring protection zones to be places around trees near construction zones, but unprotected trees are being damaged by city construction crews. The Urban Forestry Department is responsible for enforcing this law but nothing is being done to address it, and trees are getting damaged. Better cooperation and communication between departments within the city government that held a stake in this topic could have likely prevented this situation; the intent on sustainability existed somewhere in the organization and was strong enough that a law was passed, but without collaboration the results so far are non-existent.

When considering the benefits and consequences for consumers when it comes to sustainability, it is hard to think of negative consequences so let’s start with the benefits! Regarding visitor management as a part of sustainability, the protection and conservation of resources provided will ensure visitors get more natural (and presumably beautiful) visuals of the surroundings with less people to crowd that view. With proper visitor planning and monitoring tourists will be more likely to have shorter lines at attractions and potentially see much more than they otherwise would. Sustainable practices that have included all local businesses as well as residents create an environment where every tourist interaction will be a positive one, increasing the overall enjoyment of the visit. While not a guaranteed direct result of visitor management, the destinations practicing this tend to attract more responsible visitors and have even requested pledges from visitors to commit to sustainable behavior.

To sum up the topic of benefits to consumer, the products offered by a destination that ensures inclusion as well as support from all relevant stakeholders are sure to be top notch experiences for the visitors. As for potential negative consequences, the flipside to the benefits mentioned above would be that availability for certain attractions are lessened – or even unavailable completely – to maintain the quality and preservation of that attraction. It could mean that certain regulations set to ensure sustainability might restrict the potential choices of visitors to the destination, giving the visitor a perception that they are missing out on certain experiences.

As for benefits and consequences to the destination (tourism industry as well as local residents), there are definitely a number of items in both of those categories as sustainability takes effort and comes at a cost. Those costs however are more than made up for by the long-term value that properly planned and implemented sustainable tourism management will bring. Benefits to the tourism industry of an effective plan go beyond the direct positive impact that sustainable tourism can bring such as protecting local landscapes, reducing pollution, and responsible energy consumption. Indirect benefits experienced include the socio-cultural growth and connection with the local community that promotes more reliable long-term success for the destination, a benefit to both the tourism industry as well as the local residents.

The additional benefit brought by Savannah’s best practice of collaborative/inclusive planning is the speed at which these positive impacts can be felt when all stakeholders are working together in the same direction with the same goals in mind. The potential for disagreement and protest of any given decision is minimized, and the fact that those decisions will also have the support of nearly all stakeholders after implementation will ensure its success is long lasting and impactful. It is this ability to utilize the teamwork of Savannah’s stakeholders (the tourism industry, local businesses, local residents, government, visitors, etc.) to quickly act on positive measures and continue to support them through cooperation after implementation that gives the city’s best practice such value.

Short-term economic arguments are often used to justify an unwillingness to change established routines.

The consequences of implementing a sustainable tourism plan center greatly on the costs involved, and as this article presents many researchers have noted that sustainable tourism and the costs to achieve it fly in the face of some standard business tenets. These include the ideas that “one of the main goals of tourism development is to maximize economic benefits” and that “from a sustainability perspective the public debate often focuses on the short-term consequences … and hence short-term economic arguments are often used to justify an unwillingness to change established routines.” Not only is the methodology behind a sustainable tourism system more expensive on the surface, it is also the cost of change involved in abandoning older methods with short-term benefit for a more costly one with a longer time frame of profitability in mind.

These consequences are minimized when the stakeholders involved are all working together toward the goal of sustainability; they understand and accept that some short-term gains might be lost when building something with much more lasting value. In fact, a greater consequence would be one found in this study involving the potential adoption of a Protected Area (PA) in a national park in Vietnam. While the government and tourism industry fully understand the benefits of adopting the PA, the local residents only understood it to be a benefit for tourism but not for themselves. Not ensuring the inclusion and understanding from all stakeholders in this situation led to a lack of support from the local population when it came to environmental protection and conservation efforts by the tourism industry.

While many other DMOs across the country (and world) also have their sights set on a long-term sustainable tourism plan, some may be finding it hard to take that first step. They might fear those consequences mentioned above, from costs to potential lack of support and many in between. I believe that Savannah as a case study – and their tourism plan as a template – would be an excellent method to encourage other DMOs to take the leap. Most DMOs understand that implementing sustainable tourism isn’t an overnight endeavor, and the hard work needed can be seen in the five years of research the city of Savannah put in from 2012-2017, before gathering all relevant stakeholders to begin the three-phase development of the TMP.

“We need to protect what makes Savannah unique to the people who live, work, and visit here.”

-Executive Summary, Savannah Tourism Management Plan.

The Executive Summary of the TMP elaborates on what each phase contributed to the final product, and the last sentence of page 4 sums it up nicely: “What emerged from the hundreds of hours of input received was the common thread – we need to protect what makes Savannah unique to the people who live, work, and visit here.” That statement could ring true for hundreds of DMOs worldwide, as the assets that make each destination unique is why tourists visit. However those who live and work in the destination also need consideration if long-term success with sustainable tourism is to be achieved. That simple statement emphasizes the importance of including all relevant stakeholders in the planning process and was the genesis of what became the TMP for Savannah. Based on the success of Savannah tourism following that plan – rebounding to 96% of pre-pandemic level employment after losing nearly half its base – their example could go a long way in inspiring and encouraging other DMOs to follow their path.

If we hope to encourage all DMOs to make a strong move toward more sustainable practices, there needs to be a centralized organization whose purpose is to focus solely on that goal. The importance of sustainability does not exist just within a certain state, or even country. The entire world should be sharing this goal which means the organization should have interaction with and influence over all countries where sustainable tourism can be a goal. Because of this far reaching necessity and the importance of making this a priority today, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the best agency for this role. 160 countries are already a member state of the organization, and it in fact already holds sustainable development of tourism as the premier topic in its core focus items with a committee dedicated to accomplishing it. While there should certainly be agencies at the country and state/region levels like the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board which also has “Drivers and Incentives for Sustainability” in its 2022 recommendations, having an international agency with the backing of the United Nations is the best way to ensure that a focus on sustainable tourism becomes and remains a worldwide topic.

If I were Secretary-General of the UNWTO one of my strategies for encouraging more involvement would be the continued effort in shifting the public narrative to focus on the benefits to nations (as well as their bottom line) that a well thought out sustainability plan can bring instead of the consequences of not doing so. The agency itself has done this in its own messaging with press releases focusing on progress (UNWTO 1, UNWTO 2). However, supporters of sustainable tourism that continue to proclaim the negative impacts resulting from a lack of focus can be see in blogs (Sally Sees, Green Global) and articles (USA Today, World Atlas). They focus on damage being done instead of opportunities that exist, and that is the stance I would be trying to influence. New studies are showing that the traditional view of the stick being more effective than the carrot as means of motivation do not hold true when looking at prosocial behavior. What this means is that when the focus is on doing good for others and for society and not oneself, the carrot becomes the stronger motivator.

An additional strategy that I would employ is the one that I have been conveying as the reason for success in the city of Savannah which I believe can translate from a single city to a hundred nations: inclusion and cooperation. I would strive to find a method for all 160 member states to feel represented, heard, and considered. This is a powerful method to earn their buy-in and increase the likelihood of their participation in the sustainable tourism recommendations. It may be a bit harder to achieve on a global level, but its impact would be equally powerful.

In the real world however, I am not the UNWTO Secretary-General, but my ability to support and improve sustainability as a consumer and industry practitioner is ultimately the most important factor. It is the combined behavior of individuals that determines the success or failure of the movement. As individuals we make choices about traveling that have impacts: how we travel, where we go, when we do it, what we do when we’re there – all things that have answers which can hurt or help the sustainable tourism movement.

How we travel means being conscientious of the combined impact our travels make on the environment. Are you flying to another country to take a cab from the airport to your hotel? Maybe consider instead taking a train as planes are the least friendly travel method. Instead of cabs try public transportation to reach your hotel, and utilize non-impactful methods like bicycles to reach local attractions. When considering where to visit try avoiding places like Barcelona and Machu Picchu that are currently addressing an overtourism problem. Or if you really have been wanting to visit a destination that is dealing with mild overtourism be sure to schedule your trip during the off season so you don’t contribute to the problem. Once we’ve arrived we can further contribute to sustainability with simple acts like not littering, having your own re-usable water bottle, and buying local to contribute to their economy.

We may be just one traveler, but the move to sustainability is dependent on all stakeholders. As shown with Visit Savannah effective planning is a process that includes every person and group impacted by tourism. The success or failure of that plan is going to come down to every stakeholder doing their part, all the way down to the individual. While some might say that one person isn’t going to make a difference, I would disagree; a movement that can change our world for the better is built one person at a time. You now know ways to be one more person in the continued movement toward sustainable tourism, keeping the industry – as well as our planet – on a better path for the future.

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