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Sustainable Tourism Certification
An idea whose time has come?

Introduction  

In an era of information overload, consumers are often wrought with the problem of too many choices.  This is especially true for conscientious consumers whose purchasing decisions are oftentimes aligned with their values. Which products are safe for their children? What companies are actively engaged in corporate responsibility? The almost overwhelming number of choices and decisions to be made also applies to making travel plans. Though most everybody travels, historically there have been few ways that consumers could make informed and responsible choices that are healthy for themselves and the planet - until now.  

After fours years of development in conjunction with the travel and tourism industry and other stakeholders from around the world, Sustainable Travel International (STI) and NSF International (www.nsf.org) launched their Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Program (STEP) in February 2007. STEP is the world’s first comprehensive, global sustainable tourism certification program offered by a non-profit organization.  It is designed to be user-friendly, educational in nature, practical as a measurement and management tool, and applicable to tourism businesses of all sizes, including newcomers to sustainability, those wanting to improve their existing approach, and businesses that have long-standing sustainability programs.  Furthermore, the program’s pricing structure is designed to limit the barriers to entry with application fees starting as low as US$200.   

The launch of this program is timely.  As the Green Movement gains momentum around the world, there is a growing need to address greenwashing within the travel and tourism industry and assist providers in adopting standards for business practices that help to support environmental conservation and protect cultural heritage while promoting cross-cultural understanding and economic development.  

Benefits of Certification  

There is ample evidence that supports the fact that travel and tourism providers who engage in and support sustainable business practices can save money, generate publicity, expand their marketing reach and improve profitability.  While these benefits are attractive, the primary benefits revolve around impact management.   

Many industry leaders argue that tourism and conservation go hand in hand and that tourism businesses are not built at the expense of the environment and local cultures – they’re built by celebrating them.  By reducing the negative impacts associated with tourism and enhancing positive impacts, travel and tourism providers can conserve natural capital while preserving the assets that they trade upon and in the process, avoid ‘the tragedy of the commons.’         

STEP is, therefore, designed to provide the following benefits:

• Enhanced Quality.  STEP is focused on impact management, helping travel and tourism providers to ensure the preservation of destinations and cultures for future generations which equates to more attractive environments.
  
• Improved Profitability.  STEP is a systematic approach that lowers costs through resource productivity and waste reduction while positively contributing to environmental conservation and the well being of local people.
  
• Broader Market Appeal.  Travel and tourism providers licensed to use STEP logos demonstrate their commitment and performance to sustainability, making them more attractive to responsible travelers, one of the fastest growing segments in the travel industry.  

The Four-step Certification Process  

STEP is designed to assist travel and tourism providers in identifying, measuring and managing their environmental, economic, and socio-cultural impacts, ultimately, working to enhance their positive impacts and mitigate their negative impacts:

1. Preliminary Considerations. Tourism providers who wish to be eco-certified first need to establish a baseline level of performance and implement a system for measuring and managing their impacts.
   
2. Self-assessment. Encompasses a set of required standards and related questions with weighted point values designated to determine the extent to which an applicant meet the principles of sustainable development. Successful applicants are eligible for 1-2 stars.
   
3. On-site Audit. Tourism providers who complete steps one and two can request an on-site audit.  STEP-certified assessors undertake on-site audits to verify applicant's performance and document and compare their findings with the information provided by the applicant in their self-assessment application.
   
4. Evaluation. A voluntary third-party evaluation committee then reviews the assessor's report and determines whether to eco-certify the applicant and at what level. Successful applicants are eligible for 3-5 stars.  

Change is Good  

As with consensus building in any industry there has been and will continue to be, healthy debate about the positive and negative aspects of sustainable tourism certification, whether or not it should exist, and if so what the best structure is.  

Many travel and tourism providers proclaim that we should let the tourist dollar speak, rather than a sustainable tourism certification program. This only holds true in economic theory – in a world of perfect knowledge where everyone understands the true impacts of their decisions – which simply doesn't exist. Remember, there is a reason AAA ratings, Energy Star certified, and certified organic food labels exist; people respect what they stand for.  Many companies are hesitant to get involved for financial reasons, and rightly so, implementing a system the "triple bottom line" of economic, environmental and social performance is time consuming and can be costly.  But what is the alternative?  

The UNWTO announced earlier this year that there were 842 million arrivals in 2006, reflecting a 4.5% growth rate and a new record year for the travel and tourism industry. This is great news for the industry, but as visitation increases and new areas are developed, the question is – can the growth be maintained without compromising the quality of fragile destinations and pristine resources? Anyone who has witnessed the degradation of their favorite destination will be able to answer this question.  

Given the major problems we face in this day and age – global climate change, mass extinctions of cultures, etc. – and the fact that the travel and tourism industry really has a lot to lose, there really is no better time than the present for the industry to embrace sustainable tourism and support more responsible business practices.  

Those interested in getting involved are invited to review the STEP brochure and or visit www.ecocertification.org.