Although there has
been a continuous increase in global tourism despite the economic recession
(902 million international travelers in 2008 – a 4% increase over 2007),
negative effects are also being identified by businesses and governments alike.
One of the ways to counter detrimental effects is for tourists and locals to
engage in sustainable tourism practices. The demand for sustainable tourism is
difficult to assess, however, as most figures are anecdotal and reflect a
willingness to participate rather than pay.
Although multiple studies have been conducted by organizations such as Lonely Planet, National Geographic and others, there is little research data about visitors to Canada, let alone Canada’s biggest city – Toronto. A 2007 study conducted by Arente and Ennamorato on Canadian tourists’ awareness and perceptions of sustainable tourism found that only 12% of Canadians are ‘somewhat’ familiar with the concept of sustainable tourism while 31% had never even heard of it. As for participation in sustainable tourism practices, 49% would choose to participate in activities that have sustainable benefits while travelling and 42% would use travel agencies that follow sustainable tourism guidelines. Over 75% of respondents believe that businesses that market and sell tourism as well as mass media should take on the responsibility of distributing information on sustainable tourism.
To augment this
data, a recent study of 400 visitors to Toronto was conducted by Dodds, Antonov,
Babkina & Gordon (2008). The purpose of the study was to determine the
level of demand for and use of sustainable tourism products (e.g., choosing
responsible tour operators, carbon offsetting flights and car rentals,
purchasing green products and services such as hotels who showcased
environmental policies, and organic and fair trade food/products).
Findings
The study found
that young and not necessarily affluent respondents were willing to pay for
sustainable products. Of the respondents, 46% were between the ages of 19- 29
and had a relatively low household income (48% with an income of $24-59,000).
Results showed that 11% were willing to pay 11-25% more and 59% of respondents
were willing to pay 1-10% more.
Although there is
often confusion over the term ‘sustainable tourism’ (45% had never heard of
sustainable tourism or were not familiar with it as a form of tourism), 72% of
respondents said they were likely to use sustainable tourism products in the
future.
The study also
found that the more respondents were likely to consider buying sustainable
tourism products in the future (77%), the more likely they would pay a premium
for them.
In terms of
motivation or choice, 44% of respondents said they participated in sustainable
tourism practices because they did not want to harm the environment. Although
this number is not the majority, many people were also concerned that it
corresponded with their moral values (38%) and understood the importance of
doing so (39%).
Conclusions
Many sceptics
maintain that there is not outstanding participation in or widespread demand
for more responsible tourism products. This, however, may be due to limited
awareness (33% of the travellers who had never purchased sustainable tourism
products said that this was because they were not aware of them).
Canadian travellers
are also comparable to international travellers. In a 2007 TripAdvisor
ecotourism survey of 1,000 travelers worldwide, 38% responded that
environmentally-friendly tourism is a consideration when travelling. This
finding is similar to the Toronto study. Only 4% of respondents were ‘not at
all’ likely to participate in sustainable tourism practices while travelling in
the future, while 44% were ‘somewhat’ likely to consider purchasing sustainable
tourism products.
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