The Tour Operators’ Initiative: tour operators in action for sustainable development

at the United Nations Environment Programme-DTIE www.toinitiative.org

The Tour Operators’ Initiative:

tour operators in action for sustainable development


Tour Operators’ role

• Direct the flow of tourists

• Influence the development of destinations

• Influence the supply chain

• Influence customers’ choices and

behaviour


The business perspective

Sustainability helps:

• Retain and gain clients

• Increase revenue

• Reduce costs and improve operational efficiency

• Manage risks

• Enhance staff performance

• Protect the core assets of the business (Environment

and Culture)

• Enhance brand value and reputation


Linking sustainability to a sound business

Actions to integrate environmental, social

and economic principles can be taken in:

• Internal Management

• Supply Chain Management

• Product Management and Development

• Customer Relations

• Co-operation with destinations


Linking sustainability to a sound

business :

some examples


• Formalised company commitment to

environmental, social and economic

sustainability

• Key elements: Mission Statement and Code of

Practice

• Creation of a responsible tourism manager

position

• Responsible tourism seminars for Exodus’ staff

Exodus: Development of a Responsible Tourism Policy


• Public report on environmental

actions and results:

– Based on GRI Sustainability

Reporting Guidelines and

Performance Indicators

– Two main sections: management

statements and actions areas

– Information about company’s goals

for the coming year

– Key financial figures, glossary, TOI

statement

Hotelplan: Environmental Reporting


• Hotel contracts with minimum environmental criteria

• Classification system for company’s hotels and

holiday apartments, based on:

– performance on 35 sustainability measures (e.g. waste

management)

– 100-point scale

– four level of hotel classification (minimum level - three star)

Aurinkomatkat-Suntours: Green Contracting for Hotels


• Development of the manual ‘The

Environmentally Friendly Holiday

Hotel’ in five languages

• Addressed topics include drinking

water, outside areas, energy,

purchasing, waste and communication

• 15,000 copies distributed in 2002

• Distributed through LTU’s tour

guides, sales agents and destination

agencies

LTU Touristik: Technical Assistance to Contracted

Hotels


MyTravel Northern Europe: ‘50 Steps Towards a Good

Environment’• 50 environmental actions hotels

can adopt voluntarily

• 11 categories are targeted (e.g.

cleaning, F&B, purchasing)

• Manual and poster to support

the programme

• Annual ‘MyTravel Environment

Award’ for hotels receiving best

results on customer

questionnaires


‘Care for the Environment

Programme’ (Attenzione per

l’Ambiente):

• Opening up a constructive

dialogue on environmental issues

through an an ‘Environmental

Checklist’

• Information collected highlighted

in the catalogues

• Customers’ feedback to monitor

performance

Orizzonti: Green Checklist for Hotels


• Holiday programmes developed

by local organizations to protect

local environment and culture

• Donations generated through

the holiday programme

• Collaboration and partnerships

with 37 NGOs since 1997

DiscoveryInitiatives: Holiday Programmes that Support Local

Development and Conservation


• Three objectives:

– Raise consumers’ awareness

– Integrate sustainability into

resorts

– Build partnerships with local

communities

• The Interpreter becomes the

focal point on sustainability

matters internally and externally

Ventaglio: Environmental Interpreter Programme


Establishement of the

‘Umweltfranken’ (Eco-Fund) to

support projects and activities that

would :

– Actively involve guests and

stakeholders in destinations

– Support integration of social aspects

into Hotelplan’s activities

– Support Hotelplan’s environmental

commitment financially

Hotelplan: An Eco-Fund to Support Sustainability


Tour Operators’ Initiative

A network of committed tour operators Over twenty tour operators members catering for more than 30 million tourists Open only to tour operators of all sizes and specialities, in bound and out bound from all countries of the world

A partnership between three international organizations

UNEP, UNESCO and WTO/OMT work together to guide and provide assistance to the members UNEP DTIE hosts the Secretariat of the TOI



Accor Tours (France)Atlas VoyagesMorocco)Aurinkomatkat-Suntours (Finland)DiscoveryInitiatives (UK)Dynamic Tours (Morocco)Exodus (UK)First Choice (UK and Ireland)FreeWay Adventures (Brazil)G.A.P. Adventures (Canada)Hotelplan (Switzerland)

Orizzonti (Italy)Premier Tours (USA)KEL 12 (Italy)LTU-Touristik (Germany)NSTravel (The Netherlands)Settemari (Italy)Studiosus (Germany)Travel Walji’s PVT (Pakistan)TUI Group (Germany)VASCO Travel (Turkey)Ventaglio (Italy)



Launched by UNEP, UNESCO and WTO to:

• Catalyse the actions of committed tour operators

• Provide a neutral platform for dialogue among tour operators and between tour operators and other stakeholders

• Provide guidance and motivation


The Objectives

• Assist tour operators in implementing sustainable tourism through the adoption of best practices in their internal operations, in the supply chain and in the destination

• Broaden the support to sustainable development of other players in the tourism sector, including tourists

• Create the critical mass of committed tour operators


A Commitment to Sustainable Development

Members of the TOI have signed a Statement of Commitment that includes - among others - commitments to:

• Adopt best practices with regards to environmental, social-cultural and economic impacts of their activities internally and when forming business relationships with partners, suppliers and sub-contractors.


A Commitment to Sustainable Development

• Encourage and seek co-operation with all stakeholders at destinations to develop an integrated planning and management of destinations.

• Create awareness and active involvement in their customers towards the natural, social and cultural environments they visit by promoting, in their communication and advertising, behaviors and activities compatible with sustainable development’s principles.

• Develop the principles in their corporate policy, establish measurable goals and report regularly.


Working with other organizations

• Contribute in ‘ad hoc’ activities and working groups (WG on Sustainability Reporting, Poverty Alleviation information campaign, internal reports, Side meeting, etc) and Provide funding• Take an active role in shaping the TOI participating as advisor to planning phase and supporting financially activities• The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business at Conservation International and GTZ have actively contributed to the work of the TOI


TOI Results achieved

Building partnerships with destinations: • Establishment of a partnership with Side (Turkey) and organizations of workshops to improve the dialogue with stakeholders at destination (April 2002 and May 2003)

• Sustainable Tourism Round Table in Punta Cana/Bayahibe (3-4 December 2003) that led to the development of an agenda and establishment of a Co-ordinating Body



Supply Chain Management:• Assessment checklist to identify environmentally and socially responsible marine recreation providers and “Practical guide to good practice for marine recreation providers”

• Handbook identifying actions and tools to integrate sustainability principles in supply chain management, including accommodation suppliers screening indicators



• “Practical Guide to good practice for the accommodation sector”, in co-operation with CI/CELB, with best practices for hotels 30.000 copies disseminated by members of the TOI to their contracted hotels•The guide has been now translated in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Turkish



Sustainability Reporting:• The Tour Operator’s sector supplement to the GRI 2002 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines

• User’s manual



• Workshop on integrating sustainable development into the tour operators’ businesses (Rimini 30 June - 1 July 2001)• Workshop on “Using networks of World Heritage Sites in tour design” (Jakarta, 11-13 September 2002)• Internal reports (coral reef and tourism; communication to customers; ecolabels as a supply chain tool)• Poverty alleviation information campaign• The TOI web site (www.toinitiative.org)


“Sustainable Tourism: the Tour operators’ Contribution”

• 32 examples of good practice grouped by tour operator’s business areas

• Examples highlight also benefits to tour operators’ business


For more information:

Giulia CarboneUnited Nations Environment Programme

[email protected]

www.toinitiative.orgwww.uneptie.org/tourism

Documents

The Tour Operators’ Initiative: tour operators in action for sustainable development