Many businesses are currently working towards incorporating sustainability into their products and service, whilst at the same time eco-tourism seems to be the catch-phrase on every other person’s lips. Many businesses actively promote themselves as eco-tourism operations. However these are typically very small, or exclusive and invariably expensive, with only small ecological “footprints”. Treasure Island in the last two years, despite already achieving Green Globe accreditation in 2005, has stepped up to the challenge to strive for the highest standards of sustainable eco-tourism. During this time it has successfully and profitably operated as a 3 1/2 star affordable resort in a difficult time politically, while additionally undertaking renovations, without compromising its ecological improvements. In this following report the eco/sustainability status of Treasure Island Resort will be examined and described. The many ways it excels as a sustainable eco-tourism operation will be outlined, as well as the strategy and policy which will drive continuing advances in this area for years to come.
To look at why this is significant we need to first look at the definitions of eco-tourism and sustainability; and also why it is vital that these standards be available to the average Fijian holiday maker, not just the ones prepared to rough it in remote areas with cold water and composting toilets, or those who can afford to pay huge amount of $$ per night for the peace of mind that their holiday isn’t damaging the environment or local culture.
Eco-tourism is certainly a catch phrase of the new millennium, and frequently one which is incorrectly used. Hence the first objective here is to have an understanding of the ethical use of this term so as to be able to apply it to the operations of TIL without reproach. There are many ways to describe eco-tourism, but much of the terminology and phrasing in the following description must be attributed to “Sustainable Tourism Info-Sheets”
published online by “http://www.gdrc.org” www.gdrc.org. (Global Development Research Centre):-
Eco-tourism is typically defined as destinations where the flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions (rather than the hotel itself). An interesting analogy was that if you went to stay in a hotel in an area famous for its birds then that is merely “tourism”. If you went to stay at the same place, but you went with a local guide on a bird watching trip which had minimal impact on the environment, led to you to contribute to the local community’s economy, and had interpretation that led you to learn about the birds and their ecosystem (whilst having a positive or at the least not negative impact on your host’s culture) then that is “ecotourism”. The goal is to enable people to enjoy and learn about the natural, historical, and cultural characteristics of unique environments while preserving the integrity of those sites and stimulating the economic development opportunities in local communities. These days “eco-tourism” is in addition to that a far more scientifically based approach with an emphasis on the planning and management of sustainable tourism. Tourism Concern, as quoted by gdrc.org also advocates with respect to eco-tourism…
“1. Tourism that is just, yielding benefits that are fairly distributed.
2. Tourism that is participatory, recognising the rights of residents.
3. Tourism that is sustainable”
Successful eco-tourism operations promote the preservation of the whole ecosystem and culture; not just one aspect/ vista/species. They are financially viable while still supporting and developing local communities (i.e. an equitable profit share- not one party making all the money); and they are well planned, managed and marketed to continue to meet the stringent demands of running such an operation and be noted for it. Most true eco-destinations have fragile ecosystems, so it is very important to be maintaining a consistent and sustainable standard.
The Cambridge dictionary defines sustainable as follows…
Adjective:
1 able to continue over a period of time:
That sort of extreme diet is not sustainable over a long period.
2 causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time:
A large international meeting was held with the aim of promoting sustainable development in all countries.
Hence sustainable tourism uses guidelines, disciplines and criteria across the length and breadth of the operation that seek to reduce environmental impacts, especially those on non-renewable resources. Sustainability is a concept which runs through both the operation and the supply and distribution chains, so a top to bottom analysis by or within each department is essential before any claim can be made to have a “sustainable tourism operation”. Essentially the idea is to develop practice that could theoretically be maintained forever without damaging anything- locally, or globally. Ensuring suppliers and contractors are also responsible is an integral part of the responsibility of a sustainable resort. Finally, if sustainability is to become a marketing tool, then it is important that it is objectively measured and benchmarked, preferably by reputable “auditors” (any persons qualified to be able to look at the performance of an area without bias) as well as “peers”. Hence reviewing Treasure Island Resort’s sustainability status annually for peer review in a process such as the Aon Fiji Excellence in Tourism awards is a vital part of the process and extremely valuable.
With global warming now a reality rather than merely an unproven theory people have never before been so focused on the sustainability or carbon footprint of their own lives, which includes their holiday destination. HRH The Prince of Wales, as President of the International Business Leaders Forum, recently stated “The industry as a whole now needs to design, develop, refurbish and operate a new generation of tourism destinations that have a minimal ecological footprint and which also support and strengthen the communities in which they operate”. With all of us being called upon to make a change the question is always which businesses will be willing to take a chance and lead the way? Treasure Island has always sat in the midst of a fragile coral reef environment, and has been Green Globe accredited now for three years, so had already attained a high standard of sustainability; however in the last two years the Chairman, Owners, Directors and on island staff from the GM down have taken up the challenge to prove that the highest standard of eco-policy is achievable in current climate in Fiji without damaging profit or guest experience, thereby setting a benchmark for other 3-4 star Fijian properties to aspire to. Considerable change and improvement have taken place over the past two years across the entire operation, however the most vital thing is that strategic policy is being set so that this performance will continue to improve every year, any new development or refurbishment will be undertaken at the highest possible level of eco-practice, and reputable systems of audit are being set up to benchmark these standards.
It has never been more important for tourism operations to not only protect their
immediate environment, but also lighten their load on the planet, and provide affordable sustainable travel/tourism/accommodation options. The onus is on every tourism operation in Fiji to not only strive for a high level of sustainability, but to improve this each year as part of our obligation to protect the world around us.
Key Standards of Eco-tourism and Treasure’s Performance
At the moment there are a lot of commonly recognised areas that are rationalised to achieve sustainable eco-tourism status, and they will be considered here in no particular order. The irony here is that to discuss the eco-performance of an operation as diverse as an island resort -especially one such as Treasure where a lot of initiatives have been undertaken in the past two years, with many more planned -will take a lot of time (especially to read) -and paper! So the island’s initiatives will be reviewed in the following pages with respect to what are considered the key steps for moving a tourism operation towards sustainability:
-Policy and Framework, and commitment from staff from the top down
-Environmental Management- Saving of Energy and Emissions,
-Carbon Neutrality
-Conservation of Waste
-Limiting of Chemical use
-Management of Waste and its Removal
-Regular Auditing and Benchmarking of Environmental Management
-Purchasing and monitoring of supply chain
-Protection of People, Communities and Culture
-Destination Protection including interpretation and restoration
As previously stated these are in no particular order but are in relation at times to the eco-principle involved, and other times in relation to the area itself, e.g. the coral reef or specific department such as marine operations or kids club where many eco-principles may be applied. Treasure Island Resort is an island resort currently consisting of 64 bures, as well as services such as the restaurant, boutique, marine/boat operation, mainland office warehouse and reservations centre and blessed to be located on a perfect coral atoll with wonderful marine attractions, and in addition to this is undertaking considerable rebuilding and renovation; so in considering performance there will be many aspects to look at.
