SHIFTING GEARS:

Building a New Tourism for a New Century

Number 2 TravelWatch June 1995

The Context
As we approach the turn of the millennium, there is overwhelming evidence that the earth and humankind is experiencing changes of a fundamental nature which are affecting: The Environment: a succession of environmental crises and warning signals from Mother Earth are reminding humankind that, as physical beings, we operate within the limits of time and space. We share this planet with other life forms and our survival is dependent on their health and well-being. The Economy: while wealth was once a factor of horsepower and the manufacture of things and was associated with a place, affluence is now a factor of brainpower harnessed to create fresh ideas, concepts and techniques that can be spread around the globe in an instant. As a consequence, old economic structures are crumbling, new flexible and fluid corporate and political "structures are emerging to populate geopolitical landscapes that would be unrecognisable to previous generations. Society: our societal structures creak and strain under the environmental and economic pressures from without as well as the personal pressures exerted from within - by billions of individuals whose aspirations are changing and whose ability to predict and control the future is dissipating. In the so-called developed world, we are fed a litany of social woes on a daily basis (congestion, crime, addiction, family breakdown, declining health and educational standards, growing distrust of government etc. ) The Individual: most importantly, more and more individuals are changing the way they think; the way they see the world and interpret reality. As we ascend Maslow's hierarchy of needs, growing numbers of people are recognising that there is more to life than material acquisition. There is evidence of a search for spiritual meaning, value and purpose; a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all life forms and the sacredness of life.

our ability to understand and respond to those forces in creative ways.

The Tourism Sector as Change Agent

Traditionally tourism has had a tendency to follow not lead the forces for change and growth in our society. 1 We have been responsive not anticipatory - when the steam engine was invented we climbed on board the steamships and the railways to expand our reach; when the jumbo jet was created we moved the masses into more exotic places with greater frequency and ever greater numbers. Our values and objectives in tourism have reflected and followed those of our society. Destinations became commodities - pieces of sunny, exotic or adventure-filled "real estate" that could be "packaged" and sold. Guests became, at best, nameless passengers and, at worst, mere person-nights - mobile generators of revenue, foreign exchange and positive multipliers. At the same time, tourism has traditionally been viewed by other economic sectors as the "poor cousin" and for many years its existence and contribution was hardly recognised. Tourism managers and leaders were not the originators of new economic models, management styles nor strategic visions for the future. Instead, they followed or adapted the management fashions of the day - management by objectives, yield management, brand management, total quality control etc. But the very success of tourism - especially since the demise of the Cold War and the emergence of the service sector as the dominant, influential economic engine, is thrusting one of the world's largest and most ubiquitous sectors onto central stage. The tourism industry is maturing and slowly attracting a new breed of thoughtful, strategic thinkers and leaders less obsessed with short-term operational problems, who might influence as well as be influenced. There are several compelling reasons why tourism has a responsibility to spawn the leaders of the next century and focus more attention on the pressing issues of sustainability and peaceful co-existence:

1. Our Size: tourism cannot claim to be the world's Since this is the context in which global tourism largest industry and then duck responsibility for operates, our success - however defined - depends on TravelWatch The Strategy Group Page 1

addressing the problems that affect the global community. 2. Our Livelihood Depends on It: the environment and the diverse cultures that inhabit planet earth are our base product. Our future rests directly on our ability to protect and steward those environmental and cultural resources.

selling products consumers.

or

commodities

to

nameless

We have made a habit of referring to the tourism "industry" implying a mechanical, formal structure with neatly interlocking parts, where every part has a fixed and clearly defined role. Traditionally, our compartmentalised, building block approach to tourism has divided this dynamic phenomenon into 3. Our Universality. Tourism has reached every nook eight, tidy sectors - each seemingly separate and and cranny of this globe and involves people of all distinct from the other: Accommodation. Food & races, religions, colours and stages of Beverage, Outdoor Recreation, Wise men and women development. We have the option to Ecotourism and Adventure Travel; over the years have be the vanguard rather than the Transportation; Travel Trade; rearguard of change. What our consistently warned that Attractions; Meetings & Events; industry chooses to do can affect so Support Services etc. change must start from many, can set new models of hope and positive change. within - we cannot hope But in the same way that we have ceased to view the planet, our galaxy 4. Market Demand: research has to change the planet and and the universe as a static structure shown that the majority of travellers improve both the quality made up of discrete building blocks, are more likely to support companies nor should we view tourism as an of our natural or that help preserve the environment industrial machine. Instead, we cultural environments and are willing to pay more on should view it as a living organism, a average for the goods and services body - the "body politic" (to borrow unless we first start at supplied by those environmentally from Shakespeare). The flesh, bones home responsible companies. and many of the organs of the tourism body are equivalent to the 5. Good Businesses Sense. Following the three R's of lodging, food, beverage, attractions, recreation and the environmental ethic - reduce, reuse and recycle retail enterprises. The energy or blood flow that has consistently been shown to improve the bottom courses through the tourism body is the market - the line. tourists - and without that flow of energy the tourism body would atrophy and collapse. The transportation 6. Were in the Healing Business: We go on vacation sector provides the arteries along which the blood can to "get away from it all" to rest, relax, recuperate, flow to all the extremities of the body. Those involved rejuvenate, re-charge our batteries and "come alive". in research, planning, and policy etc. are the glands Consequently, tourism is already playing a major role and nervous system of the tourism body which, like as a Force for Renewal - as a Force for all organisms, do not exist in a vacuum, but within a Transformation. larger host environment.

How Might Tourism Lead?

Wise men and women over the years have consistently warned that change must start from within - we cannot hope to change the planet and improve both the quality of our natural or cultural environments unless we first start at home - within the tourism sector itself. Unless we can alter the way we view the world; unless we experience our own "paradigm shift" or have our own "change of heart". In tourism this calls for a new model, a new paradigm for tourism that meets the need of the whole man: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. A new model that measures growth in qualitative terms instead of merely quantitative ones. A deeper more inspiring vision that sees tourism embedded within a matrix, an intricate web of inter-connected relationships, A clearer more accurate perspective that views tourism as an organic system - like a living organism - and not a mere set of discrete sectors, TravelWatch 2

The tourism system is not a closed, self-contained structure but a dynamic "open system" where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. And as an open system, its survival and development depends on a balanced exchange of matter and energy with its host environment. As an open system, tourism is connected with every aspect of life on this planet and, as a result, both its survival and its health is all about achieving balance between the four core elements of the tourism system:

The Strategy Group

Page

1. Guests: the market of travellers and consumers who

The economy

and society

operate

within the

The problems brought on by tourisms growth are beginning to cause real concern. Tourists are returning home dissatisfied with the experience; destinations are experiencing unanticipated problems; local people feel disenfranchised; and businesses are feeling increased pressure on their ability to make a profit. 2
create demand for the products and services supplied by 2. Suppliers: those business enterprises who ensure that the tourists needs for a resting place, food and drink, entertainment and transportation are met in a way that sustains their business; 3. Host community: those employees and community residents who also are knowingly or sometimes unknowingly involved in the act of welcoming and providing hospitality to a guest; and 4. The Natural Environment of land, water, air and their inhabitants of animals and plants that provides the setting in which the encounter between guest and host can take place. By drawing on the powerful symbol of the Medicine Wheel, we can envision the tourism system as having wheel-like qualities. In two dimensional terms, this system can be represented as follows: ecosystem of the planet whose health depends on an intricate balance being held between the elemental forces of earth, air, fire and water. Each individual also enjoys health and develops his or her full potential as a human being only to the extent that they achieve a balance between their four aspects: body, mind, spirit and soul. Traditionally theorists and philosophers have argued that the three pillars of sustainability are the balance between economy, society and environment. But they have neglected the fourth and most important pillar of any "system" - the individual expression of that totality - the person. If we as individuals are living out of balance, then our participation in the social, economic and environmental spheres will be out of balance too. Valuable as sustainable economic models may be in reducing ecological damage, they will not on their own be sufficient to meet the challenges ahead. The changes we need to make go far deeper. In order to develop a caring attitude towards the world, we need to develop a new model of ourselves, a new sense of who we are and what it is that we really want. We have to move beyond the limited perception that sees fulfilment only in the joys we can derive from the world around. We must come to value our inner development as much as, if not more than, our material development. In other words we need a change of attitude - a change of heart. 3 This circular, connected model of a dynamic tourism system manifests itself on both a macro and a micro level. On the macro level it means balancing the four elements of the system: In reality, there are a whole series of interlocking circles or spheres of influence. Tourism is one circle within a much larger economic and social system now encompassing the entire globe - the global economy. And within each of the four elements of the Tourism Wheel, there are further circles and cycles: Tourism suppliers (businesses in tourism) form part of an economic system whose health depends on the balance of capital, labour, resources and technology. The economic system operates within a social system - the Host Community - whose health involves balancing the needs and powers of individuals, families, communities and institutions, - insufficient attention to the tourist, the guest, and the market will dry up - the body will starve and die; - insufficient attention to the needs of the supplier for profit, for return on investment, security of tenure etc. and they will also wither; - insufficient attention to the needs, hopes and aspirations of the host community and they may say "enough is enough" - insufficient attention to the natural environment and we will destroy what attracted the visitor in the first place. On the micro level it again means ensuring that we cater to the whole person: TravelWatch 3 The Strategy Group Page

Host Community

Guest

Supplier

Environment

- on the physical side we must ensure our guests' experience is comfortable, clean and safe; we must clean up our beaches, freshen the foul air, dispose of our waster properly and restore our heritage; - on the social/emotional level it means enriching our guests' experience while ensuring that those who serve them also retain their sense of dignity, pride and self respect; - on the mental side, it means providing sufficient intellectual stimulation and information that interprets and enriches our guests' experiences and enhances their knowledge and understanding of the place and people they encounter on their travels; - on the spiritual side, it means ensuring that both our guest and their hosts find meaning and fulfilment from their encounters with one another. In this context and given this vision of balance and wholeness, the challenge becomes one of operationalising the balance through wise tourism management. The task to be undertaken, is to develop ways of achieving balance and methods of measuring what balance or imbalance looks like. The role of the destination marketing organisation shifts from being concerned with increasing the number of visitors and the health of their supplier members to one of ensuring a balanced wheel. The focus shifts from destination marketing to destination management and, as such, catapults what was once perceived as a fringe, even trivial group, within the body politic of the city, to a lead player, a crucial actor on the stage of community health and development.

care for a temporary in-migration of residents to a community etc. There is room to improve the economic accounting of tourism to ensure we know the true costs and benefits of this economic activity. Environment What ecological footprint does the tourism industry leave? How might our sector "tread more lightly" use less energy, water and scarce resources; generate less toxins and pollutants; engender less destruction of natural habitats needed by fellow inhabitants of the planet? What action can individual enterprises take to improve their environmental performance? How many residents and visitors can our community safely and sustainably absorb? Host Community To what extent is the entire community involved in the act of hospitality? How do our fellow residents feel about tourism and the way we extend the welcome and hospitality to others - are our guests an unwelcome intrusion or are they honoured and valued? Tourism can provide us with a mirror in which we see ourselves; tourism can engender a sense of pride in our community. How do we realise and nurture a sense of place? What is the Soul, the Essence of our town that we want to convey to and share with our guests? What chance do our residents have to express and share their values, aspirations and concerns with incoming tourists? To what extent does the composition of the destination marketing organisation reflect the social and cultural mix of its entire community? To what extent are the employees working in tourism in our community treated fairly, with respect and dignity? How are the values of tourism infused in all our major institutions - is tourism perceived as an honourable profession or marginalised as supporting only servile occupations of low value and status? The Individual Traveller How well are the visitors, our guests cared for in terms of: Body are the physical amenities and services clean, efficient, safe and comfortable? Mind is their experience stimulating, informative, uplifting? Do they leave feeling enriched, stretched and informed? Did they get a sense for the unique expression that is Vancouver, Amsterdam, Dallas, Tokyo, London etc.? Spirit did the experience make them feel more alive? Did they have a good time? Were their spirits uplifted? Did they feel better for the encounter with the community and its peoples? Soul was the experience transformative? Were our guests touched at a deeper level? Did their encounter Page

From Vision to Reality

How is the vision of balance achieved? How do we know when we are in balance or out of it? What are the stress or health indicators? This is where much work needs to be done and new topics for discussion raised. Economy The economic quadrant of the tourism circle has been the one to gain most attention in the past. On the macro level, economic impact models have been developed to measure the input and outputs of tourism from an economic perspective. On the micro perspective, balance sheets, pro formas and other forms of financial statement have been used by managers and their auditors to measure the corporate health of individual enterprises. But many important factors have been treated as "externalities" and excluded from the accounting process - e.g., the social cost of air pollution from diesel engines running at a popular landmark; the community cost of additional waste disposal or water consumption associated with a major hotel; the cost of additional policing and health TravelWatch 4

The Strategy Group

with a new place and a different people leave them with a sense of wonder, a deeper sense of connection with people or places associated with another part of the planet than the part they call home? To what extent did the experience help them learn about themselves as well as their hosts? In the same way that current environmental consciousness has been founded on three R's, this model of a new, holistic balanced tourism is based on three core principles or core values: * Respect * Restraint * Renewal. The value of respect is acknowledged when we recognise our inter-dependence and our interconnectedness. In a circle, no one member of the circle is any less or more important than another. Each brings their unique perspective. Each quadrant of the tourism wheel is equally important and contributes to the balance of the overall system. Relationships between the elements of the system are reciprocal and an emphasis is placed on adding value to every transaction between the elements. The value of restraint is a practical and realistic response to the limits imposed by physical reality. There are no straight lines in nature and it is folly to assume that each year we can insist on more growth as expressed solely in quantitative terms - when there are practical limits to the number of people and their artefacts that can be contained within a finite space. No system continues in its current form in perpetuity but obeys a natural cycle of birth, development, maturity and decay. What may appear as a straight line in a chart of change over time is, in fact, a small section of a traditional S-shaped curve (the Sigmoid curve) that charts the rise and fall of empires, product cycles, corporations and even personal relationships. Luckily, there is life beyond the curve. The secret to constant growth is to start a new sigmoid curve before the first one peters out. The right place to start that second curve is at point A where there is the time, as well as the resources and the energy, to get the new curve through its initial explorations and flounderings before the first curve begins to dip downward. This would seem obvious; were it not for the fact that at point A all the messages coming through to the individual or the institution are that every thing is fine, that it would be folly to change when the current recipes are working so well. All we know of change, tells us that the real energy for change comes only when you are looking disaster in the face, at point B on the first curve..... 4

Old Tourism Cycle

New Tourism Cycle

At what stage are we in the cycle of tourism development - at point a, b, c or d? In either case, the wise leader knows that a quantum leap or metamorphosis is needed to shift from the declining first curve to its replacement. In the tourism system, the most likely shift is from growth as measured in terms of volume to growth as measured in terms of quality of experience; from a system that perceives itself as separate from its environment and host community to one that lives in balance and harmony with all its elements. And finally, back to the essence of the travel and hospitality industry - our core value is all about renewal. Tourism can be promoted and positioned not just as a good thing in itself but as an agent for change and renewal: a justification for protecting our natural resource, for healing our environment; for providing diversity and balance in our economy, for fostering a sense of place and nurturing a sense of pride in community; for adding value and quality to people's individual lives and experiences, and, through respectful encounters between guest and host, for providing opportunities for meaning and fulfilment. This paper has outlined a conceptual model for a tourism management approach based on the notion of balance and wholeness and is inspired by the concept of the Medicine Wheel sacred to the indigenous First Nations of North America and shared by aboriginal peoples and cultures around the world. It is a powerful symbolic model that can integrate the currently discrete and disconnected activities associated with tourism - marketing, development, customer service, and environmental protection. It is an integrated model for a New Tourism better suited to the New Century that lies just around the corner. The challenge - the work that needs to be done - is to find practical ways of turning the model of balance and harmony into reality. While the task may at first appear "awesome" in its grandeur and sweep, there is comfort in knowing that many of the elements have already been developed - albeit in isolation. What is needed is a small critical mass of conspirators, both visionaries and practitioners who are willing and committed to translate the vision into practical action so that all participants in the community can identify with and adopt, as appropriate to their involvement, interests and roles. What is needed are some courageous and leaders, standing at point "A" of the Old Tourism curve, with the vision to see how to Page

TravelWatch 5

The Strategy Group

initiate a New Tourism curve based on the principles of wholeness and balance espoused in this paper. In practical terms, and from the perspective of the destination management organisation, New Tourism could involve action within a number of "spheres of influence" concurrently: * modifying existing economic impact and financial models to ensure that "externalities" are internalised; * finding ways of measuring quality of experiences as a success factor in addition to measuring quantity of return; * identifying and measuring the "ecological footprint' of the tourism sector and determining what limiting factors exist in the natural world to require restraint or re-direction; * helping businesses reduce their ecological footprint by giving them information and practical tools with which they can reduce waste, energy and water consumption and minimise production of pollutants; * providing new ways of absorbing visitors into the community and giving residents greater opportunity for expression and interaction; * ensuring the benefits of the guest industry are shared by as many members of the community as possible; * empowering all service providers ( from front-line to senior management) with the shared responsibility of treating each guest as an individual; * identifying the Soul, the essence of the community and finding ways in which guests have can have meaningful experience of the place and its peoples. Thus this paper is a "call to arms" so to speak. Not arms of the offensive, divisive and violent kind, but arms of creativity, shared purpose, hope and wakefulness. Nothing less than a quantum leap in thinking is required to catapult us from one curve, one cycle to another so there is room for everyone and every person's individual effort is equally important. This paper is an invitation to both visionaries and practitioners to share ideas, contribute expertise, communicate experiences, and conspire to build a sustainable tourism that nourishes the whole individual, lives in harmony with nature, enriches the host community and sustains a healthy livelihood for suppliers. .....Thank God our time is now when wrong Comes up to face us everywhere, Never to leave us 'til we take The longest stride of soul men ever took. Affairs are now soul size. The enterprise is exploration into God. TravelWatch 6 The Strategy Group
2.

Where are you making for? It takes So many thousand years to wake But will you wake for pity's sake? Christopher Fry, A Sleep of Prisoners
1. References Pollock, Ann The Need for Corporate Leadership: Is Tourism a Trojan Horse? in Proceedings of the 1992 World Congress in adventure Travel and EcoTourism, Whistler, British Columbia, September 20-23, 1992 Mill, Robert Christie, Key Success Factors in Community Tourism paper presented to the international T.T.R.A. conference, Acapulco, Mexico, June 11-15, 1995. Russel, Peter, The Awakening Earth, The Global Brain, Penguin Books, 1992. Handy, Charles, The Age of Paradox,

3. 4.

About the Author Anna Pollock is principal of the Strategy Group, an international tourism consultancy. All comments (affirming, questioning, critical or creative) are welcomed. Please e-mail the author at apollock@ fleethouse.com. A web site is under construction to create a focal point and forum for the exchange of ideas and to identify persons, agencies, destinations and enterprises interested in developing practical, applied models of tourism management.

Page