Linking Culture and the Environment

Dr A. Spenceley 205
by tourism companies to create and enhance linkages with local people or
enterprises that make business sense to the company. The project worked
closely with five ‘pilot’ tourism enterprises in southern Africa to promote and
facilitate local linkages (Ashley et al., 2005). Over 3 years, the project facilitated
a number of initiatives with the pilot enterprises to strengthen local linkages
and enhance local economic development. The enterprise activities generated
increased local employment, and increased use of local contractors and suppliers,
upgrading existing product development facilities and stronger local relationships
between the private sector and local community (PPT, 2005).
International initiatives for pro-poor tourism
Outside the PPT partnership, there is a widely growing perception that tourism
can be used as a tool in the fight against poverty. This has been reflected
in international initiatives, such as the World Tourism Organization’s (WTO)
Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (WTO, 1997). The code argues that local populations
should equitably share in the economic, social and cultural benefits
generated from tourism, and in particular from employment opportunities
(WTO, 1997). This agenda was further promoted when Principles for the
Implementation of Sustainable Tourism were released by the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP, 2001).
A year later at the WSSD, the WTO released a paper specifically on poverty
alleviation and tourism (WTO, 2002). During WSSD, the WTO in collaboration
with UNCTAD (the UN Commission on Trade and Development) launched the
‘Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty’ (ST-EP) programme. The programme
aims to alleviate poverty through sustainable tourism by financing
research and development, and also providing incentives for good practice
(WTO undated). As a contribution to the WSSD, UNEP brought together a consortium
of the WTTC, International Hotel and Restaurant Association,
International Federation of Tour Operators and the International Council of
Cruise Lines to develop a paper regarding the role of the tourism industry in
sustainable development. The report noted that one of the main barriers to
achieving sustainable tourism had been the inherent fragmentation of the
industry and the relative fragility of viable operating margins – especially for
the small- and medium-sized enterprises that made up most of the industry.
Although these barriers had indirectly led to a deficiency of accountability in
both the private and public sectors, the report stated that the tourism sector was
increasingly recognizing the need to protect cultures, heritage and the environment,
while allowing developing countries to obtain the full economic potential
of tourism (WTTC/IH&RA/IFTO/ICCL, 2002). A broader key outcome of the
WSSD in 2002 was a reaffirmation of the Millennium Development Goal to
halve the number of people living in poverty by 2015 (UN/DESA, 2002).
Within this context, a number of UN agencies, private sector associations
and NGOs, have developed initiatives to encourage sustainable tourism
development. Although they have predominantly prioritized environmental
issues, some have taken a more holistic stance to address sustainable development.
A number of these are summarized in Box 12.1.