Linking Culture and the Environment

Dr A. Spenceley 207
Although some of the industry interventions may be motivated by altruism,
income generation is undoubtedly a reason for some. There is evidence of
some market demand for environmentally and socially responsible products,
and a number of consumer studies in the UK, the USA and Germany have
found increased levels of awareness of the need for pro-poor tourism (see Table
12.3). Perhaps the most compelling reasons for tourism businesses to endorse
sustainable tourism have been the indications of increasing demand for environmentally
and socially responsible holidays from consumers over time (Tearfund,
2001, 2002; Goodwin and Francis, 2003; Martin and Stubbs, undated).
To date there has been very little market research in Southern Africa to
establish the level of demand for responsible tourism. In 2006, Spenceley replicated
the Tearfund study of 2001 in order to evaluate to what extent South
African tour operators were engaging in responsible management practices.
Spenceley’s study used a small sample of 20 predominantly small-sized tour
operators attending the 2006 Tourism Indaba (an annual travel trade show in
Durban) who completed a self-administered questionnaire which included
questions relating to issues such as partnerships, local benefits, training,
policies and demand for responsible tourism. Findings revealed that almost
Table 12.3. Consumer attitudes to socially responsible tourism policies. (From Spenceley,
2003.)
Issue
Proportion of
sample (%)
Source and sample size a
More likely to book a holiday with a
company that had a written code
guaranteeing good working conditions,
protection of the environment and
support of local charities in the tourist
destination
Knowing that they had booked
with a company with good
ethical practice made their
holiday enjoyable
Importance of the holiday benefiting
people in the destination (e.g.
through jobs and business
opportunities)
Respect towards the ways of living
and the traditions of the local host
population was the most important
criteria for them when booking
a holiday
Willing to pay more if workers in the
destination are guaranteed good
wages and working conditions
1999: 45
2001: 52
2000: 71
2002: 76
Tearfund, 2001, 2002 (1999:
nationally and regionally
representative sample of
n = 2032 adults in the UK;
n = 927 in 2001)
24 Mintel, 2001 (n = 2028; UK
holiday makers = 1636)
July 2001
MORI study for ABTA, cited by
Goodwin and Francis, 2003
(n = 963 British public in
2000; n = 713 in 2002)
95 Forschungsinstitut für Freizeit
und Tourismus (FIF), Müller
and Landes, 2000 (German
tourists)
29 Tearfund, 2000
a
The sample size is indicated where known.