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  The dynamics of tourism & people’s expectations
The social implications of a sustainable tourism growth

Prof. Peter KELLER - President of the Scientific Committee of the Tourism Summits

 

The social implications of a sustainable tourism growth

The challenge of the set of conferences at the Tourism Summits is to assess, conceptualize and make operational all aspects of the sustainable growth of tourism. The Scientific Committee is aware that allowing you to argue, this year, on the human and social aspects of the tourism sustainable growth is somewhat risky. Talking about these aspects is against the economism that governs the debate on tourism. Considering some of the effects of global tourism connects us to anti-globalization controversies. But, there is an evident lack in the conceptualization and operationalization area of the social aspects of sustainable growth, a lack that we want to fill, at least in the tourism area. Especially since we feel that the environmental balance and the steadiness of an optimal growth – two issues addressed in the first two Tourism Summits – are not genuine objectives. The development of the political strategy for sustainable growth only makes sense if such a growth benefits the human being and the community that supports it.

The need for a relevant social philosophy

As we have seen at the beginning of the set of conferences, the concept of a sustainable growth is not consistent. It leaves out major discrepancies between environmental, economic and social objectives. It’s hard to see how one can avoid wastes, reduce pollution, and ensure a sustainable growth and the well being for an ever-increasing global population. If one strives to solve or at least reduce these conflicts, it is crucial to rely on values such as justice and lawfulness, and not on the strongest power. No ethics based on the shared accountability of all relevant players exists that could enable us to find consensus solutions. This ethics assumes a civil society that ensures any human being, through standards and institutions, to live as a free citizen and to have equal rights.

The contribution of tourism to human and social assets

Tourism widely relies on socioeconomic progress, and on human and social assets that are available worldwide or in a given country. These assets can be measured by indicators such as the individual freedom, equal opportunities and the education in a society. It’s also set by material well being, health condition and the security of people. Finally, it depends on the cultural identity of communities and the ability to tolerate differences. The tourist phenomenon contributes to extend human and social assets. The human and social potential of tourism is important. Tourism represents, in developed societies, the most popular form of individual happiness that allows uncovering the last liberties in a society that is increasingly subject to regulations of any kind. The brevity of tourist quality time allows human beings to better face daily challenges. A famous Swiss magistrate said we should build more clinics and hospitals if people were not allowed to go on vacations. Calls for “freedom to travel” from citizens of former East Germany contributed to the end of their totalitarian regime.

The dynamics of tourisme and people’s expectations

The third Tourism Summits focus on social aspects of tourism growth under the name “The dynamics of tourisme and people’s expectations”. By selecting this name, the Scientific Committee referred to the inherent social discrepancies that arise when tourist needs and human aspirations of local communities are conflicting. The resulting conflicts are known and often resolved, especially by hosting communities in developed countries. However, the globalization process has increased the socioeconomic pressure at tourist sites. New travel destinations are faced with the challenge of meeting comfort and quality standards for international customers that are willing to freely use available local resources and fully profit from multiple opportunities provided by an increasingly competitive market. It is now very hard, at traditional tourist sites, to compete with new competitors, and at the same time, to be competitive in domestic market of production factors, thereby strengthening the local socioeconomic changes.

Dreaming of a human and value-conscious tourism

“Do not let any one succumb to the temptation of making of free time a value-free period” said John Paul II on the British screen. This statement of the pope could be questioned by those who don't understand traveling and trips as an exception and freedom opportunity that should not be fulfilled through a moralization of the visitor’s behavior. The visitor who is increasingly experienced could be considered as being able to remain liable for his actions and to tolerate differences.

One might think that economic players who produce tourist dreams are aware that making the human being their top priority is a crucial step. Appropriate hosting services are not possible if there is no interaction with the clients, and if the staff is not motivated or satisfied. It’s therefore possible to rely on the market spirit that results from the objectivity of the supply and demand principle, and to preserve a maximum of freedom in the trading and contracting process.

Yet, travelling in a world that becomes smaller seems to require some rules to guide and assign players who have the freedom to travel and do business. The individual behavior could have negative social effects without people knowing it. The market is not failure-free.

Therefore, the Tourism Worldwide Ethical Code provides a new deontology for the sustainable growth of tourism. It includes a set of recommendations along with a worldwide conciliation procedure. This code, questioned at the first discussion of the opening session, will be extremely useful for the relevant players, provided they remain liable for their actions, and are likely to make fair decisions themselves.

Tourism as a growth opportunity

Tourism is actually a trading mechanism between least developed countries with extended natural and cultural resources on the one hand, and developed countries where households have enough financial resources to travel worldwide, on the other hand. This exchange at the currency level is usually a transfer of wealth from centers to the periphery.

Following the unmatched economic success that some developing countries experienced in the last 25 years in tourism growth, we now have to ask ourselves how they could better profit from their backwardness or from their ability to provide attractions that are poorly known, while offering products with a profitable price-to-service ratio. Then, we will need, during the Second debate of the opening session, to ask ourselves if the international community should help all poor countries to promote global tourism, and under what conditions it would be possible to maximize net currency trade bills for these countries.

Tourist site appeal for residents

The Round tables of Chamonix Mont-Blanc are entirely dedicated to discussions on the outlook of existing tourist resorts and their potential to attract residents. It is not the achieved level of growth that dictates the future success of a tourist site, but rather its ability to innovate and to continuously meet new needs from visitors and changing preferences of local people.

This is why we will debate in Chamonix on the issue of knowing how to train travel professionals for tourist site innovation and management. A significant theme to discuss will be the rejuvenation of existing tourist resorts with products that reached the maturity phase in their life cycle. The objective is to find new strategies of economic and tourist growth in order to diversify the offering structures from scratch. The goal is also to discuss how we can strengthen split production structures mainly based on small and medium companies in order to make them more productive, and to provide workplaces that are more attractive and better compensated.

We will also talk about the quality of life for residents in resorts that are highly urbanized like Chamonix Mont-Blanc. We will not only receive the support of outside experts, but of other professionals. Local celebrities will come, share their experience and tackle the issue of managing tourist mobility for instance; for large resorts such as Chamonix, we will need to address the following important issue: can we be both a tourist region and a transit area ? This will also involve local governments whose role for a sustainable growth taking into account local preferences will be widely discussed. Finally, we will address the issue of what measures we should implement so that tourist resorts remain attractive in the future, faced with the increasingly pressure of large cities and urban areas, that more an more drag and monopolize the best production resources.

At last, I would like to thank all participants for coming to Geneva and Chamonix to address with us key issues that are crucial for the future of countries, regions and resorts that rely on tourism.

 

Source

Keller, P., Dynamiques touristiques et aspirations humaines, part of the 3 rd Tourism Summits, www.sommets-tourisme.org