Defines sustainable tourism from ecosystem, geographic scales, and time horizon perspectives. Explores the diversity of ways that Sustainable Tourism is created around the world.

1. Sustainable Tourism:
Lessons from Around the World
(USA, Scotland, Nepal & South Africa)
Alan A. Lew
Northern Arizona University
AlanLew.com
Nanjing University
Nanjing, China
11 November 2012
Khumbu Valley, Nepal

2.  Sustainable
Development &
Sustainable Tourism
 Case 1 - Policies for
Cultural Protection
 Case 2 - Tourism in
Peripheral Regions
 Case 3 - Adapting to
Social & Environmental Monument Valley,
Navajo Nation Park, Utah, USA
Change
 Case 4 - Natural &
Cultural Heritage
Protection

3. “ Using resources to meet
the needs of contemporary
society while ensuring
their availability to meet
the needs of future
generations. ”
(Brundtland Report 1987)
Angkor Wat, Cambodia

4. Sustainable Development – Definition Issues
= Oxymoron (contradictory concept)
– 1- ‘Development’ perspective
• Sustaining economic activity
• Greenwashing
– 2- ‘Sustainable’ perspective
• Environmental stewardship
• Ecosystem equilibrium
Culturally Constructed
– Ambiguous - multiple interpretations
Green Building:
– Masks support for different selective interpretations
Marina Barrage
building in
Diversity of Planet Earth Singapore:
• Reason for a flexible definition A green roof
• But, can mean almost anything to anyone with a large
– Becoming meaningless, and even diabolical solar power
array
Is “Sustainable Development” worthwhile or just a distraction?
• Abandonment guarantees unsustainable outcomes
• An ideal to work toward -- widely embraced … in principle

5. “Sustainable Tourism Development”
• Subset of Sustainable Development
– a Type or Form of Sustainable Development SD
ST
• Subset of Tourism Development
TD
– a Type or Form of Tourism Development
ST = Applying “Sustainable
Development” Concepts to the
Tourism Industry and related
Social, Environmental and
Economic Aspects of Tourism
and Travel
Electric “Go” Cars for
Tourists in San Francisco

6. 1. Ecosystem Models
① Environment
② Economy
③ Society
2. Geographic Scales
① Global
② Community
③ Personal
3. Time Horizons
① Short-Term / Immediate
Shennongjia
② Near-Term National Forest,
③ Long-Term Hubei, China

7. Actions that…
1. RECYCLE
= Replenish Natural & Human
Resources at the same rate that
they are used Diving in Bali,
– “Circular Economy” & “Product Life Cycle Costing” Indonesia
– “Green Certifications” – Science & Business Approaches
2. EVOLVE
- Evolution - Encourage Diversification & Niche Development to enable
communities to meet new & varying challenges
- “Community Resilience” – “Resort Life Cycle” – “Longtail Marketing”
- Climax Communities - Maximize & Harmonize the Opportunities for All
to achieve their optimal potential under present conditions
- “Quality of Life“ – “Heritage Conservation” – “Upscaling Tourism”
- Social Science & Economics Approaches

8. Near the
Tonle Sap Lake,
Cambodia
2. Geographic Scale
Perspectives on Sustainability
Environment Economy Society
Climate change, Globalization, Resource Human rights,
Ecosystem inequities, Structural Political instability,
Global Scale degradation, dependencies Freedom of travel
Biodiversity loss
Local / Infrastructure Employment, Cost of Housing, Health,
Community Scale (water, energy, living, Business climate Sense of place,
transportation ...), Quality of life
Bioregionalism
Personal / SME Housing, Food, & Career & Investment Political choices,
Scale Transportation choices, Educational Cultural traditions
choices, Recycling access, “Affluenza”
activities

9. • The Problem of Time :
– Same Problem Changes Over Time
– Change is Not Linear
– Limited Human Perception
• Short-Term / Immediate
– Pandemic Diseases; Economic Job Losses;
Windfall Profits; Political Changes;
Sudden Fluctuations in Tourist Arrivals Panda in Hong Kong
• Near-Term
– Loss of Coral Reefs & Fishing Grounds; Oceanic Island Erosion; Legal &
Illegal Migration; Shift in Job Locations & Types; Growing Global
Internet Access; Creating more Green Destinations
• Long-Term
– Flooding of Coastal Lands & Cities; Need for New Types & Areas of
Education & Training; Need for New Types & Forms of Governance;
Greening Airlines & Mass Tourism

10. CASE 1 - American Indian
Cultural Tourism Policy
• Indian Wars (1860-1890)
– Ethnic conflict; Near genocide many tribes
• “Reservations”
= Not available for settlement by European
immigrants
• First Reservations
– California (1849)
• Following “Gold Rush”
• The California solution to
the "Indian problem" Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico
– quickly spread
throughout the western West

11. Lockett Meadow, San Francisco Mountain, Flagstaff, Arizona

12. Competing Values on American Indian Reservations
TRADITIONAL INDIAN VALUES DOMINANT AMERICAN VALUES
1- Cooperation 1- Competition
2- Prestige & Authority = Age & Religion 2- Prestige & Authority = Family, Political
Position, Education & Wealth
3- Education from Elders 3- Education in Schools
4- Animist Religious Beliefs 4- Scientific Rationalism
5- Morality = Social Conformity 5- Morality = legally defined Good & Bad
6- Life organized around Ceremonial Activities 6- Life organized around Work Activities
7- Communal land ownership & management 7- Fee simple land tenure and private
property rights
Arizona Snow Bowl Ski Area,
San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff, Arizona

13. How to Maintain Traditional Culture?
• Hopi Indian Tribe
- First Mesa Villages
• Possibly the most traditional
(authentic?) tribe in the US
• Struggling to maintain Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico
heritage
– Threatened with loss of
Language &Traditions
• Among six Hopi pueblo villages
– only First Mesa has considered these rules

14. Tourism Policy
Decision Making Approaches
1 - ad hoc
potential for poor decision making
& corruption of the process
2 - Policy based
continuity, predictability, & a legal
basis for decision making
Tourism Policies =
Monument Valley,
Legally govern the type & extent of Navajo Nation Park
tourism development desired Arizona-Utah Border, USA
- Laws that implement Goals & Objectives
Basic Question:
What is the Preferred Tourism Situation for Us?

15. First Mesa, Hopi - Tourism Goals
• To enable the First Mesa Consolidated Villages to provide for the health, safety,
welfare and economic security of the Villages of First Mesa, and specifically:
– A. To control and regulate visitors, visitor tours, and tour operations within
their jurisdiction.
– B. To assist the Villages of First Mesa to protect and preserve the arts, crafts,
traditions and ceremonies of the Hopi culture.
– C. To provide tour services and charge a fee in accordance with a fee schedule.
Acoma
Pueblo,
New
Mexico

16. Hopi Reservation-wide Visitor Rules (Posted on Signs)
1. Visitors are welcome, but must
remember that they are guests of
the Hopi, and should act accordingly.
2. Possession of alcohol or drugs
anywhere on the reservation is
prohibited by Tribal Law.
3. Archeological resources and ruin
sites are off-limits to all non-tribal Simulated Hopi Kiva at the
members - removal of artifacts is Museum of Northern
a criminal offense. Arizona, Flagstaff
4. Photographing, recording, and/or sketching of villages, religious ceremonies or
individuals is strictly prohibited on the Reservation, unless permission is granted
by the village chief or governor.
5. If spending an unusually lengthy period of time in a village, permission must be
obtained from the village chief or governor.
6. Drivers are cautioned to obey posted speed limits on the reservation and to
watch for livestock on roads and highways, especially at night.

17. The Ideal & The Real
• Regulations are Difficult to Implement
– Locals:
• Sell arts & crafts from their homes
• Offer services as unauthorized
guides in exchange for money
– Tourists:
• Do not pay attention to rules
- on purpose?
• Sneak photographs
– strong desire to remember place
• Cost of Enforcement - can be too high
Hopi Indian
• Culture of Enforcement – the Legal System Reservation,
Arizona
– may not be compatible with traditional culture

18. Lessons from the Hopi
• ECOSYSTEM MODEL LESSONS
– Emphasis on conservation of traditional culture economic and
social/community relationships; May require legal barriers (walls)
• GEOGRAPHIC SCALE LESSONS
– Focus on community and personal privacy, though Hopi religion also has
global perspectives
• TIME HORIZON LESSONS
– Using the legal system to conserve cultural heritage (past & present) against
acculturation (globalization/Americanization) for future generations
Pueblo Indian Dancers, 4th of July Parade, Selling Indian Crafts at
Flagstaff, Arizona Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona

19. Pow Wow Souvenir
Festival shop at
Dancers the Four
at Arizona Corners
State Navajo
University Park
Tour
Company,
Sedona,
Arizona
Pow Wow Festival Drummers at
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Yavapai Apache Reservation, Arizona

20. CASE 2 : Peripheral Regions:
The Scottish Highlands

21. A Peripheral Economy
Scottish Highlands
• One of the most scenic regions
of Europe
• May tourists in summer
• Among most sparsely
populated regions of Europe
Peripheral Economies
• Often dependent on one or two industries
• Often resource-based industries, such as
mining, forestry, fishing or extensive grazing
– Some industries may be tourist attractions

22. Glacier carved landscapes, peat bogs,
tourists in Fort William, and Urquhart Castel

23. Scottish Souvenirs
Most of the tourists come to the
Scottish Highlands in the summer
months by motorcycle, car, tour bus,
and caravan/RV.

24. Loch Ness

25. Loch Lomond
National Park
Loch Lomond
National Park is
in the Scottish
Lowlands. It is
a popular
camping, hiking
and fishing area
close to
Glasgow.

26. Loch Lomond
A fault line runs from northeast
(top-right) to southwest (bottom-
left) of this model of Loch Lomond.
To the north is the Scottish
Highlands, to the south is the
Scottish Lowlands.

27. Lessons from Scotland
• ECOSYSTEM MODEL LESSONS
– Remote location (geography/time, economy/cost, climate/seasons)
helps conserve sensitive ecosystem; Good infrastructure helps tourism
• GEOGRAPHIC SCALE LESSONS
– Internationally known icons to attract tourists; Peripheral, but accessible,
with open borders
• TIME HORIZON LESSONS
– Adjustment to a high seasonality in its tourism economy; Resources
based on geologic time scale

29. • Before 1950 - Nepal closed to world
• 1953 - Tenzing Norgay Sherpa &
Edmund Hillary (NZ) – first ascent of
Mr. Everest
• 1957 - Closing of Tibetan Border
– Loss of Trade & Influx of Refugees
• 1964 - First ever visit of a high-level
Nepal government official to the
Khumbu
– Edmund Hillary School opening
– Firsts: Airport, Post Office &
Police
• 1975 - Sagarmatha National Park
• Nepalization of the Khumbu
– Kathmandu Nepalis = Hindu
– Khumbu Sherpas = Tibetan
Bhuddism

30. 1. Deforestation
– Fuel for Cooking and Heating
2. Overgrazing
– Loss of Vegetation and Top Soil
3. Solid waste, sanitation & litter
– Along trekking routes
4. Recent Warming Trend
– Glacial Retreats (Ama Doblam)
– Glacial Lakes Increase in Size
– Desertification in some areas
• Impacts on
– Agricultural practices
– Wildlife Habitats, and At Mongla Pass (3973m),
Trekker Restaurant,
– Vegetation Patterns
Ama Dablam (6812m) &
• Development Pressures for over past 40 years Mt. Everest (8850m)
– Built Environment in mid-Winter
– Natural Environment Uses

31. Glacial Retreat in Nepal
Source: WWF 2005

32. • UN Human Development Index
– Nepal = #157 out of 177 countries (2011)
• Tourism
– 1963 - Time to Kathmandu from 14 days to 40
minutes
– 1964 - First airport at Lukla
– 1999 - 491,000 international visitors to Nepal
• 2002 - 275,000 due to “State of Emergency”
– Among Nepal’s largest source of foreign currency
• 3.5% of GDP, 20% of Export Income
• Sagarmatha National Park (1976)
– 2005 = 21,960 visitors
• Plus 17,000 porters & staff
• 1000s of yak & zopkio
– 65% near park depend
on Trekking economy

37. • ECOSYSTEM SCALE LESSONS
– Environment, Society/Culture &
Economy all change over time
• GEOGRAPHIC SCALE LESSONS
– Isolation enables community &
regional integration; Increased
connections to world creates
globalization challenges
Namche Bazaar,
• TIME SCALE LESSONS the “Sherpa Capital”
– Issues and their importance
change over time
– Memories are difficult to recall as
we paint the past with feelings and
concerns of the present

38. Case 4 – Protected Areas:
Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa

39. History of National Parks
• USA
– 1864 - US Congress gave Yosemite Valley to
California for “public use, resort & recreation”
• First large protected land for public use
– 1872 - Yellowstone National Park
• World’s 1st true national park
• Australia
– 1866 - British Colony of New South Wales Grand Canyon Preserve (1906)
reserved the Jenolan Caves (Sydney) National Park (1919)
• Later expanded into the Blue Mountains National Park
– 1879 - Royal National Park established
• to provide a natural recreation area for the Sidney metropolitan area
• Canada
– 1885 - Bow Valley Hot Springs in the Rocky Mountains
• 1887 - renamed as Banff National Park
• New Zealand
– 1894 - Tongariro National Park
• by agreement with the Maori people - important spiritual site
• South Africa
– 1895 - Greater St. Lucia Game Reserve – first protected wetland in Africa
– 1895 - Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve – first wildlife conservation area in Africa

40. Greater
St. Lucia
Wetland
Park
- Sharks &
Hippos

41. The Zulu Kingdom
- Created in 1825
- Cultural Heritage Conservation

42. Battlefield Heritage Conservation
- Zulu-Boer Wars - 1830s-40s
- The Anglo-Zulu War of 1879
- The Anglo-Boer War of 1899

43. A Private Game Reserve

44. Hluhluwe-Umfolozi
Game Reserve
• Zulu royal hunting ground
• Oldest proclaimed wildlife
park in Africa – 1895
– 3 parks merged in 1899
• Created to protect white
rhino
– Most white rhinos in
world today
• Only government park in
KwaZulu-Natal with all “Big
Five Game” animals

45. Africa’s Big Five
Safari Game Animals
1. African Elephant
2. Leopard
3. Lion
4. Cape Buffalo
5. Rhinoceros

47. Lessons from Kwa-Zulu Natal, SA
• ECOSYSTEM MODEL LESSONS
– Integrated conservation program, including nature and culture,
public and private preserves, and local economic opportunities
• GEOGRAPHIC SCALE LESSONS
– Role of global trends and national legislation on local tourism
• TIME HORIZON LESSONS
– Heritage includes both human history and natural ecosystem
time frames

48. 1. Ecosystem Models
Environment, Economy, Society
2. Geographic Scales
 Sustainable
Global, Community, Personal
Development & 3. Time Horizons
Sustainable Tourism Short-Term / Immediate, Near-Term, Long-Term
 American Indians –
Policies for Cultural
Protection
 Rural Scotland –
Tourism in Peripheral
Regions
 Khumbu, Nepal –
Adapting to Social &
Environmental Change
 South Africa – Natural
& Cultural Heritage
Protection
View from Isandlwana Lodge, South Africa