Presentation ecotourism your natural advantage

What is the Natural Advantage of Landscapes?• National Landscapes is the national tourism product development program in Australia.. • 90% of membership is tour operators delivering ecot

Ecotourism – your natural advantage

Rod Hillman – Ecotourism Australia

What is the Natural Advantage of Landscapes?

• National Landscapes is the national tourism product development program in Australia

• It’s a tool for Australia to deliver on its marketing promise for visitors

to have exciting, unique and high quality experiences

• It gets regions talking to each other who would not normally do so

• It’s a unique combination of Conservation and Tourism that

contributes to the creation and longevity of sustainable businesses

• It works Regions get more visitors Quality experiences get reward

Ecotourism Australia

• Formed following Australia’s first ecotourism conference in 1991

• Not for profit, non-government membership based and funded

organisation

• Close to 500 certified tour operator members

• 90% of membership is tour operators delivering ecotourism products

• Peak national body for the nature-based & cultural tourism industry

• Certification programs

• Conferences and workshops

• Advocacy on behalf of members

• Marketing of members – Eco-lodges, ATE & website

“To inspire environmentally sustainable and culturally responsible

tourism”

Ecotourism – your natural advantage

• Eco-tourism

• Tourism in and about nature,

• Conducted in a sustainable manner, and

• Provides a contribution to the environment & community

• Defined by the Eco-certification criteria

• A sustainable business is a profitable business

Destinations need it

“In the end it’s all about protecting our product If the product—our destinations—aren’t protected in environmental and social terms then people won’t want to visit them, it is as simple as that.”

—John De Vial, head of Financial Protection, ABTA

Where the market is heading – Tourism Megatrends

• CSIRO Project to determine opportunities and challenges for Tourism – the Tourism Megatrends

• The Orient Express (In 2013 Chinese visitors alone spent more than $4B in Australia)

Where the market is heading – ‘Catching the Next Wave’

• Deloittes have identified sectors that can be expected to grow

significantly faster than global gross domestic product (GGDP) as a whole over the next 10 to 20 years

• Top three are gas, tourism and agribusiness

• Key advantages

• Proximity to Asia

• Beautiful natural assets

• Safety and languages

• Cheaper flights

• Education as a drawcard

• A$ settling at U.S.80 cents in the longer term

Common Themes

• Focus on quality not price

• Focus on our Natural Advantage

• Build trust and accountability

• The reality of China

• The reality of the internet

• This sounds a lot like National Landscapes

Regeneration and renewal

• Ecotourism is moving into new and exciting areas that can drive demand

• Volunteerism building on visitor’s need for an emersion experience that puts value into their ‘ time away’

• Geotourism providing an opportunity to build new markets and

Signature Nature Product Criteria – What and Why?

• Objective of product selection is to demonstrate why Australia offers

the best in world-class nature and cultural experiences

• Products showcase the most unique and compelling nature and cultural

based consumer experiences within a National Landscape

• There is no limit to the quantity of product submissions however

Tourism Australia recommend selecting approximately 10 hero

products per Landscape (as a guide) to showcase the best of the best experiences for each Landscape

• The criteria is an excellent way of demonstrating that your business is

“Export Ready” for marketing by RTOs, STOs and Tourism Australia

Signature Nature Product Criteria

• Product/Experience Name

• Located in a National Landscape

• Domestically Established and Export Ready

• Product and Experience Delivery

• Conservation of natural and cultural values

• Marketing

• Supporting the National Landscape Values and Unique Identity

• Accreditation/ Certification

• Insurance and relevant licenses

• Indigenous (Member of the Indigenous Tourism Champions Program)

• Accessibility

• Supporting information

Signature Nature Product Criteria Workshops

• Ecotourism Australia is very strong supporter of the National

Landscapes program and has recently delivered a workshop in South Australia – Port Augusta

• Another is contracted in Victoria for this year

• Format is for tour operators to:

• Understand the Signature Nature Product Criteria

• Combine with an “International Export Ready Workshop”

• Undertake an eco-certification workshop (satisfies criteria 5 & 8)

• Ecotourism Australia is keen to work with National Landscapes to deliver workshops in your region

Signature Nature Product Criteria’s future

• “ What success looks like”

• Increase the numbers of new products or experiences that meet the criteria of the signature product

• A major tangible from the National Landscapes program

• How can this remain as a natural pathway for product to become export quality/ready and picked up by STOs and TA?

How Ecotourism Australia is adapting to the changing

world

• Greatly reduced eco-certification application

• New customer focused website driving business direct to members

websites

• Partnerships:

• Marketing – Ecolodges and Aussie Specialist

• International – Eco-certification in Southern Africa

• Emerging markets – working with China Ready & Accredited

• Auditing & Conservation – Conservation Volunteers Australia

• Social media – Trip Advisor

Eco-certification

• Building sustainability – Financial, Environmental, Social and Cultural

• Product development tool that defines ecotourism

• Working with local communities

• Cultural Respect and Sensitivity

Our Programs

• ECO Certification–for nature tourism

• Respecting Our Culture-for all involving culture

• Climate Action Certification – any tourism business

• EcoGuide Certification – for individual tour guides

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