From Machynlleth to Melbourne, the provision of tourism services is becoming one of the world's fastest growing industries. However, despite tempting images from a wide range of exotic 'eco-tourism' destinations, the carbon footprint created by travelling half way across the world for a week long eco-holiday has become exceedingly difficult to justify. A single trip from the UK to Australia creates a fossil fuel footprint greater than a typical African makes during their entire lifetime. The Royal Commission on Environmental Protection report, Energy: the changing climate recommends that the UK adopts a 60% reduction from current carbon emission levels by 2050, so that the combined global total can be kept to a level which prevents intolerable and dangerous climate change. The writing is clearly on the wall for the long-haul holiday market, so many of the principles of sustainable tourism are now being applied to holiday destinations here in Wales.

Why is sustainable tourism important in Wales?

Wales has had to face a considerable challenge in transforming its economy. Initially, the response to the decline in primary sector employment in traditional industries such as steel and coal was to attract widescale inward investment from trans-national corporations in sectors such as consumer electronics. However, the strength of sterling and other factors have signalled the decline of inward investment as a major economic growth area. Recent experience has highlighted the problems arising from corporate decision making which considers long-term global strategies above immediate local concerns. The emerging solution has been to develop a knowledge-based economy for Wales, with a clear emphasis on encouraging indigenous enterprise. Tourism holds the potential to become an important driver in this new Welsh economy, particularly if it can be adapted to take sustainablility into account.

What does sustainable tourism mean?

Put simply, sustainable tourism means tourism done in a way which mitigates the negative aspects and accentuates the positive benefits for the local community, economy and environment. As with any commercial activity, providing tourism services creates a wide range of 'impact footprints' in biodiversity, amenity, finance, housing, culture, landscape, pollution (CO2 emissions, noise, odour, etc.), transport, commerce and so on. No single tourism operator can be considered as fully sustainable or indeed fully un-sustainable — there are a mix of effects on a range of levels. For example, an accommodation provider may yield a net increase in money circulating in the local economy, but perhaps at the expense of a net decrease in local 'social housing' as holiday cottages.

So the net 'sustainability' of any single tourism operator must be considered as an aggregate of footprints from a range of different impacts. The key question is 'how can we compare net gains in one impact footprint area with net losses in another?' To make matters even more difficult, some impact footprints are local (like noise for example) and some are global (such as CO2 emissions). Some global level impact footprints have commonly defined targets and milestones such as the targets for reducing emissions. Local scale impacts can only really be prioritised within the context of the local environment, its desires, deficiencies and available carrying capacity.

Balancing diverse impacts can only be made on a local, case by case, basis, with respect to the needs and resources existing in any particular area. Priorities for which impact footprints carry the most weight will vary from time to time, place to place and across different sectors of the community. Their relative importance can be determined by how close to the critical carrying capacity the various resources have reached. For example, reduction of available housing will be less of a critical parameter in an area with high rural depopulation than it would in an area with an expanding and vibrant local population.

Practical changes which may increase sustainability of tourism

Increased share of wealth circulated into local economy

This could be achieved by attractions and accommodation operators sourcing local foods, using local tradespeople, seeking local employees, publicising local events to their visitors, building local supply chains for goods from energy to printed materials, and becoming active in the local Chamber of Trade.

Improvement in local amenity

This could be achieved through attractions offering free access or discounts for locals, remaining open all season, respecting local architectural vernacular and improving visual amenity through appropriate landscaping.

Increase in local biodiversity or habitat

Attractions and accommodation operators could create space for wildlife, seek advice from local specialists, use wildlife friendly perimeter boundaries, remove or control invasive species, reduce pollution such as fossil fuel emissions, noise pollution, litter or light pollution, and use post-industrial or brown field sites rather than greenfield sites.

Developments increasing awareness and respect of the local culture

Respect for local language/dialect, support for arts, music, crafts, folklore.

Support local events such as village sports, work with local groups such as W.I. or youth groups, offer free familiarisation visits to locals.

Developing local infrastructure

Local authorities should increase planning permission granted for local 'social housing' to mitigate negative social housing impact of tourism, work for better public transport, provide access to ICT facilities, offer facilities to local schools.

Shop Locally

Visitors to an area could seek energy efficient accommodation which supports local suppliers, use public transport or cycles, seek local shops rather than supermarkets, explore and respect the local culture and follow the Country Code.

How do we make it happen?

Making tourism sustainable is a task for the whole community and will demand both communication and co-operation, although it will of course require a support programme including education and accreditation. Setting priorities will depend heavily on a local context derived from base-line research and community consultation. The attractions sector, accommodation base, local government, planners, visitors and locals must contribute fully to achieve the goals of reducing environmental impacts whilst also improving competitiveness, social justice and quality of life.

New CAT Residential Course: Eco Tourism, March 4-8 2002.

Looks at the changes you can make as a tourist operator and accomodation or attractions provider to reduce tourisms' ecological footprint. Tel. 01654 705981.

Dyfi Valley Sustainable Tourism Project

The project is part of the Dyfi Eco Valley Partnership (DEVP), a locally controlled company involved in community regeneration within the Dyfi Valley in Mid Wales. The DEVP's mission is to foster sustainable development by strengthening the "green economy", and with that in mind, it has targeted the areas of energy, sustainable tourism, woodlands, transport and waste for priority action. With regard to energy, for example, the Dyfi Solar Club helps householders install solar water heating at low cost.

Launched in June 2001 with the appointment of a Sustainable Tourism Officer, the Sustainable Tourism Project (STP) was the natural extension of a group of local businesses producing a 'Green Guide' to the valley. The project's objectives reflect the wider vision of the Partnership: putting joined up thinking into practice, ensuring inclusiveness and local control, and targeting actions for the benefit of the local community.

Creatively, the STP utilises developments in other DEVP action areas, so that we can soon expect tourists visiting local wind farms, local communities developing woodlands for leisure pursuits, and more hotels offering menus fully stocked with local meat, vegetables and cultural flavour.

There has been early progress in setting up a local and "sustainable" focused tourism association — "Twristiaeth Dyfi Tourism". Amongst other things, this will help to develop the 'branding' of the valley, promoting it as a green destination to visitors for its visual appeal and outdoor activities, and for its reputation as a 'capital' for environmental sustainability.

Already this year the Dyfi Valley has been recognised as a sustainable tourism destination by the Wales Tourist Board, who have commissioned a comprehensive action plan for sustainable tourism in the valley. Teresa Walters, the Sustainable Tourism Officer, is happy to discuss the project. Contact her at tmw93@themutual.net. For information about the DEVP, contact Andy Rowland at ecodyfi@gn.apc.org. The website www.ecodyfi.org.uk will be on-line in early 2002.

Canolfan Corris Hostel was bought from the YHA in 1992 to save the hostel from closure. In the last 10 years it has had over 40,000 visitors, bringing in a significant contribution to the local economy. It received the Dyfi Green Tourism award in 1996 for its efforts.

The aim of the centre is to provide low cost 'quality' bunked accommodation and to act as a centre for personal recreation, focusing on conservation through education and by example. The building, a former village school, incorporates various examples of 'green' building construction and energy saving techniques which are often used as educational resources by visiting groups. Eco friendly products are used wherever possible and we encourage our visitors to recycle their waste, including plastics, in the bins provided. The compost materials are evaluated by CAT as a part of their high fibre compost project. Within the hotel grounds we have built a living willow structure and are landscaping the grounds to provide areas of harmony and to encourage wildlife.

We recognise the need to cultivate mutually beneficial economic partnerships within the local community through:

• -increased emphasis on using local services and supplies and Fair Trade goods.

• -helping our local village pub, the Slaters Arms, to survive through the support of our visitors and a good working relationship

• -local renewable technology initiatives: we are a member of the Solar Club and Dulas Valley Community Wind Partnership, a new small wind energy co-operative

• -being a founder member with CAT of the Dyfi Green Tourism Guide which eventually became the Sustainable Tourism Project.

A central theme to all our activities is to provide a true 'Welsh Welcome', treating our visitors as 'house guests' and making them feel at home in a caring, holistic atmosphere. To us eco-tourism has one voice — we care and it comes from the heart.

For further information contact Mike Parrish at Canolfan Corris Hostel on 01654 761686.