Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
al
a
RTM
d
p
Core
benefit
Source:
Kotler and Keller, 2006, p372
Figure 5.1
Product levels
consumer demand for responsible tourism products to be low (75 per cent of tour
operators stated that they had not been asked by tourists about their CSR
practices). Whereas tourists are unlikely to demand responsible tourism explicitly,
satisfaction levels tend to increase if consumers know that their visit is not
harming the host destination but contributing positively. A 'feel good factor
results, adding to the value of the product-offering. RTM should thus not be seen
as the core product-offering. Rather, as depicted in Figure 5.1, specific company
values and reputation constitute an extra layer of benefit for the tourist (Frey,
2007a).
Supply of responsible tourism: Research findings
In 2006, Spenceley replicated the Tearfund study of 2001 in order to evaluate to
what extent South African tour operators were engaging in responsible manage-
ment practices. Spenceley's study involved a sample of 20 predominantly
small-sized tour operators attending the 2006 Tourism Indaba (an annual travel
trade show in Durban). Each operator completed a self-administered question-
naire which included questions relating to issues such as partnerships, local
benefits, training, policies and demand for responsible tourism. The findings
revealed that almost all tour operators claimed to have a positive impact on local
communities - in areas such as employment, using local service providers and
purchasing local products (Spenceley, 2007, p3). However, several tour operators
pointed out that they faced numerous barriers in bringing benefits to local people.
These included concerns about safety and crime, access and problems relating to
capacity - such as skills, language and inconsistent quality. The majority of tour
operators indicated that partnerships and relationships with suppliers were very
important to them; however, only half of respondents claimed to have responsible
tourism policies in place (Spenceley, 2007, p8). A majority of the sampled tour
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