Planning Your Ecotourism Products Workbook

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Planning Your Ecotourism Products Workbook

• Department of Tourism Region III
• RD Ronnie Tiotuico
• Adapt to the unexpected, Create the desirable,
  Avoid the undesirable.

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The Tourism Boom

• In 1950, only 25 million international tourists
  worldwide
• In 1997, nearly 25 times larger at 613 million
  international arrivals
• Direct receipts stood at US448 billion
• WTO predicts by 2010, arrivals will increase to
  1.018 billion or 71 more tourists than in 1996.
• Direct receipts to rise to US1.55 trillion by
  2010

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• Statistics on domestic tourism generally
  poor
• Domestic generally outnumber intl tourists
• More than 3 billion people travel around their
  own country every year
• Economic activity generated by domestic and
  intl tourism in 1998 is predicted to be US4.4
  trillion, providing employment to 230 million
  people worldwide

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Trends in Tourism

• Increasing wealth and leisure time
• Decreasing travel cost
• Airline industry expansion
• Fewer travel restrictions
• Countries pursuing tourism as means to create
  jobs, diversify their economies and earn foreign
  currency
• Tourism as a source of private profit and
  economic development

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Characteristics of Tourists

• Tourists are younger, better educated and better
  informed, and have traveled to or visited the
  same place before
• Tourists are seeking more individualized trips, a
  wide range of activities and more authentic
  experiences, both environmentally and culturally
• Focus is on enjoyment of nature such as beaches,
  coral reefs, rain forests and wildlife (about
  40-60 of tourists worldwide)
• Focus on unspoiled and less developed areas with
  low tourist density such as rain forests and
  coral reefs
• Tourists now have higher sense of environmental
  and social responsibility and a greater demand
  for tourism products that do not degrade the
  environment

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• Survey in the Philippines showed that 70 of
  tourists were willing to spend US50 more per
  trip to conserve the areas they visited
• Tourists are choosing not to visit areas that
  have been degraded

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Definition of Ecotourism

• World Tourism Organization
• Traveling to undisturbed natural areas with
  specific object of studying, admiring and
  enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and
  animals as well as any existing cultural aspects
  found in those areas.

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Definition

• Ecotourism Society
• A purposeful travel to natural areas to
  understand the culture and natural history of the
  environment taking care not to alter the
  integrity of the ecosystem while producing
  economic opportunities that make the conservation
  of natural resources beneficial to local people.

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Definition

• Pacific Asia Travel Association
• A form of tourism inspired primarily by the
  natural history of an area, including its
  indigenous cultures. The ecotourist visits
  relatively underdeveloped areas in the spirit of
  appreciation, participation and sensitivity.
  Non-consumptive use of wildlife and natural
  resources and contributes to the visited area
  through labor or financial means aimed at
  directly benefiting the conservation issues in
  general and to the specific needs of the locals.

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Ecotourism Criteria

• Rich natural attractions and conducive to travel
• Unique features and education to visitors
• Rich in flora and fauna, endemic/endangered
  species
• Not frequented by commercial tourists
• Native traditions of local people remain
  untouched
• Rich in biodiversity

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Basic Policies and Strategy for Central Luzon
Tourism

• Give importance to man-made attractions and
  tourist facilities
• Aim at Family Market
• Ally with CALABARZON and Metro Manila
• Create satellite resorts to Subic
• Equip resorts with commercial functions
• Tackle convention tourism
• Make tropical rural life as tourist attractions
• Develop local industry-based tourism
• Promote Pampanga cuisine
• Source Tourism Master Plan by JICA

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Tourism Planning

• Developing a theme for product ID and development
  for tour operators or a community
• Guide for future actions
• Solve future problems
• Predict future scenarios

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Ecotourism Planning

• Systematic or a logical sequence of steps
• An opportunity to evaluate alternatives
• Community-based and supports community economic
  development
• Iterative and dynamic
• Integrated and comprehensive

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Eight Phases of Ecotourism Planning

• Phase I Mission Statement and Goal Setting
• Phase II Resource Inventory and Analysis
• Phase III Market Analysis
• Phase IV Product Market Matching/Theme/Concept
• Phase V Overall Development Plan
• Phase VI Tour Product Development
• Phase VII Market Strategy
• Phase VIII Implementation Strategy

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PHASE I MISSION STATEMENT AND GOAL SETTING

• what is important and deeply cared about
• the opportunity to serve a need
• the values to be protected
• what business are you in
• overall purpose for community existence
• Mission means expectations/values Goals means
  aims or purposes Objectives means quantified
  targets and strategies means types of action
• Example Mission (Be healthy) Goal (Lose
  Weight) Objective (Lose 10 lbs by Oct. 5)
  Strategy (Diet and exercise)

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What is your Mission?

• Your Mission Statement is
• _________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________
  _____

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Mission, Goals, and Objectives

• Mission
• To provide socially and environmentally
  responsible tourism at a profit
• Goal 1
• Implement sustainable economic development
• Objectives
• Increase visitor spending
• Identify areas of unique value for conservation
• Attract more tourists
• Decrease leakages
• Expand the tourism season

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Mission, Goals, and Objectives

• Goal 2
• Encourage community involvement
• Objectives
• implement community action group
• provide opportunities for local investors

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PHASE II RESOURCE INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS

• All resources are inventoried on the ff
  criteria
• 1. attractiveness
• 2. ability to draw visitors
• 3. accessibility and availability of services
• 4. integrity
• 5. contribution to environmental and cultural
  protection.

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PHASE II RESOURCE INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS

• Ecotourism Products can be grouped according to
• natural or environmental
• community
• heritage or historic
• cultural
• outdoor recreation
• tourism services
• special events
• information/interpretive services

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PHASE III MARKET ANALYSIS

• There are two sources of market demand that can
  contribute to determining an ecotourism product.
• primary research, including questionnaires and
  interviews with the travel trade and
• secondary or desk research including the analysis
  of written data or both the local markets as well
  as the international tourism markets.

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1. PRIMARY RESEARCH

• Primary research generates data, directly from
  the travel trade or consumers that is used to
  shape the ecotourism product. It is gathered by
• informal observation of the ecotourism market
• surveys or interviews with members of the travel
  trade (wholesalers, tour operators and local
  suppliers such as hotels and resorts, guides,
  adventure tour operators, NGOs, etc.)
• questionnaires distributed to visitors in your
  region/province/community that potentially
  represents the ecotourism market

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2. SECONDARY RESEARCH

• Secondary or desk research is provided by the
  literature and survey results that have been
  prepared by others. At the regional, provincial
  or community level, it may include
• visitor exit surveys
• surveys of the adventure market since there is
  very little available data on the ecotourism
  market
• adventure travel surveys in other provinces or
  regions
• market research from consumer magazines that
  provide nature-based tourism
• national/regional planning agencies, travel
  associations, city/municipal or provincial
  tourism offices

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PHASE IV RESOURCE / PRODUCT MARKET MATCHING
Product/Resource Market









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COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS

• Depending on your location, the competition may
  be in an adjacent province or region, or another
  ASEAN country. It is important to appreciate that
  similar ecotourism operators in an adjacent area
  may be a collaborator or contributor to your
  overall package.

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COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS

• Name of Competitor? _______________
• Its Product Component _____________
• Its Competitive Features and Special Appeal?
  _________________________
• Market Origin? _____________________
• Price Structure? ___________________
• Marketing Approach? _______________

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PHASE V OVERALL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

• Separate workshop

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PHASE VI TOURISM PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

• Preparation of Daily Itinerary
• Securing all services and suppliers
• Establish Price Structure
• Developing a partnership with tour operators and
  wholesalers

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Prepare the detailed tour package itinerary

• Date
• Time
• Places to Visit/Activities
• Special Events
• Services/Facilities to be offered
• Total Net Cost

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PHASE VII MARKETING STRATEGY

• It responds to the definition of Eco-Tourism
• It responds to the development strategy
• It meets Important Ecotourism criteria

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ANNUAL MARKETING BUDGET WORSKEET

• Suggested Components of a Marketing
  Budget
• ADVERTISING e.g. brochures, newsletter, newspaper
• SALES e.g. trade shows, fam trips, exhibits and
  displays, AVPs, web
• MARKETING e.g. data analysis, surveys,
  questionnaires
• OTHER

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PHASE VIII IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

• ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• There are variety of agencies, associations,
  organizations and companies responsible for the
  implementation of a Development Strategy. A
  matrix that outlines the specific responsibility
  assure response to the opportunity as well as
  Action.

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OTHERS

• FINANCING AND FUNDING SOURCES
• TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
• Culture of Tourism
• Tourism Awareness Seminar
• Basic Tour Guiding Techniques
• Homestay Program
• Accreditation Program
• Waitering and Bartending Seminar
• Front Office Management
• Tourism and E-Commerce
• Travel Agency Operation

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A Visitor Friendly Test for a Place

• NOTE The following 10 questions provide
  approximation to determine the level of
  friendliness of a certain tourist-oriented place.
  Provide 10 points for each favorable answer. A
  passing score is 60. Anything less may probably
  spell trouble.
• Are the central access points to your community
  (road, rail, plane) equipped with visitor
  information centers or do they provide
  instructions to easily accessible information?
• Should an airport be the primary access point,
  does it provide a full range of visitor
  information services (e.g. accommodation, tourist
  booth, visuals on-site, etc.)?
• Do visitor facilitators cabs, buses, airline
  personnel, security, airport operators,
  reservation personnel receive any formal
  training and does a system exist to monitor the
  quality of visitor facilitator services?
• Do hotels/lodges offer in-house television access
  channels for visitors with information on events,
  attractions, restaurants, and things to do?
• Is a single organization or agency responsible
  for visitor business and are public funds
  provided for its activities?

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Friendly Test .

• Does that organization or agency have a marketing
  profile of visitors, and is this profile used for
  marketing activities?
• Does the places hospitality industry accommodate
  foreign visitors needs (language, directions,
  special interests, dos and donts)?
• Does a range of accommodation exist to meet
  actual or expected visitor needs (by price range,
  size of facilities, access to site)?
• Is access to sites, attractions and amenities
  (events, recreational, central location), easily
  available at reasonable cost and frequency?
• Does the place welcome visitors and accommodate
  their needs (commercial hours, credit cards,
  language, signage, traffic, parking, public
  services)?

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