Fabian Weber

Climate change and tourism - scenario analysis for the Bernese Oberland in 2030.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate possible impacts of climate change on tourism on a regional level and therefore to provide a basis for discussion for tourism destinations.Design/methodology/approach – By means of a statistical analysis of data and a comprehensive desk research, the ecological consequences of climate change on regional level were outlined. In expert workshops, the effects on tourism were discussed and the main challenges for tourism enterprises and destinations were derived.Findings – The ecological consequences of climate change are shown for the different destinations in the Bernese Oberland. The economic effects on tourism under changed conditions are estimated. The changes in tourism revenue, including adaptation measures, would result in annual losses of approximately 70 million CHF, or about −4 per cent.Research limitations/implications – There are many uncertainties regarding climatic development, effects on tourism and adaptability of the industry. In addition, t...

Assessing The Sustainability Of Tourism Products – As Simple As It Gets

The balance between the three dimensions of sustainability forms the basis for the successful development of a tourism region. The development of sustainable products is crucial for a destination in order to create true sustainable experiences for their guests. The research project aimed to determine the criteria for sustainable tourism and to develop a simple method for the sustainability assessment of tourism products. While most valuation methods require the presence and the analysis of a comprehensive data set, the assessment tool should enable the destination to analyse the sustainability of their products as easily as possible. Together with five Swiss tourism destinations an assessment tool was developed and tested. In a first step, the central sustainability criteria for tourism products were defined based on existing criteria sets. Then an inventory of all tourist products was created. Every single product was quantitatively assessed with regards to the sustainability criteria by the project manager of the destination management organisation (DMO). Their experiences were evaluated through qualitative interviews. The sustainability assessment using the framework showed various challenges such as the dependence of the prior knowledge of the evaluator. The variety of the products also hampers a consistent assessment and a comparison between destinations. The strengths of such a simplified model are that it allows a comparison to changes of sustainability in the product portfolio over time. In addition, it promotes the internal discussion and awareness. Using the new framework during the development of new products helps to take all criteria into account. It also supports the connection with service providers and the communication of sustainability requirements. The instrument tested represents a compromise that reduces complexity and enables the assessment of sustainability without the use of a comprehensive monitoring system – as simple as it gets.

Nachfrage für nachhaltigen Tourismus

Corporate Social Responsibility wird im Tourismus zu einem immer wichtigeren Thema. Eine ausgewogene Berucksichtigung der drei Nachhaltigkeitsdimensionen Wirtschaft, Umwelt und Gesellschaft bildet die Basis fur eine langfristig erfolgreiche Entwicklung einer Tourismusregion. Oft werden die mangelnde Nachfrage oder vielmehr eine ungenugende Zahlungsbereitschaft der Gaste als hemmender Faktor fur ein betriebliches CSR beziehungsweise die Umsetzung von nachhaltigen Tourismusangeboten angefuhrt. Dieser Beitrag versucht aufgrund bestehender Studien aufzuzeigen, welches Nachfragepotenzial fur einen nachhaltigen Tourismus besteht. Obwohl Nachhaltigkeit bei der Reiseentscheidung generell meist nicht an erster Stelle steht, mochten Ferienreisende grundsatzlich nachhaltig reisen. Rund ein Drittel der Touristen ist an nachhaltigem Tourismus bzw. zumindest an gewissen Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten interessiert. Neben den nachhaltigkeitsaffinen und bewussten Konsumenten stellen insbesondere die LOHAS als kaufkraftige Kundengruppe ein interessantes Nachfragepotenzial dar. Aber auch bei Geschaftsreisen und im MICE-Bereich wird Nachhaltigkeit vermehrt zum Selektionskriterium. In Bezug auf die Zahlungsbereitschaft gibt es widerspruchliche Studien. Es weist aber einiges darauf hin, dass Touristen kaum bereit sind, fur nachhaltiges Reisen signifikant mehr zu bezahlen. Insgesamt lassen die Ergebnisse der vorgestellten Studien, aber auch die Entwicklung allgemeiner Lifestyle-Trends darauf schliesen, dass das Thema Nachhaltigkeit fur Reisende weiter an Bedeutung zunehmen wird.

Sustainability Management of Hotels: How Do Customers Respond in Online Reviews?

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate how guests respond to the sustainability efforts of sustainably managed hotels by discussing them in reviews posted online. Thus, an exploratory research design and the content analysis method were chosen for this study. The content analysis technique was used to analyze User Generated Content and to explore what attributes of sustainability are perceived as the most important by hotel guests in online reviews and whether they generate positive or negative feelings. An analysis of the reviews showed that hotel guests perceive sustainability positively: most indicators were discussed in a positive context, and reviews that contained sustainability attributes had higher guest ratings than other reviews. Explicit references to sustainability were found in only 6.8% of all customer comments. The most frequently encountered indicators in guest reviews were biodiversity, education and sustainable products. Customers mainly discuss attributes that have direct impacts on their experience or are observable at the hotel. Customers are likely to realize that a hotel’s commitment to sustainability can excuse the hotel for a suffered inconvenience. This finding implies that hoteliers should educate guests on their sustainability measures, as higher awareness may increase customer satisfaction.