Sports and outdoor activities

Resorts now propose numerous alternatives to traditional downhill skiing. Valfréjus, a resort in the Savoie region of the French Alps, offers courses in speed riding, an activity that combines skiing and paragliding. Equipped with a type of small paragliding sail, skiers can jump and fly several metres above the snowy slope.

Source: Ataka Speedriding

The Smugglers’ Notch ski resort in Vermont offers airboarding to thrill seekers. Wearing a helmet and lying flat on their stomachs on an inflated sled, airboarders must learn to use their body weight to steer headfirst down the slope. In fact, a short instructional clinic is mandatory for first timers. The practice of this sport is outlawed in many resorts, because of the risk of collision with skiers and snowboarders. Other resorts allow it only in specially marked areas.

Airboarding. Source:  Smugglers Notch Vermont

Snowscooting is another sport that is becoming more popular in Quebec ski areas. Similar to a snow bike without a seat, a snowscoot is a two-piece snowboard, held together with a frame. Snowscooters use the handle bars to steer down the hill.

Snowscooting. Source: Canoë

 Although better known in Europe, ski joring, which combines skiing and horseback riding, is also practised in Quebec, notably at the Ferme L’Auteuilloise in Laval. Skiers, wearing downhill boots and skis, are pulled by a horse in this form of “equestrian skiing.”

 Ski joring. Source: Le Grand Club

In Switzerland, the floodlit Preda-Bergün toboggan run is a winding six-kilometre toboggan run connecting the villages of Preda and Bergün. Tobogganers take the train to reach the top of the run.

Source: MySwitzerland.com

Taxi skiing (sometimes called adapted or seated skiing) enables non-skiers and those with reduced mobility, such as those who used to ski but no longer can, to hit the slopes and enjoy the alpine scenery while comfortably seated in a ski-chair guided from behind by an instructor. Taxi skiing is offered at Mont Blanc in the Savoie region of France. The short video below illustrates the concept in action.

Events and locales celebrating winter

Innovative urban events such as Igloofest, the Montreal High Lights Festival and the many activities organized by the Québec Winter Carnival help create a festive atmosphere that gives winter destinations a competitive advantage.

Some orchards invite visitors to pick apples in the winter, for the production of ice cider, making it into a family-oriented activity a little like the U-pick system popular in the fall. For example, for a few weekends in January, the Vergers Lafrance in the Lower Laurentian town of Saint-Joseph-du-Lac offer cross-country ski trails, toboggan runs and special activities to members of the public who help harvest the apples.

In Switzerland, the Portes du Soleil ski area, which includes 12 different resorts, will host the second edition of the Festival des concerts sauvages, which has been renamed the Rock the Pistes Festival. During this event, French pop singers perform on temporary stages built right on the ski slopes. The exact time and location of these free shows are texted to festival-goers, the day before.

Source: Freeride Co

Christmas fairs have gradually become a tradition and a major event for many Quebec municipalities. They showcase regional products, provide a boost to the surrounding area, and create an enchanting ambiance that attracts locals as well as tourists.

Source: Marché de Noël et des traditions de Longueuil

Any discussion of winter in Quebec must, of course, include Quebec City’s Ice Hotel, which is rebuilt every year and is always very popular. This year, Montreal is following suit with an ambitious plan for a Snow Village on Ile Sainte-Hélène. In addition to an ice hotel, the village will feature an ice chapel, heated glass igloo, meeting rooms and a restaurant.

Adjusting prices along with the temperature

Some businesses are making winter weather conditions part of their marketing strategy. For example, the Mt. Bachelor ski resort in Oregon has implemented a sliding price scale that varies according to precipitation, wind, visibility, temperature and number of lifts in service. A non-holiday lift ticket ranges in price from $53 to $73, depending on the weather forecast. The price is set the day before and then posted on the resort’s Website and in social media.

Take advantage of winter

A Quebec winter lasts four to six months, more than 200 cm of snow falls, and average January temperatures often dip below -10°C. We can either suffer the consequences, hibernating until the return of warm weather, or we can tackle it head on, promoting winter culture and making it a powerful brand of our tourism industry.

Sources:

- Bissonnet, Jacques et Francine Plourde. «Montréal aura son hôtel de glace», Radio-Canada.ca, 27 septembre 2011.

- Demers, Alain. «Initiation au snowscoot à Sutton», Canoe.ca, 15 février 2011.

- Folie-Boivin, Émilie. «Un jardin de givre», Le Devoir.com, 8 janvier 2010.

- Laflamme, Isabelle. «Plus c’est froid, moins c’est cher», Canoe.com, 10 janvier 2011.

Websites:

- Ataka Speedriding

- Rock the Pistes festival

- Hôtel de Glace

- La Ferme L’Auteuilloise

- The Atlas of Canada

- Les vergers Lafrance

- Marché de Noël et des traditions de Longueuil

- Mt. Bachelor

- MySwitzerland.com

- Savoie Mont Blanc

- Smugglers’ Notch

Taxi drivers interact with many tourists on a daily basis and sometimes even constitute the first human contact a visitor has on arriving at his or her destination. This realization of the importance of their role has brought significant change to the global tourism industry. Whether on land or water, the mission of so-called “tourist taxis” sometimes goes beyond merely transporting their clients from point A to point B to focus on the overall visitor experience.

Québec taxis: a highly-regulated industry

In Québec, the number of taxi owner permits is restricted. According to the Montreal Economic Institute, in 2010 there were 84 taxis in Sherbrooke, 629 in Québec City and 4,445 on the island of Montreal. When they have a fare, drivers may not travel outside the zone for which they have a permit. These regulations are designed to protect the consumer and ensure quality service.

Montréal-Trudeau International Airport is the taxis’ most coveted client. To avoid disputes, it was decided in 2009 that a draw would be held for the right to purchase the 297 permits for this destination. The greater profit from trips and high volume of business and tourist clientele explain the popularity of this location.

A different kind of taxi service

Tourist taxis are different from other types of taxis in that they focus on the visitors’ experience and helping them discover a given destination. Often, the drivers will either have some relevant training or work closely with the destination’s Tourism Board. These companies usually offer a range of tours, as well as some customized ones.

In Québec City, for example, TaxiCoop Québec offers six tours of the city ranging in length from two to six hours.

1. Québec City, its life and history
2. Montmorency Falls and Orléans Island
3. Québec City and Montmorency Falls tour
4. Religious sites and surrounding area of Québec City
5. Québec City adventure tour
6. Québec City, its life and history (includes a cruise)

These tours, which can also be customized, are conducted by drivers who are certified as tourist guides by Merici College. The hourly rate for a group of 4 people is $65.

There are several reasons to use a tourist taxi, such as:

• Flight layovers often take up precious travelling time. Rather than spending tedious hours at an airport, some travellers would rather use that time to see as many sights as possible without necessarily renting a car. The solution? Hire a taxi. In Singapore, Taxi Tourist Guides are targeting those travelers, offering their captive clientele guided city tours that leave from Changi Airport and last a minimum of three hours. These guides have been certified by the Tourism Board and the Singapore Taxi Academy. The three-month long theoretical and practical training teaches drivers the main tourist attractions, some history, guiding techniques and client relations.

• Driving a car when on a wine tasting tour is problematic and possibly dangerous. Several French Tourism Boards have recruited taxi companies in order to resolve this problem. In the Bordeaux region, for instance, visitors can take a guided taxi tour of the region’s great wineries.

Boat taxis

In many cities, bodies of water have at least some impact on transportation. This fact has inspired some communities to provide water-based transportation. Water taxis bring visitors to otherwise inaccessible locations, enable them to avoid long detours and offer a pleasant boating experience. They can be found in a few major cities around the world as well as in some nature parks. We have provided three examples:

• Rowes Wharf Water Transport, a Boston company that operates a water taxi service, offers transportation to many of the city’s major attractions and has exclusive rights to a few destinations, such as the New England Aquarium and Logan International Airport.

Source : Rowes Wharf Water Transport

• At New Zealand’s Abel Tasman National Park, water taxis play an important role in getting people around. Since the park has no roads, visitors travel along the coastline either on foot or by kayak. A water taxi is an excellent alternative for exploring the shores, visiting seal colonies on neighbouring islands and making sure the travelers get back to dry land.

Source: Marahau Water Taxi

• For the past five years, Québec’s own Excursions Maritimes has been providing a water taxi service in the capital region for visitors and residents alike. The company offers a number of different tours and packages from predetermined boarding points such the Quai des cageux on Champlain Boulevard, the Port de Québec Marina and île d’Orléans.

Source: Excursions Maritimes Québec

The company also offers more customized services. For example, passengers can ask to be dropped off at a certain point in the tour and be picked up at the same place a few hours later. In order to offer a wider range of services, the company has developed partnerships with other players in the local tourism industry.

The importance of quality service and innovation

The value of tourist taxis is based on the training of driver-guides, the flexibility and relevance of the services they offer, and how those services mesh with the existing tourism product. Although the taxi industry is highly regulated in Québec, whether they operate in the city or in outlying areas, taxi owner permit holders are free to implement this innovative business model.

Sources:

- Conseil canadien des ressources humaines en tourisme. «Normes de compétence nationales».

- Institut économique de Montréal. «Industrie du taxi: en route vers une réforme», août 2010.

Websites:

- Excursions Maritimes Québec

- Bordeaux Tourism Board

- Abel Tasman National Park

- Rowes Wharf Water Transport

- Singapore Taxi Academy

- TaxiCoop Québec

- City on the Move

Thematic tourist routes abound in Quebec and around the world; there are routes to discover vineyards, cider, flowers, whales, heritage, history, the farming community, the arts and the St. Lawrence. Visitors can explore them on their own, guided and informed by a GPS, an MP3 player or a smart phone; the number of formats available is on the rise. Technology is enhancing the appeal of this type of tourist product, offering a wealth of possibilities in addition to meeting the needs of autonomous yet demanding tourists who seek experiences related to their personal interests. Welcome to a “tour” of some innovating and inspiring initiatives, as well as some of the factors behind their success. Happy trails!

What exactly is a tourist route?

A tourist route follows an itinerary featuring various sites of interest to tourists. The term “tourist circuit” is most often associated with a loop, while a “route” usually has different starting and ending points. However, these terms are not limited exclusively to these definitions. Routes vary widely in length, content and mode of transport (e.g., on foot, by bike, car or coach). Some are comprised of attractions aimed at the general public, while others group together sites of interest to a niche market.

In urban, near-urban and rural environments, tourist routes and circuits are an ideal vehicle for systematically developing and marketing a carefully planned tourism product. A means for local stakeholders to work together, routes also give regions, which are sometimes off the beaten path, an opportunity to differentiate themselves and attract new visitors. At the same time, travellers enjoy being presented with a number of clearly identified activities along the way that correspond to their interests.

A comprehensive, planned and systematic strategy

Tourism Queensland, in Australia, offers a perfect example of good management practice. This organization developed a strategy to plan the development of tourist routes within its territory and guide tourism-based businesses in the steps to follow. In the case of Queensland, we are talking about self-guided drive routes. The organization has made its guide available online: Developing & Marketing Tourism Drive Routes. Written for all stakeholders involved in planning a tourist route, this document discusses the possible benefits of a tourist route, but also mentions what it cannot do:

• single-handedly solve all the problems facing a region’s tourism industry
• provide a substitute for low-quality tourism products
• easily promote a region
• be developed quickly and inexpensively

According to Tourism Queensland, the partners involved in a thematic tourist route must make a commitment and, although they can be used to represent a large number of products, a single bad experience can ruin the reputation of all the participants along the route. After explaining how tourist routes work and listing the pitfalls to avoid, the guide provides a flow chart of the entire process, listing all the steps involved and the organizations to consult at each stage. By taking the reins, Tourism Queensland is helping ensure that its tourist routes are developed systematically and are of high quality.

Effective marketing relies on technology

A route’s use of effective marketing technology is increasingly a factor in its success. Well-equipped visitors–and there are more and more of them–want to be self-sufficient and appreciate being given the means to do so. At the very least, a route must have a Website with dynamic mapping and the option of printing the map. Many destinations now provide MP3 audio guides for download. Now, however, mobile technology is becoming indispensable, thanks to the myriad possibilities it offers. Several destinations have developed mobile applications or created Websites that enable users to view the route directly on their smart phone or GPS, locate businesses through augmented reality or even access a wealth of information simply by scanning 2D barcodes (Flashcode).

For more information on these technological tools, please see:

Le Web mobile, choisir sa présence et sa stratégie marketing

GPS et tourisme: Suivez la direction!

La réalité augmentée au service de l’expérience client

La démocratisation des audioguides: l’ère du numérique

Les «mutations génétiques» du code-barres traditionnel ouvrent des horizons au tourisme

Some eloquent examples

The Route des vins de Bordeaux en Graves et Sauternes Website suggests itineraries that encompass a number of wine-themed regional attractions. Simple and easy to use, the site features a dynamic map illustrating the location of the selected itinerary’s attractions, or visitors can use the map to plan their very own route. Local tourism bureaus also rent out multimedia GPS units to visitors, who can then follow a route at their own pace, receive alerts when they get close to a site of interest and view nearby restaurants. They can also create their own route by selecting the types of sites that interest them. A personalized, self-guided tour enabled by technology—now that’s a 21^st-century tourism product!

Source: Bordeaux-graves-sauternes.com

Tarn Tourisme, another French organization, offers a free iPhone application that presents seven tourist circuits for exploring the region by car. Travellers follow a map identifying the attractions or a list of steps displayed on their cell phone screen and get information from the videos, audio commentary and photos provided by the application. Certain stages of the route feature a family quiz. This is an excellent way to motivate children when sightseeing, for the teams with the best results of the week win prizes! For more details, view the Tarn Tourism video (in French) that introduces the mobile application.

Source : Tourisme-tarn.com

Strength in numbers

To improve and better coordinate the promotion of tourism in their regions, five Wallon provinces in Belgium have developed several initiatives, including Tourisme GPS, a collection of more than 170 multimedia GPS tourist circuits downloadable from the Website. Visitors input their preferences, such as mode of transport, geographic area or starting city, use key words or select a route from a list of favourites.

Source: Tourismegps.be

Factors of success

Taken from various studies on the topic (see the sources listed at the end of this article), the prerequisites below are key elements for the development of a successful tourist route or circuit. Stakeholders must have:

• a well-established high-quality resource to provide a focus or theme
• familiarity with the target clientele
• cooperation among the stakeholders involved
• a clear, shared vision the image to project
• a sufficient number of businesses and attractions
• high-quality tourism products
• a consistent level of quality from one supplier to another
• quality controls
• a common time schedule
• effective signage
• complementary tourism services and infrastructure (toilet facilities, regional tourist information, accommodations, restaurants, etc.)
• a dedicated resource to provide a framework for the member businesses
• a publicist
• high-quality promotional tools with attractive visuals
• creative use of technology

The situation in Quebec

Tourisme Québec lists some 46 thematic tourist routes and circuits, while the Association de l’agrotourisme et du tourisme gourmand (formerly the Fédération des Agricotours du Québec) proposes forty or so on its site under the heading “Québec Routes and Circuits for Food Lovers.” There are also a number of local initiatives that enhance what Quebec has to offer tourists.

It would appear that this type of tourist experience is particularly attractive to non-Quebeckers. In fact, visitor statistics from the Bonjour Québec.com site show that markets outside Québec have a greater tendency to opt for this type of product. Approximately one-third of site visitors overall are from outside the province, but this number climbs to nearly 60% when the topic is specifically tourist routes and circuits.

Quebec could actually take some inspiration from the Tourism Queensland initiative. For example, a comprehensive, planned strategy would give businesses wishing to develop a tourist route or circuit a procedure to follow. Such a strategy could also be used to organize a destination’s different themed attractions into separate centres of tourism, leading to more effective marketing on the global marketplace. Technological tools, shared strategies, unique routes—let your imaginations run wild!

Sources:

- Berki, Mónika and Janos Csapó. “Existing and future tourism potential and the geographical basis of thematic routes in south Transdanubia, Hungary,” University of Pécs, Faculty of Sciences, Institute of Geography, Department of Tourism, 2007.

- Lourens, Marlien. “Route tourism: a roadmap for successful destinations and local economic development,” Development Southern Africa, Vol. 24, No. 3, September 2007.

- Rob Tonge & Associates, Queensland Heritage Trails Network, Queensland Government and Tourism Queensland. “Developing & Marketing Tourism Drive Routes”, June 2004.

- Rogerson, Christian. “Tourism Routes as Vehicles for Local Economic Development in South Africa: The Example of the Magaliesberg Meander,” Urban Forum, Vol. 18, No. 2, Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2007.

- Zins Beauchesne and Associés. Agrotourisme : Diagnostic sectoriel/plan de développement et de commercialisation – Rapport d’analyse de la situation et diagnostic sectoriel, June 2006.

Websites:

- Route des vins de Bordeaux en Graves et Sauternes

- Terroir et Saveurs.com

- Tourisme GPS

- Tourisme Tarn

Some basic observations about Canada and Québec

In 2007, Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA) calculated that 2 million cruise passengers visited Canada during nearly 1,000 calls. In total, the industry generated some $2.3 billion and created 16,600 jobs. BREA estimates that 6% of this money was spent in Québec while 21% was spent in the Maritimes. In 2009, Québec welcomed some 166,000 passengers and 63,000 crew members. According to estimates from the Québec Ministère du Tourisme, cruise passenger spending will rise from $73 million to $275 million by 2014, an annual growth rate of 17%.

Table 1: St. Lawrence River ports in 2009:
Number of calls and number of passengers

Source: Visitor statistics from 2006 to 2010, compiled by the Québec Ministère du Tourisme

The Maritimes

A well-established cruise destination, the Maritimes have engaged in promotional and representational efforts for many years. They can be considered both competitors and business partners, because Maritime calls can enhance the itineraries of cruises headed to Québec.

The primary ports of call are Charlottetown, Gros-Morne, Halifax, Saint John and Sydney. Though history is the main attraction (museums, heritage sites, historic villages), outdoor recreational activities are also a big draw (hiking, beaches, kayaking, golf, whale-watching and other excursions). Table 2 illustrates the cruise visitor numbers recorded for the year 2009 in the major Maritime ports of call; Québec City was added by way of comparison.

Table 2: Cruise statistics for the Maritimes – 2009

* 2008 data

According to a 2008 study by the PEI Tourism Research Centre, 80% of the cruise passengers visiting Charlottetown came from the United States, 69% were 55 years or older and 85% were on their first visit to the Maritimes.

Source: Vacationstogo.com

New England

Let us take a closer look at our neighbours to the south. New England benefits enormously from its proximity to the major client bases of New York and Boston, which are the departure points for numerous cruises heading to Canada, as well as those for Bermuda and the Caribbean. The table below provides a brief overview of the cruise industry spin-offs generated in New England.

Table 3: Overview of the cruise statistics for New England – 2008

Source: CLIA, 2008 State Economic Fact Sheets

According to these findings, the state of New Jersey attracts fewer passengers than the province of Québec. However, according to figures from BREA, Québec attracted far fewer cruise-related spin-offs, generating only $138 million in 2007, compared to $387 million for New Jersey in 2008. In terms of employment, all of Eastern Canada (including the Maritimes) generated only 2,000 cruise-related jobs, compared to the 6,814 for New Jersey recorded by the CLIA.

Cruise Maine presents the change over time in the number of cruise ship calls since 2003.

Table 4: Number of stopovers in Maine ports, 2003 to 2009

*Projected figures
Source: Cruise Maine

According to a 2008 study by Todd Gabe and Jim McConnon, two economists from the University of Maine, cruise passenger spending injects approximately $5.8 million to $8 million into the Portland regional economy each year. On average, a single passenger spends about $81 per day, the major part of it spent as follows:

• food – $28
• clothing – $21
• arts and jewellery – $6
• household items – $5
• transportation – $5

In 2008, Portland welcomed a total of 48,000 passengers, during 35 calls. In 2009, the numbers rose to 69,852 passengers during 45 calls. Reservations for 2010 are predicting 76,867 passengers during 70 calls.

The Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea region is booming. Europeans are increasingly attracted to the area and North Americans are also showing greater interest in these destinations. The biggest consumers of cruises, North Americans are already well-acquainted with destinations like the Caribbean, the American West Coast and Alaska. The search for new destinations has led them to look at Mediterranean and Northern European cruises. The Baltic Region’s position on the cruise market is, in many ways, similar to that of the St. Lawrence: a destination offering culture, history, Northern landscapes, outdoor activities, coastal villages, etc.

Source: Vacationtogo.com

Baltic Sea destinations vary widely in terms of economic spin-offs and port facilities.

Table 5: Most popular Baltic Sea ports: wharf length and cruise statistics – 2008-2009

Source: Cruise Europe.com

Port facilities in the Baltic Region are undergoing numerous improvements. The city of St. Petersburg has built a new terminal for cruise passengers that should be completed sometime in 2010. Hamburg inaugurated its new cruise terminal in August 2009. The CLIA also reports that Stockholm, which has been operating one new terminal since 2008, will be opening another in 2010. It will house a museum of photography, among other things.

The Baltic Region has also decided to take steps to reduce the environmental impact of cruises by pushing the Clean Baltic Shipping Program. This plan has five main objectives:

• encourage ships with low sulphur and nitrogen emissions
• reward the initiatives that best reduce the environmental impact
• introduce a certification process
• equip all boats with wastewater treatment systems
• install a wharf-based power supply system for every port in the region by 2015

All signs indicate that St. Lawrence ports are competing in an increasingly well-organized and diverse market. This means it is vital to continue developing port facilities and, more importantly, work to create a high-quality product that stands out from the competition.

Article written for the Ministère du Tourisme intelligence gathering project

Sources:
- Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA). “The Economic Contribution of the International Cruise Industry in Canada 2007,” NorthWest CruiseShip Association, Cruise Newfoundland and Labrador, Cruise the Saint Lawrence, Atlantic Canada Cruise Association, Cruise BC, p. 4.
- Cruise Europe, Cruiseeurope.com.
- Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). “2008 State Economic Fact Sheets”, Cruiseindustryfacts.com, consulted January 2010.
- Cruise Line International Association. “Fantastic Cruise Record for Stockholm, Fast Facts”, November 2009, p. 3.
- Cruise Maine, Cruisemaineusa.com.
- “Cruise ships brought $3M to P.E.I. in 2008”, Telegraph Journal, May 2nd, 2009.
- Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. Backgrounder Year-End: “Provincial Tourism Performance 2009 and Early Tourism Outlook 2010”, New Foundland and Labrador, Tcr.gov.nl.ca, consulted June 23, 2010.
- Malhère, Manon. “Baltic Region: OPS for Sustainable Port Development”, Europolitics Regional, Europolitics.info October 12, 2009.
- Ministère du Tourisme.  “Les statistiques d’achalandage de 2006 à 2010”, 2010, special compilation.
- Peter, Tom. “Cruising right along; Ports officials pleased with tourist season”, The Chronicles Herald, Halifaxemployers.com, January 4, 2010.
- UK and EIRE, “Seatrade Cruise Review”, Seatrade Communications, September 2008, p. 45.
- Sondage effectué auprès des passagers et membres d’équipage au cours de la saison 2009, ministère du Tourisme, 2009.

Nonetheless, golf remains an important activity across Québec’s 362 golf clubs, while worldwide an estimated 25,000 golf courses cater to some 50 million players. Internationally, various organizations and initiatives exist to reduce golf’s environmental impact, but one of the most popular remains the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. In 2009, 783 golf courses were certified by this program worldwide, including 82 in Canada and 11 in Québec.²

Golf courses that have implemented initiatives to reduce their environmental impact can be recognized by a variety of actions, including:

• decreased water use
• improved irrigation systems and water application
• water quality monitoring
• reduced or eliminated pesticide use
• increased natural organic fertilizer use
• improved spill containment for pesticide mixing and loading areas
• decreased managed turf grass area to increase wildlife habitat
• landscaping with native plants to increase wildlife habitats
• removed exotic invasive plants
• vegetation planted in and around waterways
• installed of contained equipment in wash-off area.

Where such environmental actions have been implemented, golf course managers have generally also reported a positive business value or cost savings, according to Audubon International assessments.³

Situation in Québec

Currently, there is no information that systematically documents environmental improvements implemented by Québec golf courses. However, numerous golf courses are actively working towards reducing their negative environmental impact, while several are also in process of certification by Audubon International. The most prevalent positive environmental action presently in Québec remains the reduction of pesticide use, owing to legislation implemented back in 2003 by the Provincial Government.⁴ According to baseline assessments for the period 2003-2005, Québec’s golf sector used 39,382 kg of active ingredients per year (according to sales figures) and 75.9%, or 29,885 kg, in the form of fungicides.⁵ In comparison with total pesticide use in the Province, pesticide use by golf represented about 1.1% of the total. The continuous reductions in pesticide use remains important to maintain watershed ecosystem health, but especially since their application by golf courses in Québec occurs almost entirely on permeable soils.

Since 2003, the Québec Pesticides Management Code and its associated regulations require all Québec golf courses to submit a pesticide reduction plan prepared by a certified agronomist to the ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs every three years.⁴ For the period 2006-2009, the objective was to achieve average reductions of 12.9% in the use of fungicides, 9.4% in herbicides, 8.2% in insecticides, 7.4% in rodenticides and 2.8% in growth regulators. The results are currently being analyzed and the objectives for the next three years will be revised in 2010.

Though golf courses in Québec have taken numerous other actions to improve their environmental management, the overall impact of these is not documented, with the exception of the Laurentides, where water use is monitored by public sector organizations. A few golf courses have also installed industrial equipment to filter, treat and reuse wastewater. However, such initiatives are limited to only a few places, since they cost up to CAD 200,000. Elsewhere, golf courses have exchanged their carts for electric versions, implemented recycling programs, and use recyclable or biodegradable balls and tees. Increasingly, some golf courses supply their restaurants with local and regional foods, as in the case of the Rawdon Golf Club, which also received Le Phénix de l’environnement Award in 2009 for having implemented a variety of initiatives to improve its environmental management.⁶

While there aren’t clearly any 100% eco-friendly golf courses, work is under way to improve management at some places. There is currently a move in Québec to implement a variety of voluntary initiatives in 2010. For example, the Association des terrains de golf du Québec is drafting a sustainable development policy and green program, which will address comprehensive environmental management requirements covering a range of issues, including waste and water management (composting, recycling), hazardous substance use, vegetation around waterways and others. A number of other organizations, such as the Coalition for Responsible Golf, are also working to help golf courses improve their environmental management practices in Québec.

What about green golfers?

Few studies have assessed golfers’ attitudes towards the environment, and none have been reported from Québec. However, in 2008, Golf Digest published a survey that illustrated how perceptions of 650 avid golfers compared with the general American population regarding golf and its relationship with the environment.⁷ According to this study, golfers were typically male, affluent and older than the general population surveyed and some similarities and differences were noted amongst the two groups concerning environmental attitudes. For example, both groups appeared environmentally conscious and participated in activities like recycling and agreed that government regulation is a necessary approach for addressing environmental issues. However, while golfers also appeared to support the idea that golf is an environmentally friendly/compatible sport, they were less likely than the general population to participate in initiatives such as carpooling. Figure 1 summarizes some of the attitudes towards specific impacts linked to water and pesticide use, which suggests that fewer golfers believe the game’s water and pesticide use has a negative impact on the environment than the general population. The Golf Digest study ⁷ also suggests that, while golfers agree with the need to improve the environmental management of golf courses, such improvement does not necessarily represent a big plus for increased participation in the game.

Some golf courses are also focussing on player education to raise environmental awareness and several try to get players involved by having them volunteer to carry out restoration and environmental works, while others encourage the provision of financial support towards environment initiatives.

Golf clearly has the potential to be more environmentally responsible and the numerous initiatives in place by some golf courses currently leave no room for inaction by the great majority.

Source

(1) Wheeler, K. & Nauright, J. (2006). A green game?: A Global Perspective on the Environmental Impact of Golf. Sport in Society, 9(3) 427-443.

(2) Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses

(3) Audubon International (2007). Golf’s Green Bottom Line: Uncovering the Hidden Business Value of Environmental Stewardship on Golf Courses. Audubon International. 64 p.

(4) Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. Code de gestion des pesticides. Last access November 4, 2009 http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/pesticides/permis/code-gestion/index.htm

(5) Laverdière, C., Dion, S., and Gauthier, F. (2007). Bilan des plans de réduction des pesticides sur les terrains de golf. Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. 54 p.

(6) Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. Les Phénix de l’environnement, édition 2009. Last access October 28, 2009. http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/Phenix/2009/5-realisation-entrep.htm

(7) Golf Digest (2008). Golf and the Environment: Golfer Perceptions and Attitudes Concerning the Game and its Relationship with the Environment. Golf Digest Publication. Research Resource Centre. 25 p.

Economic incentives are considered a key component of sustainable tourism growth. Yet, there are very few examples of this when it comes to producing or purchasing tourism products. It is well known that existing “eco-conscious” tourists are not really motivated by price and that most others, and especially mass tourists still are. Moreover, studies also show that price is perceived as a significant barrier for purchasing responsible tourism experiences¹.

Offering financial rewards is not relevant to all businesses since some tourism operations offer clients opportunities to participate in different activities (especially eco and nature-based) that lead them to better understand the importance of natural resource conservation. It is assumed that such experiences might be rewarding, because they are meaningful at a personal level and clients automatically benefit by learning and can often result in responsible action elsewhere too.

There are many examples of small incentives to encourage responsible behaviour, such as giving a small discount for reusing a cup in café, giving away reusable shopping bags away at stores and so on. But why not reward tourists for partaking in environmental actions? Here are some examples from around the world.

At festivals…

In 2009, Roskilde Festival in Denmark² focussed some of its environmental initiatives on climate change with its Green Footsteps campaign. The organizers encouraged clients to take at least one environmental action, such as arriving at the festival by public transport instead by car and awarded them with green footsteps for this. A total of 40 000 actions were taken by festival-goers linked to cut energy consumption and CO² production, and as a reward, those with enough green footsteps could reserve a spot at the camping area before it opened for the general public. Those with the most green footsteps were also invited to join the festival’s Climate Community, a camping quarter providing an enriched visitor experience for participating patrons. They were offered engageing activities, knowledge about climate change, climate friendly showers (energy from wind, sun and humans on bikes) and a dance floor.

At nature parks…

Phillip Island Nature Parks³ (PINP) in Victoria, Australia provides wildlife experiences involving a variety of species, notably the Little Penguins whose conservation and volunteer program also includes a reward component for participants. PINP manages numerous conservation projects such as revegetation and weed removal, amongst others. The park rewards every international and domestic volunteer who helps with conservation works by offering free accommodation. The park also waives park entree fees for participating international volunteers. As do many zoos and aquariums around the world PINP also runs an “adopt an animal” program, where visitors can donate funds to help with penguin and other environmental conservation works. Those who participate become members and once a year receive free tickets to see the penguins. PINP is a not-for-profit organization and does not receive ongoing funding from the government, and it generates its own revenue to ensure business viability.

On tours…

GeoEx⁴ is a tour company that offers all its travelers who contribute $250 or more to the Living Planet Trust (a donor-directed fund administered by the Tides Foundation of San Francisco) a $250 travel voucher toward a future trip. These tax-deductible donations to the Living Planet Trust are dedicated to offsetting the carbon emissions generated by travelers’ international air passage and to funding local initiatives at the destination they just experienced.

At ski areas…

Several ski resorts in North America have carpool and bus incentive programs, encouraging skiers to take fewer cars to the mountains. For example, at Arapahoe Basin resort⁵ in Colorado, guests with four individuals in a vehicle are offered a 30% discount on lift tickets. The resort also provides financial support to a local bus system to encourage public transport use and reduce vehicle congestion and air pollution. Similarly, Aspen/Snowmass⁶ partnered with the City of Aspen to provide carpooling guests (with two or more adults) a free parking pass for all-day parking at the resort.

At airports…

Several airports are also rewarding the eco-conscious. For example, at Boston Logan Airport⁷ those who drive hybrid cars get preferential parking and taxis with low emission vehicles are eligible for a US $ 25,000 grant (from the government). Hybrid taxis also have privileged front of the line passenger pick-ups at the airport. Similarly, San Francisco airport has a Green Rental Car program that rewards customers renting hybrid cars with a $15 discount8.

On islands…

Targeta Verda⁹ or Green Card is an initiative of the Balearic Island Foundation to raise funds from tourists for sustainable development projects while giving discounts for visiting attractions and buying commercial products. The card costs 10 euros and is valid for 15 days for visitors, and for one year for residents while its benefits include free bike hire. Funds from the card have also been put towards various ecological restoration projects on the island, heritage interpretation and visitor awareness programs.

While Shopping …

Many tourist attractions (such as zoos) already sell products in their gift shops, which are produced responsibly and in some cases, the purchase of an item may provide a portion of the cost towards some conservation effort (for example, save a threatened animal from extinction). Eco-perks Green Rewards Store¹⁰ is a California-based online store that gives eco-points to customers who buy responsibly produced products and services. These could be anything from T-shirts and carbon offsets to stays at places such as W Hotels or Chumbe Island Coral Park in Zanzibar. The company also sells a wide variety of low-impact tourism experiences at various destinations: hanggliding, birdwatching, kayaking, cycling tours and so on. The more people buy, the more eco-points redeemed that can be used to purchase other products and services sold by the company. Eco-points can also be donated to a variety of causes such as environmentally oriented NGOs and ecosystem restoration projects. The company also provides information and tools to help reduce the negative impacts of every-day life.

So what?

It might be worthwhile to provide visitors with some kind of a reward, however small, because it would help communicate some of the environmental actions a company is undertaking that may otherwise be invisible and thereby raise awareness about an issue. Since most consumer groups have expressed some kind of an interest in purchasing green products, this may help also help to attract new clients.

Sources:

1. Reem, C. (2009). PhoCusWright’s Going Green: The Business Impact of Environmental Awareness of Travel. PhoCusWright. Sherman, CT, USA. 29 p.
2. Roskilde Festival. Reserve a spot at the camping area. Last consulted July 7, 2009. http://www.roskilde-festival.dk/uk/news/singlenews/reserve-a-spot-at-the-camping-area/
3. Philip Island Nature Parks. Wildlife and habitat programs. http://www.penguins.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36&Itemid=19 Last consulted June 16, 2009.
4. Geographic Expeditions. Responsible Travel. Walking the Talk. 2009 http://www.geoex.com/about_us/responsible_travel.asp Last consulted July 7, 2009.
5. Arapahoe Basin. http://www.arapahoebasin.com/ABasin/about/environment/transportation.aspx Last consulted July 6, 2009.
6. Aspen Snowmass. http://www.aspensnowmass.com/onmountain/statsfacts/statsfacts.cfm?area=Aspen%20Mountain Last consulted July 6, 2009.
7. Massachusetts Port Authority. Preferred Parking at Logan for Passengers Driving Clean Fuel Vehicles. http://www.massport.com/about/press_news_cleanvehiclehtml.html Last consulted July 13, 2009.
8. San Francisco International Airport. Save some green when you rent green. http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/tofrom/rental-cars/greenrentals/ Last consulted July 13, 2009.
9. Foundation for a Sustainable Balearics. http://www.targetaverda.com Last consulted June 4, 2009.
10. Eco Perks. http://www.ecoperks.com/ Last consulted July 2, 2009.

Growth. In the past few decades, the commercial adventure tourism sector has continued to grow. Many cash-rich, time-poor, reasonably fit people now treat adventure activities as purchasable short-term holiday packages, rather than as lifetime personal investments in skills and equipment. This has led to expansion at both the low-skill and high-skill end of the adventure sector.

Product price pyramid. The adventure tourism industry includes a small number of very highly priced products which rely on specialized equipment, take place in remote areas, or require considerable prior skills, and a large number of short, low-priced, unskilled products in accessible areas close to major tourist gateways.

More luxury. The level of luxury available in adventure tours continues to increase. Backpacker buses are more comfortable. Wildlife heliski and diving lodges have spas and massage therapists. Dive boats, surfboats and heliski operations offer private charters with especially luxurious facilities. Expedition cruise boats have suites with satellite phones, and sometimes even a helicopter. It has almost become a truism that successful adventure tour operators continue to move up-market.

Adventure destinations. The number of tourist destinations marketing themselves specifically as adventure destinations, often using the term adventure capital, has increased greatly in recent years. Some of these are long-standing tourist destinations that have added new products or changed their marketing strategies. Others are small-scale destinations seeking to develop tourism through a portfolio of adventure products. Some also use adventure events as destination marketing tools. Adventure events are growing rapidly in number, scale and variety.

Amenity migration. In some areas, outdoor recreation opportunities and, to a lesser extent, commercial adventure tourism, have triggered amenity migration. This in turn has led to an increase in adventure tourism as the amenity migrants seek commercial opportunities to maintain their lifestyles.

Retail packaging. Many tour operators offer a portfolio of products at different destinations. They do not necessarily maintain an operational base at each of the destinations concerned. Most are retail packagers which sell a range of local tour products to an international clientele. There are also specialist tour operators which offer similar products or activities at multiple destinations.

Combination products. It has become commonplace for individual tour operators to offer a range of different adventure activities at a single destination. These are often packaged as a discounted bundle of individual tours, marketed as a “combo” product. Some combo products simply involve syndicated marketing, with on-ground activities operated by separate companies. Alternatively, a single company either buys up local competitors offering other activities, or acquires equipment, staff and permits to conduct similar activities itself.

Cross marketing. There is a strong trend towards increased cross-marketing links between adventure tourism products and other products purchased by the same consumers. These links are made through magazines, mailouts, inserts, Internet websites, television, films, fashion, shops and merchandising, mobile phones and music players, and entertainment venues such as nightclubs.

Exploratories. Many top-end adventure tourism companies now offer “exploratories” as well as routine tours. These are not necessarily first ascents, descents or traverses, but they are generally new itineraries, for that operator at least. The term is used both as a marketing device, to advertise adventure, and as a legal disclaimer, to warn clients that the trip may not necessarily run smoothly or according to plan.

Flexible itineraries. Other tour companies also make a virtue of necessity by advertising that their schedules or itineraries are flexible and that this is part of the adventure. This approach is used at both ends of the economic scale, from overland buses to polar expedition cruises.

Copycats and takeovers. Establishing a new adventure tourism product requires considerable investment in product development and marketing. Once a product has become well-known, other entrepreneurs often attempt to take over the operation, or establish copycat products at undercut prices. This is a particular risk for new products in developing countries. A number of examples are now well documented.

Insurance. Because of litigation, especially in North America, adventure tourism providers have become increasingly concerned over issues of potential liability. This has led to increasingly lengthy and complex pre-trip waivers and disclaimers, as well as much-increased insurance premiums. For some activities in some countries, it has simply driven many former providers out of the market. With reduced competition, remaining operators have increased prices so as to cover increased insurance costs. Liability-capping legislation, either general as in New Zealand or activity-specific as in some US states, is increasingly important for the future of the industry.

Source:

Buckley, R. (2006) Adventure Tourism, CABI, Oxford, [www.cabi.org].

In the era of sustainable development, the social and environmental responsibility of businesses is paramount and this is remains a challenge in Quebec on many levels. Although a clear effort has been invested to organize eco-adventure tourism in Quebec, certain areas need improvement. Many of the issues, as their solutions are complex and interrelated, including small profits, acute seasonal fluctuations in visitor numbers, leadership, organizational structures and governance. This article is not an exhaustive discussion of all issues, but is a general report of what has been highlighted during the conference this year.

Human resource problems

Although economic trends suggest eco and adventure tourism continues to grow, numerous businesses seem to struggle with small profits, recruiting and keeping competent guides, ensuring fairness and equality of salaries (especially in remote areas and in winter). The reality of eco-adventure guides is difficult, in the face of very low salaries and limited professional recognition, as there are no industry standards for their employment in Quebec. This creates inequitable situations between businesses, as well as guides who are trained and experienced, and those who are not, and between guides from certain institutions and those belonging to professional associations. The ratio of “real’ employment opportunities in Quebec in adventure and ecotourism guiding vs. the number of trained guides on the job market is also an issue.

Regional development

The contribution of eco and adventure tourism to regional development is variable across the regions of Quebec. In general, regional development remains a big challenge for numerous reasons, notably in remote areas with limited infrastructure and service provision.

As elsewhere in the globe where regional economies are traditionally dependent on natural resources, Quebec struggles to favorably and quantitatively present ecotourism. For example, a mining company is often ready to invest 500 million $ and guarantees 300 jobs for 30 years. In the same region, an ecotourism company can say that 10 guides may be needed over this period (if all conditions remain favorable). This is difficult to resolve, but can be addressed firstly by having reliable studies that monitor the net social, economic and environmental benefits of ecotourism in Quebec.

Furthermore, it appears that the eco and adventure sector has a low profile in certain regions and is not always actively involved in important decision-making processes. A solution may be to be more proactive and communicate with elected members, as well as the general community, who need to be informed and educated about the values of ecotourism. Ecotourism can be relatively easily integrated into existing economic and social structures and harness partnerships that have multiple benefits. It appears that Quebec needs a more precise vision for eco and adventure tourism in each region, as well as a series of strategies and implementation plans for the medium and long-term in an economic, social and environmental sense.

Resources and Environment

The long-term prosperity of the industry depends on access to quality natural resources, which was a recurring theme throughout the conference. Equally, the threats created by extraction industries were emphasized (especially forestry and hydroelectric dams). The question of protected areas is a continuing issue and concern remains over the small % of protected areas in Quebec compared to global trends. The global challenge of providing access to protected areas whilst maintaining the quality of resources is equally pertinent in Quebec.

Quebec’s eco and adventure sector is working towards reducing negative environmental and social impacts through Leave No Trace, a proactive international program, adapted and implanted via AÉQ and its partners. The program aims to reduce and avoid negative impacts via education, research and partnerships, while ensuring the needs and satisfaction and needs of users. Although everyone agreed on the importance of the program, the reality of implementation and adaptation remains a challenge, often due to practical difficulties.

Products and Marketing

Quebec has a range of eco and adventure products, but it could improve its positioning in the face of fierce global competition as an eco-destination. How to sell Quebec’s winter ‘appropriately’ and ‘hot’ remains probably the biggest challenge. Given the climatic extremes, businesses could diversify their product and be more polyvalent. There is a need to create more networks around regional product themes, as highlighted by the noteworthy case of the ‘Appalachian Trail’. Many opportunities also remain to develop more combined ‘nature and culture’ products in Quebec. As it was well noted, if Americans can successfully develop products such as ‘in the footsteps of Henry D. Thoreau’, why can’t Quebec offer ‘along the trails of Vigneault’ on the Côte Nord? The regional product possibilities are festinating.

There is still room in Quebec’s eco-adventure sector to establish more local and regional cooperatives along the principles of solidarity as was highlighted, by the noteworthy case of Cap Jaseux. Similar opportunities exist in all regions between tour operators, hotels and others. Such cooperatives allow resource and knowledge sharing, and encourage product complementarities by reducing doubling-up. Furthermore, cooperatives enable more focus on creating unique, and high quality experiences. Although such alliances give synergy for the industry, the risks associated were well acknowledged. The case of Quebec Maritime also illustrated the values in regional networking for more efficient destination marketing.

Conclusion

Quebec’s eco-adventure sector is well on its way in implementing the principles of ecotourism, despite some challenges. Overall the industry is increasingly conscientious to ecologically manage business and clients, but some work remains in this area. Ecotourism has an important role to play in Quebec, primarily to be ahead of the rest of the tourism industry in implementing the principles of sustainable development and show how tourism can positively contribute to economic diversification in a responsible fashion. The latter is also the responsibility of the whole tourism sector, given recent policy orientations in Quebec. Aside from the above issues, work remains in other areas such as establishing a quality certification program and the monitoring of industry via reliable indicators. This could raise the profile of the sector and better inform decision-makers and reassure potential investors.

Source: http://www.aventure-ecotourisme.qc.ca/

> The cruise industry will experience explosive growth.

> An older, better-educated population in Europe and North America will increasingly seek ecotourism and cultural travel products.

> “Slow cities” and “slow food” trends will expand from Italy to much of Europe.

> London, New York, Sydney and Dubai will be the leading tourism poles through the end of the decade.

> Non-residents will pay significantly higher entry fees to tourist attractions than those paid by locals (Venice, Petra, Bath, etc.).

> Tourism Satellite Accounting will be adopted by several developing countries but ignored by the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and most Western European countries.

> Prayer rooms and compasses will be installed on most passenger aircraft serving the Islamic world.

> Antarctica will become an ecotourism tourism destination complete with hotels, restaurants and full-service tours.

> Shopping, from mega-malls to folk craft centers, will increasingly become a critical feature for tourism destinations.

> Rides on private spacecraft will become a recreational outing for the wealthy.

> Mega-resorts (Las Vegas, Orlando, Sun City, etc.) will do what no one thought possible: get bigger.

> Cruise ships will sell condominiums, becoming ocean-going resorts.

> In spite of organized international efforts to fight them, sex and drug-focused tourism will flourish.

> Airlines, travel agents and tour operators will ally themselves with financial institutions to offer consumer travel loans.

> Western tourists will shun countries with immense tourism potential but “rogue” leaders (Zimbabwe, Libya, Iran, North Korea, etc.).

> MGM Mirage will beat out rivals Hilton, Harrah’s and Bally’s to become the undisputed leader of the casino industry.

> National economies in Cuba, Egypt, Spain and Thailand will become dangerously dependent on tourism.

> “Rave” tourists will travel further abroad in search of the perfect party (BringItOn! Travel, Like Hiptrips, Experienceibiza, etc.).

> Enormous infrastructure projects will significantly expand automobile-accessible tourism options (Channel Tunnel car lane, Bahrain-Qatar causeway, etc.).

> China will be the first country to receive 100 million international arrivals in a 12-month period, sometime around 2018 - France will follow within 2-3 years.

Product & Service Trends

> Hotel rooms, increasingly equipped as offices with full-size desks, computers and advanced communications technologies, will minimize the need for business centers.

> Expansion of Europe’s high-speed train network will eliminate short haul flights.
 
> Hotel meeting and dining areas will be designed less formally in an attempt to attract the casual business traveler.

> Small super-luxury boutique inns will take market share from Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton and Fairmont.

> Hub airports will install capsule-cocoon hotels in terminal facilities.

> Hotel and restaurant facilities will be designed for an aging population with lower rise steps, more handrails and wider doors.

> Travel guidebooks will become highly specialized and more frequently consulted - primarily on the web.

> The distinction between business and leisure hotels will erode as business clients seek fitness and entertainment activities and vacation guests demand advanced telecommunications IT.

> “100% Satisfaction Guaranteed” will replace “Let the Buyer Beware”.

> Growth in demand for home food delivery will outpace all other food service segments.

> An aging population and growing infatuation with healthful living will bring a wave of European holistic spas and  ‘health-tels’ to North America and Asia.

> A new wave of budget conference & exhibition hotels will be built to meet the convention needs of cost conscious companies.

> European and Japanese new-build hotels will be obliged to design larger guest rooms closer to North American standards.

> Restaurant groups will operate F&B outlets wherever people gather (Laundromat bars, espresso counters at service stations, etc.).

> Center-city urban resorts will challenge sun, sand & sea vacation villages in the leisure market.

> Credit card check-in/check-out, F&B vending machines, self-cleaning bathrooms and self-serve laundries will eliminate most human contact in budget hotels.

> Luxury resorts that once shunned children will welcome them with an expanded array of activities and tailored dining options.

Investment & Finance

> Hotel real estate assets will be increasingly concentrated in the portfolios of fewer investors, particularly private equity funds.

> Intense competition for hotel operating contracts will push management fees as low as 1% of gross, 5% of IBFC and $4 per reservation.
 
> Airlines will continue to rack up significant losses as they struggle to deal with high fuel costs, new security requirements, an onslaught of no-frills carriers and brutal competition from ‘open skies’ agreements.

> Following the big American sell off of the 1980s and 1990s, hotel companies will be repatriated to the U.S. (Westin, Ramada, Renaissance, etc.).

> Airline alliances of the 20th century will evolve into acquisitions as weaker players struggle to survive (Air France-KLM, American-TWA, etc.).

> By the end of the decade, a score of management companies will control the world inventory of branded hotel rooms.

> Hotel feasibility studies will become an unprofitable commodity for hospitality consulting firms.

> Hotel operating companies will sell their remaining equity in real estate to free up capital for expansion of management contracts.

> Per room hotel acquisitions in Europe will reach stratospheric new records (i.e. Savoy Group).

> Franchising will experience explosive growth as hotel companies strategically reposition to get out of the hotel business and into the business of hotels (i.e. Radisson, Choice, Cendant, Holiday Inn, etc.).

> Fewer new-build hotels in Europe and North America, more existing property renovations.

Human Resources

> Critical shortages of skilled staff will encourage hospitality corporations to develop or outsource proprietary training centers.

> The introduction of new technologies in the upscale tourism industry will not replace the human element in service delivery - to the contrary, it will gain importance.

> Unionized hotel and restaurant workforces will trade scheduling and task flexibility for job security and quality-of-life benefits.

> Tourism and hotel management schools will move out of the classroom and out of the library, onto the web and into the field.

> Powerful unions, a shorter workweek and reluctance to taper social benefits will maintain Europe’s standing as the world’s most expensive tourism destination.

> Middle Eastern countries enforcing employment quotas for nationals will experience reduced productivity and higher labor costs.

> Airline employees will accept significant wage and benefit cuts to prevent their employers from going bankrupt.

Marketing

> The Internet will become the dominant distribution channel for all travel and tourism products eliminating most intermediaries.

> Understanding customers as people - their likes, dislikes, habits, interests and hobbies - will become critical to establishing competitive advantage in hospitality marketing.

> Customer retention will replace customer acquisition as travel agencies’ strategic objective.

> Homogenization of airline services will render them commodities while lodging products will continue to focus on differentiation.

> Data warehousing and data mining will provide one-to-one and relationship-marketing opportunities never imagined.

> Print media advertising will move onto the Web.

> Increasingly value-conscious customers will demand more and better product information.

> Consumers will increasingly expect to negotiate hotel and airline rates.

> Cross-sector strategic alliances between food service, lodging, travel and entertainment companies will prove to be effective marketing formats.

> Better understanding of psychographic consumer behavior will lead to more precise identification of customer segments and sub-segments.

> As marketers increasingly distinguish between loyalty and satisfaction, frequent use programs will become more elaborate.

> Hotel revenue management systems will become more sophisticated and be relocated from the reservations department to sales & marketing.

> Revenue management tactics will be applied to pricing in restaurants, amusement parks, golf courses, tour buses, cinemas, convention centers and sports stadiums.

> Hotel companies’ PMS standardization will result in the transfer of database and data warehousing responsibilities to CRS for greater operational and marketing efficiency.

> Market share and product profitability will be replaced by customer share and customer profitability as measures of marketing effectiveness in the hotel industry.

Safety & Security

> Consumers will systematically consult travel health sites before checking ticket or room availability.

> Security concerns in the Holy Land encourage religious tourists to make pilgrimages to sites in Ethiopia, Cuba, Greece, Italy and Morocco.

> Crime and terrorism will render some traditional tourist destinations unsellable.

> Customer credit cards will replace coded key cards in most hotels.

> Guest room safes will be enlarged to accommodate standard laptop computers.

> International hotel companies will refuse management contracts and franchises for hotels without in-room sprinkler systems.

> Terrorism fears will keep Israel, Indonesia, Iraq and India off the mainstream tourist circuit for the foreseeable future.

> Advanced encryption technology will make on-line payment genuinely secure.

Financial Management & Cost Control

> Zero-based budgeting will become the industry norm.

> GOPAR will replace RevPAR as the standard measure of hotel sales profitability.

> Speech recognition technology will lower staffing levels and operating costs in CRS call centers.

> To improve energy and water conservation, hotels will install usage meters and levy charges for consumption.

> Deregulation of the global telecommunications market will benefit the hospitality industry more than the deregulation of the airline markets.

> As hotel reservations made through global distribution systems diminish, GDS will exploit communications advances to reduce fees and costs.

> While hotel and café guests will increasingly expect wireless Internet access, other factors will encourage hospitality operators to invest in it - serving as a platform for mobile point-of-sales, reducing cable costs and more efficient restaurant table auditing.

Tourism Control Intelligence
E-mail: Nowlis@aol.com

• The cruise industry will experience explosive growth.
• An older, better-educated population in Europe and North America will increasingly seek ecotourism and cultural travel products.
• “Slow cities” and “slow food” trends will expand from Italy to much of Europe > London, New York, Sydney and Dubai will be the leading tourism poles through the end of the decade.
• Non-residents will pay significantly higher entry fees to tourist attractions than those paid by locals (Venice, Petra, Bath, etc.).
• Tourism Satellite Accounting will be adopted by several developing countries but ignored by the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and most Western European countries.
• Prayer rooms and compasses will be installed on most passenger aircraft serving the Islamic world.
• Antarctica will become an ecotourism tourism destination complete with hotels, restaurants and full-service tours.
• Shopping, from mega-malls to folk craft centers, will increasingly become a critical feature for tourism destinations.
• Rides on private spacecraft will become a recreational outing for the wealthy.
• Mega-resorts (Las Vegas, Orlando, Sun City, etc.) will do what no one thought possible: get bigger.
• Cruise ships will sell condominiums, becoming ocean-going resorts.
• In spite of organized international efforts to fight them, sex and drug-focused tourism will flourish.
• Airlines, travel agents and tour operators will ally themselves with financial institutions to offer consumer travel loans.
• Western tourists will shun countries with immense tourism potential but “rogue” leaders (Zimbabwe, Libya, Iran, North Korea, etc.).
• MGM Mirage will beat out rivals Hilton, Harrah’s and Bally’s to become the undisputed leader of the casino industry.
• National economies in Cuba, Egypt, Spain and Thailand will become dangerously dependent on tourism.
• “Rave” tourists will travel further abroad in search of the perfect party (BringItOn! Travel, Like Hiptrips, Experienceibiza, etc.).
• Enormous infrastructure projects will significantly expand automobile-accessible tourism options (Channel Tunnel car lane, Bahrain-Qatar causeway, etc.).
• China will be the first country to receive 100 million international arrivals in a 12-month period, sometime around 2018 – France will follow within 2-3 years.

Product & Service Trends

• Hotel rooms, increasingly equipped as offices with full-size desks, computers and advanced communications technologies, will minimize the need for business centers.
• Expansion of Europe’s high-speed train network will eliminate short haul flights.
• Hotel meeting and dining areas will be designed less formally in an attempt to attract the casual business traveler.
• Small super-luxury boutique inns will take market share from Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton and Fairmont.
• Hub airports will install capsule-cocoon hotels in terminal facilities.
• Hotel and restaurant facilities will be designed for an aging population with lower rise steps, more handrails and wider doors.
• Travel guidebooks will become highly specialized and more frequently consulted – primarily on the web.
• The distinction between business and leisure hotels will erode as business clients seek fitness and entertainment activities and vacation guests demand advanced telecommunications IT.
• “100% Satisfaction Guaranteed” will replace “Let the Buyer Beware”.
• Growth in demand for home food delivery will outpace all other food service segments.
• An aging population and growing infatuation with healthful living will bring a wave of European holistic spas and ‘health-tels’ to North America and Asia.
• A new wave of budget conference & exhibition hotels will be built to meet the convention needs of cost conscious companies.
• European and Japanese new-build hotels will be obliged to design larger guest rooms closer to North American standards.
• Restaurant groups will operate F&B outlets wherever people gather (Laundromat bars, espresso counters at service stations, etc.).
• Center-city urban resorts will challenge sun, sand & sea vacation villages in the leisure market.
• Credit card check-in/check-out, F&B vending machines, self-cleaning bathrooms and self-serve laundries will eliminate most human contact in budget hotels.
• Luxury resorts that once shunned children will welcome them with an expanded array of activities and tailored dining options.

Investment & Finance

• Hotel real estate assets will be increasingly concentrated in the portfolios of fewer investors, particularly private equity funds.
• Intense competition for hotel operating contracts will push management fees as low as 1% of gross, 5% of IBFC and $4 per reservation.
• Airlines will continue to rack up significant losses as they struggle to deal with high fuel costs, new security requirements, an onslaught of no-frills carriers and brutal competition from ‘open skies’ agreements.
• Following the big American sell off of the 1980s and 1990s, hotel companies will be repatriated to the U.S. (Westin, Ramada, Renaissance, etc.).
• Airline alliances of the 20th century will evolve into acquisitions as weaker players struggle to survive (Air France-KLM, American-TWA, etc.).
• By the end of the decade, a score of management companies will control the world inventory of branded hotel rooms.
• Hotel feasibility studies will become an unprofitable commodity for hospitality consulting firms.
• Hotel operating companies will sell their remaining equity in real estate to free up capital for expansion of management contracts.
• Per room hotel acquisitions in Europe will reach stratospheric new records (i.e. Savoy Group).
• Franchising will experience explosive growth as hotel companies strategically reposition to get out of the hotel business and into the business of hotels (i.e. Radisson, Choice, Cendant, Holiday Inn, etc.).
• Fewer new-build hotels in Europe and North America, more existing property renovations.

Human Resources

• Critical shortages of skilled staff will encourage hospitality corporations to develop or outsource proprietary training centers.
• The introduction of new technologies in the upscale tourism industry will not replace the human element in service delivery – to the contrary, it will gain importance.
• Unionized hotel and restaurant workforces will trade scheduling and task flexibility for job security and quality-of-life benefits.
• Tourism and hotel management schools will move out of the classroom and out of the library, onto the web and into the field.
• Powerful unions, a shorter workweek and reluctance to taper social benefits will maintain Europe’s standing as the world’s most expensive tourism destination.
• Middle Eastern countries enforcing employment quotas for nationals will experience reduced productivity and higher labor costs.Airline employees will accept significant wage and benefit cuts to prevent their employers from going bankrupt.

Marketing

• The Internet will become the dominant distribution channel for all travel and tourism products eliminating most intermediaries.
• Understanding customers as people – their likes, dislikes, habits, interests and hobbies – will become critical to establishing competitive advantage in hospitality marketing.
• Customer retention will replace customer acquisition as travel agencies’ strategic objective.
• Homogenization of airline services will render them commodities while lodging products will continue to focus on differentiation.
• Data warehousing and data mining will provide one-to-one and relationship-marketing opportunities never imagined.Print media advertising will move onto the Web.
• Increasingly value-conscious customers will demand more and better product information.
• Consumers will increasingly expect to negotiate hotel and airline rates.
• Cross-sector strategic alliances between food service, lodging, travel and entertainment companies will prove to be effective marketing formats.
• Better understanding of psychographic consumer behavior will lead to more precise identification of customer segments and sub-segments.
• As marketers increasingly distinguish between loyalty and satisfaction, frequent use programs will become more elaborate.
• Hotel revenue management systems will become more sophisticated and be relocated from the reservations department to sales & marketing.
• Revenue management tactics will be applied to pricing in restaurants, amusement parks, golf courses, tour buses, cinemas, convention centers and sports stadiums.
• Hotel companies’ PMS standardization will result in the transfer of database and data warehousing responsibilities to CRS for greater operational and marketing efficiency.Market share and product profitability will be replaced by customer share and customer profitability as measures of marketing effectiveness in the hotel industry.

Safety & Security

• Consumers will systematically consult travel health sites before checking ticket or room availability.
• Security concerns in the Holy Land encourage religious tourists to make pilgrimages to sites in Ethiopia, Cuba, Greece, Italy and Morocco.
• Crime and terrorism will render some traditional tourist destinations unsellable.
• Customer credit cards will replace coded key cards in most hotels.
• Guest room safes will be enlarged to accommodate standard laptop computers.
• International hotel companies will refuse management contracts and franchises for hotels without in-room sprinkler systems.
• Terrorism fears will keep Israel, Indonesia, Iraq and India off the mainstream tourist circuit for the foreseeable future.
• Advanced encryption technology will make on-line payment genuinely secure.

Financial Management & Cost Control

• Zero-based budgeting will become the industry norm.
• GOPAR will replace RevPAR as the standard measure of hotel sales profitability.
• Speech recognition technology will lower staffing levels and operating costs in CRS call centers.
• To improve energy and water conservation, hotels will install usage meters and levy charges for consumption.
• Deregulation of the global telecommunications market will benefit the hospitality industry more than the deregulation of the airline markets.
• As hotel reservations made through global distribution systems diminish, GDS will exploit communications advances to reduce fees and costs.
• While hotel and café guests will increasingly expect wireless Internet access, other factors will encourage hospitality operators to invest in it – serving as a platform for mobile point-of-sales, reducing cable costs and more efficient restaurant table auditing.

Tourism Control Intelligence
E-mail: Nowlis@aol.com