Climate Change Mitigation & Business Innovation: Potentials & Prospects for the Tourism Sector.

Lead Research Organisation: University of Exeter
Department Name: Management

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
 
Description There were two main messages from the major report produced by the project and they refer to gaps that must be bridged if there is to be greater climate change mitigation among tourism businesses.

First, the 'intention-behaviour gap' must be overcome. While the importance of climate change was recognsied, business responses have lagged some way behind. On average, tourism businesses had introduced eight mitigation meaures, more common among which were the relatively 'quick wins' as opposed to more recent (and advanced) measures such as renewable energy technologies. This was notwithstanding recent government policy to encourage greater use of renewable energy. Modest plans for the future were expressed, with an average of three planned measures per business. On the basis of their 'mitigation careers' to date, three distinctive groups of tourism businesses were identified: 'trendsetters' (12 per cent), 'trend followers' (23 per cent), and 'late starters' (65 per cent).

Second, an 'action-outcomes gap' existed and this represented a significant impediment both to future take-up and progressive emissions reductions. Although some action was being taken in the tourism sector in order to mitigate the effects of business activities on climate change, there was little evidence that the impacts of such inteverntions were properly understood or formed the basis for future planned reductions. As a means of monitoring the effects of their actions, data on energy and water were not routinely examined as standard operating procedures. Indeed, energy and water bills comprised 15 per cent and 7 per cent of costs but 11 per cent and 30 per cent of businesses did not montior their respective bills whatsoever, while 44 per cent and 38 per cent monitored only when the bill arrived.
Exploitation Route The main report ('The future's bright...') was written primarily for two sets of non-academic audiences: first, policy-makers, planners, civil servants, politicians and other public servants tasked with delivering sustainable futures, especially in the tourism sector; and second, business owners, managers, advisors and trade associations in order to offer them additional information on how to review and develop operational and managerial practices in order to reduce vulnerabilities, build resilience, and contribute further towards tackling climate change.

The papers in international peer-reviewed journals presented evidence-based critiques of current policy on climate change as it relates to the tourism sector. The research examined such issues as whether current policy interventions and instruments are appropriate to encouraging behaviour change in a major sector that is responsible for at least 5 per cent of all anthropogenic forcing. The research also investigated the extent to which the sector will contribute to future emissions reductions targets in the UK, the importance of a differential response, and how to optimise its performance in this regard.

There were two main implications from the package of work. Practical actions in the form of further encouragement to change behaviours and a rethinking of the success criteria must be supported by more coherent communications if these gaps are to be closed in the short to medium term which is desired by UK policy on climate change.

The '3Ms' of climate change mitigation are vital to the small business response not only in the tourism sector, but also more widely, namely: measurement, monitoring and modification. Within the tourism sector, 'success' had been conceptualised in policy and green business schemes in terms of the number of businesses taking action and the number of measures they had taken. Success should, instead, be judged by the extent to which action results in more efficient resource consumption.

Five recommendations were made to policy-makers and managers with responsibility for climate change mitigation in the tourism sector, namely to:

1. Take a new approach to the arguments based on 'accountable impact'
2. Work to make bills easier to understand and use for cost-control purposess, and to facilitiate access to more advanced monitoring equipment;
3. Increase communications on the implications of responding to climate change for the prospects and competitiveness of the sector and individual businesses;
4. Employ nuanced approaches to communications and tailored support for further action based on the 'mitigation careers' of businesses so far; and
5. Develop new success measures that more appropriately reflect the role of (tourism) businesses in emissions reductions and the debarbonising of energy sources.

These messages were disseminated in two further brochures and through a series of seminars to tourism businesses in the South West of England.
Sectors Energy,Environment,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Other
URL http://www.exeter.ac.uk/slt/ourresearch/businessinnovationandclimatechangemitigation/
 
Description There were two main implications from the package of work. Practical actions in the form of further encouragement to change behaviours and a rethinking of the success criteria must be supported by more coherent communications if these gaps are to be closed in the short to medium term which is desired by UK policy on climate change. The '3Ms' of climate change mitigation are vital to the small business response not only in the tourism sector, but also more widely, namely: measurement, monitoring and modification. Within the tourism sector, 'success' had been conceptualised in policy and green business schemes in terms of the number of businesses taking action and the number of measures they had taken. Success should, instead, be judged by the extent to which action results in more efficient resource consumption. Five recommendations were made to policy-makers and managers with responsibility for climate change mitigation in the tourism sector. The original reports and their findings have subsequently been picked up by policy-makers at several geographical scales. They also became an integral part in leveraging the successful ERDF-funding underpinning the Centre for Business and Climate Solutions at Exeter. Under its auspices members of the original project team have been able to assist over 50 SMTEs to improve their energy-related behaviours and commercial resilience.
First Year Of Impact 2010
Sector Energy,Environment,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Other
Impact Types Economic,Policy & public services
 
Description Business Seminar - Castle Drogo (Okehampton) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Attended by 36 participants from the tourism sector, this seminar combined a series of presentations about climate change and its relationship to tourism businesses with more practical advice about the commercial benefits of taking a more climate-conscious approach.

Introduced evidence and a series of practical measures to enhance the commercial and climate-related resilience of regional businesses
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2008,2010
 
Description Business Seminar - Trelissick (Truro) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Attended by 34 participants from the tourism sector, this seminar combined a series of presentations about climate change and its relationship to tourism businesses with more practical advice about the commercial benefits of taking a more climate-conscious approach.

Introduced evidence and a series of practical measures to enhance the commercial and climate-related resilience of regional businesses
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2010
 
Description Business seminar - Tyntesfield (Bristol) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Attended by 37 participants from the tourism sector, this seminar combined a series of presentations about climate change and its relationship to tourism businesses with more practical advice about the commercial benefits of taking a more climate-conscious approach.

Introduced evidence and a series of practical measures to enhance the commercial and climate-related resilience of regional businesses
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2010
 
Description International geographical union 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.)
Results and Impact Paper presentation at a meeting of its Commission on Tourism, Leisure and Global Change in Stellenbosch in 2010 Meeting hosted by Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Audience of 30, mainly academics and doctoral students.

Meeting hosted by Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Audience of 30, mainly academics and doctoral students.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2010