“TOURISM TIDBITS”
Posted on May 22, 2025
“TOURISM TIDBITS”
FROM
TOURISM & MORE, INC.
The goal of “Tourism Tidbits” is to provide travel professionals with a monthly, easy-to-read overview of creative ideas. We invite you to forward “Tourism Tidbits” along to friends, or with proper attribution, to quote or reproduce it in excerpts or in its entirety.
“Tourism Tidbits” is published monthly in English. Spanish, and Portuguese. The Spanish translation is from Ferran Anguera of Barcelona, Spain. The Portuguese translation is by Lillian Donati Godinho of Lisbon, Portugal.
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Tourism & More’s
Tourism Tidbits
for March 2025
Sustainable Tourism and Eco Tourism
There is no doubt that tourism is not only big business, but any industry that moves over a billion people from one place to another is going to have a major impact on both the local and global environment. Although there is no single definition of tourism and the industry’s records can be dependent on local methodologies, we can “guestimate” that the average tourist spends at least US$700 per trip. A conservative estimate of the impact of travel might be around US$700 billion per year. Assuming these figures are correct, then a fair estimate is that tourism produces about 10% of all of the world’s jobs.
Over the last decade one of tourism’s popular phrases has been “sustainable tourism.” Despite the word’s popularity, there are many different interpretations of what the phrase means. Often it appears that there is an overlap between what is called sustainable tourism and eco-friendly tourism. To add to the complexity, just as there are many forms of tourism, there are also many forms of sustainable tourism. For example, sustainable urban tourism is different from sustainable rural tourism, aquatic tourism or beach tourism. For the most part we can define sustainable tourism as a form of travel and tourism that permits outsiders to visit a place without creating a harmful impact to such a degree that the visitors destroy what they came to see. Sustainable tourism seeks to protect the locale’s culture, environment, economy, and way of life. Despite the ongoing efforts by many in the tourism industry it is still not certain that this goal is attainable. Many sociologists and anthropologists would argue that the moment a “foreign” body or substance has entered into the eco-bio system, that system is changed forever.
Eco-friendly tourism might be easier to define. Eco-friendly tourism (often spelled ecotourism as one word) focuses on such things as local cultures, wilderness experiences, or learning new ways to live on the planet. Some people define eco-friendly tourism as travel to destinations where the primary attractions are the locale’s flora, fauna, or even its cultural heritage. Both sustainable tourism and eco-tourism attempt to minimize the adverse effects of what these tourism professionals believe is the harmful impact of overtourism. As such, many who work in sustainable tourism or eco-tourism will argue that they are not trying to stop tourism but rather to package it in a way that the tourism’s impact on the local physical and cultural environment will be the most minimal possible. It is for this reason that major tourism hubs such as Venice, Italy, Barcelona, Spain, and Ecuador’s Galapagos islands have promulgated new laws that limit the number of visitors to their locale at any one time. It is also for this reason sustainable and eco-tourism specialists seek to find ways to recycle waste as efficiently as possible, to use water resources sparingly, to control trash locations and to prevent noise, light and water pollution. Because tourism cannot survive if overtourism destroys precisely the reason that people visit that locale, Tourism Tidbits offers for your consideration several ideas regarding ways that that travel and tourism are both sustainable and environmentally friendly for years to come.
-Take extra care of your water resources. Tourism is beginning to make some long-needed strides in this area, but the recent fires in Los Angeles demonstrate that there is much to do. From asking guests at hotels to use their towels for more than one day to changing bed sheets every three days (during prolonged stays), the industry has succeeded in reducing the amounts of detergents and other toxics that enter into local water systems. Much more, however, can and should be done. Innovations such as the Israeli model of drip irrigation can be applied to golf courses and outdoor stadiums. New forms of detergents need to be developed. Showers and toilets throughout the world need to have water saving devices; visitors should be rewarded for making ecologically sound decisions.
-Promote local products. The use of local products is not only good for the ecology but it is the basis of tourism. Local products are fresher and provide a local flavor. Some ecologists believe that they also reduce emissions into the atmosphere by at least 4%. Local products are less costly to transport and their transportation uses less energy. Local products then are not only good for the environment but they are also good for your tourism product.
-Protect and promote your local flora and fauna. Just as in the case of food, local flora and fauna help to distinguish your location from other locations. Even urban environments have plants and flowers that are (or were) native to their soil. Plants not only add a sense of beautification to the environment, but they increase the supply of oxygen, and beautification is one of the least expensive ways to lower crime rates.
-Plant and replenish your locale’s tree population. Trees not only add shade and beauty to a locale, but also are a major source in absorbing carbon pollutants. Make sure to plant trees that are compatible with your environment and are in sync with your water resources. Tourism locales should use native trees to add not only beauty but also a touch of what makes your community unique. The need for urban tree planting is especially essential when you consider that half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. In some parts of the world, such as in Latin America, the figures may be as high as 70% and many of these Latin American cities not only suffer from traffic congestion but also lack parks and green areas.
If your tourism locale is by any medium or large body of water, take care of the aquatic areas in addition to the land. Too many of our world’s oceans have become dumping grounds, impacting the beaches and fishing. For example, many of the Caribbean’s coral reefs are threatened or poorly protected. Once these resources are lost, they may be lost forever. Over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water and what happens in the aquatic world will impact the terrestrial world.
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The Art of the Assessment Study
Assessment studies are to tourism what medical check-ups are to people. Every locale needs to have a full assessment study to determine both tourism strengths and weaknesses, to build a better industry and to avoid future problems. Please contact Tourism & More for details.
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TOURISM AND MORE’S WIDE RANGE OF SPEECHES AND TRAINING SEMINARS
For a complete listing of topics and information, please check our web page http://www.tourismandmore.com/contact or e-mail us at ptarlow@tourismandmore.com
Please contact us at ptarlow@tourismandmore.com for more information regarding costs and available dates.
All seminars and speeches can be presented in English, Portuguese, or Spanish.
1) Tourism challenges in a post-Covid world.
2) Political advocacy through tourism: Using tourism to change the perception of your locale, business or nation
3) New forms of tourism: from agro-tourism to dark tourism
4) Tourism and Heath: Surviving the Next Pandemic.
5) Surviving man-made and natural disasters
6) Successful and failed tourism marketing strategies.
7) Avoiding tourism crises by using good risk management techniques
8) Dealing with over- and under- tourism, how to match the number of visitors to your locale’s capabilities
9) Tourism Confronts Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Maintain a Viable Industry in the Face of Terrorism
10) Training Your Police: Tourism Oriented Policing (TOPPs), how it works and why it is essential for a viable tourism industry.
11) Generational Marketing: How to market tourism to diverse age groups
12) Medical tourism: its advantages and the challenges
13) Something from Nothing: The Art of Creating New Attractions.
14) Dealing with the Media: Transforming the Media into your friend
15) Selling to the Latin American Tourism Market: No, they are not all the same!
16) Selling to the US Market: One country and lots of niche groups
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Books on Tourism in English
In alphabetical order by title. Most of these books are available at Amazon.com or from the publisher
(see below for Spanish and Portuguese language books)
1) A Supply Chain Management Guide to Business by Betty Kildow; BettyKildow@comcast.net
2) Beach Safety and the Law, Edited by Jeff Wilks published by Queensland (Australia) Law Society
3) Challenges to US and Mexican Police and Tourism Stability: Peter E. Tarlow, Emerald Publishing. Available at the Emerald Book store or at Amazon https://books.emeraldinsight.com/book/detail/challenges-to-us-and-mexican-police-and-tourism-stability/?k=9781803824062
4) Event Risk Management and Safety (ISBN 0-471-40168-4) by Peter E. Tarlow, published by John Wiley & Sons. Presenting theory and practical applications. To purchase this book, visit http://www.wiley.com or http://www.amazon.com. If you would like Dr. Tarlow to speak or train people in this area, please contact him at ptarlow@tourismandmore.com
5) Leisure Travel: A Marketing Handbook, by Stanley Plog, Pearson Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2004. Available through the website of Pearson Prentice-Hall for $25.
6) Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism (7th edition) by Philip T. Kotler (Author), John T. Bowen (Author), James Makens Ph.D. (Author), Seyhmus Baloglu (Author). Available on Amazon.
7) Media Strategies for Marketing Places in Crisis, by Eli Avraham and Eran Ketter Published by Elsevier
8) Personal Reconstruction, by Peter E. Tarlow, Tom Marrs, Nathaniel Tarlow & Eduardo Leite. How to prevent or recover from a personal crisis. Available at Amazon.
9) Personal Resilience, by Peter E. Tarlow and Séverine Obertelli, Quest Publishing, Miami, Florida
10) Restoring Tourism Destinations in Crisis by Dr. David Beirman: Published by Allen & Unwin (Australia & SE Asia) and CABI Publishing North America/ Europe 2003. For more information contact david.beirman@uts.edu.au
or go to: https://au.sagepub.com/en-gb/oce/tourism-crises-and-destination-recovery/book256475
11) Sports Travel Security by Peter E. Tarlow, published by Elsevier
12) Terrorism and the Economy, edited by Karin W. Glaser, For more information please go to: http://www.elevenpub.com/law/catalogus/terrorism-and-the-economy-1#
13) The Economics of Tourism Destinations, by Norbert Vanhove, Published by Elsevier
14) The Ethics of Terrorism: Innovative Approaches from an International Perspective. Eds Thomas Albert: Publisher: Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Il; USA.
15) The Sage Encyclopedia of Travel and Tourism; Three Volume Series, Published by Sage
16) Tourism Crises and Destination Recovery, by David Beirman, Published by Sage Australia. For more information contact David Beirman at David.Beirman@uts.edu.au
17) The Tourism Gaze 3.0 by John Urry and Jonas Larsen. An all-new updated version of a great classic. Published by Sage.
18) Tourism: Principles and Practices, by John Fletcher, Alan Fyall, David Gilbert, and Stephen Wanhill. Published by Pearson
19) Tourism and Mobility, Burns, P. and Novelli M. eds. (Wallingford: CABI)
20) Tourism Development: Growth, Myths and Inequalities, Burns, P. and Novelli, M. eds. (2008). (Wallingford: CABI)
21) Tourism Safety and the Security for the Caribbean, Drs. Andrew Spencer and Peter E. Tarlow, Published by Emerald
22) Tourism in Turbulent Times. Toward Safe Experiences for Visitors. Edited by Jeff Wilks, Donna Pendergast, and Peter Leggart. Published by Elsevier.
22) Tourism Management: Analysis, Behavior and Strategy, edited by Woodside and Martin, published by Cabi, London, England
23) Tourism-Oriented Policing and Protective Services, Peter E. Tarlow, published by IGI
24) Tourism Security: Strategies for Effectively Managing Travel Risk and Safety by Peter E. Tarlow, Elsevier, ISBN: 978-0-12-411570-5
25) Tourism Security & Safety, from Theory to Practice. Edited by Yoel Mansfeld and Abraham Pizam, published by Elsevier.
26) The 2020 Election: A Survivor’s Guide; Peter E. Tarlow and Steve Vincent, Doppler Printing
27) Twenty Years of Tourism Tidbits: by Dr. Peter E. Tarlow and Dr. Tom Marrs. Available now on Kindle and Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/TWENTY-YEARS-TOURISM-TIDBITS-ebook/dp/B004Q9TIWW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1299276788&sr=1-2
28) 24 Sustainable Cultural Tourism: Small-Scale Solutions by Susan Guyette, Ph.D. ISBN: 978-0-9858788-0-1, On Amazon.com
29) 25 Marketing Strategies to Build Your Outdoor Recreation Business by Evanne Schmarder and Peter Pelland. Published by Train Rec Productions. Please contact E. Schmarder at evanne@roadabode.com to purchase this book or find it on Amazon
Libros en español/ Livros em Português
1. Abordagem Multidisciplinar dos Cruzeiros Turísticos (A Multi-disciplinary Approach to the Study of Cruises) por Dr. Peter E. Tarlow, Ericka Amorim, Cyntia Andrade, Nina Cardona Valéria Mariotti. Por favor contato Ericka Amorim: erickaaa@msn.com.
2) Antropologia e Turismo. Teorias, métodos e praxis, por Xerardo Pereiro e Filipa Fernande. Para comprarlo dirijase a
<http://www.pasosonline.org/es/colecciones/pasos-edita/151-numero-20-antropologia-e-turismo?
3) Desarrollo del turismo en América Latina: fases, enfoques e internacionalización por Wallingre, N. Disponible en http://eyapublicaciones.web.unq.edu.ar
4) Geografía y Turismo. Aspectos territoriales del manejo y gestión del turismo. Editorial Félix Varela. La Habana, 2013, 295 páginas. Autor: Eros Salinas Chávez, contacto: esalinas@ftur.uh.cu
5) Inversión Hotelera, por Alfredo Ascanio. http://etrillas.com.mx/trillas/busqueda/php
6). La Nueva Fiebre del Oro. Las otras ciudades del turismo en el Caribe (Varadero, Bavaro-Punta Cana). Para obter uma copiea deste livro, visite: GGU-AGE: http://www.uib.es/ggu/publicaciones.html OCDS UIB:http://cooperacio.uib.cat/digitalAssets/221/221991_Las-otras-ciudades-del-turismo-en-El-Caribe.pdf
7) ¿Ocio o….Neg-Ocio? por Abelardo Pagani
8) Principios, Organización, y práctica de turismo, Ramón Martín, Editorial Felix Valela, Havana, Cuba
9) Productos Turísticos, Medina, Santqamariana, y Salinas, Escuela de Altos Estudios de Hoteleria y Turismo, La Habana, Cuba
10) Turismo en el Caribe, por “Jesús Manuel González Pérez y otros. Contacto Dr. Gonzalez por información adicional]: jesus.gonzalez@uib.es
11) Turismo Sustentable, por Alfredo Ascanio y Marcus Vinicius. http://etrillas.com.mx/trillas/busqueda/php
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About the Author:
Peter E. Tarlow, Ph.D. is the President of Tourism & More, Inc., a founder of the Texas chapter of TTRA, and a popular author and speaker on tourism. Tarlow is a specialist in the areas of the sociology of tourism, economic development, tourism safety and security. Tarlow speaks at governors’ and state conferences on tourism and conducts seminars throughout the world and for numerous agencies and universities.
If you know of anyone else who might enjoy “Tourism Tidbits,” please send his/her email address to ptarlow@tourismandmore.com, Please let us know of any topic that you would like to see covered by “Tourism Tidbits.” We invite others to submit articles for consideration for publication.
You are welcome to reproduce “Tourism Tidbits” or any part of “Tourism Tidbits” with proper attribution. We hope that you will see “Tourism Tidbits” as a place where tourism, visitors, and travel professionals exchange ideas and information. “Tourism Tidbits” does not offer or provide specific legal or financial advice. Our goal is to provide a “review” for industry personnel and discuss provocative issues. We remind all readers that every specific business decision should be made only after you have done the proper research. The authors accept no responsibility for any loss due to any information published in “Tourism Tidbits.”
All articles sent to “Tourism Tidbits” and accepted for publication are owned by “Tourism Tidbits” and may be subjected to editorial review and rewriting (with permission of the author). All questions about “Tourism Tidbits”, suggestions, or cancellations should be addressed to Dr. Peter E. Tarlow at ptarlow@tourismandmore.com.