Well, the submission process is complete, tourism conference has happened and it's nearly time for the official launch of the NZTS2015 Strategy. It seems that sustainability will be a big issue for tourism here in Aotearoa New Zealand for some time yet. This is good, it's well overdue and we can't afford to mess up the very land and environment we depend on for our day to day work -the hosting of our visitors.
I suspect though, that there exists operators and organisations out there who think they're doing their bit for sustainability and feel a bit detached from this process. The there will be some who feel it's someone else's issue, it won't affect them in their lifetime and then there will be those who think it's complete bunkum and won't do a bloody thing.
I personally, feel this is a much wider issue than just tourism. This is about each one of us, as NZrs and how we feel about this country we call home, our commitment to its future and our responsible approach to the way we run our businesses. The success of NZ being a world leader in environmental sustainability, be it in tourism or not, requires that each of us become responsible and respond to the call in whatever ways we can.
Hell, even if you have no desire to see NZ up there in lights - YOU live here too! Your kids will be left with whatever contribution you've made to this planet... so will your grandkids, and their kids......
Of course, our response needn't necessarily be huge, radical changes to our lives, but small ones can make a huge, cumulative difference. Simple actions; a commitment to recycling, less use of paper, use of public transport (where it exists), embracing of new technologies that eliminate our need to jump on planes every 5 minutes, making voluntary contributions in time or money to causes that help drive sustainability and reform. As tourism operators, we have a definite opportunity to educate our visitors on these issues - in fact, we can't afford not to.
I reckon it's as simple as JUST DO SOMETHING! But don't do nothing!
What do You think?
