Search results

The hospitality sector, via resort mini-clubs also referred as kids' clubs, has put in place initiatives to empower children to be responsible tourists. This is all the more important as children are the tourists of the future. In their endeavour to educate children during their holidays, many of the activities developed by resort mini-clubs are nature-based; on the long term, this strategy is likely to contribute to the long-term sustainability of the industry. Indeed, the closer an individual is to nature, the more likely this person is to be respectful of the environment. Developing these types of activities could also contribute to the competitive advantage of resorts as most resort mini-clubs are not offering yet this type of sustainability-orientated activities. From a theoretical perspective, resort-mini clubs could be assimilated to lieu de mémoire, and as a result they have the potential to influence the sustainability attitude of the future young adults, and adults whom the children will be.

The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to discuss whether children can play a role in the sustainability of the tourism industry as a whole.

The paper is based on a literature review of key terms: sustainable tourism; mountain tourism; children; and empowerment.

Children could potentially play a role in the sustainability of tourism if they are empowered to do so. mini-clubs in mountain resorts could, for instance, contribute to their social empowerment using a catalytic strategy.

Practitioners involved in the sustainability of the tourism industry should investigate ways to make the sustainability endeavour of the industry more inclusive. As for academics, they should devote time for research on children, as they are an important stakeholder group for the industry.

This paper focusses on children in the tourism industry. There is a dearth of research in this area.

Responsible tourism is a current theme in the line of work on sustainable development alternatives, both ecological and economical and social and societal. The concept has received very little attention from researchers in emerging countries and even less when exploring the weight and role of children in understanding, adopting and initiating attitudinal change toward sustainable tourism. First, this chapter examines the knowledge of the dimensions of responsible tourism and their integration into a process of child empowerment. The qualitative study results with 19 children aged between 6 and 15 years show a lack of understanding of the components and scope of the concept among younger children, while recognition of ecological considerations among older children is relatively high. Nevertheless, children of all ages show a willingness to become active agents of change in their immediate environment if supported by the community. The results also show that children's reflexivity can be strengthened through education for sustainable development (ESD) while allowing them to occupy the space and place necessary for their empowerment regarding ecology and tourism.

The purpose of this chapter is to present secondary data around how the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) are adopted in a global context whilst making comparisons with the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index from the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019. The discussion is centred around young adults (Generation Z) and their potential role and importance. In essence, we are trying to examine if tourism sustainability educational practice adopted within countries appears to transition into industry practice. For this, we consider success both from the perspective of tourism sustainability and general economic competitiveness. The findings suggest significant gaps (or current failure) between PRME delivery and achieving tourism sustainability globally, but generally highlight economic success where PRME uptake is strong. Thus, it would appear that PRME is not yet transitioning into industry practice; therefore, more needs to be done or adapted to achieve greater tourism sustainability, and we emphasise the role of Generation Z within this.

While it is recognised that the involvement of children in sustainable tourism change and development is crucial the fact remains that information on their worldviews and sustainable tourism behaviour is scarcely available. One long-term empowerment strategy countries and governments around the world can implement is by promoting children's rights through responsible education. This chapter articulates one tactic of that strategy at the local action level of school excursions, which is seen as an instrument that can be made most effective when it is initiated with the assumption that it is needed to help our younger generation acquire an environmental worldview, is harnessed in coalition with collaborators and, applied around the ‘moral’ obligation of educational institutions to provide agency to students' voice. Of the 17 Goals of Sustainable Development, SDG4 (Quality) Education can make a critically important contribution to progress. A series of activities and initiatives undertaken in informal educational environments such as field trips and school excursions can contribute to educating children, building their awareness about responsible and sustainable tourism practices, and developing an environmental sensitivity. Excursion activities and destinations such as museum exhibits have the opportunity to shape identities—through access to objects, information and knowledge. Visitors can see themselves and their culture reflected in ways that encourage new connections, meaning making and learning. Upon looking into transformational experiences in museums it was found that students were easily able to articulate that ‘aha’ moment, particularly around thinking differently about issues and taking action for environmental and sustainable changes.

This study offers insights on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) initiatives of five international hotels, namely, Ibis Getafe, NH Hotels, Occidental Hotels and Resorts, Mariposa Hotel and the Zanzibar Collection. The objective is to show how hoteliers around the world engage in sustainable action. The paper mainly focuses on the Zanzibar Collection, where one of the co-authors served as a hotel general manager.

The paper draws on case studies and the narratives that are based on one of the co-authors’ life experiences. Data is derived from a number of case studies which are analysed in an exploratory and descriptive way.

The findings show that the hotel sector is committed to the SDG, but there are variations in the ways hotels address the SDGs. Based on the findings, it would seem that the hotels studied cover most of the SDGs, as they are seen contributing in the three main spheres of sustainability, namely, the economy, society and the environment.

The five hotels profiled are engaged in responsible action that is sustainable and reduces the ecological impact. These actions have a positive impact on guests, staff and hoteliers. The findings may serve as guidance to hotels which have not yet committed to implementing the SDG goals.

Children are not only capable of learning and adopting sustainable behaviours but also can be influencers and sustainability actioners to motivate others to make these behaviour changes in their communities and around the world. Their ability to reach wide public audiences is a result of globalised social media platforms and increased visibility through documentaries and TV shows. This not only allows them to reach out to their peers but also to influence people of multiple generations to incorporate sustainable practices into their daily routines. Schools systems are also understanding the importance of embedding lessons and extracurricular activities with sustainable themes, which allows students to use their creativity to explore these topics further. National and global organisations are encouraging children and youth to spread messages of sustainability through competitions, which gives them the opportunity to use resources from well-funded organisations to help spread their message. These multi-faceted opportunities give children a variety of ways to utilise their skills and creativity to reach a wide and diverse audience.