Planeta Forum

[planeta]

Carol Patterson is the author of The Business of Ecotourism, Trafford Publishing, 2007. This is third edition of a classic 'how to' business handbook that addresses practical strategies for ecolodge and service developers. Carol has agreed to participate in an online Q&A.

An edited version of this conversation will appear later this year on Planeta.com.

REFERENCES

Amazon.com
http://tinyurl.com/3xpght

Author website
http://www.kalahari-online.com

Blog
http://www.canadiantravelgal.blogspot.com

Weaving the Web: Carol Patterson
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/weaving/carolpatterson.html

Kicking off the Q&A ...

What are the major changes in the third edition?

Any suggestions for those looking for employment in this field?

What are the current challenges of ecotourism businesses and what are your recommendations?

[Carol Patterson]

Although ecotourism’s star seems to rise and fall, I believe that there is a growing interest among the general public in ‘greening’ their lifestyle and this includes recreation and travel choices. This trend will create more demand for ecotourism accommodation and experiences and I want to up the odds that organizations trying to meet this need are successful. People have told me that The Business of Ecotourism has been very helpful to them in starting or expanding their business because of its practical approach. I felt it was important that an updated version of the book be available for people just discovering sustainable business concepts and wanting to learn more about ecotourism.

The third edition includes the same great information on how to identify business opportunities, create a marketing plan, develop proper safety and customer service practices, attract investors and work with the travel trade. I was disappointed to find that there has been little new research into ecotourism markets in the last five years to add to the book, but people will still be able to develop viable products with the market information available.

In response to the numerous questions I get from people when I speak at conferences on how to get started in the tourism field, I added a new section on how to find a job or create a career in nature based tourism. I’ve shared the secrets that have helped me and that I’ve observed other industry leaders using in their lives. I am hoping that this section will help people clarify their goals and aspirations and make their dreams come true by allowing them to make money in the world of ecotourism.

If you are looking for work in ecotourism, I think it is critical that you learn to do informational interviews and start gathering information on what opportunities exist in your region and area of interest. You might be a whiz at finding information on the Internet or in books, but that cannot compensate for actually talking to people in the field. It’s intimidating to call up a stranger and ask for a few minutes of their time, but when you realize the information you gain from these calls may save you from spending years of your time and/or thousands of dollars on work that you don’t like or isn’t viable, you can develop a lot of courage in a hurry! I give you easy-to-follow steps in the Business of Ecotourism that will lead you to the work you have been dreaming about.

In my discussions with tourism operators and destination marketing organizations (DMOs), it appears ecotourism businesses can take advantage of the increasing consumer interest in sustainable travel IF they can convey to travelers the benefits of choosing an ecotourism vacation. If you want to grow your ecotourism business, start by showcasing the experiences you offer. Or add some new experiences each year. If you can provide people with the chance to do an interpretative snorkel with salmon or walk in the forest with a traditional healer, make sure that information is easy to find on your website or on your brochures. Show pictures of your guest rooms and include some testimonials (audio, if possible) from satisfied customers. A lot of people are still a bit leery of ecotourism and you need to show them they can be comfortable and have fun, and still be green.

Carol

[planeta]

During my recent trip to New Zealand I had a terrific series of conversations with Tom Walter, a photojournalist whose West Coast exhibition -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomwalter/sets/72157601659830847 -- offered a visual sense of place for participants and connected environmental education, ecotourism, sustainability and photojournalism.

In terms of nature photography, I've had a blast developing collaborative galleries documenting city parks around the world -- http://www.flickr.com/groups/cityparks -- and trees here in the state of Oaxaca -- http://www.flickr.com/groups/arbolesdeoaxaca

This is just the start of many productive Web 2.0 alliances!

My questions for you, Carol -- how do you see the development of nature photography? Are you seeing good examples from ecotourism business owners and regional tourism organizations? What are you recommendations and what would you like to see?

[Carol Patterson]

Like you, I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures while I travel, but I’m just realizing how important photography can be as a source of revenue for ecotourism organizations. I’ve talked to several tourism operators who are seeing real benefits from marketing to photographers.

Doug Adams of Northland Paradise Lodge in Ontario, Canada http://www.northland-paradise.com is a great example. Paradise Lodge used to focus on hunting and fishing, but Doug realized his bottom line would look a lot better if he focused on photography. Now he has carved out a niche showing people several rare species of orchids. His customers like ‘value-added’ services and will return several times if the chance to photograph something new is well marketed. A quick check of the Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters Association website at http://www.noto.net shows over 60 outfitters who are offering photography experiences, further proof this market offers a chance to snag business from nature-loving tourists.

Miles Philips of Texas Cooperative Extension recognized this potential early on and developed a Digital Photo Safari Scavenger Hunt Program to add income to tourism businesses. Miles has surveyed members of the North American Nature Photography Association on their willingness to pay for photo tours on private land and he will be sharing the results soon at http://naturetourism.tamu.edu.

I’d heard several tourism experts lament the difficulty in capturing revenue from non-consumptive nature tourists especially the FIT (fully independent traveler). I think nature photography tours and events is a one way to tap into the income potential of these green travelers. I’d be interested in hearing other people’s experience in this area.

Carol

[planeta]

Later this month Planeta.com announces the winner of the Ecotourism Spotlight Award -- http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/tour/awardspotlight.html -- created as a way of showcasing government websites that promoted responsible travel and ecotourism.

In your view, do you see many government portals that not only provide theory but actually do a good job of showing people where to go, who to visit and how to travel in country?

Do you have any recommendations of what you would like to see on government portals?

[Carol Patterson]

It’s been my experience that most government websites have very little information on responsible travel choices. Until recently it was hard to find even basic information on nature based tourism such as low impact activities like bird watching, but fortunately that is changing quickly.

Governments however are slow in helping travelers make responsible travel choices. Some environmentalists are arguing that travel itself is an irresponsible choice and that people should stay home. I think with that type of debate becoming more common, it behooves governments to become much more active in greening travel.

I was heartened recently to see that in my home province, Travel Alberta is looking at ways they can adopt green travel practices, but there have been no significant developments to date. I think many destinations are at the same point , but there are a few bright lights.

I like the example set by Greenbox in Northern Ireland http://www.greenbox.ie/. This region is branding itself as an ecotourism destination and the whole website seems to revolve around several sustainable principles i.e. involving community members, promoting non motorized transport, etc. I would like to see more governments adopt a similar model for their marketing and business development.

[planeta]

The first draft of the conversation with Carol is now online
http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/weaving/carolpatterson.html

We'll continue the Q&A as long as Carol would like!

Kind regards, Ron

[Carol Patterson]

Thanks Ron for making this forum possible.

I'll be making a presentation at the TIES conference next week in Madison, Wisconsin on business models for small and medium size ecotourism organizations (www.ecotourismconference.org) . It's a chance for any Planeta readers to come out and talk about their concerns in person. I hope to see some of you there!

Carol

[Carol Patterson]

I mentioned earlier that photography can be a great revenue generator for ecotourism organizations. To learn more about Doug Adams, a tourism operator who has successfully diversified his business using photography check out my fall newsletter
http://www.kalahari-online.com/aut07.pdf

The experience he has gained can benefit many other organizations.

Carol

[planeta]

Administrative note - This topic has received more than 1,000 views.

Thank you, Carol and Planeta readers!

[Carol Patterson]

Thanks Ron for making the forum possible!

As I mentioned earlier, I headed out to the TIES conference in Madison last week. It was a great opportunity to discuss some of the current challenges facing our industry with a very engaged audience.

Someone asked me after one of my presentations what I felt were the top 3 mistakes people make in the ecotourism businesses. I thought it was an interesting question so I’ll share my answer with the Forum readers.

Most common mistakes I’ve seen among ecotourism businesses:

1. Not understanding what you’re selling. Often people put too much value on the stuff that isn’t their main selling feature e.g. a few historical artifacts or a small event, and undervalue the things that WILL bring people from across the country. The best selling features are usually the human stories and the sense of place. I think these elements get overlooked because people can’t see them with ‘new eyes’ or they are not sure how to turn them into a tourism product they can make money from.

2. Not making it easy for your customers. Ecotourism operators have to package accommodation with activities and make it totally stress free for people to plan their holiday. The cruise industry is growing by leaps and bounds because they have figured it out. Ecotourism businesses need to offer one-stop shopping. If someone expresses an interest in an activity, being able to book that for them is way better than passing along the phone number or URL of someone who can help them out. Which brings me to point number 3.

3. A lack of follow-up. Pretty much everyone has a website these days; some are fancier than others, but I’m continually surprised at how many people do not respond in a timely manner (or at all) to online requests for information. It is heartbreaking to see people losing sales over something that is relatively simple to correct.

I'd be interesting in hearing what other people have experienced.

Carol

[planeta]

Thanks, Carol. Those are all wonderful tips.

One question -- many ecotourism businesses are run as mom and pop operations, some with little desire to grow that much. More improvements to marketing = more work!

Some are quite satisfied to remain a niche market, sometimes with a limited upscale audience, some with a limited backpacker market. This is one reason why communication can be very slow.

Have you found this to be true where you work? And if so, how does this niche work with more competitive spheres in tourism?

[Carol Patterson]

Ron

You are quite right. Many people choose to keep their businesses small because they want to maintain close contact with their customers or it better suits their lifestyle.

Being slow in responding to communications can make it difficult to forge relationships with bigger, more traditional tourism players and that's a shame because those kinds of partnerships are often what the niche players need. Getting a larger organization to add your product to their packages or marketing materials can give good financial returns for relatively little extra time.

I worked with a group of tourism operators in eastern Canada who were facing a simliar problem and we came up with a fairly innovative solution. These companies wanted to diversify into soft adventure and sustainable tourism products. They had the same problems we're discussing - the owners were short on time and capital and customers wait times on email queries were long.

What we suggested was to use their regional tourism trade association to create a members service bureaut that would field initial customer email queries quickly and help sell the destination. This way an operator could take a month off to paddle around Costa Rica and not worry about checking their email. By splitting the costs across a number of organizations it is affordable for small businesses and the trade association takes care of the staffing and training issues.

I think its a model that could work with other communities that have a critical mass of like-minded ecotourism organizations.

Carol

[Carol Patterson]

I've created a blog to let people know about the great tourism businesses I've come across in my work and to share the best practices I've observed.

If you would like to learn more or if you have something you'd like to see mentioned in my blog, head over to http://canadiantravelgal.blogspot.com.

Carol

[westwren]

Hi Carol,

Thanks for making yourself available on this forum. I'd like to know what you think is possible in converting a career in parks/wildlife management to something in ecotourism - any thoughts or tips?

Thanks very much for your time.