The Construction Of Ecotourism Certification In China

Summary

Ecotourism, which is developing rapidly all over the world, has become a new trend of Chinese tourism. More and more domestic tourist destinations and tourism companies have labelled themselves as eco-tourism, such as eco-tourism parks, eco-tourism scenic spots and eco-travel agencies. However, the accommodation, catering, guide and shopping provided to tourists are no different from mass tourism. In contrast, the theoretical research and practical exploration of ecotourism certification have made significant progress internationally, but in China, it started late and developed slowly. This paper first introduces the concept of ecotourism and ecotourism certification, analyses the development process and current situation of ecotourism certification in China, and finally puts forward some suggestions on the implementation of ecotourism certification system.

Introduction

In 1990, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) defined ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people”. It is a label that has the distinction of being attached to both an industry and a sustainable development strategy. Its components can be identified as travel to a natural area that benefits local communities; supports conservation efforts both locally and nationally, and includes interpretation of natural and cultural environments. Certification, when it is applied in the ecotourism industry, refers to a procedure that audits and gives a written assurance that a facility, product, process, service, or management system is up to specific standards.

In general, ecotourism certification programmes include more criteria regarding socio-cultural impacts than mainstream tourism. Ecotourism companies often make far-reaching efforts to develop programmes that are of genuine benefit to local people because of their commitment to the principles of ecotourism and sustainable development (Christ, 1998; Drumm, 1998; Sproule, 1998). However, experts working on industry certification programmes confirm that if certification does not result in higher profitability for mainstream travel corporations, they are unlikely to subscribe. The likely contrast in objectives for a developing country versus a developed country underlines the importance of creating standards and certification programmes for ecotourism that suit the destination and its stakeholders. China is a developing country with abundant ecotourism products, so it is necessary to ensure the sustainable development of ecotourism products through certification. However, so far, few products have been certified in China. Based on the summary and analysis of the development trend and present situation of ecotourism certification in China, this paper looks forward to the development prospect of ecotourism certification in China and concludes that ecotourism certification in China is necessary and promising.

Progress of Ecotourism Certification in China

Tourism has become an essential contributor to the domestic economy in China since the beginning of reform and opening in 1978. The data shows that in 2018, the number of domestic tourists was 5. 539 billion, the total number of inbound and outbound tourists was 291 million, and the entire tourism income was 5. 97 trillion yuan. Preliminary estimates show that the overall contribution of tourism to GDP in the whole year was 9. 94 trillion yuan, accounting for 11. 04% of the total GDP. The direct employment of tourism was 28. 26 million, while the direct and indirect jobs of tourism were 79. 91 million, accounting for 10. 29% of the total employment population, making up nearly 10. 3% of the total employed population. The emergence of an affluent middle class and an easing of movement restrictions for locals and foreign visitors are both supporting this travel boom. While China's economy has been growing at high speed, the pressure on resources and the environment has also become enormous. There have been haze, air pollution, water and soil pollution, food poisoning and other phenomena. Faced with the environmental consequences of two decades of unbridled production, China has already introduced policies such as public standards and Green Consumption Guidelines to steer Chinese consumers away from unsustainable lifestyles and industries. Meanwhile, to guide sustainable development, ecotourism certification was noticed by stakeholders in China.

In November 2002, responding to the Ecotourism International Year, China Ecotourism Forum 2002 was held in Beijing. Recommendation about Chinese Ecotourism Development was agreed by 120 participants approximately. This file stated that ecotourism industry stakeholders should develop ethics and codes of conduct to tourists and tour operators, and learn the appropriate experience of other countries to study and formulate proper ecotourism identification, accreditation systems. In December 2003, the seminar on ecotourism certification sponsored by China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS) was held in Beijing. Twelve participants agreed that it is necessary to establish the ecotourism certification of China. In September 2006, the conference on ecotourism standard of China sponsored by Chinese Ecological Society was held in Lianzhou, Guangdong Province. Thirty-six participants stated that the establishment of ecotourism standard is the foundation of ecotourism certification. They also discussed the ecotourism standard of China drafted by the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In the field of the practice of ecotourism certification, there has not yet an internal program of ecotourism certification up to now, though all the interested party of ecotourism claimed that it is necessary. In contrast, there are some products of China certified by other countries or international programs of ecotourism certification. As the worldwide benchmarking and certification which covered an extensive range of ecotourism, the design and construction of destination, tourism communities and tourism operators, Green Globe 21 was introduced to China in 2002.

Status Quo of Ecotourism Certification in China

Since joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, China's current standards and certification system are relatively new, primarily built from scratch. Superior levels of the central government usually dictate the development of standards and ecolabels. This top-down approach has helped China's regulatory and compliance system develop rapidly, and has led to rapid progress in renewable energy and clean technology, but it has also created constraints that have so far left little chance for independent and private stakeholders to be heard. The firm belief that the government must address critical environmental, health, safety and quality challenges still prevails in China. Many Chinese decision-makers believe that the government is more reliable and capable than the private sector to carry out practical standards, enforcement and compliance, so the government often steps in to offer reliable solutions. Ecotourism certification in China has several issues like other developing countries, especially the lack of broad market and consumer awareness.

Li & Cai (2013) selected two areas around Wudaokou and Tuanjiehu Metro Station in Haidian District and Chaoyang District of Beijing as survey sites. Sixty Beijing citizens were interviewed randomly, and their results were analysed statistically. The survey results show that about one-third of the respondents have heard of ecotourism certification, but do not know its specific content; more than 80% of the respondents agree that a unified and standardised ecotourism certification standard should be established in China. China has established an eco-tourism policy system, and more and more attention has been paid to eco-certification. The relevant departments of the central government have issued a series of policies and documents on ecotourism. It shows that China is establishing a comprehensive eco-tourism policy system to promote the standardisation of eco-tourism management in practice. By the end of 2015, the national tourism administration and the ministry of environmental protection had approved 111 national eco-tourism demonstration zones.

Prospect for Ecotourism Certification in China

China is a vast country with vibrant biodiversity, a globally significant network of public, protected areas. China has a considerable population, booming economy. People have a rapidly growing interested in all forms of outdoor tourism. Ecotourism certification is a recipe for commercial ecotourism and adventure tourism. At present, China's ecotourism certification is still in its infancy, and the research and discussion on ecotourism certification are far from enough. At the same time, China has not established its standard system, mainly introducing some foreign ecotourism certification projects. However, the implementation of these certification projects in China seems to be not very smooth. On the one hand, it is due to the lack of awareness of international projects at home, on the other hand, it is also due to the differences between China and foreign countries, which leads to the inapplicability of certification system in some aspects. Therefore, in the context of the development of domestic ecotourism, it is necessary to establish standards and norms for ecotourism certification in line with China's national conditions. A reliable environmental certification system should include reasonable certification standards formulated jointly by stakeholders, highly trained and qualified reviewers, unbiased and undisputed operation system, highly efficient professional and financially stable certification team, fair and transparent certification and review process, clear rules and sciences.

Mechanisms, relevant institutions and organisations in the industry and consumers have a high degree of awareness and market acceptance. Tourism enterprises should fully understand the significance of ecotourism certification for the development of their enterprises. It is not only conducive to standardising business management, saving operating costs, creating a good brand effect, but also conducive to shaping the image of green environmental protection enterprises, bringing enormous economic benefits to enterprises. Tourism enterprises should also actively participate in the certification application of eco-tourism certification organisations to apply for standards to regulate the enterprises themselves, and publicise the certification logo as a competitive advantage of enterprises, attract tourists and educate tourists on eco-tourism, and establish a win-win business concept and mode of economy and environment. Eco-tourism certification organisations should also reduce the application fees of tourism enterprises and simplify the certification procedures; formulate certification systems and standards in line with the national conditions of China's tourism enterprises, and encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the application for certification actively.

China's primary national conditions determine that the government plays an irreplaceable leading role in the financial market. China's non-governmental organisations are underdeveloped. The government should give full play to its active macro-control role, support academic research in the field of ecotourism certification, and help and support the development and establishment of relevant non-governmental organisations in China. Establish and improve applicable laws and regulations, strengthen the control of tourism enterprises, strictly ban all kinds of illegal business of tourism enterprises; give specific preferential policies and subsidies to enterprises and organizations involved in ecological certification, help publicity and support development; strengthen public advertising, create stable external conditions for the establishment and development of environmental tourism certification system. Moreover, the implementation and extension of ecotourism certification system also need to be involved and supported by every stakeholder, especially for consumers. Only when the certified products finally are accepted by consumers will the certification has the real driving force.

Conclusion

The construction of ecotourism certification is the basis for all stakeholders to understand ecotourism, and it is also policy support for sustainable tourism development. Its establishment is beneficial to the protection of China's ecological environment and the development of social, economic and cultural tourism destinations. Therefore, the government, tourism enterprises, local communities and tourists must participate in the regulation of the eco-tourism certification system to further promote the healthy and productive development of China's ecotourism.