Sustainability is Key to Guam’s Future

(Note: This post was first published in 2007)

Congratulations to all Guam residents and to those who have contributed to the success of the island’s tourism industry over the past 40 years! The island has come a long way since the early years when tourists had limited choices for hotel rooms, shopping and other activities. We have grown over the years, in terms of population, visitor arrivals, room numbers, and activities. Guam’s economy has benefited from tourism dollars and the positive residual effects of hosting international visitors from a variety of neighboring countries. However, we now need to recognize that this growth cannot be expected to last forever. We are already seeing signs of declining numbers from certain markets and should pause to reassess where we are, and where we want to be as a destination. It is an opportune time to ask ourselves some important questions. Have we adequately managed the development of tourism on Guam over the years? Are we properly preparing for the future, involving all stakeholders, to shape the future of the industry for Guam and its residents? Should the future of Guam’s tourism industry be left only to developers and those directly working in the industry?

If we look at the current financial situation of the Government of Guam, those of us that have a stake in the industry (that includes all of us who call Guam home) should be reminded of the importance of participation, proper planning and sustainability. We need to be proactive in working toward a goal of pursuing Sustainable Tourism on Guam.

What is Sustainable Tourism?

The UN-World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines sustainable tourism as an enterprise that achieves an effective balance among the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism to guarantee long-term benefits to communities. According to UNWTO, it should:

• Make optimal use of environmental resources that constitute a key element in tourism development, maintaining essential ecological processes and helping to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity.

• Respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage and traditional values, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding and tolerance.

• Ensure viable, long-term economic operations, providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders that are fairly distributed, including stable employment and income-earning opportunities and social services to host communities, and contributing to poverty alleviation.

Challenges for Guam

We all face the dilemma of seeking economic growth on the one hand, but at the same time meeting the challenges of sustainable development on the other. Sustainable tourism has been described as a model approach and a preferable form of activity that improves the quality of life for residents and provides a high quality of experience for visitors. To achieve this balance, we first need to do an “environmental scan” to examine where we currently are as a destination. This needs to be done before determining where we want to be. Are we currently on the right path for a sustainable future? If not, what steps need to be taken to change the mind-set that had been established over the years, to creating and maintaining a more sustainable industry?

This does not mean that we can disregard the financial objectives of businesses, i.e. the economic sustainability of the industry. After all, businesses in Guam’s tourism industry are like any other business, and are not viable if they are not profitable. Although Guam’s businesses in the tourism industry are still experiencing major challenges due to fickle nature of our major markets, there can be a more concerted effort, or holistic approach, to tackling today’s challenges and preparing for the future. To that end, the Guam Visitors Bureau is to be applauded for the formulation of the recently-introduced Five Year Plan where industry leaders are encouraging community members for participation and support in implementing the plan.

Planning with Partners

Sustainable Tourism on Guam will not be accomplished with only the efforts of those working in the tourism industry. Tourism scholars argue that tourism planning and development horizons must by necessity take an increasingly longer look into the future, and the magnitude of today’s development decisions and their associated investments infers they will have impacts well beyond the lifetimes of those making the decisions. Thus it is clear that those who have a long-term interest in the future of Guam for themselves, their children and grandchildren, need to take more of an interest in the island’s tourism industry than what has been the case in the past forty years.

This takes educating the public about more than just the business aspect of tourism, but more of a holistic view of the various components that make the industry sustainable as described earlier in this article. To that end, the Tourism Education Council should be applauded for their efforts to get the message out to the public about the various components of tourism. Several media forums, such as K-57’s Tourism and You talk show have also taken on the refreshing approach of presenting diverse viewpoints and open discussions for the public to talk about tourism-related matters.

It is not too late for all residents to begin working together with partners in the inner-circle of industry leaders to plan for a Sustainable Tourism on Guam. One of the ideas used in various destinations to help small businesses and the general public to get more involved in the industry is the One Village One Product movement that was initiated in 1979 by former governor of Oita Prefecture, Morihiko Hiramatsu. The next column will feature this movement and how Guam can possibly adopt it as a way to integrate the community and the industry for a sustainable future.