Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
134
Policy recommendations related to each of the sustainable tourism strategies:
1. Increasing Awareness – Destination/national level
Conduct local media campaigns: Increase local community as well as tourist awareness
of tourism sustainability issues through a series of integrated media campaigns utilizing a
combination of media channels, including social media, print media, and outdoor
advertising, tailored to your targeted segments.
For example, South Africa’s DMO launched a campaign to raise awareness about Cape
town’s water crisis and encourage Cape Town citizens to change their behaviors with
regards to water consumption.406 New Zealand on the other hand has published several
guides for local communities to increase their awareness of the need for protecting and
restoring the country’s ecosystems. It has also published several sustainability best
practice guides to promote sustainability practices among tourism businesses.
In addition to media campaigns, an effective way to increase the awareness of tourists
about sustainability, is to train tour guides in sustainable tourism practices. This can be
done through training programs and industry seminars.
An NGO in Kenya that focuses on promoting sustainable tourism practices, offers a
mentorship program for university students, to educate future tourism policymakers and
industry players on the impact of tourism and how to implement sustainable practices.
Another program run by the NGO provides training and coaching to professionals working
in tourism. These individuals are motivated to implement sustainable tourism practices
in their businesses in order to have a competitive edge, as tourists are increasingly
enquiring about businesses’ sustainability practices.407
In Italy, in collaboration with regional and autonomous administrations, the Ministry
launched the Cammini d’Italia atlas and website, in order to offer travelers and tourists a
real intermodal infrastructure of green roads where they can choose the travel Italy on
foot, by bike, on horseback or with other forms of sustainable mobility.
In Jordan, the Petra National Trust launched an awareness program for public school
students ages 7-18 and teachers to create awareness of the value of culture and heritage
to the daily lives of local communities, instill pride among youth in their heritage and build
a new generation of cultural leaders among local communities.
In Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority holds community awareness meetings to
increase awareness of the importance of conservation in different regions specifically
those neighboring protected areas to raise the awareness as well as motivate the private
sector to implement sustainable tourism practices, communicate benefits to them in
terms of competitiveness, customer retention and operational efficiencies
2. Protection of Natural and Cultural Heritage – Destination/national/regional level
Seek to list natural and historical heritage sites on UNESCO’S World Heritage List:
This will enlist the support of UNESCO in safeguarding the sites through technical
406 Skift. (n.d.). South Africa tourism CEO sees water crisis changing the city forever. Retrieved from
407 Interview with Founder of Sustainable Travel and Tourism Agenda in Kenya.