Sustainability in Ecotourism Supply Chains: Evidence from Cases of Swedish Ecotourism Packages to Peru and to Nepal-Bhutan

By Camelia M. Tepelus.

Published by The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability

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Article: Print	$US10.00
Article: Electronic	$US5.00

This paper presents application of sustainable tourism practices by leading tour operators in international ecotourism supply chains. Observations of actions implemented by the inbound and outbound operators creating the ecotourism experience are drawn from two case studies – one of trips to Peru and the other of trips to Nepal-Bhutan - both available on the Swedish market. The cases explore how sustainable tourism measures promoted by the outbound tour operator (OTO) are disseminated to, and endorsed by the inbound tour operators (ITOs) in destinations. The methodology used included participant observation as part of groups, complemented by field notes and data from extensive interviews with the operators’ ground staff, tour guides and management. Presentation of case studies supports a discussion on the role of ecotourism supply chains for the dissemination of a culture of corporate responsibility and for sustainable tourism practices in general.

Keywords:	Ecotourism, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Tour Operators

The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, Volume 3, Issue 4, pp.87-98. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Article: Electronic (PDF File; 945.957KB).

Camelia M. Tepelus

Research Associate, International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, Lund University, Sweden

Ms Camelia Tepelus is a Research Associate and PhD candidate in the area of sustainable tourism development at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University in Sweden. Ms Tepelus’ research interests address the emergence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in tourism, and the effectiveness of voluntary instruments for sustainability in ecotourism and mass tourism. Ms Tepelus is also coordinating an international CSR project on the prevention of child sex tourism, in cooperation with the UN World Tourism Organization, UNICEF and non-governmental groups and tourism businesses in 27 countries. She is a regular speaker at sustainable tourism conferences, a contributor to the WTO News, and participated in research and consultancy projects in Europe, Central and South America and Asia. Ms Tepelus’ research on sustainability reporting has been awarded with the TUI 2000 Sustainable Tourism Award and with the 2003 British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award in the large scale tourism category, for a project on the protection of children’s rights in tourism. Ms Tepelus is based in New York, USA.

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