Sustainable tourism is not just about making jam

This article was originally written by Catherine Mack on May 7, 2022, and later updated for republication by Erin Kluge.

When organizations within the mass tourism sector started to switch on to sustainability, there was a resistance to seeing the big picture. We are talking about the early days of sustainable tourism conversations, back in the 1990s, when the UN was whipping up worldwide engagement in sustainable development. At this time the emphasis was on poverty alleviation and changing consumption patterns.

Debating definitions of sustainability

At the turn of the century, big tourism conferences were cottoning on to these new concepts, often because they realized that consumers were too. CEOs and executive directors hit the big stages to discuss sustainable and responsible tourism, with a lot of debating definitions of sustainability and declaring ten year targets around sustainable tourism practices. Sadly, however, many of them were a lot of hot air and, bizarrely, there seemed to be a recurring theme of jam. 

Here’s how the narrative usually went: We have changed the lightbulbs in one of our 150 hotels and we are going to monitor savings in that special green ‘chosen one’, in order to see if we can justify cutting CO2 emissions in all our other hotels. We have put a note in bathrooms asking guests not to throw all their towels into the laundry every day. And we have commissioned a few locals to make jam which we will sell in the foyer’s shop. If it’s really good, we may even put it on the breakfast tables. Ta-da! The green and the good boxes were ticked. Job done.

Move from jam to justice

Luckily, since then, sustainable tourism practices have developed beyond changing the lightbulbs. The business case for low CO2 emissions in tourism has been proven and, in some destinations, changes in the law now oblige more environmentally friendly practices in order to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The food sourcing conversation hasn’t moved on quite as much as it should have done, however. 

Much needed changes in attitude on race and rights around the world, means that many communities are waking up to the fact that being patted on the head by a multinational who wants to buy your jam is not only patronizing but, in some destinations, verges on neo-colonialism. They know that they can do and deserve better. But they need guidance, leadership and support to create this necessary change.

As sustainability is once more on the radar for the tourism industry, and many organizations are vowing to build back better, this is the time to ensure that the menu is changed for good. That the food conversation around the boardroom tables must move from jam to justice.

“83% of global travelers think sustainable travel is vital, with 61% saying the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in the future.” - Booking.com’s 2021 Sustainable Travel Report

Can local be luxury?

They also need to invite all the local stakeholders to the table if they are going to commit to long-term change that ensures local sourcing is going to happen big time. Farmers, chefs, bakers, fishermen and other local food experts. As well as being a vital economic contributor, food is key to local culture. So imposing ingredients, farming practices and recipes with the sole aim of pleasing the foreign palette is just inappropriate in this day and age. It’s not to say that local traditions can’t be adapted to a level of haute cuisine, or to contemporary trends, we know they can be. The popularity of food and travel programs is testament to that. The potential is huge when it comes to tapping into local food production but serious investment needs to be made to make it happen properly. And yet, when it comes to local food supplies, why are some international organizations still stuck at jam? 

Photo by Zoe Schaeffer

Some businesses get it and keep everything as local as they possibly can and these are the stories we love to tell in tourism. But we also want to see them going from niche to norm. A norm that has hotels supporting micro businesses to upscale so that they can cater for big numbers; hotels that train farmers to diversify; hotels that give seed funding to local soap and toiletry businesses (eco of course); and hotels that refuse to put a high percentage of food on the menu that has to be shipped in.

Farm to table hotel menus are being integrated in cities from coast to coast in the United States. In West Cape May, New Jersey the Beach Plum Farm is offers guests a unique experience to value local food. Their 62 acre farm is home to practically all of the ingredients on their menu, which they serve to guests who stay at their cottages. Beach Plum even offers a full culinary retreat for visitors to see (and taste) the home grown food experience. The Inn at Newport Ranch in Fort Bragg, California offers guests something similar. Not only is most of their menu locally sourced from their farm, but they are partners with the Redwood Forest Foundation, a community-led nonprofit that works to manage the region’s unique natural resources. However, these sustainable initiatives cannot just be a North American niche.

From food to fabrics - everything can be local

Once the local tap has been turned on, it can’t be stopped. And nor should it. It also means that international organizations have great stories to tell as part of their branding. They can tell all those producers’ stories on their hotel websites, on the menus themselves, or in the bathrooms where local toiletries are on display. They can ensure that bed covers are woven from local fabrics, or that all the art on the walls in hotels is commissioned by local artists. If there aren’t any artists to be found, they can start funding a school of art. You see the picture? Once you do, it can grow and grow. Unlike jam, which can just sit in a jar fermenting for years and only ever gets spread thinly.