Northern Forest Tourism Network
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Toward a Maine Woods Ecotourism Quality Label
By David Vail, of the Maine Center for Economic Policy and Maine Woods Consortium Tourism Committee. David also teaches economics and environmental studies at Bowdoin College.
From Australia to Costa Rica, tourism promoting countries are creating ecotourism brands. They seek to boost their nature-based tourism in a competitive international market while ensuring that tourism growth is environmentally and culturally sustainable. I have reviewed numerous ecotourism certification schemes and have worked with the Swedish Ecotourism Society (SES) as it shaped Sweden’s Nature’s Best brand over the past decade. SES now has 500 members, including over 400 businesses, and more than 300 accredited Nature’s Best tour products. NB’s accreditation standards are derived from six principles which strike me as highly relevant here in the Northern Forest region:
- Respect destination limitations: minimize adverse natural & cultural impacts.
- Make all operations environmentally sustainable.
- Contribute actively to nature conservation.
- Promote tourists’ joy of discovery, knowledge and respect.
- Ensure highest quality and safety throughout.
- Contribute to the local economy through local hiring and purchasing.
Adverse trends in several traditional forms of outdoor recreation, such as camping, hunting, and white water rafting, underscore our need to re-invent and re-brand tourism in Maine’s six rim counties. Sweden’s experience suggests that a brand shaped around principles of sustainability and experience quality can help revitalize tourism here, by:
- Creating a unifying theme for currently fragmented rural tourism initiatives.
- Using training and accreditation processes to strengthen small business outreach.
- Strengthening business incentives to follow best environmental practices and promote cultural heritage.
- Capturing economies of scale in marketing.
- Enhancing the visibility and reputation of entire destinations, not just certified businesses.
- Creating more livable wage careers in tourism: world class service requires highly skilled and motivated frontline employees.
Link here to a Maine Center for Economic Policy Choices article that expands on these themes.
The Maine Woods Consortium’s Tourism Committee is considering the potential for a Fall 2010 retreat. It would convene private, public, and non-profit stakeholders to explore opportunities for an accreditation process and a brand to label and promote top quality Maine Woods tourism products.
