Responsible Marine Tourism Initiative

Seeking Your Feedback

Developing A Supply Chain Management Tool: Working with Marine Recreation Providers to Adopt Environmental & Social Good Practices

Identifying Responsible Marine Recreation Providers
Tourism companies are recognizing that they can contribute to marine conservation and the economic development of coastal communities by working with marine recreation providers that adopt environmental and social good practices. Major contractors of marine recreation services, notably tour operators, hotels and cruise lines, have voiced a need for a common supply chain management tool that all large contractors can use to evaluate the environmental and social perforamce of their marine recreation providers (e.g. dive operators, boat rentals, etc).

Building Consensus
Responding to this need, The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business (CELB), the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), the International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI) and the Tour Operators' Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development (TOI) have partnered to consolidate the extensive information already developed by various organizations regarding good practices within the marine recreation industry (click here for a list of background resources) to develop a common supply chain management tool. We are bringing together marine recreation providers, major contractors of their services and other interested parties (including conservation and development organizations, local authorities, community groups and marine protected area managers) to develop an assessment checklist to identify environmentally and socailly responsible marine recreation providers and an educational, practical guide to good practice for marine recreation providers themselves. This supply chain management tool will provide a central reference on good environmental and social practices for marine recreation providers that the corporate community can use during purchaser-supplier business processes.

Developing A Supply Chain Management Tool- Assessment Checklist & Practical Guide to Good Practice
The assessment checklist, structured as a set of questions addressing major environmental and social issues and recommended good practices for marine recreation providers, can be used by hoteliers, tour operators, and cruise lines throughout their supply chain management processes. The questions can be used during the selection and contracting processes to assess if marine recreation providers (including operators of snorkeling, diving, glass bottom boat trips, boat rentals, sport fishing etc.) operate according to sound environmental and social practices. The questions will also be readily adaptable into an environmental and social policy for tourism companies looking to set performance standards for all their marine recreation providers.

The final assessment checklist will be complimented by an educational, practical guide to good practices for the marine recreation industry. This guide will provide marine recreation providers supporting information in a practical format to better understand the issues addressed in the checklist, and how best to respond to the issues. Together, the assessment checklist and the practical guide can be used as a supply chain management tool and as educational materials to build awareness amongpurchasers, suppliers, and tourists to collectively promote environmentally conscious marine recreation providers in popular coastal resort destinations throughout the world.

Providing Your Feedback
CELB, CORAL, IHEI and TOI invite individuals and companies to participate in this effort. Click Here To Provide Your Input on the draft Supply Chain Management Tool.

Future Steps
Following the consultation period - CELB, CORAL, IHEI and TOI will work with interested tourism companies to pilot test the assessment checklist in several destinations. It is expected that a revised version of the assessment checklist and supporting practical guide will be available in Fall 2004. All intermediate information and drafts will be made available on this website.

For more information
For more information about this initiative, contact Sarah Raposa, Manager of Travel & Leisure at CELB, at .

This project is part of a wider effort to support the integration of environmental, social and economic principles into the supply chain of tourism companies. For more information on the integration of sustainable principles into the supply chain management process of tour operators, please visit http://www.toinitiative/supply_chain/supply.htm

For more information on the initiative's partners, please visit their websites:
The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business (CELB)
Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL)
International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI)
Tour Operators' Initiative for Sustainable Development (TOI)