Wolfgang Grimm President of Skål International Thailand and owner of the Anana Ecological Resort in Krabi, Thailand, is passionate about the environment and how we as humans interact with mother nature. He shares his thoughts below as he contemplates the future of Thailand’s sustainable tourism in a post-COVID-19 world and invites dialogue to consider ways of achieving a more sustainable future of tourism.
Tourism has come to a global standstill for the first time since WW2 presenting an opportunity to evaluate the resulting lessons and consequences. It is important to take time to consider a reset to our industry, instead of returning to the old ways, Wolfgang believes.
He also encourages all of us to be more community-minded. “We need to convert the environmental outcry of our children and the present crisis to engage in mobilizing the local community with small, easily achievable sustainable activities to the common benefit,” he said.
Tourism is both a blessing and potentially a curse at the same time. Overtourism has to be seriously curtailed,” he added. He also feels that the majority of marketing and selling of tourism products are monopolized by mega-companies who are guiding, and in some way dictating, how tourism products are distributed. He believes that the present algorithms potentially undermine individual distribution, stating that many are driven on discounts. This practice of non-strategic discounting is damaging to all businesses, he said, “Consumers are being corrupted through constant discount marketing and sales strategies, endangering present and future quality and sustainable tourism initiatives.” He is grateful to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to encourage and promote Thailand’s desire to contribute to effective Thailand sustainable tourism projects and actions.
Wolfgang feels we are blessed with eco-advice and certification agencies who are making a welcome contribution to Thailand’s sustainable tourism operators. We read daily about great eco-initiatives by small and large hospitality market leaders, however, he feels that the majority of operators are left wondering how they can engage locally with a small budget and an unskilled eco-workforce. They feel sustainability efforts are a cost with only long term benefits and international eco-certification as being too scientific and laborious to implement, he explained. He proposes to motivate them to become part of shaping our tourism future. Understandably many investors are afraid of change but might feel encouraged by examples of success. For instance, how Scandinavia reduced their carbon impact considerably by granting electric mobility incentives.
Wolfgang Grimm believes education is key to a more equitable future. “Trade education with its present curriculum is not keeping pace with the extraordinary growth and changed requirements of our industry,” he said. He is supportive of jointly funded public/private education initiatives that concentrate on motivation and craft and language skills to ease the prevailing lack of a global talent pipeline. He believes the world is full of young talent without financial resources to gain higher quality leadership education. Many of the present graduates from affluent family backgrounds might not choose to work in our industry in the long term.
Effective communication is key as we move forward. Making new post-COVID-19 objectives focused, easy to understand, and easy to follow.
He supports the idea of urban community farming that provides an environmental solution to converting unproductive land and roof space into edible landscapes. The property owners provide space; the government provides soil and seeds, and local tourism owners and tourism associations provide and manage the workforce.
He concludes: “We are the world and its future is in our hands.“