Lisa Chase

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Yooshik Yoon

Kyung Hee University

Natalie A . Cooper

University of Florida

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University of Michigan - Dearborn

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University of Michigan

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Wolaita Sodo University

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Green Certification for Tourism Travel: Comparing Pilot Program Participants and NonParticipants

Tourism travel can have significant environmental and social impacts. A pilot certification progr... more Tourism travel can have significant environmental and social impacts. A pilot certification program for the motorcoach industry was conducted between 2009 and 2011 to increase awareness of the motorcoach as a relatively sustainable form of tourism travel and to promote efficiency and environmental sustainability in the industry. To gauge the impact of this effort, surveys of motorcoach company leaders were conducted at the beginning and conclusion of the program. Comparisons of program participants and the general motorcoach population (nonparticipants) indicated few changes in familiarity with and attitudes towards sustainable practices over the course of the program for either group, though nonparticipant company leaders exhibited slightly more negative attitudes for some items. The percentage of participant companies engaging in sustainable practices increased markedly, while relatively small changes in company behaviors occurred among the nonparticipant group. Findings suggest that the pilot certification program may have contributed to increasing environmental sustainability among participants. 1.0 Introduction Tourism is a leading industry, providing economic and recreational benefits to communities and tourists in the northeastern United States and across the globe. However, travel to and from tourism destinations can have significant environmental consequences, including greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, depletion of petroleum resources, impacts to air quality, and generation of consumer waste. Beyond environmental concerns, tourists can be impacted by traffic congestion and accidents resulting from tourism travel (Black and Sato, 2007). One approach to addressing these issues is to promote more sustainable modes of travel. In a report considering the contribution of different transportation options to climate change, the motorcoach was rated as the best low-carbon option for travelers (UCS, 2008). Motorcoach travel fatalities occur at half the rate as for personal vehicles, making it a relatively safe mode of travel (Nathan and Associates, 2008). Further, each motorcoach has the potential to remove 55 vehicles from the road, reducing road congestion. Of course, even within a relatively sustainable mode of travel, there is room for improvement. Following these considerations, a pilot certification program for the motorcoach industry was conducted at the University of Vermont in collaboration with the American Bus Association (ABA) and the United Motorcoach Association (UMA). Known as the Green Coach Certification (GCC) program, the pilot initiative sought both to increase awareness of the motorcoach as a sustainable form of travel and to improve efficiency and environmental sustainability within the industry. The pilot program began in May 2009 and concluded in December 2011. By the program's end, 23 companies were participating and about 1,000 motorcoaches had been certified. Research at the beginning of the GCC pilot program demonstrated that participants were more familiar with green practices, had more positive attitudes towards these practices, and engaged in sustainable practices to a greater degree than nonparticipating companies (Anderson et al. 2011). While participant companies began with a greater degree of environmental consciousness, the question remains as to whether their sustainability increased over the course of the pilot certification. The current analysis addresses this question by comparing changes in environmental familiarity, attitudes, and practices among participant and nonparticipant companies before and after the GCC program. 2.0 Methods Motorcoach operators who were members of ABA and/or UMA were surveyed in the spring and summer of 2009 and in the winter of 2011. Two separate, but similar versions of a questionnaire were administered to pilot program participants (n ~ 20) and to the general motorcoach operator population (i.e., nonparticipants, n ~ 1,200). On the questionnaire, respondents were asked to rate their familiarity with and attitudes towards anti-idling policies, use of EPA-compliant engines, use of biodiesel, use of ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, recycling, and green certification. Respondents were then asked whether their company engaged in these and other sustainable practices. Questionnaires were administered through a controlled online survey program in order to reach a large population of motorcoach operators from across North America in an efficient and cost effective manner. For each survey, respondents were recruited

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