EnSuZa

Sustainable tourism

Tourism is one of the world’s largest economic sectors, generating 9.8% of global GDP and 284 million jobs in 20151. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism influences all Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)2, but especially those related to poverty reduction, environmental sustainability and empowerment of communities and youths3. Research shows that sustainable tourism has become an established part of corporate and governmental agendas and that a market transition is underway4. However, the long-term sustainability of tourism is impossible without proper management and commitment of involved stakeholders5 and therefore the United Nations declared 2017 as the year of sustainable tourism6. This project takes a point of departure in the synergy between sustainable tourism7 and innovation8,9, and will provide knowledge, skills and evidence-based new ways of integrating solid waste management, mosquito control and environmental practices that will contribute to strengthening the quality and competitiveness of tourism in Zanzibar.

Tourism on Zanzibar

On Zanzibar, tourism is the largest economic sector and is essential for Zanzibar’s socioeconomic stability, accounting for 27% of GDP, 80% of foreign revenue and 72.000 jobs10. For tourists, accommodation accounts for nearly half of holiday expenses11, and hotel quality is a significant contributor to their satisfaction, return and loyalty. Recent statistics show that tourist expenditure in Zanzibar fell almost 20% in 2015 compared to 2013 while tourist arrivals increased12, which suggests a possible shift in tourist perception of the quality of tourism in Zanzibar. The Government of Zanzibar (GZ) has made sustainable tourism one of its national priorities, in order to address the adverse effects caused by rapid expansion and unsustainable hotel operations10. According to the national research agenda for 2015-2020, there is incomplete understanding of how hotels impact natural and human environments in Zanzibar and how impacts can be mitigated10. To ensure the future of the hotel sector, the GZ encourages research focusing on transitioning tourism into a sustainable industry, which can positively impact future employment and revenue of hotels and communities10. This project will provide knowledge, information and skills that will enable hotels to strengthen competitiveness locally, as well as in a context of international brands, owners, competitors and certifiers which may add to the opportunities of a wider impact of the project.

Responsive management of hotels - organizational contexts

Studies from Zanzibar have highlighted the need to identify barriers to the integration of sustainable technologies at hotels and the promotion of effective approaches that are acceptable to all stakeholders13–15. As noted by the World Bank, there is a growing global demand by investors, governments and consumers for greater disclosure on the sustainability of a company16. This demand has also been acknowledged on Zanzibar, where international tour operators, such as TUI17, are demanding that hotels move towards environmentally sustainable practices. Despite this, the share of hotels adopting environmental practices remains small, which opens up the question of how such practices form and diffuse throughout the organizational structures of the hotel sector? This research project will assist hotels in meeting these demands, by providing knowledge, skills and evidence-based innovative ways of integrating solid waste management, mosquito control and environmental practices. Institutional and organizational studies show that hotels absorb specific social and environmental challenges as business priorities to various degrees, leading them from reactive to proactive strategic corporate initiatives18. Businesses find valuable sources of competitive advantage rooted in environmental differentiation or resource-efficiency and associated cost savings19,20 as well as opportunities for innovation that strengthens business profitability and opens access to new markets21. While institutional channels determine which issues are considered relevant for hotels to act upon, often shaped by strategic responses to external demands, the organizational routines and cultures are the determining factors for how changes are received and committed to during implementation. Assuming hotels have access to the needed flexibility, expertise and resources to change their management towards sustainable practices22, this project will work with four hotels in Zanzibar in order to support the development, testing and adoption of integrated environmental practices that would strengthen the quality and image of Zanzibar’s tourist sector. The project will identify current management practices with a focus on two key areas of sustainability and integrated management i) solid waste management (SWM) and ii) mosquito control.  

Solid waste management – an intervention area of study

Unsustainable SWM and the need to improve it has been identified as a major issue by the GZ and research studies10,13,14,23–25 and was strongly emphasized at a one-day stakeholder consultation with 30 representatives from hotels, the GZ, tour operators and local academia undertaken in May 2016 in Stone Town in preparation of this proposal. The main tourist attraction on Zanzibar is the pristine nature and unique ecosystems26, but unsustainable SWM at hotels results in loss of ecosystems26, adverse impacts on communities27 and negative reviews from tourists23. The GZ estimates that 80% of all waste on Zanzibar is generated at hotels and restaurants, but only 20% of this waste is currently collected for proper disposal; the rest is dumped untreated at unauthorized landfills or dumpsites10. The GZ aims to collect 70% of this waste by 2020, but they emphasize that research into sustainable SWM on Zanzibar is urgently needed if this goal is to be achieved10. The clear majority of studies on SWM from Zanzibar have focused on municipal SWM in the capital area of Stone Town25,28–32. Only two studies have focused on the tourism industry: one pilot study on SWM at four hotels, conducted under the BSU II (Building Stronger Universities) initiative, found no evidence of sustainable practices following the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycling) approach that is recommended by the GZ10. Another study sought to assess methods for improving SWM at hotels through development of better bin systems for recycling33. The GZ has stated that they do not have the capacity needed to handle SWM at hotels and has outsourced this responsibility to each individual hotel, leaving them in charge of the entire life cycle management34 of waste (Stakeholder Consultation, May 2016). This project will support the evidence base for improving uptake of the 3Rs approach into SWM at hotels, through identification of life cycles of waste and assessment of integrated sustainable waste management35 (ISWM) interventions which have three dimensions: i) stakeholder engagement; ii) waste flows and systems; iii) sustainability aspects.

Mosquito control – an intervention area of study

At the stakeholder consultation meeting in May 2016, the need for more effective and sustainable means of mosquito control was strongly emphasized by hotel managers, public health authorities and tourist investors. An observational study by State University of Zanzibar (SUZA), found that mosquitoes present a great nuisance generating complaints from guests, one reason why tourists express low interest in returning to Zanzibar (personal communication, Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors (ZATI), May 2016), and that hotels attempt to control mosquitoes through intense daily (indoors) and weekly (outdoors) application of chemical insecticides. The study also found that over time the effectiveness of spraying was reduced, possibly due to development of resistance to the specific insecticides by mosquito populations. This has led hotels to change to new, costly insecticides and more frequent application (personal communication, ZATI, May 2016). This intense use of chemical insecticides may have detrimental impacts on human and environmental health because of increased occupational exposure and contamination of the immediate environment. A pilot study on mosquito habitats, conducted under the BSU II initiative, recently confirmed the presence of Aedes aegypti in Zanzibar36. This mosquito can carry infectious diseases such as chikungunya and dengue, posing epidemic risks to residents and tourists37–40. Public health authorities on Zanzibar express concern for future disease control as mosquitoes, including Ae. aegypti, develop resistance towards the most commonly used insecticides41,42. Given the intense application of insecticides at hotels on Zanzibar, there is a clear risk that future outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases could erupt in or around hotels. As such, new, nonchemical approaches for control of mosquito-borne diseases are urgently needed43,44. This project will focus on use of non-chemical environmental control (NcEC) approaches at hotels on Zanzibar. NcECs include affordable and simple methods, such as elimination of mosquito breeding sites through environmental management shown effective in various settings45,46. However, there is a dearth of systematic studies assessing the feasibility and efficacy of NcEC approaches to mosquito control within the particular setting of the hotel sector. Hotels on Zanzibar may present particularly promising opportunities for adapting NcEC interventions, as the hotel environment is highly delimited and micro-managed daily with significant staff resources available. However, currently, hotel managers, investors and authorities have very limited access to and knowledge about alternatives to chemical insecticides and maintain high use of these for fear of leaving hotel guests unprotected. The management implications and incentives or disincentives linked with the introduction of NcEC remain unclear; this project will identify and test a variety of NcEC interventions at hotels in Zanzibar, including changes to water storage, landscaping and physical structures. A key priority is to ensure that the interventions tested lead to fully assessed guidelines including efficacy, feasibility, and required managerial changes for sustained impact.

Recent studies in Dar es Salaam and Stone Town reveal that unmanaged solid waste, such as plastic containers, aluminum cans and tires36,47, are among the preferred breeding sites of Ae. aegypti. This highlights the opportunity for combining a focus on improved and integrated management practices and organizational processes for ISWM and NcEC in and around hotels to reduce pollution, nuisance mosquitoes and disease risk. Addressing the expressed concerns from public and private actors in Zanzibar, this project provides an active and engaged support to stakeholders, in particular hotels, in fostering environmentally responsible practices, starting with ISWM and NcEC of mosquitoes. 

Longterm objective:

Evidence-based organizational and management innovations for solid waste management and mosquito control incorporated into the hotel sector on Zanzibar and research generated to inform sustainable development within the hotel sector in tropical and subtropical regions.

Immediate objectives:

1. a. Identify Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) practices of hotel-generated solid waste

1.b. Develop and assess innovative solutions for ISWM

2.a. Assess the efficacy of integrating non-chemical environmental control (NcEC) of mosquitoes into management practices and organizational processes at hotels

3.a. Identify organizational and institutional factors that influence hotels' adoption of ISWM and NcEC of mosquitoes

3.b Consolidate new organizational practices for ISWM and NcEC of mosquitoes by fostering internal acceptability in selected hotels

4.a. Strengthen generic and specialized research capacity including research communication and uptake