Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable Tourism

Once there was a great forest fire, and all the birds and animals rushed to escape. Little Humming Bird went to the river and collected a drop of water. The other birds laughed. 'What are you doing?' they asked. She replied, 'I'm doing what I can.' "

Native American Proverb

What Is Sustainable Tourism?

We love the excitement of travelling, whether the joy of new places or the love of old friends. We know, too, that travel has a cost both in time and in money but we pay this for the returns that travel brings. Travel makes a deep and lasting impression on us as individuals and yet we rarely consider the impact that we have, or have had, on others once our cases are unpacked and stowed away ready for the next adventure.

Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of the present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing the opportunity for the future. It is envisaged as leading to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled, while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems

World Tourism Organization,
www.world-tourism.org - Concepts & Definitions

Why Is Club Mistral Involved In Sustainable Tourism?

As a company, we feel deeply a need to protect and enhance opportunity for the future. This sense of responsibility has welled up from two main areas:

Nature

Club Mistral operates in some of the most beautiful places in the world. The combination of clear water, stunning land- and beach-scapes, blue skies, fair winds and bright sunshine at these locations has a natural magic that fascinates us and our clients. But we can no longer take these things for granted. Our weather patterns are changing as a result of global warming; fragile ecosystems are being damaged by carelessness and greed and our lifestyles - north or south, poor or rich - are no longer environmentally sustainable.

People

The team at Club Mistral is not only exceptional on the water in windsurfing, kite-surfing or surfing but is truly exceptional in its background. The team is multi-lingual and well travelled, with an international awareness that transcends a normal European view. Many are well-trained in areas outside of the sports business and they bring this intellectual rigour to bear on Club Mistral's strategic development. Sustainable Tourism, a business topic that we initiated within Club Mistral two years ago, is now regarded as a key component of Club Mistral's future.

What Is Club Mistral Doing?

Our activities in the area of Sustainable Tourism cover a broad spectrum of both environmental and social activities, extending from water and energy conservation at our centres to an involvement with local communities and charities. So far, though, these activities have not been co-ordinated and they need to be embedded in Club Mistral as part of Club Mistral's ongoing strategy.

Over the next seasons we shall publicise our policy and mission statement on Sustainable Tourism whilst beginning to extend our involvement in this area. We intend, amongst other things, to:

• Increase our environmental and social impact
• Inform and enthuse our guests about Sustainable Tourism
• Promote the ecological diversity around our centres

To help us, we have engaged MHC International Ltd (www.mhcinternational.com) a company based in London and Geneva that researches and advises on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Within CSR, they further specialise in CSR and Sport, and in Sustainable Tourism so the match for Club Mistral is perfect.