Analysis of Eco Tourism Australia: Business Ethics and Sustainability

This report provides an in-depth analysis of Eco Tourism Australia, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting environmentally sustainable and culturally responsible tourism in Australia. The report examines the organization's mission, operational activities, and the various services and products it offers, including membership services, certification programs, and industry workshops. It highlights Eco Tourism Australia's strategic focus areas, which include delivering quality programs, strengthening its brand, and promoting certified member products. The report also discusses the organization's advocacy efforts on industry issues and its role in fostering collaboration within the ecotourism sector. The report concludes by emphasizing Eco Tourism Australia's commitment to environmental conservation and its efforts to provide travelers with opportunities to experience the beauty of Australia while minimizing their impact on the natural environment. The report also offers insights into the organization's green travel guide and international sub-license arrangements to expand its outreach.

Running head: BUSINESS ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Business Ethics and Sustainability
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
Eco tourism maybe defined as the type of tourism that is ecologically sustainable and
which focuses primarily on customers to experience natural areas that are capable of fostering
cultural and environmental understanding, conservation as well as appreciation. In a country as
diverse, beautiful and filled with natural resource like Australia, the practice of ecotourism is
quite common (Wardle et al. 2017). This assignment prepares a report for Herbert Business
Review on Eco Tourism Australia, a sustainable business organization that works to promote the
act of eco-tourism across the length and breadth of the nation. As part of the report, an attempt is
made to outline and analyze the activities or business operations of this organization.
1. About Eco-Tourism Australia
Ecotourism Australia is a renowned not for profit organization that operates in the country of
Australia and which is popular for the manner by which it advocates and promotes the practice of
tourism that is culturally responsible and environmentally sustainable at the same given time.
Certification programs are designed and delivered by the organization for tourist destinations as
well as tourism products for as many as five hundred ecotourism operators in the country that are
environmentally responsible in their approach to tourism in addition to approximately 1600
tourism products and eco-tourism destinations that are ever increasing in terms of numbers (Ban
and Ramsaran 2017). Ecotourism Australia is an organization that is known to work in close
cooperation with members who are experienced and motivated and who are ready to deliver what
may be termed as a quality travel experience which is based on the core principles of eco-
tourism. The interests of all of Australia’s ecotourism operations are expressed and represented

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by Ecotourism Australia in addition to important ecotourism destinations throughout the country
via membership in different types of advisory boards, industry bodies and reference groups that
work very closely with a wide range of industry stakeholders in order to implement or carry out
tourism practices which are sustainable in nature (Fogle and Duffy 2018).
Some of the industry sectors in which Eco Tourism Australia is seen to operate are the
ecotourism operators, state and federal government agencies as well as protected area managers,
regional and local governments as well as tourism associations, tourism consultants,
environmental consultants and training consultants, specifically people who work in the domain
of tourism for a livelihood and who need advice and counsel for attracting large numbers of
customers to discover and learn more about the natural magnificence that prevails in the country
of Australia via eco-friendly ways (Ruhanen 2019). Eco Tourism Australia is also an
organization that is seen to engage in cooperation with a lot of students and academics, travelers
and tourism planners with the purpose of organizing tours and tourism packages for interested
customers. Academics with an environmental bent of mind and who are particularly interested in
researching on how the natural environment of the country of Australia can be preserved in the
most cost effective of ways serve as clientele for the organization. Such people provide the
organization with the experience and the consultation that helps the organization to carry out its
business operations and duties in an efficient and effective manner (Bowles and Ruhanen 2018).
In addition to organizing tourist activities for interested customers as well as institutions, Eco
Tourism Australia is also an NGO that takes part in events such local, regional and global
conferences on environmental preservation and conservation (Fatima et al. 2017). At such
conferences, those who work for the organization are seen to impress upon the audience the
importance of environmental conservation, the dangers of global warming, how Australia is a

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country that is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the phenomenon of global warming and how
tourism always must be conducted in a manner that is environmentally sustainable so that the
natural resources and beauty of the country of Australia is something that is not hampered with
while promoting tourism in the country at the same given time. For this purpose, Ecotourism
Australia is an organization that invokes and invites the participation of scholars, scientists and
even students who are interested in ecotourism as an activity, who share a concern for the
surrounding natural environment and who are interested in devoting their energies to preserving
the natural environment in Australia in as many ways as possible. The organization does not
require students and academics to pay in order to take part in such events and has acquired name
and fame all over the country of Australia for the active role that it is seen to play in promoting
ecotourism in the country (Swan and Morgan 2016).
Ecotourism Australia performs its operations in a way by which it takes its customers to
some of the most exotic and aesthetically pleasing locations in Australia while minimizing the
harmful impact that such travel activities can have on the surrounding environment. Travelers get
to journey across the length and breadth of Australia with the Ecotourism Australia and visit
some of the most fascinating destinations in both the northern and southern parts of the country
while learning how to conduct their activities in a way that no harm is done to the surrounding
natural environment. For instance, Ecotourism Australia is an organization that forbids the use of
plastic among those who sign up for its travel packages and tourism services largely because of
the fact that plastic is harmful for the environment and the use of plastic is something that is
being attempted to be brought under control all over Australia. Ecotourism Australia closely
adheres to the policy that is followed by the Australian government as far as the preservation of
the environment is carried out. Most of the tourist activities are carried out by Ecotourism

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Australia after first making sure that there are strict rules and regulations in circulation and that
tourists who sign up services provided by this organization are aware of these rules. Littering on
the part of travelers is something that not allowed by the Ecotourism Australia authorities
especially the type of littering that is carried out quite randomly by tourists when they visit
beautiful exotic locations (Dowling and Morgan 2017).
1. Services and Products of Ecotourism Australia
1.1. Membership Services
When it comes to understanding the various services and products that are offered by
Ecotourism Australia, it is important to remember that the most well-known of its services are its
membership services. The organization is one that invites interested travelers to come and
become members of the organization in the event that they want to be updated about exciting
travel packages undertaken by the organization, which involve taking travelers to exotic
destinations in different parts of Australia in a way that can be considered to be environmentally
sustainable (Dowling and Morgan 2017).
1.2. Certification Programs
There are also numerous certification programs which are offered by the company for
people who are interested in learning about how ecotourism is carried out in the country of
Australia. Important certifications that are provided by the company include the ECO
certification, the Respecting our Culture Certification, Climate Action Certification, ECO
Destination Certification and Eco Guide Australia and Greater China. All of the certification
programs that are provided by the organization for the benefit of people looking to learn and
understand about ecotourism in Australia, are programs that last at least for six months and

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which are valid certifications that can be used by people to land jobs or do well for themselves in
the area of ecotourism.
1.3. Advocacy on Industry Issues
Advocacy on a wide range of industry issues especially the role that can be played by the
government in order to protect the environment is something that is carried out by this
organization on a regular basis. Ecotourism Australia is quite vocal about its desire to protect the
natural environment of the country and is quite vocal in its criticism of the government’s
inability to place a limit on industrial factors that lead to a rise in pollution than a decline in the
same (Fennell and Markwell 2015).
1.4. Product Development and Industry Workshops
Industry as well as product development seminars and workshops are held by the
organization on a regular basis so that people can get a better idea of how and why ecotourism
ought to be carried out and why this is beneficial for a country like Australia. Ecotourism
Australia is an organization that makes it a point to ensure that those who are invited to this
workshop are experts in the field of eco-tourism and who have acquired the name and the fame
that is needed in order to be considered as experts in this particular area. The product
development seminars and workshops are held in all the major Australian cities and towns and
are not too expensive to attend either (Crane and Fletcher 2016).
1.5. Green Travel Guide
Ecotourism Australia is an organization that is well-known for publishing what may be
termed as a Green Travel Guide. This is a guide that informs people about how they can be
environmentally sustainable when on the move, how they should walk more or use their feet

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instead of using vehicles that are powered by fossil fuel in order to get from one destination to
another. The Green Travel Guide is written in a comprehensive way and it has been designed to
provide people with guidance on how to lead a life that can be considered as economically
sustainable (Crane and Fletcher 2016).
1.6. International Sub License Arrangements
International sub license arrangements are also made available for the certification
programs that are carried out by Ecotourism Australia. This implies that the certification
programs which are offered by the organization are not only limited to people living in Australia
but to international residents as well and that these certifications can be used by international
citizens to spread the important message and work of ecotourism in the different countries that
they come from. The message and outreach of the organization is thus global rather than local
(Ban and Ramsaran 2017).
2. Strategic Focus Areas
2.1. Delivery Quality Programs, Products and Membership Services
concerning Ecotourism
Some of the strategic focus areas of the organization include delivering best quality
programs and practices and giving members full value for the money that they are seen to spend
on the membership subscription services. Ecotourism Australia is an organization that believes in
collaborating and entering into partnerships with related programs in order to spread the message
about the importance of ecotourism in Australia and to provide travelers in the country with
ways and means by which they can visit some of the most beautiful parts of Australia without

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causing any danger to the environment. Promoting certified member products internationally and
domestically is something that Ecotourism Australia does on a regular basis while strengthening
the brand value of the organization at the same given time. The organization has the intention of
being recognized as one of the leading institutions in the country of Australia that offers
ecotourism services and which gives explorers and travelers in the country as well as
internationally the opportunity to partake in the preservation and conservation of the natural
environment of the country while taking in the majestic beauty of the Australian landscape at the
same given time (Fogle and Duffy 2018).
2.2. Strengthening and Promoting the Industry for Eco-tourism in
Australia
To strengthen and promote the industry for eco-tourism in Australia and also to become
an organization that is both environmentally sustainable and well-managed at the same given
time is one of the most important goals and objectives of Ecotourism Australia which intends on
living up to over the next few years. Ensuring good governance, to lead by example in the
industry in which it operates and to ensure that the product offerings as well as the income
streams of the organization are those that support the members of the organization now as well as
in the future is something that constitutes a primary aim of the organization. Ecotourism
Australia has acquired much name and fame because of its commitment to preserving the natural
environment of the country while enabling people to explore the beauty and the wonder of
Australia at the same given time. It has played and will continue to play a leading role in the way
by which it presses upon people the importance of ecotourism especially in a tropical destination
like Australia where the problem of global warming is something that is seen to be increasing

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with every passing day and which needs to be brought under control at the earliest (Fatima et al.
2017).
Conclusion
Thus, Ecotourism Australia is undoubtedly one of the leading destinations in the country
of Australia to be engaging in the activity of environment friendly tourism and has managed to
acquire a good name for itself in this respect, because of the advocacy that it has carried out.
Ecotourism Australia is an organization that seeks to provide people in Australia with the scope
of visiting some of the most beautiful and exotic parts of the country, which they have never set
foot on before, and it enables them to do without causing any detriment to the surrounding
environment. For this purpose, there are a number of strict policy measures that are undertaken
by Ecotourism Australia such as banning the use of plastic and adopting measures that are
directed at keeping members and travelers who sign up for the tour packages of the organization,
to avoid littering the areas that they visit. Ecotourism Australia it can therefore be concluded is
an organization that is doing a stellar job of looking into the preservation of the Australian
natural environment. It is playing a leading role in promoting the concept and the industry of
ecotourism in Australia making people realize that while traveling and exploring the vast country
of Australia can be a wonderful thing to do, this is something that needs to be carried out in a
way that the natural environment is not jeopardized or compromised with, especially global
warming is on the rise in this part of the world.

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