The organizers are expecting to post videos and pictures on the website, so stay tuned. I delivered the paper:
Management
of Island Restaurants:
Applying the
Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria
R. S. Bristow1; B. Conz1;
I. Jenkins2
1Westfield
State University, Westfield, Massachusetts, USA
2Les Roches Gruyere University of Applied Science, Bulle,
Switzerland
Abstract
There
are unique challenges in the management of island restaurants. While it may be
reasonable to procure local seafood as part of the cuisine, other meats,
produce and beverages may have to be transported great distances. Further, in a declining economy, sustainable
management practices may be less important.
The purpose of this study is to
compare and contrast the sustainable management practices found in a sample of
restaurants found on the islands of Providenciales, North and Middle Caicos in
the Turks and Caicos (TCI) to those found in the US. Selected for this study was the Global Sustainable
Tourism Criteria (GSTC). These criteria are designed to be the minimum
practices to insure sustainability for the business as well as protect the natural
and cultural resources. Given the
lack of local food products on this Caribbean island, it is hypothesized that
island restaurants may be more susceptible to sustainable practices.
Data
for this study come from a questionnaire administered to a sample of
restaurants in both locations. The survey is designed to collect general information about the
restaurant, what kind of cuisine offered, sources of food and concludes with a
few questions asking about the sustainable practices. Excluded
from the sample are chain and fast food restaurants. At present 40 restaurants have been surveyed
yielding a 25% response rate in TCI and 20% rate for the region in the States. Additional restaurants are being sampled at
the time of this writing and a plan for sampling restaurants in Europe will
occur in the spring of 2012.
Preliminary
results indicate that for the island restaurants most food comes from either
the United States or the Dominican Republic.
Exceptions to these two sources would be the local seafood, produce
grown at a local hydroponic farm and most baked goods. While many managers desire specialized foods,
e.g., organic, chemical free, grass-fed or free range food, these are not
readily available. On the other hand,
price, uniformity, availability and quality are important to most managers.
Management’s
assessment of the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria found that energy and
water use were of most concern.
Electricity use, for example, was quite expensive and restaurants had
few alternatives for more sustainable practices.
Encouraging
prospects do exist for the island restaurants.
Potential farm land on the neighboring North and Middle Caicos could be
cultivated to meet the local needs. Most island restaurants would purchase this
local food providing the cost, availability, and quality were dependable.
Keywords
– global sustainable tourism criteria, restaurants, islands, local food,
sustainable development
Subtheme
– Sustaining Tourism after the Global Financial Crisis
Posts
