Frequently Asked Questions
About the Commitment
What the TSC is, why it was developed and who was involved.
Q: What is the Tourism Sustainability Commitment?
The New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment sits alongside the Tourism 2050 a Blueprint for Impact. It sets out 12 Commitments that individual businesses can work towards. Together, we can create a world-leading, truly sustainable tourism industry that will make a positive long-term contribution to New Zealand.
Q: What are the Commitments?
There are 12 Business Commitments for businesses to work towards. Find out more.
Q: Why was it developed?
The TSC was developed as an outcome of the Tourism 2025 & Beyond - Sustainable Growth Framework refresh which said the New Zealand tourism industry can and must develop strategies to ensure it is demonstrably committed to looking after its economic future and the resources it uses. To achieve this, sustainability must become a genuine ethical underpinning of the industry and a core value against which all decisions are tested.
Pre-COVID-19, rapid growth in visitor numbers was a boon to the industry, generating many business and employment opportunities, as well as benefitting the New Zealand economy and communities across the country.
But it also meant the tourism industry was facing the challenges of managing and sustaining growth, rather than generating growth. We need to manage our affairs to ensure tourism’s actual and reputational standing is maintained and enhanced, while we continue to deliver a consistently outstanding visitor experience.
Q: Who developed it?
The TSC was developed by industry for industry. Tourism Industry Aotearoa led the project with the support of an external Reference Group with representatives from Air New Zealand, the Department of Conservation, Discover Wanaka, Griffith University, Tourism Holdings Ltd, Tourism New Zealand, Real Journeys, Whale Watch Kaikoura and Ziptrek Ecotours.
The project team also talked with a range of other stakeholders and achieved wider industry input through consultation and workshops.
Q: Why has TIA made the TSC a standard part of TIA membership?
Our industry strategy Tourism 2050 has sustainability at its heart, and the TSC is the programme to drive towards our Vision of ‘leading the world in sustainable tourism’.
With the very high level of support for the TSC that’s been evident so far, it is a small step to embed the TSC right across the wider TIA membership. The benefits of this are twofold: We are taking an industry-wide approach to sustainability, and we are giving every TIA member access to the full support of the TSC programme, to enable them to make changes at an individual business level.
Q: Can non-TIA members sign up to the TSC?
If you’re not a TIA member, you can still be a supporter of the TSC and you will be able to receive sustainability-related information, but not all the TIA member benefits.
Note: we are always happy to welcome new TIA members and you can click here for the latest information about TIA membership.
Getting involved
How to sign up, who can sign up and what's in it for businesses.
Q: What do I sign up to?
When your business signs up to the Tourism Sustainability Commitment you will:
You will also commit to:
- Having a sustainability plan with goals for all 12 Commitments
- Making measurable progress towards the goals
- Embedding sustainability into business systems, processes and plans
- Providing an annual update on progress
- Telling communities and visitors about your sustainability efforts.
Q: What do I receive?
You will receive a Tourism Sustainability Commitment logo to publish on your website, a certificate to display in your premises and a copy of the TSC summary.
Q: What’s in it for my business?
Sustainability provides numerous opportunities to grow the value of tourism businesses and the wider industry. A well-managed, welcoming, innovative and sustainable business has greater appeal to customers, who are increasingly demanding that businesses share and live their values. Operating a sustainably-focussed business makes good business sense!
Q: Who can sign up?
Any New Zealand tourism business or organisation can sign up to the Commitment. There is also an opportunity for organisations and businesses outside tourism to come on board as endorsers. If you are a TIA member, supporting the TSC is part of your membership. For more information email info@tia.org.nz.
Q: How do I sign up?
It’s quick and simple - use the online form or email TIA.
Q: Who has signed up?
Find out who has signed up to the Commitment.
Q: What if I can’t meet all of the Commitments straight away?
Committing to the TSC is a journey. Everyone needs to start somewhere, and the TSC welcomes the participation of businesses that are just getting started.
Few businesses will meet every Commitment right away, but all can make a start, set targets and lay the foundations for further progress.
Q: I’m a small business and struggle to find time just to do the basics of running a business, let alone this.
We know that many small businesses have staff members covering multiple roles and it may be challenging to allocate time to work on sustainability. The TSC is set up to provide businesses with support and guidance to make at least some sustainability actions easy and achievable.
The important thing is for every business to start taking action towards sustainability. It all makes a difference. And many, if not all, of the actions make good business sense, resulting in cost savings and a more efficient businesses.
Q: I’m already way beyond this. I’ve been certified by XYZ as a sustainable business for years. This is too basic for my business, why would I sign up?
The idea is to have every tourism business to be involved in the TSC, even if you are already well underway on your sustainability journey. The TSC creates a community for sharing knowledge and learning from others, so it is particularly important to have our pathfinders who can act as shining examples and provide inspiration and support to the rest of the industry. So please join us!
Q: What if my business is already accredited with another system such as Qualmark?
There are many systems and programmes that can be used to help businesses to become sustainable. Programmes like Future-Fit, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and Qualmark all have important roles to play. We see the TSC as the overarching platform for tourism sustainability and we actively seek to ‘sign-post’ TSC supporters to other service providers or expertise so those that wish to can benefit from these programmes through independent assessment, certification, and the like. Being well linked to these programmes assists the TSC in its quest for overall industry sustainability.
Measuring progress and success
How we record industry progress and identify gaps.
Q: How do you measure industry progress?
We use a two-tier measurement approach:
- use available and independent data series to track such things as visitor spend, tourism carbon emissions, community sentiment and visitor satisfaction,
- all TSC signatories provide an annual declaration of their TSC activity. A survey will be sent to all signatories around September each year to complete.
Together, this approach provides a solid record of industry sustainability progress and identifies any gaps where we need to provide extra support.
Q: What does ‘provide an annual progress update’ mean? What are the reporting requirements?
All TSC signatories complete an annual return. This is sent out as a survey around September each year and will take about 30 minutes to complete. All data is confidential, and only aggregate results will be reported.
Q: What happens if my business doesn’t make progress?
Tackling the TSC Commitments is not an easy task for every business, and you may not necessarily make measurable progress straightaway. Our tools, resources and support are there to enable every business to make some progress. The hardest part is getting started.
National and global implications
How the TSC aligns with other policies and strategies.
Q: Does the TSC have support from Government?
Sustainability is the heart of both the industry strategy - Tourism 2050 – A Blueprint for Impact - and Government agencies have been involved in the TSC from its development to where we are now. Increasingly, we see the TSC as the sustainability platform for achieving the objectives of both industry and government.