The region’s travel and tourism industry must not fall into the trap of “green washing” as the rush to “jump onboard the green gravy train” intensifies, warned a marketing expert at World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi yesterday.
James Duthie, CEO of Touchpoints Consulting UAE, told delegates that consumers had become turned-off and cynical about the green message, thanks to “a rising tide of ‘green washing” – or using PR and spin to promote a misleading perception about a how eco-friendly a company actually is.
“We see these examples everyday,” said Duthie. “But if you are going to indulge in ‘green washing’ you will get found out.”
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Cynicism among local consumers towards green tourism initiatives was likely to be high, explained Duthie, as green-washing has been common practice in the past.
“I think consumers here are cynical to some degree,” said Duthie. “We’ve seen some spectacular examples locally of companies proclaiming to be green that are not. During the real estate boom I saw many billboards claiming “this is a green development” – but how? It wasn’t green certified; there was no evidence that it was any more green than any other development.
"But there’s no way to stop companies saying this because there’s no legislation and no protection against green-washing at the moment.”
Duthie said the travel and tourism industry should be honest in its promotion of any green initiatives. “I think people really need to decide what they mean by the word ‘green’ before they start using it. The tourism industry here must be scrupulously honest. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not.”
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