Environmental Impacts
Once again, the authors felt that the title of this section did not reflect the
discussion of the group. The title would better express the consensus of the group if it
was “managing environmental impacts” or “minimizing the impacts of tourism on the
environment” because the discussion did not focus on the impacts themselves but instead
on the role of human resource managers in the management of the impacts. There is no
question as to the importance of maintaining a quality natural environment for a tourism
enterprise to be sustainable. This point is strongly emphasized in the Agenda 21 for
Travel and Tourism document. Consequently, the team recommended that the human
resource management training module include the concept of “Green Teams” and basic
principles related to water and energy saving. The implementation of these two strategies
into the everyday operation of a tourist facility will serve to minimize negative
environmental impacts.