Principles
The Greens NSW believe that:
1. Tourism operations facilitate recreation, wellbeing and livelihoods and have the potential to be a positive social force through truth telling, education and self-actualisation.
2. Tourism activity in its current global structure is exploitative of people and planet and highly vulnerable to significant disruptions from global shocks.
3. The primary objectives of tourism should be the wellbeing of the environment, communities and individuals.
4. Tourism is best provided by locally owned and run organisations rather than multinational corporations.
5. The carbon emissions currently associated with air travel necessitate a reduction of international tourism to be substituted with local tourism.
6. Tourism activities that would contribute to environmental degradation within National Parks should not be initiated.
7. Inclusion, diversity and consultation with First Nations people are essential for tourism operations.
Aims
The Greens NSW will work towards:
Improving community input into local tourism planning by:
8. Strengthening the resources of regional Tourism Organisations as opposed to the current Sydney-centric model preferred by the NSW Government tourism agency.
9. Collaborating closely with local government, which currently play s a major role in local tourism planning.
Addressing equity issues by:
10. Partnering with diverse community stakeholders to address barriers to tourism.
11. Ensuring any First Nations tourism operations are First-Nations run and owned.
12. Imposing appropriate regulations in specific hotspots where short-term letting is contributing to local housing stress, and maintaining a watching brief on the link between holiday letting and housing.
13. Providing resources to support people looking to establish small-scale local tourism operations.
14. Supporting those employed in tourism roles as the industry undergoes structural change.
15. Ensuring public reserves, including beaches remain accessible to the public.
Mitigating the climate change and sustainability impacts of tourism by:
16. Incentivising people to support and enjoy local tourism experiences
17. Mandating the usage of carbon offsets for domestic and international flights involving Australia and ensuring the offsets have environmental integrity.
18. Introducing restrictions on flight advertising, including the end of tourism marketing in other countries, and schemes designed to incentivise more flights.
19. Introducing compulsory offsets for cruising to address environmental damage, and compulsory local procurement practices to ensure that host communities are fairly paid for goods and services.
20. Opposing airport expansions until the airline industry transitions to sustainability.
21. Encouraging sustainable transport options for tourism, including the support of high-speed rail between Sydney and Melbourne to reduce air travel.
Protect the natural environment from the impacts of tourism by:
22. Ensuring there is adequate funding to support the maintenance of natural and cultural values, and ensuring businesses and visitors make appropriate contributions.
23. Requiring Destination NSW, and other regional and local tourism authorities to develop and maintain p lans of management and strategies that identify the ecologically sustainable management of tourism and recreational activities, including where necessary annual caps on visitation.
24. Placing a moratorium on further building and accommodation within National Parks. No further development, including but not limited to, private permanent or temporary camping grounds, high-end visitation facilities, or facilities for vehicle-based sports.
25. Ensuring adequate education is provided for tourists about the First Nations cultural values and the ecological significance of the area they are visiting.
26. Encouraging private landholders to undertake voluntary conservation agreements where they participate in tourism ventures on that land, as a mechanism to conserve and protect endangered species and ecosystems that would otherwise have little or no protection.
27. Excluding off-road vehicles from foreshores and National Parks, except on formal roads and in car parks, unless required by park workers, fire protection agents and/or safety personnel such as rescue teams.
Monitoring tourism sector operations by:
28. Reviewing current regulations that apply to tourism accreditation or licensing.
29. Streamline social impact requirements for tourism activities across the state and require all major events to present social impact statements before approval.
30. Advocating for the Australian Bureau of Statistics to collect a broader range of tourism data including data surrounding impacts.
31. Establishing clear and equitable guidelines for tourism activity on privately owned land that incorporate conservation and sustainability.
32. Ensuring First Nations cultural land uses are not negatively impacted by tourism regulations or planning.
33. Developing criteria for the approval of major events that include lasting benefits to the local community, no harm to animals, no gambling harm and minimal or positive impact on the local environment.
Facilitating tourism infrastructure by:
34. Securing sufficient funding for surf lifesaving.
35. Ensuring appropriate grants are available for small-scale, local tourism activities.
36. Ensure National Parks and Indigenous ranger funding incorporates sufficient funding for cultural and educational training and resources.
37. Work with Local Government NSW and Destination NSW to evaluate local destination management plans and provide support to LGAs where needed , to improve or develop these.
38. Supporting a broad range of tourist activity including wellness, arts and culture, farm stays, accessible destinations, and sports.
39. Advocating for strong and efficient public transport networks including rail infrastructure.
40. Introducing incentives for international visitors to use rail travel and other public transport similar to Eurail or Japan Rail passes.