Sustainable Tourism: Qatar Airways - Case Study Example

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM-QATAR AIRWAYS Name Course Institution Tutor Date Table of Contents Brief 3 Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Aims and Objectives 5 Literature Review 5 Qatar Airways Demonstration to Sustainable Tourism 6 Global Achievements 7 Methodology 7 Discussion 8 Importance of sustainable tourism 8 Environmental 8 Socio/cultural 9 Economic Sustainability 9 Challenges facing Qatar Airways Sustainability 10 Financial challenges 10 Operational challenges 10 Environmental Management and Sustainability 10 Climate change 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Brief Tourism is one of the leading industries in the world and has become a tremendously common, universal activity. Nevertheless, like other development forms, tourism can also be a source of evils, such as social displacement, loss of ethnic customs, economic dependency and environmental dilapidation. Knowledge on the effects of travel industry has led many individuals to pursue more liable trips. These consist of several methods of viable tourism like environment centered tourism, social and cultural travel. Viable or sustainable tourism, therefore, refers to travel that benefits both the locals and tourists, national culture as well as the ecology (Fien, et al., n.d.). It strives to provide individuals with a thrilling and informative holiday that is also of value to the society of the host nation. Abstract Qatar Airways has sworn to maintain the airline's pledge to viable air travel. Being an associate of the Sustainable Flight Oil users’ team, a world-class ecological conservation investigation program, the promise brings together the country’s general carrier with front-runners in the industry to steer growth and development of viable air travel fuels (Travel and Tour World, 2016). As an international air transport operator, the airline will contribute its considerable sustainable flight biofuel information and proficiency to developing industry programs that are increasing ecological fuels in an attempt to attain subsequent and more effective conservatory gas releases. According to the Group CEO, Akbar Baker, air travel will make a noteworthy influence to the change of climate internationally, and QA is part of this change regarding native and global results. The airline is embodied on IATA’s most high-ranked environmental board, and together they are completely joint with air travel associates in a common drive to decrease the effect of the business on the environment. It may take some time for the progress, documentation, and profitable use of sustainable air travel fuels but the airline has the determination to encounter this task and realize change. The company’s optimization program is one illustration of how it is geared towards the industry’s objective to increase fuel efficacy by 1.5 per cent annually (Travel and Tour World, 2016). This strategy includes analysis and employment of new techniques to conserve oil and decrease carbon secretions such as lowering aircraft mass and enhancing route efficacy. This will see Qatar Airways specialists collaborating with government administrations and industry officials in response to international climate change problems, finding research schemes and inventions into the growth of lesser carbon and reusable fuels resulting from naturally and socially sustainable resources. Introduction Qatar Airways has developed to be one of the largest airline industries in the world. Statistics have it that the company frequently transports more than 1.5 billion people internationally and makes more than 300 billion dollars in income and employs more than 40,000 individuals globally. The flight business in the Gulf region is regularly connected to the government administration. The government needs to safeguard flag carriers frequently lead to false markets, in which the success of the carriers are governed more by the rivals that are permitted to fly the direction instead of the forces of value and pricing. Airline companies suited in the Middle East presently hold about nine percent of high-low volume internationally. Qatar Airways just like other carriers in the Gulf region is part of the government approach to expanding its income base, markets, trade, tourism and universal transportation significance. Qatar Airways has a great mission statement which is "Success in all we do." Aims and Objectives To appreciate the welfares and challenges emerging from several methods of tourism, particularly regarding social parity and the environment To create awareness of the ways in which travel can improve the wellbeing of people and safeguard our natural and social heritage To encourage an individual pledge to methods of travel that capitalize on rather than undermine sustainable human growth and the quality of environment To organize ways of educating people on sustainable tourism To advance tourism with admiration, pride and encourage local values so that they enhance the tourism practice among local societies. Literature Review Qatar Airways is the state airline of Qatar and one of the air travel industry’s great achievement stories. Set-ups started in 1994 when the air company was a minor local carrier serving a small number of routes. In 1997 the company relaunched under the command of Sheikh Hamad who drew a vision to convert the airline into a top global carrier with utmost standards excellence. The airline has since become one of the fastest rising companies in the aviation history. Network and Expansion From the capital of Doha, the nation’s capital, the carrier has developed an international network of more than 150 countries, covering Africa, parts of Asia, Europe, Middle East, North and South America and with a current fleet of more than 192 customers and load airplane. In 2015, the carrier stretched out its network to more than 150 terminuses comprising of flights to Amsterdam, Zanzibar, and Nagpur in India as well as Durban in South Africa. During 2016, it launched routes to Los Angeles, Sydney in Australia, Boston, UK, Australia, Windhoek the capital of Namibia and Helsinki in Finland. The airline owns some of the newest fleets with a typical airplane age of up to five years. This consists of many different Airbus and Boeing planes. Qatar Airways Demonstration to Sustainable Tourism Qatar Airways took part in the Tourism Investors’ Conference in India on September 23rd, 2016 to confirm its promise towards the tourism market in India. This is a platform for venture capitalists across the world to discover investment opportunities open within the tourism sector in India as well as a central supporting organization (Travel and Tour World, 2016). It also functions as a profitable opportunity for local stakeholders to recognize opportunities for global partnerships. Qatar Airways, which happens to be the primary carrier of the Qatar, is the only Gulf airline that took part in the summit an exceptional level of assurance to and confidence in, India’s tourism sector. Global Achievements Qatar Airways is pleased to have been awarded Carrier of the Year for the third time in 2015 also in 2011 and 2012 in the yearly Skytrax Global Carrier Awards. Already renowned for best service by Skytrax, the international aviation evaluating organization established Qatar Airways as leading air Travel Company in the Middle East region for the eighth year. Also, it was, also recognized as the Top Business Class Air Company Seat in 2015.The Company in 2016, was ranked at 451 most valuable brand out of 500 in the annual event worldwide. Qatar Airline was the first globally to pass the IATA Safety Audit with a maximum of hundred percent compliance in 2003 and did well again in June 2015.The assessment was set up to regulate and streamline some safety procedures done by specific carriers for the intention of code sharing. As a leader, Qatar Airways and its set of firms make an effort to spearhead the duty towards a sustainable environment and CSR. The carrier is one of the front-runners in new generation oil research and gives back to the societies. It goes beyond the existing top practices for fuel and ecological management and is striving to guarantee a sustainable future for the air company, its workforce, and its environs. Methodology The aim of this research is to look at the views of selected Qatar Airways board members on the importance of sustainable tourism, challenges and developments. The primary purposes are to define the research methodology, explain the sample collection and describe the method used in data collection. A detailed study method was utilized for this research. A survey was done to a certain sample from the particular members chosen. This research method aimed to collect data from a particular population, or a section of that society typically make use of a questionnaires or interviews as the survey tools. The advantages of using surveys unlike interviews are that they are economical and easier to manage than individual interviews. Questionnaires allow confidentiality and can be administered to a large group of people. For these causes, I chose a descriptive study method and designed a questionnaire to assess the views of designated board members regarding the challenges of sustainable tourism in the company and can be done to improve the situation. For this study, about fifty board members were identified by company’s board's association. The approach used was a random sampling of Qatar board members. Discussion Importance of sustainable tourism The three most important pillars to consider when it comes to sustainability are, environmental, commercial, and socio-cultural. For tourism to be regarded as sustainable tourism, it has to be viable in all these three areas. Environmental The environment is evidently a significant aspect of tourism. This involves both the natural environment such as forests and watercourses as well as the built environment such as monuments and ruins. All these environments must be conserved for a region to be ecologically sustainable. Sustainability means ensuring resources in a region can be well-preserved for use by future generations. Socio/cultural When a region starts being visited by foreigners, there is guaranteed to be some social and cultural effects to the native community. The local people may see increased congestion in cities and towns, increased criminal activities, the emergence of new languages, and possibly even an inflow of migrant personnel to be hired in the tourism industry. Socio-cultural sustainability, therefore, means reducing these adverse effects and concentrating on productive ones, such as encouraging cultural exchange and conserving local customs. Economic Sustainability Economic viability involves building relations and decreasing outflows keeping the currency at a local level. A company in possession and operated by a foreign person is not likely to contribute a lot to the local economy of that particular country. The money will probably trickle out of the country instead, which is not sustainable. Not only should the public take part in tourism, but they should also all be part of the financial profits gathered from it. Thus, ecological tourism mostly profits everybody that is part of it, and not just part of the population. Unsustainable tourism might look good from the tourist point of view, but it’s not likely to get support from the native community. Challenges facing Qatar Airways Sustainability Financial challenges The airline business is a top support of the economy as it plays a significant role in globalization. It enables economic collaboration between nations and the transport of resources and the result of production. It also decreases joblessness and offers an opportunity for the growth of tourism. Qatar Airways has played a significant role in attaining all of the above. Nonetheless, to withstand this undertaking, the airline needs to do more in rationalizing its internal procedures to allow and empower its establishment. Operational challenges When Qatar Airways prints out its calendar, it is dedicated to meet the sustained cost. This fee consist mainly of the general functioning cost, as well as upkeep and security, workforce, pilot pays, and flight fuel, to mention a few. Taking chances on small seat use at certain times of the year and vacant positions lead the company to be discerning about charges. Qatar Airways charges travelers in quiet markets much little than those in more affluent markets. Environmental Management and Sustainability Global processes and various business undertakings are subject to a comprehensive range of environmental legislature. Qatar Airways is devoted to observing all native and intercontinental environmental guidelines. The primary concern involves fuel and energy productivity, reducing unwanted materials and stopping pollution, as well as transportation of species in danger of extinction (Qatar Airways, n.d.). Climate change Air travel industry will contribute significantly to a universal effort of change in climate, and the carrier is working to improve indigenous and global resolutions. The airline is collaborating with associations such as IATA on the growth of international policy for running flight’s greenhouse gas productions (CSR HUB, n.d.).The company is improving the competence of air travel through biofuel optimization project which includes analysis and implementation new techniques to conserve fuel and decrease release carbon such as: Finding opportunities to reduce the mass of airplanes and consumption of oil. Enhancing efficacy of aircraft routes. Evaluating energy use to and from the airstrip. Conclusion . Tourism is a significant foreign exchange source and employment for numerous evolving countries. All travel activities of whatever inspiration, be it business related, holiday or adventure need to be sustainable. As a group, Qatar Airways believes it’s the duty of the company to conserve the environment. The airline is dedicated to establishing environmental control and governance through common carrier and airport procedures, air travel and catering services, retail openings and hotel accommodation. Qatar Airways communicates its environment conservation performance freely to cultivate the trust on which an extended ecological governance is established. The sustainability account centers on the environmental concerns that are most significant to the company and its shareholders. It displays the growth the airline is making towards their environmental aims by giving examples of what they are doing to increase conservational performance continuously. References CSR HUB, n.d. Improve a company’s sustainability performance. [Online] Available at: https://www.csrhub.com/CSR_and_sustainability_information/Qatar-Airways/ Fien, J., Calder, M. & White, C., n.d. Sustainable Tourism. [Online] Available at: http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_c/mod16.html Qatar Airways, n.d. Environmental Awareness. [Online] Available at: http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/csr.page Travel and Tour World, 2016. Qatar Airways committed to sustainable aviation. [Online] Available at: http://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/qatar-airways-committed-to-sustainable-aviation/ Travel and Tour World, 2016. Qatar Airways participates in Incredible India Tourism Investors’ Summit. [Online] Available at: http://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/qatar-airways-participates-in-incredible-india-tourism-investors-summit/ Read More