Green, Fair, Responsible. Promoting sustainable safari holidays in Tanzania

Tanzania is a prime example of the paradox that tourism is an economic necessity for the host country, while at the same time human activities are destroying the ecological and social foundations that have made the country a first-class destination for nature-based tourism. Sustainable tourism development seems to be the only way to maintain both the country’s attractiveness and the much-needed income. Using safaris as an example, this study explores the role that sustainability plays in promoting Tanzania as a tourist destination. First, it examines whether names, logos and/or claims are used to promote companies as sustainable. The analyzis of a corpus of 146 tour operators shows that only very few providers have used these marketing tools to date. In a second step, the small group of providers with “green” names is analyzed to determine how much attention is actually paid to the topic of sustainability on the respective websites. The results show that a “green” company name can certainly serve as an initial orientation. However, in order to find truly sustainable companies, it is essential to read the websites carefully.