Former Shire of Augusta-Margaret River president Jamie McCall says ecotourism tick ‘lacks credibility’

One of the region’s most respected tourism operators has questioned the real benefit of the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River’s much-touted eco-destination certification. Burnside Organic Farm owner Jamie McCall, a former Shire president, critiqued the Ecotourism Australia certification during the October 26 Shire Council meeting amid debate about the Shire’s now-deferred proposed overarching sustainability policy. Responding to a question from newcomer Cr Tracey Muir, Mr McCall said the certification “lacks credibility” and offered few substantial benefits to the local government or operators who signed up to pay the $700 annual fee. He said any council decision not to support the alternative sustainability policy proposed by its Sustainability Advisory Committee put the Shire at odds with the values promoted by the Ecotourism Australia scheme. Mr McCall said tourism growth and the negative effects it caused in the region needed to be front and centre of the Shire’s sustainability focus. “Tourism is up there in terms of emissions, but it is not a necessary activity. It doesn’t feed us, as agriculture does,” he said. “More than half of those emissions are from air travel, meaning that a certain type of tourist is responsible for most of the emissions.” Tourism had thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic when interstate and overseas travellers were locked out, with documented benefits to global pollution while air travel was grounded, he said. Mr McCall called on the Shire to halt its minor role promoting the region as a destination and TO consider the benefits of a more local tourism industry. “The term ‘eco-tourism’, without addressing the elephant in the room of air travel, is an oxymoron,” he said. As reported by the Times, the policy was subject to a revolt by the Shire’s own advisory group, which wants a stricter and more radical “degrowth” policy instead. Mr McCall noted Ecotourism Australia’s Instagram page had far fewer followers than his own business, and he believed once “bot” accounts were considered, it only had about 800 genuine followers compared with Burnside’s 5000. “It’s an organisation the consumer has very little interest in,” he told councillors. Operators could reduce their carbon footprint by closing for two days per year rather than work to pay the certification fee, which sent money to an office in Queensland, Mr McCall said. “Mediator” groups like Ecotourism Australia were increasingly falling by the wayside in the industry anyway, he said. Cr Muir told the Times she was interested to hear Mr McCall’s perspective on the certification as part of talking to a variety of local operators. “He is obviously passionate and dedicated to sustainability in the operation of his tourism business,” she said. “I am interested at looking at the whole issue of sustainability and how we address it. “I think the SAC have started a conversation that we need to engage with deeply.” Councillors will hold a strategic workshop on the policy in coming weeks.