Destination Special Agency
Eora Country / Surry Hills, NSW
Completed the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard
A new benefit as of this year, all Business Supporters receive access to Ecotourism Australia’s Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard to demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement and to grow on their sustainability journey. Read on to discover what Business Supporter Destination Marketing Store thought of the Scorecard program.
Supporting Australian and Pacific destinations to sustainably grow their visitation through effective and responsible destination management planning and marketing, Destination Marketing Store (DMS) recognise the importance of walking the talk. In their work with destinations, DMS promotes and encourages destinations to consider sustainability as a key driver of success for growing a sustainable visitor economy.
Sustainability was a concept DMS was already passionate about, but it was also an area they were keen to develop further expertise in to ensure their advice to clients was accurate. When they saw that the opportunity to participate in the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard was included in their Business Supporter membership, they jumped at the chance to gain tangible insights into their business’s sustainability performance and advice on how to improve.
DMS’ Destination Strategy and Sustainability Lead, Oliver Batten, said while sustainability is an important part of their day-to-day work, the Scorecard offered them a chance to look at sustainability on a deeper level. He said, “this was the first time looking at sustainability in a wholistic sense for the organisation and we were keen to learn where our knowledge gaps were and to look for areas of improvement.”
He said that the Scorecard helped enhance the team’s understanding of sustainability in a business sense.
“It’s easy to get caught up thinking about sustainability in the environmental context, however the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard process really assists you to understand the importance of things such as business management, operations, education and cultural respect. All of which are incredibly important if your business is going to have any direct positive impact on the environment,” said Oliver.
The Scorecard offered DMS a chance to reflect and to create a strong foundation of sustainability for their business. Oliver shared that the importance of doing some of the groundwork first was a key learning from completing the Scorecard.
“Things such as business management and operational planning are a really important step in being able to deliver positive impact, so spending some time to reflect on these and setting some direction for how you want to be sustainable is key.”
DMS believes the insights from completing the Scorecard will be useful in their day-to-day engagement with their clients. “We believe that the process will help to inform our work with our clients in sustainable tourism. Importantly, it provides a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities sustainability presents to small and medium-sized businesses.”
As part of their business ethos, DMS is committed to paying it forward to support the not-for-profit organisations Science for Wildlife and Bangarra, supporting wildlife conservation and Indigenous performing arts, respectively.
From the Scorecard’s detailed feedback report, DMS have been inspired on how they can effect greater positive change in their business, clientele, community and beyond. Oliver said DMS are already creating a prioritised roadmap towards sustainability as part of their next steps.
He added, “identifying some of the simple things we can do in the short term as well as setting some longer-term sustainability goals will be great to provide some direction. We have already started doing some small actions such as getting NFC business cards for the team and looking into green hosting services for our websites.”
Click here to discover more about Destination Marketing Store on the Ecotourism Australia website.
The Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard is as a benefit included in Business Supporter and Corporate Supporter membership with Ecotourism Australia. Head to our website to learn more about Ecotourism Australia membership.
Destination Marketing Store completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 30 August 2023 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.
Start your sustainability journey.
