Activities – Tourism for SDGs

Measuring Tourism’s Impact on the SDGs: A TIPs Masterclass at Lucerne University

30-04-2026

What does it actually take to measure whether a tourism project is making a difference for the SDGs? That was the central question behind two masterclass sessions held at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), delivered in the framework of the Bachelor of Science in International Sustainable Tourism, a programme developed and delivered in cooperation with UN Tourism. The first session introduced students to TIPs (Toolkit of Indicators for Projects), a framework developed jointly by UN Tourism and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to help measure the impact of tourism development projects against the SDGs. Rather than replacing existing measurement systems, TIPs fills a practical gap: giving project teams concrete, tourism-specific indicators across project phases, from planning to closing. The second session put that knowledge to work. Through a group exercise built around a fictional rural tourism project, students applied TIPs across different project phases, identifying relevant SDG targets, defining themes, and considering what data to collect and how to use it. For students training to work in sustainable tourism, understanding how to measure impact is as essential as designing the project itself.

A Day at Red Rocks: Where Gastronomy, Community, and Sustainability Meet

28-04-2026

At our premises, a day is measured in connections made, stories shared, and lives touched. Our full-day gastronomy and eco-cultural experience is designed as a living example of how tourism can directly support communities while preserving culture and the environment. During morning hours, visitors meet local farmers whose knowledge reflects generations of sustainable practice. Guided through fields of cassava, pumpkins, and fresh herbs, guests learn traditional, eco-friendly farming techniques such as natural pest control and soil regeneration. More importantly, they participate, handpicking the very ingredients that will later be transformed into a shared meal. This moment captures the essence of sustainable gastronomy: understanding where food comes from, and valuing the people and ecosystems behind it. By midday, the experience moves into a traditional open kitchen, where cooking becomes a powerful form of cultural exchange. Guided by a local chef, visitors prepare iconic Rwandan dishes using clay pots and wood-fired stoves, the experience concludes in a communal meal shared with local community members. In the afternoon, the experience shifts from the table to Rwanda’s living heritage, as guests engage with local artisans, learning crafts such as basket weaving or pottery. These activities preserve indigenous knowledge, generate income, and empower local livelihoods. As the day winds down, visitors are invited into a community dialogue—a rare and meaningful exchange with community members centered on conservation, community challenges, and how tourism can act as a driver for sustainable development. The day concludes with a herbal tea experience, where guests learn to blend local plants into natural brews, an introduction to Rwanda’s traditional wellness practices and a moment of calm reflection.

Turismo Sostenible y Desarrollo Local en Áreas Rurales

21-04-2026

¿Quieres aprender a diseñar una oferta de turismo rural que ponga al centro la generación de empleo digno y la protección del ambiente y la cultura local? ¿Quieres conocer la metodología de análisis de la cadena de valor del servicio turístico para entender cómo las comunidades locales puedan beneficiarse de la actividad del turismo? DIRIGIDO A: Responsables políticos, técnicos superiores y actores socioeconómicos claves del desarrollo del turismo que desarrollen sus actividades en instituciones públicas y privadas, en organizaciones de la sociedad civil o de la cooperación internacional. OBJETIVOS: -Analizar las oportunidades que el sector del turismo puede ofrecer en términos de creación de trabajo productivo, de calidad y respetuoso con el ambiente. -Conocer los componentes de oferta turística de un territorio rural y manejar los conceptos de marketing y gestión de destinos. -Identificar estrategias que puedan empoderar las comunidades rurales en cadenas de valor del turismo nacional e internacional. -Promover el intercambio de experiencias y la identificación de buenas prácticas. -Formular un plan de acción que promueva el turismo para estimular un desarrollo sostenible en áreas rurales. TEMAS: MÓDULO 1 – El turismo en las zonas rurales para promover el trabajo decente y la justicia social MÓDULO 2 – La Oferta Turística del Territorio MÓDULO 3 – El marketing y la gestión sostenible de los destinos turísticos MÓDULO 4 – Desarrollo de cadenas de valor para el crecimiento inclusivo del sector turístico PLAN DE ACCIÓN – Diseño de un plan de acción de desarrollo del turismo en áreas rurales

Turismo sostenible y desarrollo local en áreas rurales

16-04-2026

¿Quieres aprender a diseñar una oferta de turismo rural que ponga al centro la generación de empleo digno y la protección del ambiente y la cultura local? ¿Quieres conocer la metodología de análisis de la cadena de valor del servicio turístico para entender cómo las comunidades locales puedan beneficiarse de la actividad del turismo? Este curso organizado por el Centro Internacional de Formación de la OIT, tiene como objetivo fortalecer las capacidades de los actores para diseñar estrategias de desarrollo local basadas para construir un modelo de turismo responsable y sostenible, un turismo que pueda capitalizar su inmenso potencial en términos de prosperidad económica, inclusión social y preservación cultural y ambiental. DIRIGIDO A: Responsables políticos, técnicos superiores y actores socioeconómicos claves del desarrollo del turismo que desarrollen sus actividades en instituciones públicas y privadas, en organizaciones de la sociedad civil o de la cooperación internacional. OBJETIVOS: -Analizar las oportunidades que el sector del turismo puede ofrecer en términos de creación de trabajo productivo, de calidad y respetuoso con el ambiente. -Conocer los componentes de oferta turística de un territorio rural y manejar los conceptos de marketing y gestión de destinos. -Identificar estrategias que puedan empoderar las comunidades rurales en cadenas de valor del turismo nacional e internacional. -Promover el intercambio de experiencias y la identificación de buenas prácticas. -Formular un plan de acción que promueva el turismo para estimular un desarrollo sostenible en áreas rurales. TEMAS: MÓDULO 1 – El turismo en las zonas rurales para promover el trabajo decente y la justicia social MÓDULO 2 – La Oferta Turística del Territorio MÓDULO 3 – El marketing y la gestión sostenible de los destinos turísticos MÓDULO 4 – Desarrollo de cadenas de valor para el crecimiento inclusivo del sector turístico PLAN DE ACCIÓN – Diseño de un plan de acción de desa

Partnership Model Driving Sustainable Community Tourism in Rwanda

15-04-2026

This initiative brings together three complementary actors—Amahoro Tours, Red Rocks Rwanda Community Benefit Company, and Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development—each playing a distinct yet interconnected role in advancing community-based tourism (CBT). At the forefront, Amahoro Tours connects Rwanda’s unique experiences to the global market. Through strategic marketing, sales, and destination promotion, the company ensures that travelers discover authentic, community-led experiences that go beyond gorilla trekking tourism. On the ground, Red Rocks Rwanda Community Benefit Company safeguards the quality and integrity of these experiences. Through strong monitoring and evaluation systems, it ensures that tourism products meet high standards while remaining deeply rooted in local culture and traditions. Complementing this, Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development strengthens the link between tourism, community livelihoods, and conservation. By empowering local people, especially women and youth, it ensures that tourism revenues translate into tangible social benefits while actively supporting environmental stewardship.

Together, these three entities form more than a partnership—they create an integrated model that enhances visitor experiences while directly improving livelihoods, preserving cultural heritage, and protecting biodiversity. It demonstrates that tourism, when thoughtfully designed, can be a force for inclusive growth and environmental resilience.

A key platform showcasing this model is the Community-Based Tourism Fair. The 2026 edition will take place from May 22–24 at the Red Rocks Intercultural Center in Musanze, Northern Rwanda, organized by Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development under the theme "Integrating Conservation, Community, and Commerce." The three-day event brings together community tourism enterprises, conservation organizations, policymakers, investors, and development partners, with a program spanning plenary sessions, enterprise exhibitions, panel discussions, business-to-business networking, ignite talks from community leaders and women entrepreneurs, and cultural performances. It aims to strengthen partnerships, increase market access for community initiatives, and foster innovation and entrepreneurship among youth and women.

Scaling Community-Owned Tourism Across Rwanda: The Red Rocks CBC Model

07-04-2026

Across Rwanda’s diverse landscapes—from the misty volcanoes in the north to the savannah plains in the east, the shores of Lake Kivu in the west, and the rich cultural heartlands in the south—local communities have long been the custodians of the country’s natural and cultural heritage. Yet, many of these communities have remained on the margins of tourism benefits. Red Rocks Community Benefit Company (CBC) is changing this narrative. Through a growing network of community-based tourism hubs across all four provinces, Red Rocks CBC is building a national model of community-owned, environmentally responsible tourism that places local people at the center of development. The initiative focuses on strengthening market access, improving local enterprise capacity, and ensuring that tourism revenues directly benefit rural communities. At the core of this model is a simple but powerful idea: tourism can only be sustainable if it supports the people and ecosystems that make it possible. The Red Rocks CBC approach is guided by four key pillars. First, conservation, in which communities actively participate in protecting wildlife and restoring ecosystems. Second, eco-accommodation, which promotes sustainable lodges inspired by local architecture and environmentally friendly practices. Third, community experiences, offering authentic, locally owned tourism activities that create jobs and income. Finally, cultural and heritage events, which safeguard traditions, oral histories, and cultural expressions for future generations. Each provincial hub reflects the identity of its landscape and people. By empowering communities to own and lead tourism, Red Rocks CBC demonstrates that sustainable tourism can be a powerful tool for inclusive growth, cultural preservation, and environmental stewardship.

Where Rwanda’s Heritage Meets a Sustainable Future

01-04-2026

We are thrilled to announce that the Kayonza Cultural Heritage Center is now 70% complete. What began as a dream to blend culture, conservation, and community is now taking solid form in Rwanda's Eastern Province.

Our new center is a masterclass in eco-innovation. By merging modern design with traditional Rwandan aesthetics—think hybrid thatch roofs and reclaimed wood—we are proving that tourism infrastructure can be both beautiful and sustainable. Faced with environmental challenges, we collaborated with the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) to implement elevated foundations and permeable pavements. These climate-smart solutions not only protected the land but also turned local leaders into our strongest advocates for sustainable tourism. Kayonza serves as the anchor for seven interconnected sites dedicated to Rwanda's pastoral traditions. Tourists immerse themselves in Inyambo Cattle Sessions—guided encounters with Rwanda's royal cows—interactive craft sessions led by local women's cooperatives, and agro-tourism walks connecting cultural storytelling with Akagera safaris. This isn't just a construction project; it's a socio-economic engine. By the end of 2026, we aim to create 200 sustainable jobs for youth and women, launch vocational training in hospitality and eco-agriculture, and digitize heritage archives to safeguard Rwanda's farming history for future generations. "When people take pride in their heritage, they protect the land that sustains them." Join the Movement. As we push toward the final 30%, we invite partners and travelers to support this new chapter. Together, we are preserving Rwanda's living heritage while building lasting prosperity for the communities who call it home.

JICA x UN Tourism RSOAP first International Seminar Series on “Promoting Sustainable Tourism in Mongolia’s Tourist Destinations” during Tourism Week 2026

26-03-2026

Within the framework of an ongoing JICA’s Sustainable Tourism Development Project in Mongolia, an international seminar entitled “Promoting Sustainable Tourism in Mongolia’s Tourism Destinations” was held in conjunction with the government event Tourism Week 2026. The seminar was organized by Mongolia’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth (MCSTY) and the Mongolian Tourism Organization, in cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the UN Tourism Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific (RSOAP), inviting experts and practitioners in sustainable tourism from Japan. JICA is dispatching an individual expert in Sustainable Tourism Development to the MCSTY until December 2027. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of tourism stakeholders and organizations in the target regions, promote sustainable tourism aligned with international standards, and enhance destination branding. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to improve Mongolia’s international recognition and competitiveness as a tourism destination and contribute to the promotion of inbound tourism. Meanwhile, the UN Tourism RSOAP is considering expanding its sustainable tourism destination management initiatives to Mongolia, following activities implemented in Vietnam until 2024. The seminar was attended by more than 350 participants from across Mongolia, including representatives from government agencies, local governments, tourism associations, tourism businesses such as accommodation, guides, and tour operators. During the seminar, speakers introduced global trends in sustainable tourism and highlighted international certification schemes as practical tools for promoting sustainable tourism at destination level. The program also presented the Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism initiative as a concrete example of an international recognition program, as well as the Toolkit of Indicators for Projects (TIPs), a tool jointly developed by UN Tourism and JICA. In addition, the results of a preliminary research survey undertaken by the Project on the current status and readiness of destinations in Mongolia for obtaining international sustainability certifications were presented. On March 10, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged between the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth, the Project, and representatives from the provinces, officially designating Southgovi province and the Tourism Central Zone—comprising Selenge province, Darkhan-Uul province, and Tuv province—as the official target areas for project support.

Panel Discussion during the Seminar @MTO

In the afternoon, the first plenary meeting of the JICA Sustainable Tourism Committee was convened with representatives from the project target areas. Chaired by the Director of the Tourism Policy Department of the MCSTY, the meeting discussed the establishment of committees at the provincial and zonal levels, key challenges in implementing sustainable tourism in each province, and the detailed planning of future project activities to address these challenges.

Mr. Makino, JICA Expert, facilitating the meeting

The international seminar series is planned to be held four times during the project period in collaboration with UN Tourism RSOAP. The next seminar is expected to take place in conjunction with UNCCD COP17, scheduled to be hosted by Mongolia from August 17 to 28 2026.

The collaboration among JICA, UN Tourism RSOAP and Mongolia’s partner organizations is expected to further advance sustainable tourism across the Asia-Pacific region.

Supporting the Expansion of Volcanoes National Park through Community-Based Ecotourism

12-03-2026

Volcanoes National Park is part of the Virunga Massif ecosystem shared with Virunga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to the endangered mountain gorillas. To strengthen conservation and improve ecological connectivity, Rwanda has initiated a major expansion of Volcanoes National Park by 23%, adding approximately 10,000 hectares to the current protected area. About 3,740 hectares of this land will be used for park restoration and wildlife habitat, while more than 6,000 hectares will serve as a buffer zone between the park and the surrounding communities. This expansion is not only a conservation effort but also a development opportunity. Ensuring that neighbouring communities benefit from tourism and conservation is critical for the park's long-term protection.

Red Rocks Initiative and Community-Based Ecotourism

The Red Rocks Initiative operates near Volcanoes National Park and supports this conservation vision through a community-centered ecotourism model that links tourism, conservation, and community development. The initiative creates tourism experiences that generate income for local residents while encouraging the protection of natural resources. The model is based on a simple principle: when communities benefit economically and socially from tourism, they become strong partners in conservation. By promoting alternative livelihoods and community-led tourism experiences, the initiative helps reduce pressure on the park’s natural resources while supporting the objectives of the park expansion. Tourism activities are integrated with community programs in villages surrounding the park, with community members participating as guides, artisans, farmers, performers, and hosts.

Visitors take part in a wide range of environmental, cultural, and community-based experiences that support both conservation and local livelihoods. Environmental activities include tree-planting and reforestation initiatives that help restore degraded land near the park and strengthen the buffer zone, as well as soil conservation measures such as the use of biodegradable banana seed bags to prevent erosion and protect community farmland. These activities contribute to climate resilience and environmental stewardship in landscapes surrounding the park. Cultural and creative experiences involve women’s cooperatives producing traditional baskets, mats, and crafts that are sold to visitors, while tourists can observe or participate in basket-weaving and art workshops that preserve traditional skills. Through the Art for Conservation initiative, local artists create sculptures, paintings, and crafts inspired by wildlife and the ecosystems of Volcanoes National Park, raising awareness about conservation while generating sustainable income. Many households near the park rely on small-scale farming, and the initiative supports farmers through training in organic agriculture, composting, and biodiversity-friendly practices. Visitors can also engage with local agriculture by touring community farms and learning about organic farming, composting, and biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices that support soil health and sustainable food production. Tourism also contributes to community initiatives: some visitors volunteer in local schools by helping renovate classrooms or donating learning materials, others support sanitation projects such as the construction of pit latrines for households without adequate facilities, and a botanic garden established by the initiative preserves indigenous and medicinal plants while serving as an educational space where visitors learn about biodiversity and traditional knowledge.

Through these combined initiatives, more than 100 families have benefited from improved livelihoods, sanitation, education, and conservation awareness. By linking community-based tourism with environmental protection, the Red Rocks Initiative helps ensure that the expansion of Volcanoes National Park is supported by local communities who see tangible social and economic benefits from conservation. This approach strengthens local stewardship of natural resources while reinforcing the long-term sustainability of the park and its surrounding landscapes.

A Name Rooted in Conservation: From Tradition to Global Inspiration at Kwita Izina

23-02-2026

Each year at the foothills of the Virunga Massif, Rwanda hosts Kwita Izina, the annual gorilla naming ceremony that blends culture, conservation, tourism, and community development. Launched in 2005 by the Rwanda Development Board, it draws inspiration from a centuries‑old Rwandan tradition in which families name their children eight days after birth. By extending this ritual to newborn mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda elevated the animals from distant wildlife to symbols of national heritage and community stewardship. Since its inception, the ceremony has named nearly 400 baby mountain gorillas. The first ceremony in 2005 was intimate, gathering conservationists, park authorities, and local leaders to celebrate new gorilla births and Rwanda’s recovery following years of instability. At the time, the mountain gorilla population was fragile, tourism was rebuilding, and community trust in conservation required careful nurturing. Over the years, Kwita Izina has grown into an internationally recognized platform, attracting global scientists, policy makers, and conservation leaders. Since 2012, the mountain gorilla population in the Virunga Massif has grown from about 880 to more than 1,060 today, reflecting decades of sustained conservation efforts. In 2023, Rwanda welcomed over 1.4 million international visitors, generating about USD 620 million in tourism revenue, with gorilla tourism contributing to conservation-linked visitor experiences. A Personal Milestone in Conservation: 2017 In 2017, Greg Bakunzi was honored as one of the official gorilla namers — a moment that was personally meaningful while reflecting the broader conservation journey in Rwanda. His selection recognized decades of grassroots work in the Virunga region, where conservation and community livelihoods are closely intertwined. Greg has long championed the principle that conservation succeeds when communities benefit. Based in Musanze, he helped develop a tourism model centered on local communities, in which visitors’ contributions directly support local development, cultural preservation, and environmental stewardship. His participation in Kwita Izina symbolized the role of community-based tourism as a pillar of Rwanda’s conservation strategy. Through initiatives such as Amahoro Tours, Red Rocks Community Benefit Company, and Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development, his work has supported youth employment, cultural artisans, environmental education, and reforestation programs — all while strengthening local ownership of conservation outcomes. Being part of Kwita Izina in 2017 affirmed that grassroots entrepreneurship can have a meaningful place in national and global conservation efforts. Recent Ceremonies and Expanding Impact Kwita Izina has increasingly emphasized resilience, climate responsibility, and inclusive growth. Post-pandemic editions highlighted tourism recovery, community solidarity, and innovation in conservation financing. In 2025, the 20th edition named 40 baby mountain gorillas under the theme “A legacy of community-centered conservation.” The ceremony brought together local community members, conservationists, tourists, government dignitaries, and visiting public figures, illustrating its ability to unite diverse stakeholders. Kwita Izina continues to strengthen Rwanda’s model of conservation-linked tourism, showing how cultural heritage, wildlife protection, and community development can advance together.

Red Rocks Cultural Night

09-02-2026

Red Rocks Community Benefit Company offers an engaging evening experience where visitors connect directly with local communities through storytelling, music, traditional dress, games, and cuisine. Hosted in a warm and welcoming setting, the evening encourages participation, conversation, and genuine cultural exchange. Community elders, artists, and youth share stories passed down through generations, offering insight into Rwandan values, traditions, and daily life. Guests enjoy a traditional meal prepared with local ingredients, learn the meaning behind cultural attire, and take part in interactive games that foster connection and shared enjoyment. Open dialogue is central to the experience, allowing guests to ask questions and engage openly with their hosts. Designed to complement daytime activities, the Red Rocks Cultural Night provides a meaningful and relaxed way to conclude the day, leaving visitors with lasting memories and a deeper connection to the local community. Join us every evening at Red Rocks Intercultural Center and experience culture as a shared story, told by the people who live it.

EPIK Social-Good Festival

29-01-2026

The EPIK Social-Good Festival is a two-day community festival held annually during Father’s Day weekend in Adum Banso, a farming community near Takoradi in Ghana’s Western Region. The festival is named in honour of Elizabeth Pinsan and Isaiah Kakraba (EPIK) and is designed as a community-led celebration that combines cultural activities, social engagement, wellness initiatives, and locally rooted experiences.

The festival brings together community members, visitors, civil society actors, creatives, and local enterprises to participate in shared activities that strengthen social connection and community participation. It aims to broaden the meaning of Father’s Day beyond a single commemorative moment by using the occasion as a platform for dialogue, inclusion, and collective engagement.

A core component of the festival is a dedicated inclusive community gathering for persons living with disabilities and special needs. This gathering provides facilitated participation, food and refreshments, cultural activities, and opportunities for social interaction and recognition. It is designed to encourage visibility, inclusion, and meaningful participation in community life, while also drawing attention to accessibility and participation challenges in public events and shared spaces.

Across the two days, the programme includes inter-community football matches, keep-fit activities, and community health walks that promote wellness and active lifestyles. Cultural expression is a central feature of the festival, with music, dance, traditional storytelling, arts and crafts exhibitions, and performances by local artists and cultural groups taking place throughout the event.

The festival also hosts workshops, public discussions, exhibitions, and educational sessions that provide space for community exchange on social, environmental, and development-related topics. A special awards segment recognises academic achievement and positive community contribution, particularly among young people. In addition, participants are offered guided visits to nearby sites, including local farms—some operated by persons with disabilities—and the Benso Oil Palm Plantation. These visits provide insight into local livelihoods, agricultural practices, and production systems within the host community.

Through its combination of cultural, educational, recreational, and social activities, the EPIK Social-Good Festival creates opportunities for collaboration, partnership, and engagement with a locally grounded initiative that places community participation, inclusion, and shared experience at its centre. The event welcomes interest from individuals and organisations seeking to participate, support, or explore partnership opportunities connected to community-based initiatives in Ghana.

Atlantic Forest Great Reserve

28-01-2026

The Atlantic Forest Great Reserve is a voluntary multi-stakeholder collaboration that brings together public authorities, private sector actors, local communities, NGOs, and academic institutions to promote nature-based tourism in the largest remaining continuous stretch of the Atlantic Forest. The initiative spans over 3 million hectares of conserved natural landscapes across 60 municipalities in the states of São Paulo, Paraná, and Santa Catarina, Brazil. Recognized for its outstanding biodiversity, scenic beauty, and cultural heritage, the Great Reserve seeks to position itself as a leading national and international destination for nature-based tourism. Grounded in the belief that environmental conservation is essential for planetary balance and the well-being of future generations, the initiative promotes responsible tourism as a strategic tool to drive inclusive economic development and enhance the quality of life of traditional and local communities. Its governance model is based on the Collective Impact approach, coordinating a network of more than 1,000 members and providing a powerful platform for large-scale biodiversity conservation. The global relevance of the Atlantic Forest as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots underpins the mission and long-term vision of the Great Reserve. The initiative has received significant national and international recognitions, including: 1. The 2023 Braztoa Prize for Sustainability, awarded by the Brazilian Association of Tour Operators for excellence in sustainable and socially responsible tourism; 2. The 2024 WTM Latin America Responsible Tourism Award, acknowledging leadership in sustainable development, conservation, social inclusion, and cultural valorization within the tourism industry; 3. The 2025 National Tourism Award, granted by Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism in recognition of innovative and high-impact contributions to the national tourism sector.

EleArt. A Journey of Elephants and San Art.

20-01-2026

EleArt is a conservation and education project whose objective is to be a catalyst for animal and cultural protection and divulgation. Its aim focuses on wildlife in connection with human history, more specifically in Elephants and San Rock Art. The project aims to contribute to safeguard wildlife and artistic culture through advancing knowledge, preserving and informing about a living and unique legacy. By correlating the journey of the elephants and their importance in the pictorial representations of the San people, EleArt proposes to shed light on part of a pristine relationship inspiring and driving forward research, education and regeneration, in harmony between nature and artistic enjoyment. The justification for writing this book is the result of a passion split between the San people, the nomadic Bushmen, and the largest land mammal, with the approach to both being based on the dual pillars of Art and Travel, physically as well as emotionally. After years of wandering around the world and immersing myself in inclusive readings and eclectic research, EleArt was designed with an increasingly specific outline even if it did not always complete the desired picture. Along elephant trails and in caves containing millennial rock art, this journey was defined by moments of pure magic, incredulity, apprehension and expectation with the promise of a fleeting survival in a tribute to life.

Fashion and Cultural Tourism. Connecting Creators, Businesses and Destinations

19-01-2026

Despite the growth of globalization and e-commerce, fashion-related products — such as textiles, jewellery, perfumes, and accessories — still hold the greatest value when purchased at their destinations of origin. These items are more than souvenirs; they are powerful storytellers that connect travellers to the culture, history, and identity of places they visit. Drawing on case studies from 11 countries (Indonesia, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and Tanzania), the report:

Shows how fashion and tourism are interwoven to uplift local creators and attract diverse audiences.
Suggests recommendations on how to create win-win synergies between key players in fashion and tourism sectors.
Promotes tools that create an enabling environment for these stakeholders to co-create new products, while also addressing marketing strategies, branding, and sustainability principles.
Highlights the need to raise awareness among tourists, encouraging responsible behaviour and deeper appreciation of specific cultural contexts.

By blending traditional fashion expressions with innovation, these examples demonstrate how creative industries can serve as a tool for trade opportunities, inclusive growth, and cultural exchange across the globe. Acknowledgements This publication was jointly commissioned by UN Tourism and USI – Università della Svizzera italiana. The report was produced by Lorenzo Cantoni, professor at USI, as well as UNESCO Chair in ICT (Information Communication Technologies) to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites. The publication was also co-written, edited and coordinated by Igor Stefanovic, Technical Coordinator of the Ethics, Culture and Social Responsibility (ECSR) Department at UN Tourism, and Giorgia Ventura, Project Associate at ECSR. We would like to extend our thanks to Sandra Carvao, Lorena Villar, and Susana Costa Resende for the technical revision and content inputs, and to Juliana Contreras for editing and proofreading. We also extend our gratitude to the Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic, supervisor of the ECSR Department, for her support in carrying out this research. UN Tourism staff and technical experts express their gratitude to all those who contributed with their experience to the case studies contained in the publication Fashion and Cultural Tourism. Connecting Creators, Businesses and Destinations, especially: Laura Ahmad, Malak Alsanea, Amir Hassoun, Marta Javarone, Mustapha Maulid, Pilar Montesinos, Thereza Mugobi, Marina Nuñez Bespalova, Deborah Park, Yolanda Perdomo, Puspita Ayu Permatasari, Francesco Tapinassi and Matthey Vincent. Professor Lorenzo Cantoni would like to extend his special gratitude to the ISEM Fashion Business School in Madrid for hosting him on sabbatical leave in 2024 while researching for this publication.

DETOUR (Developing Resilient Tourism Ecosystems along Mediterranean Walking Routes)

12-01-2026

DETOUR, co-funded by the European Union under the Single Market Programme (SMP), empowers tourism SMEs along European walking routes by accelerating their green and digital transition and reinforcing their role in sustainable and resilient tourism. From 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2027, it is developing a replicable model to strengthen rural tourism ecosystems along long-distance trails: the Via Francigena in Italy, the Lycian Way in Türkiye, the Greek mountain trails of Olympus, Kissavos and Mavrovouni, and the Sultan's Trail & Thrace Tourism Region in Bulgaria. DETOUR delivers long-term benefits for walkers and businesses by improving sustainability, extending seasonality beyond peak periods, and digitalising market access. It contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting decent work and inclusive growth, responsible production, climate action, nature protection, and partnerships. The project delivers three integrated actions. First, a “Train the Trainers” programme equips key tourism stakeholders in Italy, Greece, Türkiye and Bulgaria with practical expertise in sustainability and digital tools, enabling local knowledge sharing. Second, tailored training for tourism SMEs strengthens innovation capacity and digital skills, helping enterprises become more efficient and competitive. Third, cascade funding supports innovative SME-led projects, enabling companies to implement concrete solutions that enhance competitiveness and resilience along the routes. Coordinated by the Municipality of Fidenza, DETOUR is delivered by route managers and knowledge-transfer partners, including Associazione Europea delle Vie Francigene, Culture Routes Society, DMO Es.Co. Esquilino Comunità – La Porta di Roma, the Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Training 2000 Piccola SC, the Mediterranean Center for the Environment, and the Management Organization of the Thrace Tourist Region.

DETOUR (Developing Resilient Tourism Ecosystems along Mediterranean Walking Routes)

30-12-2025

The DETOUR project, co-funded by the European Union under the Single Market Programme (SMP), aims to empower tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located along European walking routes by supporting their green and digital transition — strengthening their role as key drivers of sustainable, innovative, and resilient tourism development. The project (1 November 2024 - 31 October 2027) is building a replicable model to strengthen local tourism ecosystems in rural areas along long-distance routes — the Via Francigena in Italy, the Lycian Way in Türkiye, the Greek mountainous trails in Olympus, Kissavos and Mavrovouni, and the Sultans Trail / Thrace Tourism Region in Bulgaria. The project ensures long-term benefits for walkers and SMEs by advancing the green transition, extending seasonality, and digitalising market access. In doing so, DETOUR contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting decent work and inclusive growth, responsible production, climate action, nature protection, and partnerships. DETOUR focuses on empowering tourism SMEs along Mediterranean walking routes through three key actions. First, it delivers a “Train the Trainers” programme for key tourism stakeholders in Italy, Greece, Türkiye, and Bulgaria to build expertise in green and digital transition and ensure the knowledge-sharing activities. Secondly, it provides tailored training to tourism SMEs to strengthen their sustainability, innovation, and digital skills. Finally, it offers cascade funding for innovative projects, supporting SMEs in implementing concrete solutions that enhance their competitiveness and resilience. The project, coordinated by the Municipality of Fidenza, has a strong consortium of route managers and innovation and knowledge-transfer organisations such as Associazione Europea delle Vie Francigene, Culture Routes Society – Kultur Rotalari Dernegi, DMO Es.Co. Esquilino Comunità – La Porta di Roma, Antalya İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü (Antaly

DETOUR (Developing Resilient Tourism Ecosystems along Mediterranean Walking Routes)

30-12-2025

The DETOUR project, co-funded by the European Union under the Single Market Programme (SMP), aims to empower tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located along European walking routes by supporting their green and digital transition — strengthening their role as key drivers of sustainable, innovative, and resilient tourism development. The project (1 November 2024 - 31 October 2027) is building a replicable model to strengthen local tourism ecosystems in rural areas along long-distance routes — the Via Francigena in Italy, the Lycian Way in Türkiye, the Greek mountainous trails in Olympus, Kissavos and Mavrovouni, and the Sultans Trail / Thrace Tourism Region in Bulgaria. The project ensures long-term benefits for walkers and SMEs by advancing the green transition, extending seasonality, and digitalising market access. In doing so, DETOUR contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting decent work and inclusive growth, responsible production, climate action, nature protection, and partnerships. DETOUR focuses on empowering tourism SMEs along Mediterranean walking routes through three key actions. First, it delivers a “Train the Trainers” programme for key tourism stakeholders in Italy, Greece, Türkiye, and Bulgaria to build expertise in green and digital transition and ensure the knowledge-sharing activities. Secondly, it provides tailored training to tourism SMEs to strengthen their sustainability, innovation, and digital skills. Finally, it offers cascade funding for innovative projects, supporting SMEs in implementing concrete solutions that enhance their competitiveness and resilience. The project, coordinated by the Municipality of Fidenza, has a strong consortium of route managers and innovation and knowledge-transfer organisations such as Associazione Europea delle Vie Francigene, Culture Routes Society – Kultur Rotalari Dernegi, DMO Es.Co. Esquilino Comunità – La Porta di Roma, Antalya İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü (Antaly

DETOUR (Developing Resilient Tourism Ecosystems along Mediterranean Walking Routes)

30-12-2025

The DETOUR project, co-funded by the European Union under the Single Market Programme (SMP), aims to empower tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located along European walking routes by supporting their green and digital transition — strengthening their role as key drivers of sustainable, innovative, and resilient tourism development. The project (1 November 2024 - 31 October 2027) is building a replicable model to strengthen local tourism ecosystems in rural areas along long-distance routes — the Via Francigena in Italy, the Lycian Way in Türkiye, the Greek mountainous trails in Olympus, Kissavos and Mavrovouni, and the Sultans Trail / Thrace Tourism Region in Bulgaria. The project ensures long-term benefits for walkers and SMEs by advancing the green transition, extending seasonality, and digitalising market access. In doing so, DETOUR contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting decent work and inclusive growth, responsible production, climate action, nature protection, and partnerships. DETOUR focuses on empowering tourism SMEs along Mediterranean walking routes through three key actions. First, it delivers a “Train the Trainers” programme for key tourism stakeholders in Italy, Greece, Türkiye, and Bulgaria to build expertise in green and digital transition and ensure the knowledge-sharing activities. Secondly, it provides tailored training to tourism SMEs to strengthen their sustainability, innovation, and digital skills. Finally, it offers cascade funding for innovative projects, supporting SMEs in implementing concrete solutions that enhance their competitiveness and resilience. The project, coordinated by the Municipality of Fidenza, has a strong consortium of route managers and innovation and knowledge-transfer organisations such as Associazione Europea delle Vie Francigene, Culture Routes Society – Kultur Rotalari Dernegi, DMO Es.Co. Esquilino Comunità – La Porta di Roma, Antalya İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü (Antaly

DETOUR (Developing Resilient Tourism Ecosystems along Mediterranean Walking Routes)

30-12-2025

The DETOUR project, co-funded by the European Union under the Single Market Programme (SMP), aims to empower tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located along European walking routes by supporting their green and digital transition — strengthening their role as key drivers of sustainable, innovative, and resilient tourism development. The project (1 November 2024 - 31 October 2027) is building a replicable model to strengthen local tourism ecosystems in rural areas along long-distance routes — the Via Francigena in Italy, the Lycian Way in Türkiye, the Greek mountainous trails in Olympus, Kissavos and Mavrovouni, and the Sultans Trail / Thrace Tourism Region in Bulgaria. The project ensures long-term benefits for walkers and SMEs by advancing the green transition, extending seasonality, and digitalising market access. In doing so, DETOUR contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting decent work and inclusive growth, responsible production, climate action, nature protection, and partnerships. DETOUR focuses on empowering tourism SMEs along Mediterranean walking routes through three key actions. First, it delivers a “Train the Trainers” programme for key tourism stakeholders in Italy, Greece, Türkiye, and Bulgaria to build expertise in green and digital transition and ensure the knowledge-sharing activities. Secondly, it provides tailored training to tourism SMEs to strengthen their sustainability, innovation, and digital skills. Finally, it offers cascade funding for innovative projects, supporting SMEs in implementing concrete solutions that enhance their competitiveness and resilience. The project, coordinated by the Municipality of Fidenza, has a strong consortium of route managers and innovation and knowledge-transfer organisations such as Associazione Europea delle Vie Francigene, Culture Routes Society – Kultur Rotalari Dernegi, DMO Es.Co. Esquilino Comunità – La Porta di Roma, Antalya İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü (Antaly

DETOUR (Developing Resilient Tourism Ecosystems along Mediterranean Walking Routes)

30-12-2025

The DETOUR project, co-funded by the European Union under the Single Market Programme (SMP), aims to empower tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located along European walking routes by supporting their green and digital transition — strengthening their role as key drivers of sustainable, innovative, and resilient tourism development. The project (1 November 2024 - 31 October 2027) is building a replicable model to strengthen local tourism ecosystems in rural areas along long-distance routes — the Via Francigena in Italy, the Lycian Way in Türkiye, the Greek mountainous trails in Olympus, Kissavos and Mavrovouni, and the Sultans Trail / Thrace Tourism Region in Bulgaria. The project ensures long-term benefits for walkers and SMEs by advancing the green transition, extending seasonality, and digitalising market access. In doing so, DETOUR contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting decent work and inclusive growth, responsible production, climate action, nature protection, and partnerships. DETOUR focuses on empowering tourism SMEs along Mediterranean walking routes through three key actions. First, it delivers a “Train the Trainers” programme for key tourism stakeholders in Italy, Greece, Türkiye, and Bulgaria to build expertise in green and digital transition and ensure the knowledge-sharing activities. Secondly, it provides tailored training to tourism SMEs to strengthen their sustainability, innovation, and digital skills. Finally, it offers cascade funding for innovative projects, supporting SMEs in implementing concrete solutions that enhance their competitiveness and resilience. The project, coordinated by the Municipality of Fidenza, has a strong consortium of route managers and innovation and knowledge-transfer organisations such as Associazione Europea delle Vie Francigene, Culture Routes Society – Kultur Rotalari Dernegi, DMO Es.Co. Esquilino Comunità – La Porta di Roma, Antalya İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü (Antaly

CAS Trips – Global Student Exchange 10-Year Anniversary

20-10-2025

2026 marks the 10-year anniversary of CAS Trips’ Global Student Exchange (GSE) program: a global initiative that brings together international school students to learn through real-world experiences rooted in the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) framework. The GSE program promotes global citizenship, intercultural understanding, and sustainability in education by connecting students from around the world to collaborate on local service projects, develop leadership skills, and reflect on their role as changemakers. Each year, the GSE takes place across three flagship destinations — Prague, Lisbon, and Peru — where students engage in hands-on sustainability workshops, community-led service, and cultural exchange. The program has welcomed participants from over 40 countries, creating a living classroom that unites youth around shared global goals. Through meaningful travel and collaboration with local communities, CAS Trips empowers the next generation to contribute toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while gaining self-awareness, empathy, and a global perspective. CAS Trips' Global Student Exchange (GSE) Destinations and Times:

Prague in March & April
Peru in May & June
Lisbon in October & November

Red Rocks Twizihiwe

23-09-2025

Join us every Friday to Sunday, 2 PM to 6 PM, for the vibrant Red Rocks Twizihiwe event! Immerse yourself in Rwanda’s rich cultural tapestry as our talented youth showcase their skills in culinary arts, pottery, storytelling, drumming, and captivating cultural dances. Experience authentic performances featuring traditional instruments like the inanga, umuduri, and ingoma, with local musicians sharing soulful songs and stories. Savor traditional Rwandan cuisine and learn about its cultural significance through live food preparation demos. This weekly cultural celebration offers an enchanting journey into Rwanda’s heritage while supporting local talent and sustainable tourism. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with the heart of Rwanda’s vibrant community!

UNLOCKING RWANDA’S HIDDEN CULTURAL TREASURES:

23-09-2025

Marketing, Branding, and Selling Authentic Rural Tourism Experiences Around Rwanda’s National Parks. In the spirit of Rwanda's resilient communities, we are launching a bold campaign: "Not Walking Alone, Leaving No One Behind". This initiative unites community-based tourism players across the country, fostering collaboration to share authentic, sustainable experiences with travelers visiting our beautiful land. Our goal is simple yet profound—to ensure every local tourism entity thrives in the growing world of responsible tourism, preserving our intangible cultural heritage for future generations while building economic pride and self-sufficiency. As we embark on this journey, we call upon well-wishers, sponsors, and donors to join us in promoting these untapped gems, turning global interest into tangible support for Rwanda's rural heartlands. We have pioneered sustainable tourism models that link conservation, culture, and community development at the same time offering authentic connections that preserve cultural heritage while generating local pride and income. But our vision stretches far beyond our own walls. Rwanda’s communities — from those bordering Akagera’s savannah, to the cultural custodians around Nyungwe’s rainforest, and the storytellers in the foothills of the Virunga Volcanoes — hold untold treasures. Each one has a story, a skill, a heritage waiting to be shared with the world.

III Symposium of Scientific Tourism Researchers

22-09-2025

Scientific tourism has gained significant ground in recent years as an innovative model that connects research, education, and travel through immersive and participatory experiences. Following the successful editions held in 2023 and 2024, which drew strong interest from professionals, researchers, and students, the upcoming Scientific Tourism Meeting in Argentina seeks to further consolidate the country and the region as key references in this emerging field.

The event, scheduled for November 11–12, 2025, will provide a space for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaboration between diverse actors committed to advancing scientific tourism. With an agenda designed to encourage debate and reflection without overwhelming participants, the meeting will balance technical content with accessibility, ensuring an engaging and productive experience for all attendees.

By continuing the momentum of previous editions, this year’s meeting aims not only to deepen the visibility and understanding of scientific tourism but also to strengthen Argentina’s role as a regional leader in promoting knowledge-based tourism practices. The initiative underscores the potential of scientific tourism as a tool for sustainable development, cultural exchange, and international positioning, reaffirming its growing importance within Latin America’s tourism landscape.

By:

UNPA
UART

Located: Río Turbio, Santa Cruz (Buenos Aires, Argentina).

Empowering Conservation and Sustainable Tourism around the Virunga Massif

16-09-2025

Red Rocks Rwanda is an eco-tourism company and social enterprise dedicated to community development, wildlife conservation, and sustainable tourism. We offer cultural tourism initiatives that uplift local communities and preserve nature by integrating them into the tourism supply chain. Our eco-friendly backpacker hostel, campsite, and cultural center serve as an ideal base for unforgettable wildlife experiences, such as gorilla trekking and cultural interactions. Through our nonprofit, Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development (https://www.redrocksinitiative.org/), we support community development projects that empower people across the Virunga Massif—a region rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage spanning Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC. These projects promote sustainable development and empowerment. We advocate for a tourism industry that embraces environmental, social, and cultural responsibility, striving to promote sustainability and leave a positive impact on visitors. We operate at the crossroads of culture, conservation, and community-based tourism, proving that sustainable development is not just a theory—it’s a way of life. With limited resources but unlimited vision, our organization has become a beacon of sustainability across the Greater Virunga Landscape.

Biodiversity Conservation Project in Puerto Vallarta

22-08-2025

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — Playa Hotels & Resorts proudly celebrates a key milestone in its ongoing commitment to sustainability and community development through the Playa Cares initiative. In 2024, Playa Cares launched 11 regional projects across various destinations under one purpose: to tackle critical environmental and social challenges in partnership with local communities, nonprofits, and key stakeholders. This initiative, developed in collaboration with Jardín Mágico Santuario de Mariposas A.C., seeks to foster biodiversity preservation through a comprehensive approach that combines education, institutional support, financial aid, and the creation of meaningful engagement opportunities for guests, associates, and local communities. Located just ten minutes from Puerto Vallarta’s Marina, Jardín Mágico is the largest butterfly sanctuary in Mexico.. Home to more than 30 local butterfly species, the sanctuary plays a vital role in educating the public, restoring populations of endangered butterflies, and raising awareness about the importance of pollinators to healthy ecosystems. Playa Hotels & Resorts has developed a multifaceted strategy to support Jardín Mágico and to expand its impact through: The Improvement of the sanctuary’s infrastructure and operational capacity, sponsorship of visit from local schools (45 children) and investing on marketing and promotional material for the Sanctuary to attract more visitors and partners. Through this partnership, Playa Hotels & Resorts not only hopes to strengthen local conservation efforts, but also to inspire others in the tourism and hospitality industry to recognize the value of Mexico’s natural and cultural heritage. By investing in long-term, community-based sustainability efforts, Playa continues to position itself as a positive force for change in the regions it calls home.

Tourism and Technology Summit Africa 2025

22-08-2025

The Tourism and Technology Summit Africa 2025 will focus on the transformative potential of Africa as a hub for digital nomads, emphasizing the opportunities and challenges in the travel and tourism industry. Digital nomadism is becoming a growing trend among young Africans. Disruptions are shaping entirely new ecosystems for this across the continent. “Detty December” has become a rapid growing niche that is creating value chains in the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors in west Africa. The theme "unlocking Africa for digital nomads," highlights Africa’s untapped potential as a destination for remote workers, the summit will bring together industry leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and digital nomads to discuss strategies, share insights, and build partnerships to position Africa as a leading destination for the global remote workforce. Specific benefits and ROI for your brand as a headline sponsor: by sponsoring tourism and technology summit Africa as a headline sponsor, your brand will position itself as a leader in the travel, tourism, hospitality and innovation products segment for Africa’s growing tourism and digital economy space, unlocking new customer segments, business partnerships, and enhanced brand trust across the continent.

Side Event at The Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3)

24-07-2025

“Tourism: Driving economic diversification and inclusion in LLDCs”

In 2019, prior to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, LLDCs received 50.2 million international tourists generating USD 22.6 billion in exports. Tourism represented 10% of total exports and an estimated 4% direct GDP. LLDCs accounted for 3.5% of all international tourist arrivals but only 1.3% of revenues. In 2024, as international tourism recovered preliminary data indicates that the group of LLDCs has welcomed 50 million international tourist arrivals, around the same level as prior to the pandemic. Tourism plays a significant role in the priority areas of the Awaza Programme of Action (APoA) for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) for the Decade 2024–2034, specifically when it comes to structural transformation, private sector development, foreign direct investment, transit, transport, and connectivity. The Side-Event will provide a set of recommendations on policies and initiatives to accelerate sustainable tourism development in LLDCs as an effective means for economic diversification and socio-economic inclusion through rural tourism as well as sharing of good practices among public and private sector and international organizations. All side events are in-person; live-streaming will not be available. The event will take place in English; no interpretation will be available. Date: 6th August 2025 Time: 13:15 – 14:45 Venue: Awaza, Conference Center Room: 3-07.08

Reviving Tradition Through Tourism: Daigo’s Urushi & Kintsugi Experience as a Sustainable Development Model

24-06-2025

In a quiet agricultural and forested town in Ibaraki Prefecture, a new model of sustainable tourism is taking root—one that doesn’t chase crowds but cultivates connection, preservation, and purpose. Launched in 2024, the Daigo Urushi Forestry & Kintsugi Workshop brings together international participants, municipal government, foresters, and local traditional artisans for a one-of-a-kind cultural immersion experience. Designed and facilitated by Taketombo Corp., and in close collaboration with the Forestry Division of Daigo Town, this initiative goes beyond craft education: it is a working model for how regenerative tourism can support endangered traditions, reenergize hand crafts and revitalize rural economies. With the success of its inaugural program in 2024, this initiative is now being formalized as an annual commitment— Unlike conventional tourism centered on consumption and sightseeing, we invite participants to step into the full lifecycle of Japan’s urushi lacquer craft at its source —from tapping raw lacquer in the forest, to getting hands-on with kintsugi pottery repair craft using traditional tools and natural materials. Over the course, guests engage not only with skilled artisans and forestry professionals, but also with the rhythms of a town where craftsmanship, ecology, and daily life still intertwine. We also focus in supporting local small businesses, emphasizing economic sustainability and cultural respect. Participants gain insights in the fragility of Japan's urushi forestry, its social challenges, and the importance in building resilience and sustainability. We want inbound visitors to look beyond the candy-coated Tokyo and Kyoto and give voice to a little-known forest industry that sustains an important traditional craft of Japan.

Turismo Sostenible y Desarrollo Local en Areas Rurales

24-06-2025

INTRODUCCION: En 2015 fue establecida la contribución del turismo al ODS 8: Promoción del empleo pleno y el trabajo decente. En particular, dentro de la Meta 8.9. se destaca la importancia de "elaborar y poner en práctica políticas encaminadas a promover un turismo sostenible que cree puestos de trabajo y promueva la cultura y los productos locales". En este contexto, el presente curso tiene por finalidad fortalecer las capacidades de los actores territoriales para diseñar estrategias de desarrollo local basadas para construir un modelo de turismo responsable y sostenible, un turismo que pueda capitalizar su potencial en términos de creación de empleo, inclusión social y preservación cultural y ambiental. DIRIGIDO A: Responsables políticos, técnicos superiores y actores socioeconómicos claves del desarrollo del turismo que desarrollen sus actividades en instituciones públicas y privadas, en organizaciones de la sociedad civil o de la cooperación internacional. OBJETIVOS: -Analizar las oportunidades que el sector del turismo puede ofrecer en términos de creación de trabajo productivo, de calidad y respetuoso con el ambiente. -Conocer los componentes de oferta turística de un territorio rural y manejar los conceptos de marketing y gestión de destinos. -Identificar estrategias que puedan empoderar las comunidades rurales en cadenas de valor del turismo nacional e internacional. -Promover el intercambio de experiencias y la identificación de buenas prácticas. -Formular un plan de acción que promueva el turismo para estimular un desarrollo sostenible en áreas rurales. TEMAS: MÓDULO 1 – El turismo en las zonas rurales para promover el trabajo decente y la justicia social MÓDULO 2 – La Oferta Turística del Territorio MÓDULO 3 – El marketing y la gestión sostenible de los destinos turísticos MÓDULO 4 – Desarrollo de cadenas de valor para el crecimiento inclusivo del sector turístico PLAN DE ACCIÓN – Diseño de un plan de acción de desarrollo del turismo en áreas rurales

Playa Cares & Resorts

23-06-2025

Playa Hotels & Resorts has created Playa Cares, its own Sustainable Management System, the implementation of which seeks to comply with the following objectives in each of the destinations where we operate: • To make optimal use of environmental resources, while maintaining essential ecological processes, helping to conserve the natural heritage and biodiversity, and effectively contributing to climate action. • To respect, preserve, and promote local communities' sociocultural authenticity, cultural heritage, traditional values, and intellectual rights. • To operate safely and prepare our operation to adequately respond to any type of risk. guaranteeing the well-being of our guests, visitors, associates, and contractors, within our hotels and offices. • To guarantee viable long-term economic operations, by providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders, including stable employment opportunities, income generation, and social services to local communities. • To maintain a high level of satisfaction for our guests and ensure a significant experience, by actively involving them in sustainability issues of the destinations they visit and promoting sustainable tourism practices among them. • To comply with all applicable local, national, and international legislation and regulations related to our Industry and type of activities. To meet these core objectives, Playa Cares’ integrated approach goes beyond checklists and benchmarks. Playa Hotels & Resorts Sustainability Director, David Andrés Ortegón-Martínez explains, “Sustainability at Playa Hotels & Resorts consists of changing the decision-making process at all levels, with one goal in mind: To be an increasingly competitive company, that uses all our resources in the most efficient way possible, and creates a balance between the environmental, social and economic aspects of our operations".

HIKE: Hiking for a healthier lifestyle along European Cultural Routes

11-06-2025

The HIKE project, funded by the EU under the Erasmus+ program, is designed to encourage healthier lifestyles through hiking along European cultural and historical trails. Launched on 1 April 2024 and spanning 18 months, this initiative merges physical activity with cultural discovery, aiming to enrich understanding of shared heritage and cultivate a community of hiking enthusiasts. The three partners —Cultural Routes Society (CRS), European Association of the Via Francigena Ways (EAVF), and Paths of Greece (POG)— organised a series of 3-days long distance hikes, workshops and capacity building events, following stretches of the Via Francigena in Italy, Via Egnatia in Greece and the Tolerance way in Türkiye. From September to November 2024, participants had the opportunity to enjoy activities, such as yoga-classes, kayaking and thermal bath visits. These animations were developed in collaboration with 16 local stakeholders, including municipalities, universities, and sports clubs with the participation of bloggers and influencers. Health and well-being data of participants was monitored before and after walking events to show the physical and psychological benefits observed across different target groups. With a total of 500 people participating in the HIKE events, the project brought new publics to the Cultural Routes, celebrating healthy habits and active lifestyles through hiking. Focusing on inclusivity, the project engaged diverse groups, such as children, seniors, tourists, sports enthusiasts and local communities, with all levels of walking experience. Activities were in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG n.3 by raising awareness of healthy habits and well-being and engaging the public of all ages in outdoor events. In the long run, HIKE aims to spread its impact across Europe by applying successful strategies to other Cultural Routes, fostering public-private partnerships and promoting cultural tourism.

Jamaican Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) Jamaica

11-06-2025

The Jamaican Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program is an immersive and experiential educational initiative designed to engage high school students and teachers in the study, restoration, and monitoring of mangrove ecosystems. The program leverages evidence-based pedagogical approaches such as project-based learning, which enables students to investigate real-world challenges and develop in-depth knowledge over time, and place-based learning, which takes learners beyond the traditional classroom and into their surrounding natural environments, particularly local mangrove habitats.

The preservation of marine and terrestrial ecosystems is essential to the long-term success of the tourism industry—especially for Playa Hotels & Resorts, whose entire portfolio consists of properties located in coastal areas. As part of its sustainability commitment, Playa Hotels & Resorts collaborates with the Discovery Bay Marine Lab—a division of the University of the West Indies—to support the implementation of J.A.M.I.N. as a pilot initiative. The goal is to inspire collective action and foster collaboration among stakeholders, both within and beyond the tourism sector, across destination communities.

The inaugural J.A.M.I.N. event brought together 45 students from William Knibb Memorial High School for a comprehensive environmental education experience at Discovery Bay Marine Lab. The program featured a range of interactive activities, including educational workshops, field excursions, and hands-on mangrove planting. This initiative provided students with meaningful exposure to the ecological importance of mangroves, reinforcing their understanding of coastal conservation and environmental responsibility.

Since 2023, Playa Hotels & Resorts has supported the J.A.M.I.N. program as part of its Playa Cares Schools initiative, which aims to cultivate a culture of sustainability within local educational institutions. These schools serve as strategic platforms for engaging key stakeholders in the co-creation of more resilient and sustainable tourist destinations.

We are always seeking partners to expand the impact of our Playa Cares Initiatives in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Through collaboration and sponsorship, we can amplify the reach of these programs and create lasting positive change in the communities where we operate.

Seeding a Community

11-06-2025

This pilot project is focused on showing a balance between ecosystem conservation and food production, which is both possible and necessary in today´s world. The project connects hotel associates, guests and the community to food production and to the land in a unique way. In the gardens of Hilton La Romana, organic fruits, vegetables, and honey are cultivated to demonstrate how sustainable agriculture can be undertaken. Today approximately 5% of the food used in the Central Kitchen of Hilton La Romana comes from these gardens. Local children from the Benerito School visit the garden and learn the importance and benefits of growing produce. The school children also prepare delicious pizzas for their lunch using the vegetables they harvested in the garden, and receive a school kit (backpack, notebooks, pencils and pens) to encourage being meritorious students in their school. This project has been replicated inside the Benerito School at Bayahibe, Dominican Republic, so all the students have the chance to learn about sustainable agriculture and the production of food in their own backyard. This initiative is part of a bigger initiative called Playa Cares Schools, established by Playa Hotels & Resorts in Mexico, Dominican Republic and Jamaica, To create a culture of sustainability in local educational Institutions, using them as a platform to work with key stakeholders in the development of our sustainable destinations.

Turismo sostenible y desarrollo local en áreas rurales

20-02-2025

Esta propuesta formativa que busca fortalecer las capacidades de los actores para diseñar estrategias de desarrollo local basadas para construir un modelo de turismo responsable y sostenible, OBJETIVOS: Al finalizar la formación los participantes serán capaces de: Analizar las oportunidades que el sector del turismo puede ofrecer en términos de creación de trabajo productivo, de calidad y respetuoso con el ambiente. Conocer los componentes de oferta turística de un territorio rural y manejar los conceptos de marketing y gestión de destinos. Identificar estrategias que puedan empoderar las comunidades rurales en cadenas de valor del turismo nacional e internacional. Promover el intercambio de experiencias y la identificación de buenas prácticas. Formular un plan de acción que promueva el turismo para estimular un desarrollo sostenible en áreas rurales. El curso se desarrolla en la plataforma del CIF-OIT para el aprendizaje a distancia, el E-Campus, donde los participantes tendrán acceso a los módulos del curso y otros recursos de aprendizaje: videos, ejercicios, lecturas complementarias, foros temáticos y Webinars para el intercambio de experiencias entre pares y expertos.

Kamaishi City: Development of Human Resources and Systems to Ensure Sustainability of Community Development Initiatives Utilizing International Certification Programs

28-01-2025

Kamaishi City, which suffered extensive damage in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, formulated the Kamaishi City Tourism Promotion Vision in 2017 to create a new town and a tourist destination in the wake of the disaster. This vision, which proposed the Kamaishi Open Field Museum Concept, in which the entire city of Kamaishi is considered a museum without a roof, was to be accomplished by realizing post-disaster reconstruction through tourism. One of the measures in this vision is the promotion of sustainable tourism and the introduction of the standards prescribed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). The vision clearly states that Kamaishi aims to become the first city in Japan to obtain GSTC Certified Destination status by introducing management evaluation indicators that meet international standards. Efforts to create a sustainable tourism destination in Kamaishi City are underway following discussions to formulate a Vision for the Promotion of Tourism in Kamaishi City. Following the formulation of this vision, the city has adopted the Green Destinations program, put on by Green Destinations, an international standard certification organization, to hone its capabilities and encourage the participation of residents while putting the Kamaishi Open Field Museum into practice.

Hakone Town: Efforts to Achieve Sustainable Tourism by Training DMO Certified Guides

28-01-2025

Hakone is a hot spring resort town rich in nature that located in the surroundings of Tokyo, only 1:30 drive away. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the city with a population of 11,000 had around 20 million visitors per year, of which three-quarters were day-visitors. Therefore, it was vital to promote attractive places and products in addition to existing major tourist attractions, extending the length of stay and increasing the number of overnight stays. To this end, new ways were considered that would bring about a shift from quantity to quality of the services. Although Hakone has many attractive tourism resources, there was a lack of human resources to guide visitors to these attractions, to counter this issue a human resources training program for guides was created. The leader of the project was an experienced local mountain guide, and the DMO supported them as the secretariat. Members included town stakeholders, such as accommodation facilities. The team began by thoroughly identifying and organizing the types of guides needed in Hakone and their roles. Taking a medium- to long-term perspective, the team worked to build a strategy for training guides and determine the direction of the project. By making this an official Hakone DMO certification, the aim is to improve the recognition of guides in Hakone, promote new employment in the region, and improve Hakone’s brand value as a tourism destination as part of a sustainable business cycle.

Ikaruga Town: Framework for Managing a Sustainable Tourism Region through Regional Cooperation Centered on the World Cultural Heritage Site Horyu-ji Temple

28-01-2025

The WEST NARA Wide Area Tourism Promotion Council is an organization comprised of eleven organizations: Ikaruga Town (the hub of the organization that is home to the World Cultural Heritage site of Horyu-ji Temple); Yamatokoriyama City; Heguri Town; Sango Town; Ando Town; Oji Town; Ikaruga Town Tourism Association; Yamatokoriyama City Tourism Association; Oji Town Tourism Association; Shigisan Tourist Association; and Ikaruga Sangyo Co., Ltd., (a regional tourism development corporation - DMO). Up to the end of the Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan projects that local governments and tourism-related organizations have already implemented or are planning to implement will be classified as “collaborative projects,” “joint projects,” or “independent projects.” In line with this, the council is proactively implementing collaborative projects, while providing support to local governments and other organizations for joint or independent projects. Centering around private DMOs, along with the implementation of management and marketing, the council will make use of governmental and prefectural subsidy businesses, for developing products and for sales as well as involve medium and small enterprises in advancing community revitalization via tourism and management of tourism attractions. Furthermore, the council will aim to achieve the goal of bringing the number of tourists in the area to the 2015 number of 3.7 million to 5 million by 2025.

Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture: Passing down a Rich Natural Environment Centering on Amanohashidate to the Next Generation

28-01-2025

Miyazu City is located in the northern part of Kyoto Prefecture, occupying the southeastern part of the Tango Peninsula, which juts out into the Sea of Japan, and is situated at the western end of Wakasa Bay. Amanohashidate is one of the three most scenic spots in Japan. With its natural scenery of white sand and green pine trees, the sea, and surrounding mountains, Amanohashidate has been admired by many writers and artists, including Sesshu, a famous Zen monk and painter, and has moved many people through the ages. Blessed with abundant nature and outstanding history and culture symbolized by Amanohashidate, the city is one of the leading tourist destinations in Japan, attracting approximately 3 million tourists a year from all over the country. In order to pass on the city’s abundant nature and outstanding history and culture in good shape to future generations, we are working to turn the area into a sustainable tourism region. Among the Miyazu City’s efforts, the Miyazu City Ordinance was introduced on the Promotion of Recycling of Plastics and Other Resources, which came into effect on January 1, 2023. The enforcement of the ordinance is just the start; from now on, a follow-up with these specific projects will be required. However, for now, this provides a guideline that will enable various stakeholders, including the tourism industry, to move forward in one direction.

Gifu Prefecture: Encouraging Sustainable Regional Development through the Promotion of Tourism, Food, and Goods

28-01-2025

Gifu Prefecture has been a pioneer in Japan in promoting measures that focus on sustainability. For example, in 2007, Gifu Prefecture launched the “Gifu’s Treasures certification project”, and in 2009 initiated the “Hida/Mino Overseas Promotion Strategy” to promote these tourism resources to the rest of the world. Its efforts can be characterized as follows: (1) Promotion of the three pillars of tourism, food, and goods; (2) Globally-conscious strategy; and (3) Branding as “GIFU, Timeless Japan, Naturally an Adventure.” In addition to strategies based on the ideas of those at the top, the prefecture has worked steadily to achieve its goals through cross-departmental and regional cooperation led by leaders in tourism departments, enabling steps to be taken to achieve sustainable regional management through the use of tourism.

Meiwa Town, Mie Prefecture: Creation of a Sustainable Saiku with History and Culture

28-01-2025

Located in the southern part of the Ise Plain in Mie Prefecture, Meiwa Town has a population of 23,072 (as of March 2021) and an area of 41.04 km2. Blessed with agricultural and abundant marine products from the Ise Plain, a breadbasket region. Steeped in history, the town is home to the site of the Saiku, a former palace complex that for 660 years, that from the Asuka period (592 to 710) to the Nanboku-cho period (1336 to 1392), was the home of Saio, an unmarried Imperial princess who served at Ise Jingu Shrine on behalf of the emperor. In 2015, the Saiku story that revolves around Saio and Saiku, was designated as Japan's Heritage by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan under the title of “Saiku: The Palace of Saio - the Imperial Princess Prays”, and the historical Saiku Heian Era Park, featuring three reconstructed Heian period buildings and a district road, opened to the public. This was major step forward in the promotion of tourism in Meiwa Town, leading to the establishment of a general incorporated association, Meiwa Sightseeing Trading Company, in January 2019, which became a registered DMO in 2020. In FY 2021, the 6th Comprehensive Plan, the Meiwa Town Sightseeing Promotion Plan, the Meiwa Town Historical Landscape Maintenance and Improvement Plan (Phase 2), and the Jingu Gateway Saiku Creation Project were all launched. The Meiwa Sightseeing Trading Company plays a central role in strategically developing branding, marketing, and area management centered on the story of the Saiku and Saio, which are closely related to the famous Ise Jingu Shrine, and the cultural assets and heritage associated with the Saiku and Saio.

Shodoshima Town: Creating a Sustainable Island that Preserves Diverse Local Resources for the Future

28-01-2025

Located to the east of the center of Shodoshima Island in the Setouchi National Park, Shodoshima Town is known as the birthplace of olive cultivation in Japan. Blessed with a beautiful natural environment, it is surrounded by the sea and mountains, with a pleasant climate, mild temperatures, and little rainfall. Kankakei Gorge, with its spectacular views of oddly shaped rocks and cliffs formed by volcanic activity approximately 13 million years ago, is considered one of the three most beautiful valleys in Japan and is a world-class scenic spot on Shodoshima. Shodoshima also has a rich food culture, including soy sauce, tsukudani (simmered kelp), somen noodles, and olives, as well as traditions and history, such as farmers’ kabuki and the 88 sacred sites of the Shodoshima Pilgrimage, making it a popular tourist destination within the prefecture, blessed with abundant tourist resources despite being a remote island. In recent years, the Setouchi International Art Festival, held every three years, has increased recognition of the island overseas, resulting in a marked increase in demand for inbound tourism. Shodoshima Town was designated as a model destination for the Japan Tourism Agency’s Japan Sustainable Tourism Standard for Destinations Model Project in FY2021 , and was selected as one of the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories Competition for two consecutive years, in 2021 and 2022. It is currently in the process of raising awareness among staff, businesses, and local residents to foster a sustainable mindset based on the SDGs and international standards, and we are also laying the groundwork for the continued development of the island as a sustainable tourism destination.

Amami City: Town Revitalization by Transforming Everyday Life into Tourism Attraction Using Denpaku and Magun

28-01-2025

The Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, inscribed as a World Natural Heritage Site in July 2021, still retain a rich and pristine natural environment. The fact that approximately 360 villages have survived for more than 750 years under the influence of diverse historical backgrounds and that each village has inherited its own unique culture with different dialects, songs, and dances is a valuable example that we should be proud to share with the world. Our mission is to pass this “village culture” to the next generation. In line with this mission, we have designed and operated Denpak is a brand of tourist accommodations that aims to pass down traditional / legendary architecture, villages and culture to future generations, and Magun Plaza, a place for community interaction. In addition, we are working with local residents to provide tourists with programs to experience village culture, thereby promoting interaction between the two groups and creating local employment. Through this kind of town revitalization that transforms everyday life into tourism, we aim to realize a society in which no one is left behind.

SDG Tourism Task Force Initiative: Transforming Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean

22-01-2025

Empowering Sustainable Tourism through Collaboration The SDG Tourism Task Force Initiative is a powerful platform driving sustainable tourism practices in Latin America and the Caribbean. This innovative program equips destinations with the tools and knowledge they need to thrive. Key Highlights: -Collaborative Workshops: Interactive sessions bring together stakeholders from governments, NGOs, and the private sector to co-create solutions and develop tailored project frameworks. -Knowledge Transfer Network: Fosters the sharing of best practices and fosters a regional community dedicated to sustainable tourism. -Focus on Four Pillars: The initiative prioritizes rural tourism, community-based tourism, ecotourism, and cultural tourism, ensuring a holistic approach to sustainability. Benefits: -Harness International Expertise: Learn from leading experts and experienced professionals in sustainable tourism development. -Craft Concrete Project Plans: Develop detailed project plans with clear objectives, activities, and timelines to advance sustainable tourism practices in your destination. -Build Valuable Networks and Partnerships: Connect with other sustainable tourism stakeholders and forge strategic partnerships that benefit your projects. -Discover Funding Opportunities: Gain insights into international funding programs and financing opportunities for sustainable tourism projects. Become part of the change! The SDG Tourism Task Force Initiative is paving the way for a more sustainable future for tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean.

CAS Project Challenge

27-09-2024

The CAS Project Challenge (CPC) by CAS Trips represents an innovative approach to experiential learning. This initiative empowers students to address local challenges in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Originally conceived as an on-trip activity, the CPC has evolved into a global movement that drives sustainable development across diverse communities worldwide. The goals of the CPC are to enhance global partnerships for sustainable development through education on the UN SDGs and youth-led action, complemented by multi-stakeholder collaborations that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, and resources. The on-trip CPC workshop is a two-hour session held toward the end of every CAS Trip, where students are guided to identify real-world challenges and develop actionable projects. By aligning their projects with the UN SDGs, students transform their experiences into meaningful contributions. In addition to the on-trip workshop, the CPC extends its impact through an annual online competition. Since 2019, this expansion significantly increased the program's reach and aligned it with SDG Target 17.17, which emphasizes the importance of public, public-private, and civil society partnerships in achieving sustainable development. Since its inception in 2019, the CPC has engaged 6,494 students and 397 teachers from 45 countries. This initiative disrupts traditional educational travel by embedding service-learning into the student experience — enhancing problem-solving skills, empathy, and commitment to social justice. The CPC’s impact is not confined to the duration of the trip or the project deadline, either. It gives students the tools, guidance, and inspiration to identify pressing local issues, develop actionable plans, and implement projects that lead to meaningful, sustainable change in their home communities. Through the CPC, students are not just learning about the SDGs; they are actively contributing to them.

Better Data for a Better Tourism in SIDS

10-04-2024

SIDS are committed to increasing resilience by revitalizing and diversifying their economies, notably through a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable tourism model. The UN has acknowledged tourism's potential to contribute to sustainable development, by declaring 2027 the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism (A/RES/78/260). Despite the recognition, tourism remains underrepresented in international financing for development as only 0.17% of ODA was allocated to tourism in 2022, hindering its potential to foment socio-economic growth, accelerate the transition to sustainable practices, and as an effective means to attract investment for SIDS. A lack of reliable and comparable data further complicates progress. This event will explore frameworks and tools to comprehensively measure tourism's impact, dependencies, and growth ‘beyond GDP’, fostering informed decision-making for its sustainable advancement.

AGENDA:

Welcome by UN Tourism. Panel I: A 360º approach to measuring tourism’s sustainability.

International Monetary Fund: Ms. Alessandra Alfieri
University of Oxford SDG Impact Lab: Mr. Edward Brooks
Japan International Cooperation Agency: Mr. Jun Saotome

Moderator and Keynote speaker: UN Tourism Panel II: Why do we need a 360° approach to measuring tourism’s sustainability?

UN Tourism: Ms. Sandra Carvão
Japan International Cooperation Agency: Ms. Tomomi Sato
Catalytic Finance Foundation: Mr. David Albertani
Pegasus Capital Advisors: Ms. Natalie Gartmann

Moderator: UN Tourism Closing by UN Tourism. To watch the side-event's recording, please click here.

Africa Traveltech Summit & Expo 2024

28-03-2024

The Africa Traveltech Summit & Expo, a premier gathering of travel and technology enthusiasts, is gearing up for its highly anticipated 2nd edition, scheduled to take place on 24 - 25 September 2024. Hosted at the prestigious Villa Rosa Kempinski in Nairobi, Kenya, the event promises to be an unparalleled platform for networking, learning, and collaboration within the travel and technology sectors across the continent. Building on the success of its inaugural edition, the 2nd Africa Traveltech Summit & Expo will bring together key stakeholders, thought leaders, innovators, and disruptors from the realms of travel, tourism, hospitality, and technology. Attendees can expect insightful panel discussions, interactive workshops, engaging presentations, and invaluable networking opportunities. "We are thrilled to announce the 2nd Africa Traveltech Summit & Expo, which aims to foster dialogue, innovation, and partnerships that will drive the future of travel and technology in Africa," said Gustave Sugira, CEO at SNG Events. "In an ever-evolving landscape, it's essential to harness the power of technology to enhance travel experiences, promote sustainability, and unlock the continent's vast potential." The summit will feature a diverse range of topics, including but not limited to: • Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Travel • Enhancing Customer Experience through Digital Solutions • Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Conservation Efforts • The Rise of E-commerce in Travel and Hospitality • Emerging Trends in Traveltech: Blockchain, Virtual Reality, and Beyond • Booking systems • Etc Participants will have the opportunity to gain insights from industry experts, exchange ideas, showcase innovative solutions, and forge partnerships to address the challenges and opportunities facing the African travel and tourism ecosystem. We're excited to welcome delegates to Nairobi, a vibrant hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, for this transformative event

Japan Urushi Forestry + Kintsugi Workshop - A Drop of Lacquer is a Drop of Life

11-03-2024

In the serene heart of Japan, where tradition meets nature's beauty, we unveil a remarkable opportunity that celebrates the artistry of kintsugi and urushi lacquer forestry. After a year of dedicated effort and collaboration with the rural town of Daigo, we announce our first annual Japan travel experience workshop: Experience Urushi Forestry + Kintsugi, scheduled from December 6th to 9th, 2023, amidst the Urushi forest of Daigo, Japan. Venture beyond the often-trodden route of Tokyo and Kyoto. While dubbed 'golden' by some, it comes with significant downsides. It's not so good when Mount Fuji is becoming "Like Disneyland!" (CNN Travel Report "Mount Fuji in trouble: How Japan’s highest peak fell victim to overtourism" 9/10/2023) At Taketombo and Goenne.com, our mission has always been to venture beyond the bustling streets of Tokyo and the historic temples of Kyoto. We aim to address the challenges posed by over-tourism and foster greater interest and economic vitality in Japan's equally significant rural towns. Hidden away, Daigo lies in Ibaraki Prefecture, just 100 miles north of Tokyo. Here, a close-knit community of lacquer foresters tirelessly preserves a trade of utmost importance: the cultivation of home-grown urushi lacquer, a resource that fulfills only 3% of the industry's demand. (Read our webpage* Restart from 3%") This labor-intensive, low-yield process has been abandoned by newer generations, yet a dedicated group of artisans remains resolute in protecting their agricultural wisdom and skills, ensuring the production of exceptionally high-quality urushi lacquer, a symbol of Japan's pride. Our goal is to bring their remarkable work to the world stage, unveiling the untold stories and under-appreciated craftsmanship that reside in the heart of Daigo. And bring new economic activities to this small community in need to sustain their craft legacy. Travel to support this small community of urushi foresters.

Cultural Sustainability: definition and indicators

11-03-2024

A research aimed at better understanding and outlining the concept of Cultural Sustainability, as different - even if closely inter-connected - from economic, social and environmental sustainability. In the following links, some relevant publications.

Reserva Huaravito

11-03-2024

Objetivos estratégicos de la Reserva Huaravito: Procurar el mantenimiento de los procesos ecológicos esenciales y los sistemas de apoyo vitales como el reciclaje y compostaje de nutrientes, la conservación y rehabilitación de suelos, y los servicios a la sociedad como la reducción de carbono, la producción de oxígeno, la provisión de agua potable y la conservación de la biodiversidad. Mejorar la calidad de vida de los pobladores dentro y en las áreas aledañas de la Reserva, implementando proyectos que favorezcan el uso sostenible de los recursos naturales y culturales. Proporcionar oportunidades de recreación, investigación y educación a los visitantes nacionales y extranjeros que quieran conocer y disfrutar de los recursos naturales y culturales de la Reserva. Fomentar el trabajo participativo comunitario para la implementación del Plan General de Manejo. Objetivo del Plan General de Manejo. Proponer un modelo de gestión y los mecanismos de administración y manejo de los recursos naturales y culturales, que contribuyan a conocer, recuperar y mantener los procesos ecológicos y los ecosistemas de la Reserva Huaravito, procurando un desarrollo sostenible con la participación activa de las instituciones, organizaciones no gubernamentales, gobierno local y población dentro de los límites y en las zonas aledañas a la Reserva.

Understanding Tourist Behaviors towards resources of a destination

11-03-2024

Creating micro videos of tourist behaviors towards resources of a state, Educational videos that create awareness of such behaviors and the regulations.

Takako Sakai Spearheads Tourism Development in Zlatibor, Serbia

16-02-2024

Hailing from Tokyo, Takako Sakai has an extensive background in tourism-related roles, having previously worked with Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Hawaii Tourism Japan and Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB). Currently serving as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (2022, Feb 16th ~ 2024, Feb 15th), Sakai contributes to Zlatibor Tourism Organization, a mountain resort in Serbia. Zlatibor is popular as a summer resort and a family-friendly ski destination in winter. Noteworthy attractions include the Gold Gondola, the world's longest panoramic lift, and sports and health tourism since the region offers diverse outdoor activities. Zlatibor has various tourist resources like the Stopica Cave, Gostilje Waterfall, and the open-air museum Staro Selo in the village of Sirogojno.

Zlatibor is at the forefront of tourism, implementing initiatives like online advance payments for tickets and developing digital signage. However, along with its growth as a tourist destination, Zlatibor faces challenges such as incomplete statistics for guest accommodations conditioned by insufficiently defined legal regulation, low awareness of environmental issues, and concentration of tourists in the central area during the high season. Over the two years, Sakai’s notable endeavor was applying for the Green Destinations Top 100 stories. She was involved in conceptualizing and preparing documentation for the application. As a result, Zlatibor, for its commitment to local dairy production and consumption, such as cheese and Kajmak, was selected one of the good practice stories in the "Thriving Communities" category - a first time for Serbia. Additionally, she supported the planning and execution of various events and also organized "Japan Day" to introduce Japanese culture. Finally, Sakai tells us that she hopes that Zlatibor focuses more on tourist flow in high season, enhancing environmental considerations, and finding a balance between local life and tourism to become a role model for sustainable tourism in Serbia, expanding its vision for sustainable tourism.

Takako Sakai Spearheads Tourism Development in Zlatibor, Serbia

16-02-2024

Tourism and Technology Summit Africa

05-02-2024

TOURISM AND TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT AFRICA 2024 THEME "BRIDGING BORDERS, BREAKING BARRIERS: TRANSFORMING TOURISM IN AFRICA THROUGH TECHNOLOGY” In the heart of the African continent, the stage is set for the most anticipated convergence of innovation and exploration – the Tourism and Technology Summit Africa Series 2024. This groundbreaking event is poised to bring together visionaries, industry leaders, and enthusiasts from around the globe, creating a dynamic platform for dialogue, collaboration, and the forging of new frontiers. Destination: Lagos, Nigeria. 25TH October 2024 The 2024 summit promises an extraordinary experience as it traverses the vibrant African city of Lagos, Nigeria. The city offers a unique backdrop, seamlessly blending the rich tapestry of African culture with the cutting-edge advancements in technology.Lagos provides a bustling metropolis for the summit. Attendees will immerse themselves in a city teeming with innovation, creativity, and a vibrant cultural scene. Lagos offers a gateway to Africa's largest economy, making it an ideal destination for those looking to tap into the region's burgeoning technology and tourism sectors. Themes Shaping the Summit: Digital Transformation in Tourism: Explore the latest technological trends shaping the tourism landscape, from virtual reality experiences to blockchain solutions enhancing travel security. Sustainable Tourism Tech: Delve into innovations promoting eco-friendly practices and sustainable tourism, fostering a responsible approach to travel. Destination Marketing in the Digital Age: Uncover strategies and tools for marketing destinations in an increasingly digital world, harnessing the power of social media and data analytics. Smart Cities and Tourism: Examine how smart city technologies are revolutionizing urban experiences and enhancing tourism infrastructure. Why Attend? The Tourism and Technology Summit Africa Series 2024 is more than an event; it's an opportunity to be part of a movement

Promoting Sustainable Tourism: Yusuke Sugimura's Endeavors in As-Salt, Jordan

16-01-2024

Yusuke Sugimura, a native of Tokyo, Japan, has dedicated five and a half years of his professional career to fostering tourism and supporting local economies. Working as a municipal employee in the Industrial Promotion Division of Chofu City Office in Tokyo, Sugimura spearheaded projects related to tourism promotion and regional economic development. Sugimura's current mission takes him to the historic city of As-Salt in Jordan. Nestled along a steep slope formed by three hills, As-Salt boasts historical structures crafted from distinctive yellow limestone. Recognized for its well-preserved state and the historical coexistence of Islamic and Christian communities, As-Salt earned the prestigious designation of "The place of tolerance and urban hospitality" as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2021. Since then, the city has witnessed a surge in foreign tourists, particularly from Europe. However, challenges have emerged post-UNESCO recognition. Despite the increased influx of tourists, there is a notable lack of feedback regarding their needs and satisfaction levels. Effective communication with tourists is another hurdle that As-Salt faces. In response to those challenges, Sugimura has implemented four tourism promotion initiatives aimed at ensuring the sustainable development of tourism in As-Salt. The first initiative by him focuses on the establishment and operation of an official Instagram account. By regularly showcasing the picturesque cityscape and notable tourist spots, the account has garnered over 2,600 followers and achieved a total reach of approximately 380,000 people in just 18 months, establishing a robust platform for information dissemination. The second initiative involves conducting visitor surveys. By providing both QR code-enabled and handwritten survey options, Sugimura has been able to analyze the demographics and preferences of tourists, gaining valuable insights into their needs. The third initiative revolves around the issuance of a monthly newsletter. This newsletter consolidates information on all tourism-related activities, including conferences, VIP tours, local events, and children's activities, enhancing the visibility of tourism initiatives. The fourth initiative is centered on enhancing the IT literacy of museum staff members. Sugimura has provided training in fundamental technologies such as Excel, design applications, web surveys, and QR code generation. Manuals have been created for each skill, and the knowledge has been compiled on a shared cloud platform to ensure the continuity of technical skills even after Sugimura's volunteer tenure concludes. Through these initiatives, Sugimura aims to manage the temporary surge in tourism following UNESCO recognition as well as laying the groundwork for sustainable tourism development. The efforts have not only increased tourist engagement but have also addressed the crucial aspect of obtaining feedback and improving communication channels. The impacts of these initiatives are evident. As-Salt is now on a path towards sustainable and holistic tourism development by embracing the intersection of cultural richness and modern technology. As the city continues to attract visitors seeking to explore its charming yellow limestone architecture and historic sites, Sugimura's endeavors stand as a testament to the transformative power of community-driven initiatives.

RED ROCKS INTERCULTURAL CENTRE

15-01-2024

In the heart of Africa, nestled among lush hills and green landscapes, lies the enchanting destination of Red Rocks Rwanda. This vibrant land gestures travellers who are passionate explorer eager to research into its unique cultural tapestry. At Red Rocks intercultural centre, where traditional dance performances and art exhibitions showcased the richness of Rwandan heritage, fascinated by the rhythmic beats and colourful displays, you will find yourself immersed in the captivating stories woven into the fabric of the community. You may embark on a gastronomic journey through Red Rocks. The local markets offered an array of exotic fruits, vibrant spices, and enticing street food. With each bite, you savoured the fusion of flavours, from the hearty stews to the aromatic grilled meats, contributing to an unforgettable culinary experience. You may set out on a trek through the Virunga Mountains. Guided by knowledgeable locals, the trip leads to breath-taking views and encounters with rare mountain gorillas . The adventure has become a symphony of rustling leaves and birdsong, leaving you in awe of the natural beauty that Red Rocks had to offer. From the terraced hillsides to the bustling markets and the welcoming smiles of the locals, each photograph tells a story of a community deeply connected to its surroundings. The vibrant colors and textures became a visual diary of the cultural exploration, unveiling historical and architectural treasures as you explore ancient caves and sites steeped in the echoes of the past. The locals share tales of resilience and success, offering a glimpse into the region's rich history. Architectural wonders, from traditional thatched huts to modern community spaces, became windows into Red Rocks' evolution. Evenings in Red Rocks came alive with local arts and entertainment.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE LONG-TERM WELL-BEING OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

15-01-2024

Red Rocks Rwanda is a social enterprise that is all about the community, wildlife, tourism & travel thus promoting sustainable tourism through community and cultural programs. Their pioneering cultural tourism scheme involves developing the community and promoting conservation through tourism. The eco-tours, Amahoro Tours, offer customized travel itineraries around Rwanda and bring under-served communities into the tourism supply chain. Amahoro Tours is known for offering eco-friendly and culturally immersive tours that prioritize environmental conservation and community engagement. They aim to provide tourists with an authentic experience while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and local communities. This supports community development projects that help people help themselves through Red Rocks Initiatives. Red Rocks Rwanda developed the idea of establishing Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development Organization as a Non-Profit Organization to integrate tourism, conservation and sustainable community development in and around the Volcanoes National Park which is supported by the Red Rocks Intercultural Centre.

TravelconT

07-01-2024

TravelconT, The Crossroads of Contemporary Travel in Postcolonial Tourism, a project whose objective is to map and reflect on tourist traffic from the point of view of Memory Tourism placing it within a critical discourse whose importance rests on an interdisciplinary methodological approach and research enhancing cross-border value and with a pluricontinental emphasis. As tourism is a worldwide activity with a huge impact on national GDPs, it is now a global phenomenon and transversal to a shared genealogy – colonial empires. This has acted as a catalyst for tourist flows in both directions: former colonial settlers visiting the old overseas geographies and the formerly colonised travelling as tourists to the old imperial centre in a dual dynamic whose perspective is extremely current. In sum, TravelconT is based on travel as an anchor and engine for value creation, promotion and empowerment of human development using tourism as an awareness-raising element leading to active and open citizenship. This is its added value, power and topicality, wholly in line with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations (SDGs).

Ulu Ai Community-based Tourism

28-11-2023

The Ulu Ai Tourism Project in Sarawak, Malaysia is a sustainable partnership between tour operator Borneo Adventure and local Iban communities in Sarawak, Malaysia. The project has developed a long-term relationship between hosts and visitors, whereby visitors experience the local community lifestyle on the host’s terms. Started in 1987, tours to Ulu Ai focus on community, conservation and the environment, rather than on contrived performances and demonstrations. The experience benefits the hosts, local wildlife and, ultimately, the visitors. Travellers to Ulu Ai stay as guests of the indigenous Iban people, who benefit economically by providing a range of tourism services. Borneo Adventure supports local entrepreneurship and various community and conservation projects. With spectacular natural beauty, Ulu Ai is upriver Borneo travel at its best. The natural environment - pristine rainforest and clear fast flowing rivers - provide opportunities for nature-based activities and the resident Iban communities provide visitors with an insight into living in nature. The landscape is rugged with steep hills giving rise to many waterfalls on the smaller tributaries of the Ai River. The vegetation is dominated by secondary forest in various stages of regeneration with patches of primary rainforest and farmland. The forest cover is abundant and provides habitat for a rich diversity of wildlife, including one of Sarawak’s most iconic species: the orangutan. Tourism has provided the economic means to access better health care. Increased wealth and better (and more frequent) connectivity have benefited those who need to seek medical help. Importantly, tourism has brought positive benefits for the women of Ulu Ai. The women are able to participate in a variety of roles and earn money whilst still fulfilling their traditional home-based roles.

ENGAGING COMMUNITIES, PRESERVING BIODIVERSITY, AND FOSTERING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

28-11-2023

Our four-year strategic plan for the period 2023-2027, outlines our commitment to support community-based environmental conservation and promote sustainable tourism programs in the Virunga Mountains region and the Albertine Rift valley. As a non-governmental organization, our mission is to ensure the sustainable social and economic development of communities in this unique and biodiversity area. Objectives: Our initiatives are structured around four key objectives: 1. Environmental Conservation Initiative: Promoting environmental protection and climate change action through community awareness, education, and environmentally conscious tourism. 2. Arts and Culture Initiative: Preserving local cultures and traditions, linking them with sustainable tourism to provide communities with alternative income sources. 3. Education Initiative: Offering educational opportunities, including volunteer-led English programs and computer literacy, to expand local youths' resources and opportunities. 4. Community Health & Security Initiative: Investing in the health and security of the communities we serve, addressing issues from clean water to nutrition and housing. Partnerships: We strive to build strong partnerships with public institutions, civil society organizations, religious entities, the private sector, and individuals who share our commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable community development. We believe that working together leads to positive outcomes and progress for individuals, families, and entire communities.

Ulu Ai Community-based Tourism

22-11-2023

The Ulu Ai Tourism Project in Sarawak, Malaysia is a sustainable partnership between tour operator Borneo Adventure and local Iban communities in Sarawak, Malaysia. The project has developed a long-term relationship between hosts and visitors, whereby visitors experience the local community lifestyle on the host’s terms. Started in 1987, tours to Ulu Ai focus on community, conservation and the environment, rather than on contrived performances and demonstrations. The experience benefits the hosts, local wildlife and, ultimately, the visitors. Travellers to Ulu Ai stay as guests of the indigenous Iban people, who benefit economically by providing a range of tourism services. Borneo Adventure supports local entrepreneurship and various community and conservation projects. With spectacular natural beauty, Ulu Ai is upriver Borneo travel at its best. The natural environment - pristine rainforest and clear fast flowing rivers - provide opportunities for nature-based activities and the resident Iban communities provide visitors with an insight into living in nature. The landscape is rugged with steep hills giving rise to many waterfalls on the smaller tributaries of the Ai River. The vegetation is dominated by secondary forest in various stages of regeneration with patches of primary rainforest and farmland. The forest cover is abundant and provides habitat for a rich diversity of wildlife, including one of Sarawak’s most iconic species: the orangutan. Tourism has provided the economic means to access better health care. Increased wealth and better (and more frequent) connectivity have benefited those who need to seek medical help. Importantly, tourism has brought positive benefits for the women of Ulu Ai. The women are able to participate in a variety of roles and earn money whilst still fulfilling their traditional home-based roles.

Support Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development to empower Communities in Musanze, Rwanda

09-11-2023

Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development is a non-profit organization based in Musanze, Rwanda, dedicated to fostering positive change and sustainable development within local communities. We are seeking donors, sponsors, and grants to enhance our facilities and expand our impactful programs, including Balister coffee skills training, bakery skills and sugarcane juice making, culinary art programs for women, and community guide training. With your support, we can continue empowering individuals, promoting skill development, and contributing to the economic growth of the region. Programs and Initiatives: Balister Coffee Skills Training: Rwanda is renowned for its high-quality coffee production. Bakery Skills and Sugarcane Juice Making: Our bakery skills and sugarcane juice making programs provide participants with hands-on training in baking techniques and the art of crafting sugarcane-based beverages. Culinary Art Program for Women: We believe in empowering women through education and skill development Donations: Direct financial contributions enable us to enhance our facilities, provide better resources for our programs, and reach a broader audience. Sponsorships: Partner with us to sponsor specific programs, such as the bakery skills training or community guide training, showcasing your commitment to sustainable development and skill enhancement. Grants: If you're involved in grant administration, consider providing funding for our initiatives.

Miyama Town, Kyoto: Sustainable Tourism through Collaboration among Local Residents, Businesses, and Government

30-10-2023

Located in the center of Kyoto Prefecture, Miyama Town has a population of approximately 3,500 people and an area of 340 km2. The town has been designated by the Japanese government as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. 39 thatched-roof houses still remain in Miyama's northern hamlets, attracting tourists both domestic and international tourists. As a result of village revitalization efforts that began in earnest in the 1990s, the number of visitors to Miyama has increased to approximately 700,000 annually, and the town has become renowned for its traditional thatched houses, known under the name of Miyama Kayabuki no Sato. It seems that local residents are now proud of the community where they grew up. However, from an economic standpoint, issues such as low tourism expenditure (per capita) and short length of stay in the area have become apparent. In 2014, Miyama became the sixth town in Japan and the first in the Kinki region to have its Overall Concept for Promoting Ecotourism approved by the ministers of the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In 2016, the Kyoto Miyama Tourism Association was established as a tourism management organization in Miyama Town and registered as a Japanese DMO corporation. Our efforts over the years have been recognized worldwide, and in December 2021, we were selected as one of the 44 Best Tourism Villages in the world by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). We are promoting tourism initiatives to bring the rich nature, culture, and landscape of Miyama leftF by our predecessors to visitors through experiences and exchanges, and to regard visitors as collaborators in helping to preserve Miyama for the future.

Nagasaki Prefecture: Developing Villages on Kuroshima Island as a Sustainable World Cultural Heritage Site

30-10-2023

Kuroshima-cho, Sasebo City, saw an increase in the number of tourists after Villages on Kuroshima Island was inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site as one of the component properties of Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region. However, there is a lack of infrastructure such as public restrooms and transportation on the island. As such, efforts are underway to address this situation, such as the promotion of Kuroshima Hospitality Restroom, an initiative taken in cooperation with stores and restaurants on the island to make restrooms in their stores available to tourists, as well as the establishment of Green Slow Mobility, a small mobility service using low-speed electric vehicles to drive on public roads at under 20 km per hour, and electric bikes that allow visitors to relax and enjoy the scenery while preserving the natural environment. With the continuous population decline in recent years remaining unchecked, the aging rate exceeding 50%, and the local economy stagnating, the islanders were concerned about their future. In 1989, a call was made within the island for an organization to hold and manage events such as summer festivals and athletic meets to revitalize the island, leading to the formation of the Kuroshima Women's Association and the Kuroshima Youth Association. Gradually, a sense of hospitality was fostered among the islanders, and in 1998, when Kuroshima Church was designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government, momentum to attract tourists to Kuroshima led to the formation of Kuroshima's first tourist guide organization, the Kuroshima Historic Site Preservation Society.The activities of Kuroshima Historic Site Preservation Society were so well received that the island began to attract an average of around 1,300 visitors each year.

Shirakawa Village: Balancing landscape Preservation with Use and Resident Lives in Shirakawa-go, a World Heritage Site

30-10-2023

In 2019, Shirakawa Village was visited by about 2.15 million tourists who came to see its group of traditional houses built in the gassho style (with steep thatched roofs) that are inscribed on the World Heritage list. However, these visits are concentrated in certain districts and time periods and lead to problems in the aspects of traffic congestion, rubbish, and toilet use. At the same time, tourism is not making enough of a contribution to the local economy, because a mechanism has not been constructed for generating revenue from tourist spending. Furthermore, the village also faced difficulties in areas such as the district’s sustainability, the aging population, and the increasing shortage of labor. In response, in December 2019, it released its “second comprehensive strategy,” which is a master plan for village development that would make Shirakawa a place in which people would want to continue residing as long as they lived. The strategy posts the development of a sustainable village while maintaining or exceeding the current population as its basic goal. On the tourism front as well, the master plan identifies key performance indicators (KPIs) and policies for tourism. In accordance with this strategy, the village is taking approaches to sustainable community-building utilizing tourism, so that the children of the future will be able to protect and pass on the World Heritage site.

Naraya Honten: Narazuke Pickles in their Original Form

30-10-2023

Narazuke, as the name suggests, is a specialty of Nara, and is said to have a history of approximately 1,200 to 1,300 years. It is a traditional type of pickle with a unique flavor created by preserving vegetables in sake lees. Nara is also said to be the birthplace of sake, and Narazuke is popular all over Japan as a typical preserved food. Considering the historical background and culture of Narazuke, the company of Naraya Honten strives to produce these pickles in their traditional form: i.e. pickling vegetables harvested in Nara using sake lees produced in Nara sake. The company believes that this will contribute to sustainable tourism in Nara.

Minamichita Town: Matching the Scale and Continuity of Initiatives What Happened after Continuing an Initiative to Encourage People to Pick Up One Visible Piece of Litter on a Sandy Beach

30-10-2023

Minamichita Town is a tourism destination that attracts 2.5 million visitors annually, especially during the summer season. This town is working to solve the local issues of beach beautification, food loss, and traditional food culture on the Utsumi Coast. The activity guideline for local volunteers and others was simple: Pick up visible litter on a sandy beach. At least once a month, volunteers who love the area's sandy beaches get together and continue their efforts to pick up litter. In the course of doing so, a range of events has been held on these beautiful sandy beaches, attracting attention from people in other areas as well as from the local community. These include creating sand art using a sandy beach with no obstructions as a canvas and making handmade plants with beautiful sand (such as succulent plants). In 2022, the town was selected as one of the Top 100 Green Destinations.

TOURISTSHIP: touristship Diffusion Project

30-10-2023

Kyoto, where TOURISTSHIP is based, is visited by large numbers of people every year. Some of its residents felt animosity toward visitors, causing conflict between them. When we started interviewing local residents to find out what they thought about visitors, results implied that both sides needed to get closer and be more open to treat each other with consideration, thus we coined the term touristship and are working to promote it with the aim of changing the situation from the way tourist behave.

Ozu City: Building a Sustainable Tourism City Using Historical Resources

30-10-2023

In the city of Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, a group led by a DMO is making efforts for active use of traditional townhouses (machiya) and old private houses that are historical resources but had become unoccupied. They transformed these into Nipponia Hotel Ozu Castle Town, and thereby assisted the revitalization of vacant housing in the city’s historical area and the preservation of the traditional townscape.

Kudaka Island, Okinawa Prefecture: Challenges of Kudaka, Island of the Gods, as it Aims to Pass on its Culture to Future Generations

30-10-2023

Kudaka Island in Okinawa Prefecture, an island with a population of only 200 people, was experiencing a variety of problems due to the approximately 60,000 tourists who visit the island annually. In addition, as more and more young people wanted to return to the island, the lack of jobs and housing on the island was becoming a problem. As a solution, we began the challenge of creating a system to preserve the lifestyle and scenery that the islanders wanted to retain and to have tourism support this. Specifically, we worked to spread the benefit of tourism to the economy throughout the island by developing tour programs that would allow visitors to experience the island's diverse local resources. And then, we conducted online surveys with tourists and residents through questionnaires and continue to monitor the situation in the community while everyone is seeing the benefits of these initiatives. Monitoring the local resources and the local economy is a remaining issue.

Okinawa Prefecture: Sustainable Tourism Destination Management Using Indicators

30-10-2023

In the Fifth Okinawa Basic Plan for Tourism Promotion, formulated in FY2012 , Okinawa Prefecture positioned its future vision for FY2021 as “a world-class tourist resort destination” and established the “Okinawa Tourism Outcome Indicators” with 40 criteria in five areas, including economy, tourists, prefectural residents, environment, and management. In addition, the Sixth Okinawa Basic Plan for Tourism Promotion, formulated in July 2022, specifies the establishment of performance indicators for basic measures and has increased the number of performance criteria from 40 to 85 to promote tourism measures based on more precise indicator management. Furthermore, the Sixth Okinawa Basic Plan for Tourism Promotion clearly defines the future image of Okinawa as a sustainable tourism destination chosen by the world, thereby aiming to create a sustainable tourism destination.

Yoron, Kagoshima Prefecture: Promotion of Sustainable Astro-tourism

30-10-2023

Yoron Island is located around the latitude said to be the northern limit for seeing the Southern Cross constellation. Because it has a good environment for observing the night sky, the town authorities have been promoting astro-tourism (i.e., stargazing) as a new tourism product. This approach was initially undertaken through a partnership between Yoron Town and the Wakayama University Faculty of Tourism (the two signed a comprehensive partnership agreement on tourism promotion in September 2019). In addition, because astro-tourism is attracting attention as a type of tourism product that contributes to sustainable development of destinations, the town is acting based on the following principles of such development. - Tourism destination development with an equitable distribution of socioeconomic benefit to all stakeholders (training of stargazing guides) - Tourism destination development with consideration for the natural ecosystem (environmental improvement for better stargazing and measures to prevent light pollution) - Tourism destination development that respects the society and culture of the host community (communication and use of the astro-culture through astro-tourism)

Niseko Town, Hokkaido: Systematization of Sustainable Local Management through Tourism

30-10-2023

Niseko Town has been featured in the media as a leading snow resort destination for inbound tourism, and the number of visitors from overseas has increased year annually. In fact, in fiscal year 2018 , overseas visitors accounted for approximately 40% of the total number of overnight stays in Niseko. However, the global outbreak of COVID-19 caused serious damage to the local economy, including the tourism industry, and this marked a major turning point in the town's rethinking of the very nature of its tourism. Niseko has long been practicing sustainable urban development as an Environmental Model City and SDGs Future City, and has formulated the Niseko Town Tourism Promotion Vision with the aim of promoting sustainable tourism throughout the region to become a destination of choice for the post-COVID-19 era.

Kyoto City: Initiatives for Sustainable Regional Management Utilizing Tourism Prompted by the Formulation of a Tourism Promotion Plan

30-10-2023

Kyoto City received many tourists from Japan and abroad as one of the world's leading tourist destinations. However, around 2014, overtourism and tourist etiquette became apparent problems. In addition, a shortage of cultural leaders, the decline of local communities and other issues were also on the rise. In 2021, the Kyoto Tourism Promotion Plan 2025 was formulated with the vision of enabling sustainable tourism that contributes to enriching the lives of citizens, solving regional and social issues, achieving the SDGs, and responding to various crises such as infectious diseases and disasters, as well as environmental issues. Many stakeholders have been involved in the planning process, and it is expected that sustainable regional management will be achieved by further expanding the range of participants and target policy areas.

Sustainable and Digital Tourism Transformation - Pilot Project

29-09-2023

Our pilot project for digital transformation in tourism is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at promoting sustainable tourism through innovation and collaboration. In alignment with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, we have ambitious objectives and core areas to enhance the tourist experience, promote ecological and social sustainability, and forge global partnerships. Core Objectives of the Project:

Enhancing Tourist Experiences: We encourage the widespread use of mobile destination apps to provide tourists with a customized experience.
Management Optimization: We utilize visitor data to optimize management strategies and create tailored offerings.
Empowering Cultural Institutions: We promote visitor engagement and strengthen cultural identity through digital solutions.
Digitalization of Hiking Trails: We support eco-tourism and foster a deeper connection to nature by digitizing hiking trails.
Supporting Small Providers: We increase the visibility of small providers of cultural activities and local guides.
Gastronomy Growth: We stimulate the growth of local gastronomy and culinary tours through enhanced visibility.
Regional Marketing: We strategically promote regions to support infrastructure development and economic growth.
Sustainable Solutions: We focus on social and ecological sustainability through seamless digital ticketing solutions.
Eco-Awareness: We promote environmental consciousness by providing tourists with information, including transportation data and emission values.
Conservation: We contribute to nature conservation by offering informative resources about protected areas and conservation measures.
Integrated Data Ecosystem: We establish an integrated data ecosystem benefiting tourists, service providers, and tourism organizations.
Efficiency Enhancement: We optimize administrative processes to facilitate efficient data collection and management.

Digital Tourism Transformation Pilot Project: Unlocking Sustainable Tourism through Innovation and Collaboration

19-09-2023

Description of the Initiative: Our pilot project for digital transformation in tourism is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at promoting sustainable tourism through innovation and collaboration. In alignment with the (SDGs) of the United Nations, we have ambitious objectives and core areas to enhance the tourist experience, promote ecological and social sustainability, and forge global partnerships. Core Objectives of the Project: (SDG 8/9/10/11/12/13)/(SDG 15)/(SDG 17) -Enhancing Tourist Experiences: We encourage the widespread use of mobile destination apps to provide tourists with a customized experience. -Management Optimization: We utilize visitor data to optimize management strategies and create tailored offerings. -Empowering Cultural Institutions: We promote visitor engagement and strengthen cultural identity through digital solutions. -Digitalization of Hiking Trails: We support ecotourism and foster a deeper connection to nature by digitizing hiking trails. -Supporting Small Providers: We increase the visibility of small providers of cultural activities and local guides. -Gastronomy Growth: We stimulate the growth of local gastronomy and culinary tours through enhanced visibility. -Regional Marketing: We strategically promote regions to support infrastructure development and economic growth. -Sustainable Solutions: We focus on social and ecological sustainability through seamless digital ticketing solutions. -Eco-Awareness: We promote environmental consciousness by providing tourists with info, including transportation data and emission values. -Conservation: We contribute to nature conservation by offering informative resources about protected areas and conservation measures. -Integrated Data Ecosystem: We establish an integrated data ecosystem benefiting tourists, service providers, and tourism organizations. -Efficiency Enhancement: We optimize administrative processes to facilitate efficient data collection and management.

Travel for LiFE – A Program under Mission LiFE for Tourism Sector

04-09-2023

Under India’s G20 Presidency, the Tourism Working Group (TWG) has identified five priority areas – Green Tourism, Digitalization, Skills, Tourism MSMEs, and Destination Management, with the aim to transform the tourism sector towards a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive future for all. In view of this, the Ministry of Tourism has launched the Travel for LiFE (TFL) as a sector program under Mission LiFE during the third G20 TWG meeting held in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi Leaders' Declaration also noted the launch of "Travel for LiFE" and supported the development of smart destinations that are responsible and sustainable. The program was further launched as a Global Program on the World Tourism Day 2023. TFL program has been envisaged to create awareness about sustainable tourism and to nudge tourists and tourism businesses to adopt sustainable practices synchronous with nature. The program has identified eight themes to address various aspects of sustainability: Save Energy, Save Water, Say No to Single-Use Plastic, Reduce Waste, Empower Local Businesses and Communities, Respect Local Culture and Heritage, Consumer Local Foods and Conserve Natural Heritage.

The program has launched an illustrative list of 40 Travel for Life Actions for Tourists and Travel for LiFE Certification for Tourism Businesses aims to mainstream sustainability into the tourism sector towards developing a sustainable, responsible and resilient tourism sector. TFL program holds tremendous significance for promoting India’s G20 priority of Green Tourism and Digitization under TWG. The TFL program aspires to position India as a preferred global destination for sustainable and responsible tourism as well as contribute to the Mission LiFE targets towards global commitment to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Tourism and Technology Summit Africa

24-08-2023

In this digital age, talking about traveling and tourism brings to mind how convenient technologies have made everything easier for us. From booking to check-out, everything is technological based. Artificial intelligence in the tourism and travel sector has already created a hugely significant change. With Tourism 5.0, we are going to experience the best of travel and tourism. Tourism 5.0 is another term for the same trend of growing use of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Sustainable energy, and other high-tech computer technologies to generate demand and improve services for consumers across different industries. Personalized travel experiences are created using technology in tourism from start to finish.. The African Travel and tourism sector would need to disrupt to become competitive globally.

HLPF 2023 Official Side Event: Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability in Tourism

06-07-2023

The Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Croatia in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), organized this in-person side event with the support of the Ministry of Tourism of India, Chair of the G20 Tourism Committee Presidency, to showcase how partnerships across multilateral, public, private, and academic sectors are actively contributing to fulfilling tourism's potential in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The official side event took place in conjunction with the 2023 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development.

Date :14th July 2023 at 13:15-14:30
Venue: Conference Room 3, United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The side event aims to foster a collective understanding of the importance of sustainable tourism and its potential for promoting the SDGs. Key outcomes include:

Enhanced awareness of the need for resilient tourism practices and sustainable recovery strategies.
Promotion of inclusive approaches that empower women and youth in the tourism sector.
Showcasing how the private sector can advance towards effective sustainability actions that can be measured and reported in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Successful partnerships and collaborations that demonstrate the transformative power of tourism in achieving the SDGs.
Emphasis on the role of data and measurement in tracking progress and ensuring the alignment of tourism initiatives with broader policy objectives.
Inspire common action between the public and private sector for the tourism sector to achieve real sustainability by focusing on the social, environmental and governance aspects in tourism; and
Present the results and lessons learnt from the joint UNWTO – JICA Achieving the SDGs through tourism - Toolkit of Indicators for Projects (TIPs)

This side event served as a platform for meaningful discussions and the exchange of ideas to promote sustainable recovery, advance innovative solutions, and strengthen the role of tourism in achieving the SDGs. Watch the event recording here

Red Rocks Cuisines of Rwanda

21-06-2023

Red Rocks Intercultural centre immerse you in the cuisines of Rwanda and its tremendous impact on the cuisines of great lakes region. Imagine arriving at the Redrocks intercultural exchange centre for a lunch that you will help prepare yourself. Expect to be welcomed by a joyful drumming and dancing community experience which will always live in your memory. You’ll learn how, and explore our cooking lessons involving mainly Rwandese dishes in an African cuisine and in an African Kitchen - With a range of fresh crops; our ingredients for Rwanda cuisine are diverse even though certain foods are common to many regions. Ground maize or corn (called 'sweet corn' in the UK) is used as the basis for many meals. Maize flour is cooked with boiling water to form a stiff porridge (called ugali in Swahili or Kaunga in Kinyarwanda). Create, taste, and experience the cuisines of Rwanda through our local culinary courses that will acquaint you with the history of the Rwanda. Sometimes it's made into dough. This starchy staple is served with sauces or stews as well as different fresh vegetables like Cabbage, carrots, spinach and other traditional greens. You get to join our staff in the kitchen as you explore the varieties of food grown from our farm behind the main building. Get your hands dirty; it’s fun!! If you haven’t cried in a long time the smoke from the kitchen will give you a chance to if you are not swift in keeping the wood together to keep the flames burning. Enjoy the meal outside in the sun or at the dining area as you chat with the locals.

Africa Traveltech Summit & Expo 2023

21-06-2023

SNG Events is organizing the Africa Traveltech Summit & Expo on 26th - 27th September 2023 in Nairobi,Kenya At Emara Ole Sereni Hotel. The Africa Traveltech Summit & Expo serves to connect Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Destination Management Companies, Hotels, Airlines and other travel Industry stakeholders with High quality technology solutions. In an easy process Travelers need to book their travel activities and be personalized. Travel Industry stakeholders will travel to Nairobi for the Africa Traveltech Summit & Expo to learn new tech solutions to easy their operations and enhance customer experience.

RED ROCKS SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FOR COMMUNITY ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION

08-06-2023

Red Rocks located in Musanze, a part of the northern district of Rwanda continues to pioneer improving standards of living for communities around the Virunga national park through its grassroots approach to creating sustainable opportunities that empowers women and the youth through CBT programs thus ensuring intervention in job creation opportunities. Globally, quality skills development has been directly linked to youth employment and sustainable economic development and in fact, relevant skills and competencies and access to jobs can help accelerate the progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, resulting in economic empowerment for all. Together with its community cooperative partners, Red Rocks https://www.redrocksinitiative.org/about-us/ aims to create jobs and strengthen its employment promotion approach among women and the youth through capacity development, vocational skills empowerment and training to enhance the quality of labour supply while positively contributing to raising labour demand, our community development programs are now specifically focusing on the economic empowerment of women plus the youths, ensuring inclusivity and environmental sustainability. Our areas of intervention include an arts and crafts conservation program that focuses on traditional Rwandan crafts such as basket weaving, pottery, and beadwork. The program provides training in these skills, as well as business and marketing skills, to help participants turn their crafts into a sustainable source of income. This program has had a significant impact on the lives of the participants, particularly women and youth, who are often marginalized and face limited opportunities in education and employment. By providing training and employment opportunities, Red Rocks is helping to empower women and youth by providing technical workshops in culinary arts or sewing plus pottery training.

Trailblazer in community-based tourism in Rwanda.

04-04-2023

Greg Bakunzi is a renowned pioneer and trailblazer in community-based tourism in East Africa. He grew up under extremely challenging conditions in a Ugandan refugee camp and had only little access to formal education. In 1998, once peace was slowly returning to the region after the 1994 genocide, he decided to follow his heart and to move to his native Rwanda. Passionate about tourism, culture, and development, he became a local guide for visitors who were interested in the infamous mountain gorillas. Realizing the vast potential of community-based tourism to contribute to poverty reduction, he founded the Ruhengeri Community Ecotourism Association as well as tour operator Amahoro Tours. His projects attracted rapidly increasing numbers of visitors and, as a result, he was able to create jobs for local people and to bring economic benefits to the surrounding communities. While his initial focus was on northern Rwanda and the communities surrounding Volcanoes National Park, he later launched further responsible ecotourism initiatives also in other parts of the country, including Nyungwe National Park. This work culminated in the creation of Red Rocks Rwanda (www.redrocksrwanda.com) and the Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development (www.redrocksinitiative.org).

UNWTO STUDENTS' LEAGUE-BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

30-03-2023

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina are launching the 2023 UNWTO Students’ league Registration is now open for the Teams of High School Students (14 to 18) or Undergraduate Tourism and Hospitality Students – up to 25 years old from Bosnia and Herzegovina from the 27 March and will close 16 April 2023. The young people from all over the country of Bosnia and Herzergovina, now have the opportunity to work on the challenge “Off the beaten track” rural development through tourism, through the “Building Relations for intercultural Dialogue (BRIDGE) Project” - that counts on the financial support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and is implemented and co-financed by the United Nations Development Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNDP BiH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH. With the aim to create a networking environment that will enable cultural connections between students, governments and companies, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s upcoming talented Youth will learn more from national and international representatives of tourism industry, experts and other major stakeholders about the latest best-practices in Rural Development through Tourism over numerous inspiring online learning sessions, in order to provide the best solutions for the UNWTO’s challenge. The Team members will also come aboard to work on a special joint project on how Tourism can contribute to a better understanding of the different cultures and thus foster peace. To find out more and to register, visit our website https://www.unwto.org/students-league-bosnia-herzegovina

Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals. The role of Latin American universities: Results, progress and new challenges

07-03-2023

Universidad del Salvador (USAL), Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos (UADER), both from Argentina, and Universidade Federal de Santa María (UFSM) Brazil, are part of a research network on issues related to tourism, environment and sustainable development. In this framework, they carried out the project: “Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals: The role of Latin American universities”. The purpose of this research has been to analyse the contribution of the universities in the production, development of knowledge and training at both undergraduate and postgraduate level in the field of tourism in relation to the 2030 Agenda and its Goals. The project was directed by Claudia Toselli (USAL, Argentina), co-directed by Luciana Davi Traverso (UFSM, Brasil), with the participation of the following researchers: Andrea Takáts (UADER), Adriana Ten Hoeve (USAL), Tiago Zardin Patias (UFSM), Caroline Ciliane Ceretta (UFSM), Irene Aguer (UADER), Marcelo Ribeiro (UFSM), María Martha Lucano (USAL) and Almyr Godoy (UFSM). The preliminary final results of the project were presented at the Satellite Event "Turismo e Objetivos de Desenvolvemento " in the framework of the 37th Integrated Academic Conference - UFSM, on November 9, 2022. The event was delivered in Spanish and Portuguese, and was held in hybrid mode. Based on the results obtained from the application of a survey applied to university tourism degree courses, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level in Argentina and Brazil, it was found that, although the topic of sustainability is included in every tourism courses, there is still no evidence of a concrete application of the 2030 Agenda, implemented by the SDGs, its 17 goals and 169 targets.

Examining an inclusive social tourism: Practices in Turkey

07-03-2023

This research analysed an inclusive social tourism camp in Turkey and introduced its principles to the literature. The motive of the research was examining how tourism can be a tool for the inclusion of disabled children and individuals into the society. But more importantly, it examined an example of entrepreneurship that pursues a social change by using voluntary tourism and social tourism as a tool to break social taboos with a voluntary workforce. The university supporting the research was Boğaziçi University and the sample association that the research was based on is the Alternative Life Association. Although the results of this research and its place in the literature can be found in the articles in the attached link, the underlining issue should be the philosophical discussion put forward by this article. This discussion is the necessity to audit to what extent social tourism or similar tourism activities operating in good faith are open to social inclusion and to what extent they aim for social change. Is every practice under the name of social tourism today inclusive enough for individuals to take part in it comfortably? The social tourism triangle, which is the most important research result presented by this research institution, can offer three different topics to this discussion. The first of these is the evaluation of the accessibility of institutions or activities in terms of price, transport and access to information. The second one is whether the organisation is open to diversity. The third topic of discussion is inclusiveness. Inclusiveness generally ranges from the ability of individuals to take a main role in organised activities without any difficulties and to participate freely in individual activities, to practices that can include different groups with high integration and diversity. The biggest contribution of this research is to put forward the principles of social/accessible tourism to achieve a real social impact.

UN Careers Livestream for university students and recent alumni

21-02-2023

Join us for an hour-long live webinar open to all current university students and recent alumni who want to learn more about professional opportunities at the United Nations. You will be able to hear from successful candidates and learn more about different entry points to a career with the UN. Join us for these special presentations on job opportunities that make a difference in the world and the value of adding the UN to your career journey. Date: 22 February 2023 Time: 8:00 am - 9:00 am (EST) Audience: The webinar is designed for recent or upcoming graduates who are passionate about making a difference in the world. Candidates who are multilingual, have international experience, or backgrounds in multiple sectors are highly encouraged to join. Instructions: Completing this form is the first step to receive an email invitation to join us LIVE or receive a recording after the event. It should take no more than 5 minutes to register. Please note this event will be conducted in English. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. By registering for this webinar, you submit your information to the webinar organizer, who will use it to communicate with you regarding this event and other opportunities. Your personal information shall not be used, divulged, or shared with any party outside the webinar organizer. General anonymized data may be used to present recruitment and outreach trends for internal and external audiences via infographics, videos or other formats.

Advancing Youth Inclusion in Multilateral Spheres: Exploring the Impact of Ageism and Sexism CSocD61 Side Event

13-02-2023

The side event, convened by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Major Group for Children and Youth, UN Women, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, and UNESCO, aims to examine the intersection of ageism and sexism in multilateral spheres and explore how intergenerational dialogue and the use of innovative tools and approaches, such as peer-to-peer models, storytelling, gamification, and the integration of technology and digital education, can advance inclusion and meaningful participation of young people in these decision-making processes. A special focus will be placed on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. The event will provide a platform for young people and women to share their experiences and perspectives on the challenges they face in multilateral processes and explore potential solutions through interactive sessions Side Event convened by UN DESA, UN Women, UNESCO, UNOCT and MGCY on the margins of the 61st Commission for Social Development (CSocD)

14 February 2023, 8:30 - 10:00 AM (EST) Via Zoom https://unwomen.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkdu2qrjgsE9LBLI9UbVejI7yG9lYuXIjj

MUSANZE WILDLIFE FILMMAKING & MEDIA TRAINING CENTER

23-12-2022

David McGowan, Ravenswood Media, and Greg Bakunzi- Red Rocks Initiative, have partnered together to build a media training center in Musanze, Rwanda at the foot of the Volcanoes National Park. McGowan, an Academy Award nominated filmmaker, coming together with the team at Red Rocks to provides basic filmmaking training. The course is free and the first cohort of eight (8) students in August, 2022 at the Red Rocks compound got involved in a variety of filmmaking skills and practice in natural areas like filming in robust populations of wildlife The expedition in film using basic production equipment gave the participants exposure and after the course Mcgown left Apple laptop with the current Final Cut Pro app. African rangers, trackers and guides have a very close relationship with wildlife. as they diligently observe wildlife in its natural environment. These observations are critical to a more expansive understanding of wildlife behaviour and health. Yet, African rangers, trackers and guides lack the training and access to equipment to record and document the observations that are essential to science and wildlife management.Most African wildlife in media is widely acclaimed but from a Western point of view. So there is a need to provide Black Africans with the tools to give voice to their perspectives on nature and the environment. New voices are needed to confront the major environmental crises affecting the Earth. Climate change, loss of biodiversity, infectious disease, population growth, urbanization and habitat losses are just a few examples of the challenges facing humanity. It is important to provide basic film production skills so that Africans can add their voices to the discussion. Conservation professionals are often isolated due to the nature of their working conditions and it is the goal of this partnership to provide the means for African wildlife professionals to create and disseminate films that represent their point of view on conservation issues

Be part of Red Rocks Initiative for sustainable development to Conservation efforts around Virunga cross-boundary for the purpose of promoting tourism in the region,

13-12-2022

Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development is a non-profit organization that operates and around Virunga volcano mountain region of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic. Its vision is to integrate tourism, conservation and community empowerment for sustainable development in the region. In order achieve this, the communities around the region are encouraged to take part in environmental conservation activities which at the end brings them positive impact, particularly uplifting their living standards which encourages them to have motivation to help in environmental conservation. The Initiative provides volunteering programs to travellers who wish to make positive impacts to local communities in different areas like foreign language and new skills acquisition, women and youth empowerment programs, and conservation and community development activities among others. The Initiative also promotes social and economic programs like healthy and sanitation, personal hygiene, sports for conservation, arts for conservation and modern farming techniques as well as promotion of cultural activities like dancing, music, handicrafts activities, which all leads to promotion of tourism, conservation and at the end improves local community livelihoods. When visiting the region in particular Musanze district, your highly welcome at least for one day to check out the initiative’s programs and find a appropriate way/solution for you, and even your group to volunteer, donating or helping support those important programs meant to conserve our environmental and in turn has an impact to community livelihood as result of Red Rocks Initiative developmental programs,

rurAllure H2020 project: promotion of rural museums and heritage sites in the vicinity of European pilgrimage routes

13-12-2022

Horizon 2020 project, funded by the European Commission, promotes cultural heritage in the vicinity of historic pilgrimage routes and facilitates economic and social impact of sustainable tourism in rural areas. The project started on 1 January 2021 and has a duration of 36 months, while its main phases include identification of pilot areas and relevant heritage sites, definition of common and communication strategies in each pilot area, and design and promotion of a technological platform. The rurAllure works on the identification and promotion of cultural heritage, located along the historic ways in four pilot areas (Santiago de Compostela, Via Francigena, Via Romea Germanica, Via Romea Strata, St. Olav Ways and Way of Mary), with a focus on its rural and less touristic parts. Mapping heritage landmarks along the pilgrimage routes, the project develops a digital repository of cultural points of interest which guides hikers and pilgrims along the routes and helps them to discover heritage without significantly deviating from the original route. The project contributes to 17 Sustainable Development Goals with emphasis on SDG n.3, n.8, n.9, n.11, n.13, n.17. In particular, it adds value to local economies, extracting benefits from responsible use of heritage and creating well-being with the least amount of environmental harm. As 80% of the trails’ territory lie in rural areas, the project provides a favourable environment for tourism enterprises in provincial localities, empowers local communities, promotes local culture and products. In addition, it valorises healthy lifestyle and reduces the risk of acquiring various diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Walking or cycling in the natural surroundings together with fellow ramblers helps to stimulate mental health and socialisation, reduce the risk of depression, and improve sleep quality and self-esteem.

Via Francigena – strengthening walking tourism along the cultural routes

13-12-2022

The Via Francigena is one of the most popular pilgrimage routes in the world, spanning centuries of history and stretching along 3200 kilometres in the UK, France, Switzerland and Italy. In 1994, the route was awarded 'Cultural Route of the Council of Europe' status in recognition of its role in promoting common European values. The European Association of the Via Francigena ways (EAVF) acts as a promoter and policy-maker of the route and organises its activities in line with 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Today, especially in the post-pandemic context, where walking tourism is as ever an important tool of sustainable tourism development, it produces positive impact in the following dimensions: Environmental impact. Pilgrimage tourism refers to walking and cycling activity, which means consuming no fuel and leaving a smaller carbon footprint compared to other types of travel. As part of its promotional activities the EAVF pays special attention to valorisation of responsible tourism, safeguarding biodiversity and local environment. Economic impact. The Via Francigena route connects major urban centres with rural areas. The economic benefits generated by increasing flows of pilgrims are spread throughout the entire itinerary, creating income opportunities and improving the quality of life of local communities along the route. The EAVF and partners coordinate to maximise the economic impact and shift attention away from overcrowded tourist destinations to lesser known but culturally rich regions. Socio-cultural impact. As part of the Council of Europe's framework of Cultural Routes, the Via Francigena promotes intercultural understanding and tolerance, strengthens social cohesion and dialogue by transmitting the values of human rights, cultural diversity and mutual exchange across borders. It brings together walking enthusiasts from all over the world, encourages them to discover new cultures, connect with local people, share experiences and stories.

test

03-11-2022

Be part of Red Rocks Initiative for sustainable development to Conservation efforts around Virunga cross-boundary for the purpose of promoting tourism in the region,

03-11-2022

Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development is a non-profit organization that operates and around Virunga volcano mountain region of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic. Its vision is to integrate tourism, conservation and community empowerment for sustainable development in the region. In order to achieve this, the communities around the region are encouraged to take part in environmental conservation activities which at the end brings them positive impact, particularly uplifting their living standards which encourages them to have motivation to help in environmental conservation. The Initiative provides volunteering programs to travellers who wish to make positive impacts to local communities in different areas like foreign language and new skills acquisition, women and youth empowerment programs, and conservation and community development activities among others. The Initiative also promotes social and economic programs like healthy and sanitation, personal hygiene, sports for conservation, arts for conservation and modern farming techniques as well as promotion of cultural activities like dancing, music, handicrafts activities, which all leads to promotion of tourism, conservation and at the end improves local community livelihoods. When visiting the region in particular Musanze district, your highly welcome at least for one day to check out the initiative’s programs and find an appropriate way/solution for you, and even your group to volunteer, donating or helping support those important programs meant to conserve our environmental and in turn has an impact to community livelihood as result of Red Rocks Initiative developmental programs

Red Rocks message of protecting environment through Arts

13-10-2022

Art for Conservation is an initiative of Red rocks that is meant to empower the kids in conservation through art, as they develop skills in arts in addition to their school educational studies, thus supporting wildlife and habitat conservation and environmental education through arts that celebrates flora and fauna. We use Arts for Conservation project to spread the message of protecting the environment, through using sustainable materials, such as banana bark, to create footballs or learning the importance of protecting and maintaining habitats whilst painting nature. Through this art the kids are able to sell their painting, and buy school materials that will help them through their studies. Tourism and Conservation is proving to be the based source of income if it’s well maintained, and taught in different ways, let it be through skills and academia, it’s in that contest that we took the first step use Art of conservation, in order to achieve our goal .

Kintamani coffee trees replanting

27-09-2022

Coop Coffee Indonesia understand that coffee activities are responsible for emitting greenhouse gases due to environmental impacts caused by primary agricultural and processing activities. We have made some pre-calculation on the impact and on the carbon sequestration under 1 Subak Abian (farmer groups) of Tri Guna Karya on their 79 hectares coffee area. Coop Coffee is taking action through the Tri Hita Karana local wisdom to neutralize the carbon emitting happened due to the export trading activity. We divide our activity in 2 actions: reducing carbon at the main activity and showing true ambition for carbon neutrality to achieve the Indonesia NDCs. Target of 2022 : 1. Reducing 25% carbon on the coffee processing from 0.341 kg CO2/ kg green bean to 0.25575 kg CO2/ kg green bean 2. Carbon sequestration: 1 Subak Abian of Tri Guna Karya (TGK) consists of 127,183 coffee trees expect to 127,183,040 tons CO2 per year can be absorbed Also Coop Coffee Indonesia concerned to protect the Geographical Indication area of Kintamani Bali arabica coffee for maintaining the Coffee Trip To Origin Sustainable tourism.

Be part of Red Rocks Initiative for sustainable development to Conservation efforts around Virunga cross-boundary for the purpose of promoting tourism in the region

20-09-2022

Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development is a non-profit organization that operates and around Virunga volcano mountain region of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic. Its vision is to integrate tourism, conservation and community empowerment for sustainable development in the region. In order achieve this, the communities around the region are encouraged to take part in environmental conservation activities which at the end brings them positive impact, particularly uplifting their living standards which encourages them to have motivation to help in environmental conservation. The Initiative provides volunteering programs to travellers who wish to make positive impacts to local communities in different areas like foreign language and new skills acquisition, women and youth empowerment programs, and conservation and community development activities among others. The Initiative also promotes social and economic programs like healthy and sanitation, personal hygiene, sports for conservation, arts for conservation and modern farming techniques as well as promotion of cultural activities like dancing, music, handicrafts activities, which all leads to promotion of tourism, conservation and at the end improves local community livelihoods. When visiting the region in particular Musanze district, your highly welcome at least for one day to check out the initiative’s programs and find a appropriate way/solution for you, and even your group to volunteer, donating or helping support those important programs meant to conserve our environmental and in turn has an impact to community livelihood as result of Red Rocks Initiative developmental programs.

LAUNCH OF 2022 UNWTO STUDENTS LEAGUE SWITZERLAND

14-09-2022

UNWTO and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs are launching the 2022 UNWTO Students’ League - Switzerland, an innovative environment to empower and motivate tourism and hospitality students by giving them real-time experience. Through an online competition, Students from around the world will compete to give the tourism sector their best sustainable ideas on the pressing subjects of the sector, such as the themes chosen for this year, Tourism for Rural development, through the challenge “Off the Beaten Track”. This competition bridges the gap between students’ education and training and the realities of our sector and therefore not only gives students more insight on our sector and on the possible job avenues that exist but also enables these young people to then enter the labour market as highly qualified and skilled professionals capable of adapting to any situation that may arise.

What do students gain?
- Experience from working on a real situation in the Tourism sector
- Learning about the best practices in the field from top professionals
- Networking
- Winning solutions will be published in UNWTO e-publication
- Exciting prizes

Participants:
- Hospitality and Tourism Undergraduate Students from 19 to 25 years old currently carrying-out tourism and/or hospitality studies in a school/institution/university in Switzerland
- Further information here and Registration form here (Deadline 04 October 2022 at 23’59 CET – Please make sure you read the rules here first).

Online-Symposium: Human Rights and Climate Change - The Benefits of Linking Both Agendas in Tourism

13-09-2022

Corporate responses to climate change include a broad range of business decisions - all of them have the potential to impact human rights. At the same time, human rights due diligence has great potential to support effective climate-related decision-making. Tourism as a service-oriented sector strongly depends on social responsibility and respect for human rights. Tourism activities contribute to climate change, and climate change affects every link in the tourism value chain. This online event offers inputs around a human-rights-based approach to climate action in tourism through practical steps and shared experiences. We will elaborate on tangible ideas and how to combine both strategies, by - Understanding the link: The linkages between climate protection and human rights are multifaceted and undeniable. We show you the overlaps and connections, explain why this is relevant and what it means for the tourism industry. - Showing Benefits and Approaches: We will discuss why tourism businesses should integrate human rights into climate change-related actions. We will build the business case by showing how they benefit from combining and aligning both discourses.. - Joining forces: We want to initiate joined-up discussions and interlink business, human rights and climate action through our collective expertise. We also see this event as an opportunity for exchanging knowledge and ideas regarding approaches, existing resources, good practices and ways of collaboration Please register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkdOuvrD0uG93TNJl33TAyKa1iHut-8f7L

Red Rocks 10th Anniversary Cultural Festival brings organizations and communities together to celebrate and promote culture, conservation and sustainable tourism.

13-09-2022

As an advocate for culture and community, it was a pleasure for Red Rocks to host performers of all ages from the local area. Visitors from near and far were able to enjoy many traditional dances and music, keeping Rwandan culture current for the next generation. It was also an opportunity to build and strengthen partnerships with the aligned goals of conservation and eco-tourism. This included a beneficial group discussion with community members to discuss how eco-tourism has impacted their lives. The group shared their experiences and established common ground in this cultural exchange. Participants will take forward their learning, with a better understanding of community based tourism in Rwanda, and how development of these strategies can benefit communities. During the festival, Red Rocks were delighted to host the grand opening of the new Rwanda Community Tourism Association (RCTA) office. RCTA will commence operations in their new hub at the Red Rocks Cultural Center, Musanze with immediate effect. With conservation being such a key part of sustainable tourism, Red Rocks were proud to incorporate Kwita Izina into this years festival. Throughout the week, in partnership with International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), the Gorilla Friendly Pledge campaign was promoted. By welcoming all visitors to take the pledge, IGCP were able to raise further awareness for gorilla conservation. Following a productive week of culture, conservation and sustainable tourism – look out for upcoming announcements as the team is already planning for 2023!

IQM Destination

12-09-2022

Feel IQM in a program IQM Destination works based on integral quality management.Our goals are: - Increasing and strengthening public-private partnerships. - Measuring the elements of sustainable development and responsible tourism. - On a beginning of cooperation with new destination, KPI and monitoring of every indicator (more than 100 indicators od integral quality management). - On a beginning of a project in every destination we prepare surveys and present the results of satisfaction of the residents with tourism in the destination, satisfaction of guests, online quality reputation, satisfaction of tourism partners (hoteliers, restaurants, local producer, …). We are measuring online reputation of tourism partners in a destination and for a whole destination as well. - We create destination standards and stimulate quality min 80/100, including local products in tourism for min 25% in every possible component. - we are planning for next year to have a benchmarking between destinations (22 destination in Croatia in a moment).

Tourism Matters - Leave Nothing but Footprints

06-09-2022

Tourism is not a singular phenomenon as visitors affect a location and its residents. There are societal changes brought on by tourism, such as greater employment opportunities, growth, and tax revenues that pay for services provided to residents. However, challenges can also arise with increased tourism. A location and its inhabitants can be negatively impacted by high tourism if people don’t take responsibility for their actions. To make a true contribution and a positive impact, tourism needs planning and integration into the building of society. For us in Skåne – the southernmost part of Sweden, Tourism Matters. It’s all about working towards a sustainable future and being part of a caring and welcoming world. When we all work in the same direction, we can help solve global challenges. Simply put, we make sure that tourism is not part of the problem, but rather a part of the solution. Project Footprints focused on addressing problems created by the aggressive wear and tear of increased visitors at Söderåsen National Park, the pressure and negative impact visitors had on nature and nearby residents, as well as attempted to change visitors’ mindset. There is a cost when people visit nature and don’t take care of it, visitors need to realise that a national park is a special place which deserves to be revered. Project Footprints’ goal was to change the mindset of visitors from that of consumers, to stewards. We explored how we could forge an anchored connection to nature among visitors, so they develop a sense of stewardship for a location. This innovation project set a new standard of how DMO’s can collaborate with stakeholders and therefore was a unique way of working for all parties involved. Tourism in Skåne partnered with the County Administrative Board which is responsible for maintaining national parks in Sweden to try to find a solution for the damage resulting from increased visitor numbers. During the pandemic more and more people tried to find refuge in nature, however, many were novices and did not know how to behave properly. Sweden is known for its Right to Public Access which allows people access to both private and public lands. However, there are exceptions to this rule and those exceptions occur in national parks. This is something that is not well known. Often visitors are aware of their rights, but not about their responsibilities. With the increasing number of visitors during the pandemic, there was an impact on the environment and local community around those high-pressure locations. If we want to make Skåne more attractive for all parties, then everyone involved needs to contribute to sustainable change. As this problem impacted many different actors, we opened the door to the creative process. There was an Open Call in both our native Swedish as well as English to allow for greater reach. Everyone was welcomed to apply to take part in an intensive 7-day innovation camp at Söderåsen National Park. Instead of hiring a design company as we have done in the past, it is more democratic and interesting to hire people from different backgrounds and competencies. There were 70 video applications and from those we chose 10 to join the camp. There were people from North and South America, Europe, and Asia on the team with backgrounds ranging from behavioural science to a guide from Nepal. To make the onboarding process easier and faster, the participants lived together just outside the park, they worked according to the design thinking model in two teams and created solution proposals that were delivered to Tourism in Skåne and other public actors. Another aspect of Project Footprints was using transparency as a tool for inspiring others. A film crew followed the innovation process throughout the week to create a documentary – Leave Nothing but Footprints, that would not only inform but encourage others to try open innovation. There were many insights and lessons learned along the way, by capturing those in the documentary it sparked interest and created understanding about the complex challenges organizations deal with to provide the best experience for the public. That is why the film is accessible online for free (see link below) for everyone to watch and hopefully be inspired to try something new. The documentary has led to many new requests for collaboration, inspiration and stimulated interest into solving the problem nationwide. By using design methods and innovation to proactively address problems now, we can safeguard our natural treasures for the future. Watch the 'Leave Nothing but Footprints' video here

25-08-2022

This report is part of a World Bank Group Global Engagement project that seeks

to understand and respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on the global Tourism sector, and to support its recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden demand-side contractions in travel and tourism activities during 2020 and 2021 precipitated unprecedented shocks to the entire global tourism economy, resulting in broader macroeconomic implications, particularly for highly tourism dependent countries. The report provides insights regarding the types of interventions governments have already implemented and policy considerations for supporting the recovery and resilience of the tourism sector going forward, particularly in light of structural demand and supply-side transformations precipitated or accelerated by COVID-19. This report studies the challenges for recovery faced by governments and the sector from the context of preexisting market and government failures that have been exacerbated by the crisis, as well as those emerging from the pandemic. The report includes several key findings and recommendations: · The pandemic highlighted the complexities of tourism for development outcomes, and the depth and breadth of the tourism value chain and its linkages. · All tourism sub-sectors and their suppliers have been impacted; however, distributional impacts and transmission channels vary, as does the implementation of and access to support programs. · The tourism sector is expected to emerge stronger and more profitable than pre-COVID, but unless it is properly structured and managed, it may result in a more unequal landscape with a narrower set of beneficiaries. · When evaluating continued or future firm-level specific support, governments may want to follow market-principles, prioritizing market facilitation wherever possible, while considering unintended effects of support programs. · The pandemic has created opportunities for increased sector innovation, productivity and development impact. Specific policies, instruments and initiatives should be put in place to seize this moment to rebuild towards a more competitive, resilient, green and inclusive sectors, incentivizing tourism types that generate positive externalities while discouraging negative ones.

World Bank Report: Tools and Policy Considerations to Support the Recovery and Resilience of the Tourism Sector

15-08-2022

This report is part of a World Bank Group Global Engagement project that seeks to understand and respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on the global Tourism sector, and to support its recovery.The COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden demand-side contractions in travel and tourism activities during 2020 and 2021 precipitated unprecedented shocks to the entire global tourism economy, resulting in broader macroeconomic implications, particularly for highly tourism dependent countries. The report provides insights regarding the types of interventions governments have already implemented and policy considerations for supporting the recovery and resilience of the tourism sector going forward, particularly in light of structural demand and supply-side transformations precipitated or accelerated by COVID-19. This report studies the challenges for recovery faced by governments and the sector from the context of preexisting market and government failures that have been exacerbated by the crisis, as well as those emerging from the pandemic. The report includes several key findings and recommendations: · The pandemic highlighted the complexities of tourism for development outcomes, and the depth and breadth of the tourism value chain and its linkages. · All tourism sub-sectors and their suppliers have been impacted; however, distributional impacts and transmission channels vary, as does the implementation of and access to support programs. · The tourism sector is expected to emerge stronger and more profitable than pre-COVID, but unless it is properly structured and managed, it may result in a more unequal landscape with a narrower set of beneficiaries. · When evaluating continued or future firm-level specific support, governments may want to follow market-principles, prioritizing market facilitation wherever possible, while considering unintended effects of support programs. · The pandemic has created opportunities for increased sector innovation, productivity and development impact. Specific policies, instruments and initiatives should be put in place to seize this moment to rebuild towards a more competitive, resilient, green and inclusive sectors, incentivizing tourism types that generate positive externalities while discouraging negative ones.

Atelier Sustainability in Tourism

21-07-2022

Are you interested in the topic of sustainability? Would you like to take your company a step forward and contribute to a sustainable future? Do you want to raise your profile and be prepared for future challenges? Register now and build up your competences in the field of sustainability in a compact course: sustainable management, implementation and marketing! The Atelier Sustainability in Tourism consists of three different courses. These are built on each other:

Course 1 - Basics

Learn in just half a day what sustainability means for tourism in practice and how you too can get on the moving train of the sustainable future.

Course 2 - Implementation in your own business: Identifying and implementing measures

You will learn how sustainable solutions can also be implemented in your business.

Course 3 - Sustainable Marketing & Communication in Tourism

Optimise your operational communication and the perception of your customers. You have the option of visiting individual parts of it or the Sustainability in Tourism studio as a whole. Course 1:

19 September 2022 (afternoon)
14 November 2022 (afternoon)
14 March 2023 (afternoon)
18 May 2023 (afternoon)

Course 2:

04 October 2022 / 05 October 2022 (afternoon)
17 November 2022 / 23 November 2022 (morning)
23 March 2023 (morning) / 27 March 2023 (afternoon)
30 May 2023 / 05 June 2023 (afternoon)

Course 3:

26 October 2022 / 02. November 2022
30 November 2022 / 07. Dezember 2022
05 April 2023 / 26. April 2023
12 June 2023 / 26. June 2023

Webinar regional para Latinoamérica sobre buenas prácticas de turismo comunitario sostenible

15-07-2022

Webinar Regional - Turismo Comunitario Sostenible Intercambio de buenas prácticas

Fecha: 20 de julio del 2022 Hora: 10:30 AM - 12:10 PM Hora de República Dominicana 16:30 PM - 18:10 PM Hora de España

Vínculo de registro: https://bit.ly/3NOkwzG

Plataforma: Zoom-Webinar Lengua: Español e interpretación simultánea al inglés

HLPF 2022 Side Event: Tourism and the SDGs - Accelerating the 2030 Agenda

05-07-2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted the tourism sector with a spill-over effect of unexpected socio-economic consequences to many other sectors. It has also provided an opportunity to rethink the sector and mainstream its contribution to advance the SDGs. JICA and UNTWO have worked together in advancing the 2030 Agenda since many years. The entities have joined efforts to create a manual consisting of common and harmonised indicators, and explanations of connections with official SDGs indicators. It aims to evaluate the impact of tourism and its contribution to the SDGs at project level and can be adopted globally for all tourism projects. The indicators set is of acute actuality to showcase the transformative power of tourism, at all levels, and the spill-over effects of investments and interventions in the sector. The side event will showcase how to better understand the SDGs from the perspective of tourism and recognise the true potential of the sector as a driver to achieve the SDGs. It will gather key public and private sector tourism stakeholders to discuss how tourism contributes to several goals, namely through the work of One Planet Network – Sustainable Tourism Programme as well as in the form of community-based interventions, socio-economic recovery plans and regional tourism strategies. Opening Remarks by:

Zoritsa Urosevic, Executive Director, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Shingo Morihata, Deputy Director General, and Group Director for Private Sector Development, Economic Development Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Panel Discussions: Power of Tourism as a driver for Sustainable Development

Takashi Aoki, Leader of JICA Project for 'Enhancing the Mechanism for Sustainable Community Based Tourism Development in the North Region' in Dominican Republic
Chris Cocker, CEO, South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO)
Delphine Malleret-King, Executive Director, The Long Run
Lina Fernanda Pinto, International Cooperation Program and Delegate of the Directorate of Quality and Sustainable Development of the Vice-Ministry of Tourism of Colombia
Nadine Pinto, Global Sustainability Manager, The Travel Corporation

Moderator: Prof. Vafadari M. Kazem (Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University) Kindly find the recording of the event on UNWTO YouTube channel HERE

Nkotsi Village Cultural Rich History

05-07-2022

Nkotsi village has a rich history, it is a cultural melting pot and has a vibrant social scene. These factors make Musanze one of Rwanda biggest and oldest townships, a tourist hot spot. When one considers the diverse activities, tours and culinary delights available in the area, a day out in Musanze is bound to provide a thrilling experience, even for the well-travelled visitor. A lot of organizations have been doing outstanding work in promoting Musanze as a prime tourism destination. One such organization is Red rocks cultural center (www.redrocksrwanda.com). It is the brainchild of Greg Bakunzi and his team passionate in community tourism development. the team knows Red rocks cultural center like the back of their hands, they started working in Red rocks cultural center in 2009 as an intern. many cultural festivals have been organized by the team and soon we shall have one coming up this summer Red rocks cultural festival 2022 Red Rocks offers different tour packages such as, Walk like a local tour, Red rocks Neighborhood Experience, A day in the virunga National park (the ultimate township tourism experience) and educational tours. Tailor made packages can also be put together for individuals, groups and corporates. Connect with Red rocks on Facebook and spread the love using these hashtags #Redrockscultural #enjoyredrocks Red rocks also facilitate bicycle and motor bike tours, soccer games and team building activities. Tours and travel packages can be arranged for clients interested in visiting city of Musanze, spots, chapatti water, by the locals and more!!

Generation17 dialogue

29-06-2022

Generation17 is an initiative from Samsung and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that elevates the voices of young leaders who are changing the world and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or ‘Global Goals.’ Samsung and UNDP are providing mentorship, technology, and networking opportunities for the young leaders as they advance their work The Dialogue will spotlight examples of how – at this very moment and across the globe – young people and their organizations are taking action for sustainable development and leveraging technology and innovation. These young leaders are a part of the Generation17 partnership by Samsung and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which supports a group of inspiring young leaders – ages 18 to 32 – dedicated to innovating for humanity and mobilizing global communities. The Generation17 Dialogue is an opportunity for young people and their organizations, networks, movements to connect, including with development partners. The Dialogue includes interactive sessions and panel sessions with speakers such as the Generation17 young leaders and UNDP’s Deputy Director of the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy, Mr. Walid Badawi.

Webinar: Choices for Human Rights - How Tourism Businesses Can Influence & Sensitise Their Travellers

28-06-2022

The awareness of sustainable travel is rising - but the question remains how this will contribute to long-term, meaningful development. Tourism players often say customers would have to demand sustainable products more to create more offers. In contrast, customers state that they would request more sustainable products if offered more. It is often unawareness and a lack of sensitisation that lead to the demand for products incompatible with human rights and environmental due diligence. Tourism companies are understandably keen to present their products positively and attractively. At the same time, many are confronted with how to communicate supposedly "less pleasant topics" such as human rights and sustainability principles and sensitise their customers without raising a finger. This webinar will shed light on how tourism stakeholders can influence travellers to choose more sustainable products with relatively simple means. It will help understand communication's relevance to achieving customer understanding and goodwill for one's business principles and highlight how customers can be sensitised in the destination. Milena S. Nikolova is an expert in applying insights about human behaviour to sustainability, travel and education solutions. She will share passionate and practical insights on linking psychology with responses to the travel industry's fundamental opportunities and challenges. This webinar is targeted at tourism businesses and other stakeholders such as DMCs and is intended to - Understand the power of understanding when communicating "supposedly unpleasant" topics with customers. - Learn how to use this knowledge to nudge customers into more sustainable product choices. - Show concrete measures to sensitise customers to social sustainability before and during travel.

TOURISM OCEAN ACTION - TOWARDS A CIRCULAR AND REGENERATIVE BLUE ECONOMY - Side event at the UN Ocean Conference

28-06-2022

Tourism is the largest sector of the ocean-based industries representing 40% of its total export value. Coastal and maritime tourism plays a significant role in the economic prosperity of island and coastal communities, bringing jobs, investment and income. Besides the benefits of tourism development, there are also challenges such as the loss of biodiversity, pollution and resource consumption.

At the core of the blue economy is the decoupling of socioeconomic development from environmental impacts. The side-event will focus on sustainable consumption and production as a key strategy to accelerate tourism ocean action. Policy makers and businesses will share policies, strategies and solutions to accelerate the contribution of towards a more circular and regenerative blue economy.

Location: In the Blue Zone - Committee Room of Altice Arena, Lisbon, Portugal
Date: 29 June 2022
Time: 13:00 - 14:15

Live Streaming HERE

Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism 2022

18-06-2022

Do you dream of igniting change through social entrepreneurship in travel? Join the Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism and share your ideas with the world! The Social Entrepreneurship in Tourism Competition is the first worldwide competition focusing on social innovation and entrepreneurship in tourism. By giving social entrepreneurs from around the world access to expertise and international visibility, the competition aims to empower entrepreneurs and communities in travel destinations, accelerate their growth and provide them with access to market. The focus of the competition is to provide strong support for social tourism entrepreneurs and their efforts to help to transform the sector and shape a sustainable future for tourism in their destination. Therefore, we connect the projects with a strong and international network of partner organizations and supporters — such as TUI Care Foundation, Travel Massive, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, SINA, the ITB Berlin and Teejit. The structure of the competition follows the spirit of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and seeks to support the achievement of Quality Education, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. What's in it for you? We will provide a mentoring and coaching process for up to ten finalists, who will receive 8 weeks of both 1-on-1 and peer-to-peer support, focusing on pitch training, human-centred design, business modelling, and impact measurement. The mentors are industry leading experts with years of experience in various tourism related business contexts. Apart from valuable expert feedback, features across our channels and financial support for the winning teams, all 25 shortlisted teams will get access to specialized eLearning courses and online trainings. Learn more about the application details, our jury, the prizes and the mentors on our website.

Rwanda's 10th Red Rocks Cultural Festival

14-06-2022

Rwanda's 10th Red Rocks Cultural Festival less than three months away The 10th Red Rocks Cultural Festival is coming up on August 26 to September 2. The theme for this year is “Conservation and Cultural Sustainability”. The final day of the Festival coincides with Rwanda's annual Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony, during which new-born gorillas are given names by conservationists. The day culminates in the Crazy Night of the Gorillas, which is a party for all to enjoy. The Culture Festival is a celebration full of vibrant, thrilling cultural events, making it an exciting time for all ages. Visitors can enjoy traditional music performances every afternoon, cultural artwork and dances, evening storytelling around a campfire, discussions and debates surrounding conservation, and much more. In addition, the festival runs concurrently with the annual Rwandan Kwita Izina, a Gorilla Naming Ceremony, during which newborn gorillas are given names by conservationists. Kwita Izina is held on the morning of the festival’s last day, allowing the excitement to build throughout the weeklong celebration. The final night of the festival is marked by the Crazy Night of the Gorillas, which includes refreshments, dancing, and live music for all to enjoy. Visitors and conservationists who participate in the Red Rocks Culture Festival are given the opportunity to learn more about the culture of Rwanda, the need for sustainable development, and the conservation efforts made to protect endangered mountain gorilla populations in the area. In doing so, they support the local community’s everyday life while also helping preserve the region’s cultural heritage. Rwanda is already a rich tourism hub, yet the festival promotes further cultural participation among visitors. As this will be the 10th anniversary of the festival, visitors can also expect enhanced cultural diversity and conservation that reflects the nation’s pride.

Sustainable Management of Territorial Tourism: Jamao Ecotours

10-06-2022

Jamao Eco Tours is a community company made up of 20 members (young people), who value natural wealth in favor of the local economy, it is the first receptive community-type tour operator in the Dominican Republic and is creating a community tourism destination in network. It is in charge of chaining tourist products and services to sell as excursion packages, which benefit more than 80 families in 9 communities of the town of Jamao al Norte. This social business brings together young people and members from the communities of the Espaillat province, in the north of the country, who through the Espaillat Ecotourism Cluster with the support of the Sustainable Community Tourism Project and the concern of the Young people to generate sources of income for all the Community with the resources available in the locality. This community tour operator has been developed by establishing a management system based on community participation for decision-making, capacity building, productive chaining and service creation. In addition, equitable distribution of benefits, responsible use of the tangible and intangible heritage of the Community. Within good sustainability practices: -The sustainable management system covers environmental, social, cultural, economic, quality, human rights, health and safety aspects. -The collaborators of Jamao Ecotours and the Community are continuously trained on issues of sustainable tourism, community development, digital promotion, soft skills. -The group functions as a permanent overseer of the protection and conservation of the local fauna and flora. -They have established a monitoring system for visitation and the purchase of local products. -The company provides advice and support to the local service providers with which it relates, regarding the quality and sustainability of its services. In addition, they are recipients of groups of students and communities to exchange experiences. 70% of the profits are allocated to the Community

Chocolala: Taking advantage of community resources to make fine chocolates and artisan products and generating sustainable strategies.

07-06-2022

Chocolala Artisan Chocolate Factory is a society of women entrepreneurs from the community of Altamira, Puerto Plata province, in the north of the Dominican Republic, who emerged with the purpose of producing and marketing chocolates. This Women's Society was born from an Association of Mothers of Las Lajas Community who, motivated to achieve their economic autonomy to improve their quality of life, insert themselves into the local production chain and generate income to contribute to their families. The formation and growth of this small company led by women has been thanks to the commitment and active involvement of its members, creating a vision of joint work and determining value-added actions that frame their products within an experience of collective work, responsible production, closing inequality gaps and the right to decent work and sustainable management. Chocolala has generated good operating and management practices for its business, such as: - Creation of a Cocoa experience and a Cocoa trail, managed from the objectives of Community-Based Sustainable Tourism. In this trail, the interpretation of the process of sowing, cultivation and relevance of cocoa is carried out. It has been created to publicize the value of the products. - Achieving more than 500 visits per month. - Link with a national chain of supermarkets for the placement of their products. - Legal constitution of the company: National registrations and certification with the FDA. - Established measures with a gender perspective to contribute to closing existing inequality gaps between men and women. - Creation of a diversity of craft products complementary to chocolate that enrich the tourist experiences within the factory. - Established synergies with other tourism companies and complementary service companies in the tourism value chain Puerto Plata province. - Operation based on healthy, safe and sustainable tourism based on a contingency plan for COVID 19.

Strengthening the Community-Based Sustainable Tourism Development Mechanism in the Northern Region of the Dominican Republic.

07-06-2022

This project implemented in the 14 provinces of the northern region or Cibao of the Dominican Republic with the objective of strengthening the capacities and coordination mechanisms for facilitating the development of TCS with public-private participation in the Northern Region, under the execution of the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD), National Institute of Professional Technical Training (INFOTEP) with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from 2016 to March 2022. The TCS tries to be a local solution with a global impact, knowing that in the specific case of tourism development in the Dominican Republic it has been based on traditional aspects such as the development of tourism offers by foreign investors, being the national local participation in decision-making at an operational level and where the reinvestment of economic benefits is not contemplated in the communities, creating a scenario of challenges to promote and facilitate community management of tourism, giving a more active role to the participation of local members in decision making; Diversify the tourist offer by promoting the creation of tourist products managed from the communities to enhance local pride, authenticity, uniqueness and identity; Facilitate the empowerment and articulation of community people for concerted planning to take advantage of the endogenous potential of the territories. Through the practice in the northern region in this Project, it was shown that tourism development in which the community plays a leading role works as a new model of tourism development in which the region plays a central role. Using this model, regional tourism can continue and grow stronger in the future. Below, we present a summary of the most relevant results of the Sustainable Community Tourism project in the Dominican Republic:

Fighting Poverty with Responsible Tourism

07-06-2022

The project, conducted with the Center for Rural Economy Development (CRED), built the capacities of local actors – women, youth, associations, public entities – in partnership with fair-minded tourism operators based in Hanoi to jointly establish responsible tourism offers for both international and domestic individual tourists and in small groups. The basis was the respect of local culture and environment with a view on creating sustainable income generation opportunities and professional diversity in rural areas as alternative to respectively agriculture or internal labour migration (especially the young generation). Local tourism plans were elaborated and integrated in socio-economic development plans, thus fostering local governance through participation, transparency and accountability. The project, implemented 2015-2019, is now transferred to public and private local actors after the creation of a the social enterprise. Helvetas Vietnam is still engaged in the development of Community-Based Tourism in the frame of the USAID-Viet Nam Biodiversity Conservation program under the lead of WWF.

COFFEE, COCOA FOR THE CONSERVATION OF VIRUNGA PARK – COFFEE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

27-05-2022

Gicumbi co cooperative ensures the socio economic reintegration of ex-poachers and vulnerable women into the coffee and cocoa sector in Northern Rwanda. The Project is committed to Planting, processing and marketing the entire coffee and cocoa crop year after year, our central concern is building a strong and sustainable business and establishing a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. This means ensuring that the Cooperative has the infrastructure and financing necessary to run their operations, produce great coffee and offer added value to their members. In the beginning, coffee brought the farmers together and made it possible for us to work in partnership. As the Cooperative develops, coffee continues to provide the foundation for our work together, and an opening to new opportunities for strengthening our partnership, and creating benefit for the farmers. Profit-Sharing Our profit-sharing structure creates a powerful source of funding for the Cooperative’s business development needs. This innovative business model provides transparency for consumers and pushes the fair trade system towards greater equity for the farmers. Since then, the money from our profit-sharing program has been used to purchase land for the Cooperative’s future office and warehouse, fulfilling the dream of the Cooperative’s board for a permanent headquarters with established electricity, internet connections, and phone lines. More recently, the Cooperative has used the funds to subsidise the purchase of coffee seedlings for its members, and extended agricultural advising services, supporting the development of a stronger farming program and greater productivity for members. Growth Micro-Finance Currently, the Cooperative is working to create a comprehensive micro-finance initiative for its members. Beyond traditional small-scale loans, the Cooperative has established a matched-savings program as Quick Impact to incentivise long-term savings.

As mudanças climáticas e o turismo - impactos & perspectivas (Encontro LETS/UnB)

27-05-2022

O próximo Encontro LETS será aberto a tod@s, com transmissão ao vivo no YouTube do CDS UnB, e não poderíamos deixar de fora da pauta de discussões deste ano um tema extremamente atual e importante: As mudanças climáticas e o turismo! Para dividir conosco seu conhecimento, convidamos a Profa. Dra. Isabel Grimm, que além de coordenadora do programa de pós-graduação e Mestrado Profissional em Governança e Sustentabilidade do Instituto Superior dm Administração e Economia (ISAE - Curitiba) é também Pesquisadora nos temas que envolvem #governança #planejamentourbano, #indicadores de #sustentabilidade, #mudançasclimáticas e #turismo !! Na mediação deste encontro incrível, contamos com a participação das #pesquisadorasLETS Jaqueline Gil @jaqueline.gil e Nayara Marques @nayararmarques - ambas doutorandas do CDS/UnB - que recentemente lançaram o curso “Gestão da Sustentabilidade e Mudanças Climáticas” na Amplia Mundo @ampliamundo e poderão nos apresentar outras perspectivas sobre o tema, ampliando nossa conexão Academia-sociedade-trade turístico. Mais um encontro imperdível! 🤩 Coloca na agenda: 🗓️ Sexta feira - 27/05 ⏰ 10h, ao vivo, no YouTube CDS/UnB (link na bio). Mais informações sobre o tema em: https://lets.etc.br/mudancas-climaticas-e-turismo-desafios-e-oportunidades-no-brasil/

Gestão da Sustentabilidade e Mudanças Climáticas

12-05-2022

A sustentabilidade deixou de ser uma “iniciativa interessante” e se tornou uma necessidade. Além disso, desastres cada vez mais frequentes, e pesquisas alarmantes sobre mudanças climáticas aceleram a percepção de que precisamos agir a favor do equilíbrio entre seres humanos e natureza rapidamente, antes que seja tarde demais (ou fique quente demais). Com isso, a Amplia Mundo preparou um curso rápido e muito especial sobre Gestão da Sustentabilidade e Mudanças Climáticas - online e ao vivo - conectado com o ODS 13! Em 3 horas, vamos discutir: ✅ Conceitos e práticas de sustentabilidade alinhadas às ações climáticas ✅ Mudanças Climáticas e Fronteiras Planetárias ✅ Como desenvolver um plano de ação rumo à sustentabilidade e às ações climáticas 👩🏻‍💻🧑🏽‍💻 50% de desconto para estudantes universitários Você estará em boas mãos, com nossas instrutoras: 👩‍🏫 Jaqueline Gil - CEO da Amplia Mundo e doutoranda em Desenvolvimento Sustentável pela UnB 👩‍🏫 Nayara Marques - doutoranda em Desenvolvimento Sustentável pela UnB e pesquisadora do laboratório LETS/UnB Se inscreva agora pelo nosso site: http://ampliamundo.com.br/curso-sustentabilidade/

Sociology of Leisure and Tourism. UNLV Students' Message for Sustainable Tourism: The Sustainable Development Goals

10-05-2022

After studying the United Nations' Agenda for Sustainable Development, the students of the Sociology of Leisure course at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) selected seven Sustainable Development Goals and prepared a video message for tourists who want to travel responsibly.

Peace through tourism. The role of tourism in the achievement of the SDG16 (plus)

04-05-2022

The contribution of tourism to a widespread culture of peace is a much more complex subject than it seems. Fabio Carbone's ongoing research is based on the initial idea that tourism is only potentially a vehicle to peace. Thus his research aims to explore the dynamics underlying an effective contribution of tourism for the promotion of global mutual understanding and peace. The ontological approach is transdisciplinary, integrating mainly tourism studies, cultural heritage management and peace and conflict studies. A revision of the approach to tourism – from both supply and demand side – is an essential step towards the establishment of an effective link between tourism and peace. In particular, it was recently pointed out the potential of war related attractions, particularly war museums, as “local infrastructures for peace” (Carbone, 2021). Fabio Carbone's studies aim to stimulate a public discussion (involving policy makers, cultural heritage managers, travellers, DMCs, DMOs, donors, academia and hosting communities)curators, politicians, and destination managers) leading to a conscious and informed decision on the social role to be given to tourism practices for the achievement of the SDG16 (and SDG16plus).

Red Rocks unveils yearly events

28-04-2022

Musanze district is the hub of Rwanda’s tourism industry and a source of many adventures. It has a long list of adventure activities on offer. However, when the spotlight is put on adventure, most people will immediately think of the mountain gorillas - This would be right since the primates have positioned themselves as Rwanda’s flagship tourist attraction. But there are other must-see attractions in Musanze, such as the Musanze Caves, as well as other animals that reside in the Volcanoes National Park. There is also the historic Buhanga Eco-Park, which was a sacred forest where Rwandan kings performed initiation ceremonies. Musanze is only three hours drive from Kigali. But have you ever thought about what you can experience here after your gorilla trekking excursions? Red Rocks Rwanda has a solution for you. This year, staring in June, from Friday to Sunday; Red Rocks is going to make your weekend warmer, and even more exciting! We have lined thrilling activities just for you that will make your weekend and You will never forget Rwanda! Most of these activities we have lined up are cultural. So forget about the gorillas in the meantime. We want to immerse you in Rwanda authentic culture. And We hope you are going to enjoy. It will be a memorable experience, particularly tailored for you. Let's start with beer. Traditional Rwandan liked their beer, made naturally from, of course nature. We used bananas to make our beer. It’s not potent, that’s why our beloved banana beer mostly was used for social interaction. You’re going to learn how we used to make this “friendly” banana beer, demonstrated by our local women. (By the way, you should know that Rwanda culture allowed women to make beer but men were the most consumers of it!) Come also to learn traditional ways of farming, the African way. We have also designed a weekend getaway packed with music, dancing and drumming. Our famous Intore dancers will get you with the groove. For your culinary adventure, your weekend is going to be packed tasting traditional and modern cuisine. Local food tasting and barbeque all are waiting for you at Red Rocks campsite in Nyakinama. We are also going to feature continental collection of specifically dishes to cater for your individual taste buds. Full Moon BBQ and Bush Dinner Rwanda under the summer moon is an amazing sight on its own. At Red Rocks campsite, we will have a surprise for you: a Full Moon BBQ. Now the cat is out of the bag. Moonlight Camping, BBQ and full Bush Dinner at Red Rocks campsite is going to be a thrilling and unique adventure packed with so much laughter and fun. Imagine camping at the glare of the full moon by the campsite with full evening of local stories and enjoying delicious roasted maize known as ibigori specifically roasted by the locals! DRUMMING /DANCE FUN WEEKENDS Each Friday and Saturday at Red Rocks campsite from this June will have special Fire and Drum Nights. Just come at the campsite to be part amazing evening of dancers, drummers and, of course, the never-dying campfire. Revel in the beauty of the night, enjoy out enthralling music, dancing and fun games during the day and in the evenings. This will also be filled with exciting family-friendly activities like storytelling, puppet shows, magic, crafts, the food, and arts. KIDS FUN PAINTINGS ADVENTURE Here is a fun-filled weekend away escape you’re bound to enjoy with your little ones. Red Rocks campsite is an ideal place for kids. It has space. It has trees. It’s a perfect weekend escape for everyone who wants to enjoy nature at its pristine. Kids will enjoy live paintings at their pleasure! LOCAL- FOOD TASTING NIGHTS Our food-tasting nights from Fridays to Sundays will leave memorable taste in your mouth. You’re welcome to come join enjoy tasting our local plus exotic recipes! Igitaramo Fiesta Nights Igitaramo Nights are specifically during weekends. This is a special celebration emphasizing our traditional and cultural norms; from cooking, agricultural practices and traditional leadership. The highlight of Igitaramo Night is exhilarating performance by traditional dance troupe, the Intore dancers. But of course, we have incorporated other activities like free kid’s paintings and art exhibitions by our talented local artists. HAPPY BANANA BEER GET TOGETHER Treat yourself to free entertainment outdoors in our beautiful garden and enjoy live entertainment after gorilla trekking. Join local women who come by to demonstrate t banana beer making process. Come and enjoy delicious food that is always made fresh and ready to eat TREE PLANTING FESTIVAL We have monthly events e.g. the Tree Planting Festival is an event that takes place every Saturday of the first week of the month. Locals, volunteers, and interested peoples join us at Red Rocks Centre and get to plant indigenous trees, fruit trees, and other exotic trees with our community. The day festival encourages young people and community members to enjoy the long-term benefits of conserving our environment and also a practical way of introducing and integrating environmental actions in the different areas of Musanze and around Rwanda where we got our conservation centers.

Swiss Sustainable Winter Tourism Development Project in Kyrgyzstan

28-04-2022

This project for sustainable development of winter tourism in Kyrgyzstan is financed by the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by the development organization HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation. The main objective of the project is to contribute to an increase in decent employment and income opportunities for the population, with the prospect of creating year-round jobs through the development of a sustainable value chain in winter tourism and thus more balanced tourism throughout the year. With this year-round view on tourism, the project activities are aimed at ensuring high economic value while equally minimizing negative social and environmental impacts, and thereby improving the quality of offered tourism services as well as the quality of life for current residents and future generations to come. The target destination for the development of sustainable tourism in the project’s main phase is Karakol, an attraction on its own and a gateway to the majestic Tien Shan mountains and close to Lake Issyk-Kul. Ideally, within Kyrgyzstan Karakol destination will become a benchmark for tourism management and the integration of a holistic view on sustainable development, and also receive recognition for their practices beyond the country’s borders and beyond the project years.

Sustainable Development Goals for Children

26-04-2022

Sustainable Development Goals in Education has the goal of empowering students of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address the interconnected global challenges we face, including climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, poverty and inequality. Because the world faces ever more complex and challenging challenges, from developing a cure for covid-19 to tackling global climate change or making sure we have enough water, food and energy for our planet. Solutions to these problems are not found in textbooks or multiple-choice tests. Society needs problem solvers who can tackle such 'difficult problems' in creative and innovative ways and do this within a multidisciplinary team. Many children and young people lead lives of despair, dissatisfaction and apathy, devoid of hope. The Sustainable Development Goals in Education represent a way to change this and offer children and young people not only hope but also the tools to transform their lives and communities. To achieve the goals set out in the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Climate Agreement, we must encourage students to peace and cooperation, and equip them with knowledge, skills and values to raise awareness on issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and large-scale pollution. Foreword by Global Sustainable Futures Partnership Network Development Founder Dr. Renuka Thakoe, Global Actors International and Business for Sustainability Chairman Joaquin V. Boston and India International Sustainable Development Goals Division Chair Dr. Written by Kalyani Rao B and Dr. Written by Sümeyra AYIK and Çelebi KALKAN; “Sustainable Development Goals Competence Book for Children”, which addresses sustainable development goals with 251 achievements, 92 concepts and 68 creative activities, and supports children's cognitive, social-emotional and behavioral development areas, encourages students to prioritize sustainable development in their lifestyles, behaviors, education and professional careers. It is the world's first children's book designed to provide. In the Sustainable Development Goals Workshop program for children we organized on the occasion of the 11 December International Mountain Day, hosted by Erciyes A.Ş in Kayseri province, our little students realized that sustainable tourism is important in the fight against poverty in underdeveloped regions by producing creative solutions to the effects of climate change on sustainable mountain tourism. they have arrived. In addition, the activity carried out in sustainable tourism activities;

to be in harmony with nature,
to promote socioeconomic and environmental sustainability, and
They realized that the education-oriented visitor experience should be kept alive.

In summary; Human skills cannot be developed without quality education, and it is not possible to achieve sustainable development goals if human skills are not developed!

Red Rocks initiatives for Sustainable Development and Red Rocks Rwanda

26-04-2022

RED ROCKS INITIATIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT runs a Conservation and Community-based Ecotourism, it came to existence after the idea which came from RED ROCKS RWANDA, an Ecotourism company and a social enterprise is all about the community, the wildlife, tourism & travel thus promoting sustainable tourism through community and cultural programs. We bring under-served communities into the tourism supply chain and supports community development projects that help people help themselves through our initiatives. (http://redrocksinitiative.org/). We support sustainable development in Rwanda by engaging in sustainable tourism and community-driven environmental conservation initiatives that are meant to benefit local communities. Our initiatives were initiated on the principle that sustainable tourism and community-driven environmental conservation are effective tools for poverty eradication when done correctly and in an inclusive manner. Through our works, we have launched many projects, which are helping the local community get access to education, health care, and sustainable income that honors their traditional way of life. We created a respectful environment where the local community feels comfortable with tourists and work to position conservation as a competitive land use that delivers benefits to local communities, creates jobs, stimulates local micro-enterprise development, promotes local procurement, develops skills and knowledge, and ultimately improves livelihoods within the Volcanoes National Park. Our Sustainable development project initiatives success stories and Impacts includes: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION INITIATIVE We have worked with community partners and cooperatives to host farm tours and farm activities, like planting indigenous fruit trees and learning about domestic farm animals and horticulture ART FOR CONSERVATION INITIATIVE We promote local artisans to preserve the volcanoes National park flora and fauna, through artifacts for animals and plants that can’t speak for themselves. LIVESTOCK SUPPORT Supporting small-scale dairy activities, to improve livestock nutrition, facilitate healthcare for women-headed families and discourage them from poaching for meat in the park. SKILLS DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE We enable Women to learn skills which enable them earn income earned from selling woven baskets, mats, and other artisanal pieces. AGRICULTURE PROJECT We train local farmers to compost manure, maintain ecologic organic agriculture practices to conserve biodiversity as well as create into them the culture of financial savings for sustainable development. BOTANIC GARDEN Our gardens preserve traditional plant species with medicinal value, to conserve disappearing tree spices. EDUCATION INITIATIVE We promote educational opportunities, including volunteer-led English programs and computer literacy, as a way to expand local youths’ resources and broaden their horizons. SPORTS PROGRAM We bring together communities and individuals to discuss environmental conservation, raising local awareness of the need to protect our environment through sports COMMUNITY HEALTH & SECURITY INITIATIVE We teach locals on healthcare issues ranging from clean water and reproductive rights and nutrition. We promote awareness of sexual and reproductive health rights, family planning, nutrition, and proper hygiene and sanitation through our Community healthcare project SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMS We help single mothers and other vulnerable populations to secure permanent housing and facilitate long-term education for school-aged children and help pair vulnerable children with windowed mothers as foster families in newly constructed homes. CULTURE HERITAGE PRESERVATION Partnered with government institutions and signed partnership agreement to preserve Community cultural heritages/sights for travel and tourism attraction and organizing and conducting annual Cultural Harvest Season festivals as preservation of culture and heritage, with the overall goal of increasing public awareness of nations cultural and natural heritage. RED ROCKS VOLCANO PRODUCTION This is a community-based literature art program initiative that includes cinema. music. theater poetry, drama, storytelling, sewing, and school children's library, all meant to improve community livelihood around the Volcano Massif. Please come and visit these community livelihood initiatives projects with any support in kinds like Scholastic Materials for School Children, Visual Art Paints, Music Recording Materials, and Sewing Materials. Travel with the purpose to this wonderful place and donate any item in kind to support these Red Rocks community livelihood project initiatives.

ECOSOC Youth Forum (19-20 April) -“COVID-19 recovery: Youth taking action for a sustainable future”

13-04-2022

The 2022 ECOSOC Youth Forum is convened by the President of ECOSOC and co- organized by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth (OSGEY), in collaboration with the United Nations Inter- Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD), and co-convened by the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY) and the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations (ICMYO), with technical input from youth organizations relevant to the theme of the forum. Youth leaders from around the world will have the opportunity to engage with government representatives, youth delegates, policymakers and other relevant stakeholders in civil society and the private sector. They will contribute to the review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and to shaping policy recommendations at the HLPF and other Intergovernmental fora, such as the UN Transforming Education Summit, the UN Ocean Conference, the Financing for Development (FfD) Forum, among others. The two-day event will feature plenary sessions, interactive thematic and regionally based discussions. Young people are encouraged to share best practices, lessons learned, solutions as well as creative and innovative ideas with Member States, other youth and stakeholders on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and also on the sustainable development goals under review in the Economic and Social Council and the High-level Political Forum in 2022. Side events will take place virtually on Monday 18 April 2022, one day prior to the ECOSOC Youth Forum. Guidelines to submit applications for side events will be posted online shortly. Stay tuned for the launch of the Youth2030 Progress Report 2022: On 20 April, the Forum will feature the launch of the second ever progress report of the United Nations system-wide youth strategy, Youth2030, providing insights on the status of implementation of Youth2030 across the United Nations system at all levels, and hig

TripForTrees - Sustainability Holidays

07-04-2022

TripForTrees meets several objectives: - For sustainable tourism professionals, this innovative distribution channel is a way to gain visibility, and thus increase their sales. It is also a way for local sustainable tourism actors to reinforce their autonomy vis-à-vis the large digital platforms. Registration on the platform is free. TripForTrees can also, upon request, create customized digital services. - Travelers can simplify the process: no need to do a lot of online research or collect all the brochures from tourist offices to find eco-responsible accommodation and sustainable activities nearby. TripForTrees is finally a way to support the local economy and eco-responsible offer by promoting the visibility of local tourism. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

CONEXION2030

07-04-2022

CONEXION2030 is an online platform to promote the digitalization of SME´s in the tourism sector, integrating technologies for the strengthening of the communication and evaluation of sustainability among destinations, companies and travelers. We are focused to promote data based decision making, improving the capacity of companies, travelers and destinations to use technology to evaluate, understanda and promote a more sustainable travel.

Mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals: a results framework for galleries, libraries, archives and museums

24-03-2022

'Mainstreaming the SDGs in galleries, libraries, archives and museums' aims to help these institutions to go beyond aligning their activity to particular SDGs or targets, to using the targets concretely to develop, plan, monitor and communicate activity that helps achieve SDGs and targets. This is built around a set of seven key activities that these types of institutions routinely do, and which represent channels for more ambitious and more impactful activity for sustainable development. Supporting sustainable tourism is one of these seven activities, but tourism also relates to all seven, as the activities are related. The guide is an interactive PDF, where organisations ask themselves which activities and targets they are committed to, and to help them plan and deliver action towards them, in outcomes-focussed ways.

I Congreso Internacional de Problemáticas Turísticas

24-03-2022

El Consejo Directivo de Escuelas de Turismo de la Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral presenta el I Congreso Internacional de Problemáticas Turísticas: Resiliencia turística en contextos de crisis e incertidumbre mundial. Ante el contexto global, las teorías y paradigmas se han visto modificados radicalmente. Siendo necesario replantear posiciones y buscar nuevos equilibrios a través de la generación de saberes por medio de la comprensión, estimulación, fomento y difusión de investigaciones y experiencias relacionadas con las problemáticas turísticas que han aquejado, y aquejan, a nuestro entorno. El congreso tiene como objetivo crear puntos de encuentro para propiciar sinergias que logren el entendimiento espacial y territorial vinculado con situaciones contrapuestas al posicionamiento y desarrollo de la actividad turística, promoviendo iniciativas que busquen armonía y sustentabilidad, estimulando el intercambio de conocimientos y experiencias técnico-profesionales-sociales. Considerando que el desarrollo regional y el crecimiento del sujeto se vinculan intrínsecamente a una necesidad primaria de dignificación, modificando, erradicando o reduciendo el trabajo precarizado, convirtiéndolo en trabajo genuino, posibilita repensar las economías sociales, enalteciendo lo regional, la historia y lo cultural de un pueblo. De igual forma, la funcionalidad y apreciación del turismo en defensa del patrimonio natural y cultural, acción desarrollada en elementos teóricos y analíticos que conllevan al cuidado y la preservación del medio social y ambiental disponen el diseño y ejecución de marcos conceptuales que protegen la fauna y la flora, concibiendo también a la comunidad como factor esencial de protección sobre ellos.

Tourism and Technology Summit Africa

25-02-2022

The TOURISM & TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT AFRICA 2022 Technology has always been an important component in the global economy. It has however become a strategic imperative due to the emergence and the rise of the tech-savvy, connected consumers across global and national socioeconomic landscapes and sectors Even though this has immense potential to create value, unlock broader societal benefits and change negative perceptions about Africa, its adoption in many African tourist destinations lags behind compared to international good practices. Contextually, this challenge differs from country to country, but it remains a major inhibitor to a competitive African Tourism Industry and that is the gap Tourism and Technology Summit Africa aims to close. The Africa Tourism Board would partner My Beautiful Africa for this years Summit which would aim to deliver a digital playbook on the digital transformation of the African Tourism.

Claves en la gestión de las empresas turísticas y la nueva realidad

14-02-2022

As part of the implementation of the project: "Proyecto para la Recuperación del Turismo de la Crisis de la COVID-19 en la República Dominicana", the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic , UNWTO and JICA are organizing 4 tourism online masterclasses.

This tourism online masterclass is primarily aimed at public and private tourism stakeholders of the Dominican Republic, and also open to stakeholders with an interest / linked to the Dominican tourism sector.

The event is free and will be conducted in Spanish on 16 February, 09:00 - 10:30 (hora local en Santo Domingo)

Tema: "Claves en la gestión de las empresas turísticas y la nueva realidad"
Ponente: Victor Gorga, Experto en Gestión e Innovación.
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1k8zJ_ThSXiWXvBCOzO9Yg

Productos que seducen - del recurso al producto turístico

14-02-2022

As part of the implementation of the project: "Proyecto para la Recuperación del Turismo de la Crisis de la COVID-19 en la República Dominicana", the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism , UNWTO and JICA are organizing 4 tourism online masterclasses.

This tourism online masterclass is primarily aimed at public and private tourism stakeholders of the Dominican Republic, and also open to stakeholders with an interest / linked to the Dominican tourism sector.

The event is free and will be conducted in Spanish on 17 February, 09:00 - 10:30( hora local en Santo Domingo)

Tema: "Productos que seducen - del recurso al producto turístico"
Ponente: Tirso Maldonado, Profesor de la Escuela de Organización Industrial, y Facilitador para la UNWTO Academy
Link: ht tps://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ms0hmsIlRtePvAeRjKaCFA

Inmersión al desarrollo del negocio digital en turismo

14-02-2022

As part of the implementation of the project: "Proyecto para la Recuperación del Turismo de la Crisis de la COVID-19 en la República Dominicana", the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic , UNWTO and JICA are organizing 4 tourism online masterclasses.

This tourism online masterclass is primarily aimed at public and private tourism stakeholders of the Dominican Republic, and also open to stakeholders with an interest / linked to the Dominican tourism sector.

The event is free and will be conducted in Spanish on 15 February, 09:00 - 10:30 (hora local en Santo Domingo)

Tema: "Inmersión al desarrollo del negocio digital en turismo"
Ponente: Tirso Maldonado, Profesor de la Escuela de Organización Industrial, y Facilitador para la UNWTO Academy
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ms0hmsIlRtePvAeRjKaCFA

Madurar o envejecer: los nuevos retos de los destinos hoy

14-02-2022

As part of the implementation of the project: "Proyecto para la Recuperación del Turismo de la Crisis de la COVID-19 en la República Dominicana", the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism , UNWTO and JICA are organizing 4 tourism online masterclasses.

This tourism online masterclass is primarily aimed at public and private tourism stakeholders of the Dominican Republic, and also open to stakeholders with an interest / linked to the Dominican tourism sector.

The event is free and will be conducted in Spanish on 14 February, 09:00 - 10:30( hora local en Santo Domingo)

Tema: "Madurar o envejecer: los nuevos retos de los destinos hoy"
Ponente: Ginesa Martinez del Vas, Doctora en Dirección y Planificación del Turismo
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QtWqX9PXQ6aHYEgVxfTsNA

SAY YEAH

18-12-2021

In Old Turkish, the word 'seyyâh' was used to mean travelling, wandering, tourist, passenger. So where does our story begin? Right at this point! We say yeah to wander around the world like a seyyah to bring together the best music, venue and audience. On this road, which started with the vision of bringing a new brand and a destination festival to the global event industry; ✦ The "SAY YEAH" character becomes localized in the destinations it will reach, and contributes to brand awareness and values by reflecting these regions from its perspective. ✦ In regions where history and nature are blended, the venue and the artist match and bring them together with the audience. ✦ It highlights the cultural values unique to that region and designs harmonious activities. ✦ The universal communication tool uses the unifying power of music. ✦ It creates cinematic short films that will make the audience ebb and flow between the past and the present and offers a different perspective on digital marketing of destinations. And while doing all this, to strike out the caption of "differences created by the borders determined by the policies" and to prove that every society living in the world has countless cultural similarities and that the kilometers in between do not differentiate people that much.

COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

25-11-2021

Red Rocks initiatives for sustainable development have fulfilled the dream of ensuring communities are the direct beneficiaries of all our actions. All the activities go under the name of Eco-tour have been designed to work on local sustainable development through tourism and the collaboration of external partners. The Igihoho seed bag is one of these. This project idea came with Greg from Spain in 2016, and is implementing the governmental restriction on use and manufacturing of single-use plastic items, which were banned in 2008 and finally became law in 2019. For a long time already, these bags have represented a new norm for the region’s communities. They now regularly recycle the fibre of the abundant banana trees, and even before plastic was conclusively banned by law, they were experiencing the benefits and had introduced ecological alternatives for all their tree-planting activities. All the activities linked directly to the land, like local food preparation, farming with local families and beekeeping, and the botanical tours which can be taken in the Kinigi centre, are working in two directions: generating alternative income as well as educating the locals on the eco-friendly alternatives available, often from the same products that were considered as waste. Recycling, upcycling and other circular economy concepts are available to be explored and applied. In Red Rocks currently, the workshops on the use of banana eco-paper production, the Igihoho eco-friendly seed bag and even the banana beer preparation are excellent opportunities to maintain environmental sustainable activities while providing extra income for the people directly involved and, at the same time, bringing benefits to the local environment and to the community as a whole.

Encuentro Académico: Rompiendo barreras por una educación inclusiva

15-11-2021

El evento es dirigido a académicos, estudiantes e investigadores del área turística que se encuentran en procesos de fomentar la inclusión en las instituciones educativas de nivel superior que impartan carreras afines al turismo. El programa consta de la participación de docentes que se han involucrado en los procesos de inclusión de alumnos con discapacidad en sus espacios los cuales presentan casos de estudio, análisis y resultados. Objetivos: Presentación del OITI: Reconocer la estructura organizacional del Instituto como propuesta del trabajo colaborativo. Intercambio de Experiencia: Compartir experiencias desde la vivencia del proceso de inclusión de PcD en los programas académicos de instituciones educativas universitarias así como los procesos de inserción de dichas temáticas en las retículas escolares. Bases y fundamento: Presentar los resultados de los cuestionarios aplicados por el observatorio como un referente documentado para la toma de decisiones en pro de la inclusión educativa. Directivos, personal docente, alumnado, investigadores y población en general. Alcance Participación desde diferentes perspectivas y contextos a través de los conversatorios. Difusión del conocimiento a través de la presentación de investigaciones asociadas al tema. Documentación y testigos de lo trabajado en este evento a través de una edición especial de la Revista Iberoamericana de Turismo Inclusivo.

Modelo de Cuadro de Mando Integral para Prestadores Turisticos

15-11-2021

El sistema de gestión estratégica conocido como cuadro de mando integral sostenible es una herramienta administrativa que utiliza un sistema de indicadores de gestión financieros y no financieros, pretende un balance entre la medición de resultados, que reflejan el desempeño pasado, y la medición de variables o indicadores, que fijen el desempeño futuro. El propósito de este trabajo es diseñar un modelo de Cuadro de Mando Integral Sostenible que desarrolle e integre la planeación estratégica de los prestadores turísticos del municipio de San Antonio del Tequendama con los lineamientos del turismo sostenible, la calidad y la competitividad.

Glasgow Declaration Launch during the COP26

02-11-2021

Join us for the Launch of the Glasgow Declaration during the COP26 in Glasgow!

The Declaration, developed by a collaborative group of leading organizations, is an urgent call for all stakeholders to commit to a decade of climate action in tourism. The signatories of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism are committing to act now and accelerate climate action to cut global tourism emissions by at least a half over the next decade and reach Net Zero emissions as soon as possible before 2050. In particular, each signatory will commit to deliver a concrete climate action plan, or updated plan, within 12 months of signing. Plans will be aligned with the proposed pathways of measurement, decarbonisation, regeneration, collaboration and financing that will accelerate tourism’s ability to transform. The Declaration will be officially launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26)

Date: 4 November
Time: 10:00 -11:45 (UK Time)
Venue: Blue Zone- Climate Action Room 1

Watch the event on demand: HERE

Explorer’s themed trail (Forscherparcours) Alp Flix

17-09-2021

The Forscherparcours is a themed trail on the subject of biodiversity in Parc Ela, Switzerland's largest nature park. Professor Fix takes children and their families on adventure through the moors on Alp Flix. The trail includes six stops where kids can use the researcher’s kit and diary to observe the surrounding nature. With the utensils from the kit, families can cast animal tracks or build a water wheel. Puzzles, a spider hoover and a beaker magnifying glass allow children to explore the creatures in the water, in the bog and in the fields. The researcher's diary accompanies the young researchers on their hunt. It also contains background information on Alp Flix, its valuable habitats and the origins of this magnificent moor landscape. The texts invite the children to take a closer look and teaches them about nature’ riches. The course leads along existing paths. Simple information boards have been set up on site. 2 additional aids are installed each summer with minimal intervention. The trail can also be visited without a kit. The trail was created more than 10 years ago and is still more popular than ever. For the Parc Ela Association, it is a classic environmental education and awareness-raising project, with the emphasis on inviting people to take a closer look. "Only what you know, will you love – only what you love, will you protect" is the logic behind it. This also generates the understanding not to enter the lake, which is located in the marshland of national importance. The kit is produced in ARGO, a workshop for the integration of people with disabilities, and sold for CHF 38.

Online-Symposium: From Obligation to Aspiration - Supply Chain Laws and Tourism

07-09-2021

2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the endorsement of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Since then, they are progressively integrated into policies and legal frameworks by an increasing number of governments. National supply chain laws and the discussion about regulation at EU level are leading to uncertainty among many companies about the obligations they will have to face. This Symposium is about turning the gaze forward and will build the business case for human rights due diligence in tourism, with or without legal obligations. In a solution-oriented multi-stakeholder setting, this online event offers practical "satellite" discussions around supply chain laws and due diligence for a holistic human rights approach: Understand the domino effect: Why value chain laws are relevant for every tourism business, including SMEs and what they imply concretely We will get an overview of existing and future supply chain laws and frame them on a globalised market to understand what these legislative processes (such as the new German Supply Chain Act) include and what impact they will have on existing and future business practices. Look on the bright side: Why there is always a business case of human rights due diligence We will investigate why business respect for human rights in tourism is more than compliance or a requirement to "do no harm", and elaborate on how it contributes to positive and transformative change in people's lives and sustainable development. Join forces: How we must and can work together We will deep-dive into practice examples on some essential due diligence features and relevant topics for tourism businesses and explore possibilities to tackle challenges that might appear on their due diligence journey.

Earth-Changers.com

07-09-2021

Earth Changers promote the best positive impact, regenerative, sustainable tourism for people to find & book trips that truly change the world. We feature life-changing places, with world-changing people, for extraordinary experiences with purpose. Launched in 2017, we were authorised by the UNWTO as a solution for sustainable tourism for development for the UN designated year #2017. As far as we know, we were the first commercial organisation to write about the intersection of tourism and the SDGs. Purpose: We start with the Why? Impact-led deep content to connect with motivations and educate minds. Why people do what they do in the places they do it? Learn about the reasons for their drive and the impact on communities, conservation and big world issues, and how tourism intersects with each of the SDGs, People: We put people in the middle - the human stories behind amazing places. How did they come to do what they do, why, and what impact does it have on lives? Be inspired by stories of unsung heroes. Places: We discern and feature seriously sustainable special places implementing best practice from around the world. - Where can you go and what can you do to create positive impacts through tourism for sustainable development? We inspire to experience. Blog: We talk about sustainable tourism: what it is, how to break it down, what to consider. Follow along! On a B2B basis, we also offer sustainable tourism & marketing consultancy, and a 17 week course on aligning Travel & The SDGs.

Mentoring Team for Tetebatu Village To Win at Best Tourism Villages 2021 by UNWTO

07-09-2021

West Nusa Tenggara Province is one of the provinces which will represent Indonesia at Best Tourism Villages 2021 by UNWTO. One of the villages which will represent Indonesia at the event is Tetebatu Village, located at Sikur sub-district, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The villagers stated that they are ready to provide the best for Indonesia. Tetebatu Village will do their utmost to ensure that their community-based tourism which empowers the community to provide opportunity by safeguarding local traditions, environment, and heritage. Tetebatu Village is supported by a mentoring team that has been formed by the Tourism Office of West Nusa Tenggara to take on the role of structuring and coaching on many items which will be evaluated for the event. "Let's straighten our intentions to support our province; West Nusa Tenggara to succeed in this Tourism Villages by UNWTO competition. West Nusa Tenggara is the representative of Indonesia. There is a noble task and it is a big responsibility for us to make the nation proud in the world," said the Head of the province Tourism Office, Yusron Hadi after inaugurating the formation of the Tetebatu Tourism Village Winning Team, Monday (30/8) in Mataram. The Tetebatu Tourism Village Mentoring Team will work and support Tetebatu Village preparing all aspects assessed by UNWTO (United Nation World Tourism Organization) assessors for the best village 2021 competition. "The team will work hand in hand with the community more intensely to monitor, including reporting on the progress of improving Tetebatu Village to ensure they got all items which need to be highlighted to UNWTO assessors has the right standard or even exceed the standard as we have many value propositions on our village. Even though Tetebatu has stated that it is ready to compete, there are many aspects that need to be improved to make it perfect,” said Yusron enthusiastically. ( Resource: https://beritanasional.id )

Cultural Tourism uplifting the local economy

07-09-2021

Local experiences are an upcoming trend when it comes to traveling. Local customs and traditions become more important to travelers. They want to immerse themselves in the country’s culture. More people are leaving all-inclusive resorts and are shifting towards real experiences with locals. It is interesting for these people to go off the beaten path and focus on CBT activities. Travelers nowadays want to feel and understand the destination. It has changed people’s perspectives on how they travel around. They do not just want to visit tourist spots anymore. ‘Off the beaten path and recommendations from locals’ were in the top five when it comes to value and exploration. These two aspects are highly considered when people are planning a trip. It also illustrated that ‘museums, historical sites, arts, and culture’ are one of the top five inspirations for travelers.

2nd Press Release of Pro-Women - Upskilling Itineraries Up-skilling Itineraries for Women as New Cultural Promoters to Enhance Territorial Heritage

19-08-2021

Pro-Women – Up-skilling Itineraries for Women as New Cultural Promoters to Enhance Territorial Heritage is an Erasmus+ KA2 project that wants to promote equal opportunities and social-labour inclusion of the low-skilled and unemployed women by providing intervention tools for training and empowerment. The target group has undertaken a participative learning path to strengthen their competencies and acquire new ones, with the final aim of supporting their employability in the Tourism sector. The project challenge is to operate in sustainable tourism. Therefore, this sector must increasingly be approached with a view of enhancing the cultural and environmental heritage, namely the legacy which includes tangible and intangible culture, as well as natural heritage (landscapes, biodiversity, etc.). The 2nd press release of the project has been published! Take a look and find out about the exciting last steps of the project before its completion at the end of October 2021. The partners involved in Pro-Women project are: - Cooperativa Sociale San Saturnino Onlus - Italy (coordinator) - Obiettivo Famiglia / Federcasalinghe - Italy - Center for Social Innovation CSI - Cyprus - WISAMAR - Germany - Ayuntamiento de Torrijos - Spain - OSENGO - France

Empowering Women through Tourism: A Handbook for Educators & Trainers

18-08-2021

This Handbook was developed in the context of the Erasmus+ project Pro-Women - Up-skilling Itineraries for Women as New Cultural Promoters to Enhance Territorial Heritage (www.prowomen-project.eu). It aims at helping professionals (educators, trainers) working with women in a vulnerable situation to develop learning activities and make their up-skilling and to promote their employability in the tourism sector. The Handbook provides suggestions on how to work with vulnerable women, while emphasizing at the same time the individuality of each person. It also contains information on how to effectively communicate, listen and engage, observe, promote and enable, mobilise resources, assess and plan. It is a holistic reference point of the project objectives as a whole, while simultaneously utilizing all the resources that have been developed within the project duration. One innovative element of this Output is that it offers tools and exercises that help identify the specific challenges of each woman in a vulnerable position and thus to assess their actual needs in order to adapt the intervention paths and perspectives to the real needs of the individual. This is reflected in the belief that women do not comprise a homogeneous group or category; they face different challenges and thus it is crucial to try and understand their situation and their specific needs in order to formulate appropriate plans of action. Lastly, the methodological approach of the Handbook is focused on the perspectives that form the basis for empowerment of the work with women in vulnerable situations, namely: • a gender perspective • an anti-discriminatory perspective • an anti-oppressive perspective • an anti-racist perspective • a users’ perspective.

The Global Goals for Tourism

05-08-2021

With an on-demand course covering every SDG, we’ll guide you to understand and apply these goals to your destination. The aim is simple: to support the industry’s sustainable development. Grow Sustainably: We will look into each SDG, presenting best practices and relevant examples whilst building a roadmap to tackle each goal and successfully progress in sustainable development, as an organisation, and as a unified industry. Access data: Learn the intrinsic meaning of each SDG, access the latest key statistics and how these are targeted and measured. Learn from others: Be inspired by best practices and leading examples worldwide, to discover how each SDG can be applied in tourism. Plan for Action: Get concrete recommendations on how to support each SDG and understand how it interlinks with the other goals. Online: On demand + live, 17 training modules delivered in micro-lessons, complete with cases and guidance to develop focused indicators. Develop Together: Co-design a path towards sustainable future, defining common challenges and sharing knowledge. + Bonus Research Track Led by Birthe Menke, this additional part of the programme taps into strengths, challenges and opportunities in the Tourism Industry and set the basis for a forward-looking transformation, based on Collaborative Design. Get together, exchange ideas and thoughts with key industry players, co-create and taking advantage of a moment when the industry slows down to fully prepare for the future. Your Presenters Vicky Smith - Founder of Earth Changers and expert in sustainable tourism. Nick Hall - Founder and CEO of Digital Tourism Think Tank and expert in Destination transformation. Birthe Menke - PhD Fellow in Sustainable Tourism Development and Tourism Co-Design. Dates: Starts September 2021. Runs for 17 weeks, with breaks, ending January 2022

Tourism and Technology Summit Africa

05-08-2021

AFRICA AS A SMART TOURISM DESTINATION Smart tourism refers to the application of information and communication technology for developing innovative tools in tourism. It supports integrated efforts at a destination to find innovative ways to collect and use data derived from physical infrastructure, social connectedness and organizational sources (both government and non-government),and users in combination with advanced technologies to increase efficiency, sustainability, experiences. The information and communication technology tools used for smart tourism include IoT, mobile communication, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. It combines physical, informational, social, and commercial infrastructure of tourism with such tools to provide smart tourism opportunities. The principles of smart tourism lie at enhancing tourism experiences, improve the efficiency of resource management, maximize destination competitiveness with an emphasis on sustainable aspects. It should also gather and distribute information to facilitate efficient allocation of tourism resources and integrate tourism supplies at a micro and macro level ensuring that the benefits are well distributed. A lot is happening in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality space in Africa and post covid-19 the shift which has occurred cannot be ignored, Technology is now the centrepoint of many organisations operating in the sector so says Clara Chinwe Okoro Founder and COO at My Beautiful Africa a Travel Tech Company based in Lagos Nigeria and organisers of the Tourism and Technology Summit Africa.

Earth-Changers.com

05-08-2021

Earth Changers promote the best positive impact, regenerative, sustainable tourism for people to find & book trips that truly change the world. We feature life-changing places, with world-changing people, for extraordinary experiences with purpose. Launched in 2017, we were authorised by the UNWTO as a solution for sustainable tourism for development for the UN designated year #2017. As far as we know, we were the first commercial organisation to write about the intersection of tourism and the SDGs. In 2019 we won Travelmole's Best Responsible Travel and Tourism website and were invited to be an Ambassador for the UK Government DEFRA environment's department's Year of Green Action. Other recognition includes awards for social enterprise, content and regular speaking engagements and inclusion in media such as the BBC, Forbes and Conde Nast. Purpose: We start with the Why? Impact-led deep content to connect with motivations and educate minds. Why people do what they do in the places they do it? Learn about the reasons for their drive and the impact on communities, conservation and big world issues, and how tourism intersects with each of the SDGs, People: We put people in the middle - the human stories behind amazing places. How did they come to do what they do, why, and what impact does it have on lives? Be inspired by stories of unsung heroes. Places: We discern and feature seriously sustainable special places implementing best practice from around the world. - Where can you go and what can you do to create positive impacts through tourism for sustainable development? We inspire to experience. Blog: We talk about sustainable tourism: what it is, how to break it down, what to consider. Follow along! On a B2B basis, we also offer sustainable tourism & marketing consultancy, and a 17 week course on aligning Travel & The SDGs.

Earth-Changers.com

05-08-2021

Earth Changers promote the best positive impact, regenerative, sustainable tourism for people to find & book trips that truly change the world. We feature life-changing places, with world-changing people, for extraordinary experiences with purpose. Launched in 2017, we were authorised by the UNWTO as a solution for sustainable tourism for development for the UN designated year #2017. As far as we know, we were the first commercial organisation to write about the intersection of tourism and the SDGs. Purpose: We start with the Why? Impact-led deep content to connect with motivations and educate minds. Why people do what they do in the places they do it? Learn about the reasons for their drive and the impact on communities, conservation and big world issues, and how tourism intersects with each of the SDGs, People: We put people in the middle - the human stories behind amazing places. How did they come to do what they do, why, and what impact does it have on lives? Be inspired by stories of unsung heroes. Places: We discern and feature seriously sustainable special places implementing best practice from around the world. - Where can you go and what can you do to create positive impacts through tourism for sustainable development? We inspire to experience. Blog: We talk about sustainable tourism: what it is, how to break it down, what to consider. Follow along! On a B2B basis, we also offer sustainable tourism & marketing consultancy, and a 17 week course on aligning Travel & The SDGs.

CUBES – CUltural Administration Boosting with the Engagement of Sustainability for the local communities

04-08-2021

CUBES - CUltural administration Boosting with the Engagement of Sustainability for local communities- is a European funded Erasmus+ project, established in in November 2019. CUBES derives from the need to create and disseminate know-how regarding the sustainable administration of tangible and intangible cultural resources in order to really empower all sectors of society, aiming at both cultural democracy and cultural sustainability. This kind of empowerment could foster grassroots ownership of cultural assets, gradually enabling the administration of cultural resources within a sustainability framework. The CUBES project consists of 5 Intellectual Outputs. The Intellectual Output - Cultural Administration and Sustainability Boosters Curriculum is a Competency-based Curriculum, an e-Learning training program, that is now available online, offered to the wider public focusing on the acquirement of knowledge on cultural initiatives. This online learning program encourages stakeholders to learn theoretical and practical information in regard to the cultural administration and contemporary approaches to sustainability of cultural resources. CUBES curriculum has been formulated upon the following main subjects: 1) Project Management 2) Community Involvement & Networking 3) Marketing Cultural Work 4) Fundraising for Culture In parallel, the third Intellectual Output includes the development of the CUBES Online Learning Environment, where users will be able to find the online modules, participate in learning activities, use assessment tools to evaluate their performance and communicate with other learners and instructors, as well as the CUBES Mobile Application, accessible for downloading through the project’s platform and all major mobile platforms. Discover more about CUBES on our website: http://cubesproject.eu/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cubes-eu Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erasmuscubes

Iran Eco Adventure Tours

30-07-2021

Iran Eco Adventure is the brand name of incoming tours and a division of Spilet Alborz Eco Adventures Co. It’s an Iran-based company and for over 15 years we’ve been made memories and trips for people who love outdoor activities and hiking, have a passion for travel, and have a bucket list of exciting adventures. Our travel experience runs deep, from years mountaineering and traveling like Iran to research trips and just bouncing around every corner of the country. This deep experience is the reason behind our pioneering approach to winning itineraries. Whether you’ve taken many trips or you’re tying up for the first time, we design and offer everything in the tour program according to your needs. Our tours offer a variety of adventure activities ranging from Eco tours, hiking, trekking, and biking to alpine skiing and desert safari. With the same meticulous approach, Spilet Alborz; our brand for domestic and outbound tours introduced many Iranians to the natural beauties of many destinations in Africa, South Asia, Indochina, Australia, and Amazon. Spilet Alborz is currently the sole provider of various climbing tours in the Himalayas, Alps, Kilimanjaro, Caucasus, Pamir, and the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Ararat, and many other destinations. Also for the first time in Iran, we established Damavand Eco Camp. It consists of two camps at the North face of Mt. Damavand named Base Camp and Advanced Camp. Damavand is the highest mountain in the Middle East. The Eco Camp offers standard and high-quality services to Damavand climbers. Giving you the joy of adventure in numerous locations of our beautiful country under our proficiency steam is what our company mission is all about and we pride ourselves on our knowledge of destinations and our dedication to nature. www.iranecoadventure.com | www.damavandcamp.com | info@iranecoadventure.com

GOOD Awaits - The Regenerative Tourism New Zealand Podcast

20-07-2021

GOOD Awaits - The Regenerative Tourism New Zealand podcast is a platform for the collective discovery of what regenerative tourism means and to prompt discussion around the way tourism is being “reimagined” in Aotearoa New Zealand. The GOOD Awaits podcast is designed for listeners who work in the tourism and hospitality sector, for anyone interested in regenerative practices, and in particular for people who are looking to begin their regenerative tourism journey. It is intended to be accessible and inspiring both for New Zealanders interested in the future of tourism, and for a global audience, acknowledging New Zealand’s leading role in this movement. The GOOD Awaits podcast aims to:

Expand regenerative thinking to a wider travel and tourism audience in New Zealand and globally
Provide foundational knowledge for communities and operators of what regenerative tourism and regenerative thinking is
Provide a platform to elevate the voices of tourism professionals, businesses, communities and regions who are pioneers of regenerative tourism principles and practices, especially indigenous and minority voices
Raise questions about the current model of tourism and why we need a paradigm shift to regenerative thinking in tourism
Inspire tourism providers and hosts in New Zealand and globally to start this journey towards regenerative practices in their communities
Create an engaged community of people who are on this journey together
Showcase an emerging model of tourism in New Zealand

The first season of the podcast is in progress, with 10 episodes recorded and over 1400 downloads of the first 8 episodes from over 40 countries. A second season of another 10 episodes is planned to continue these important and inspiring conversations.

Accessibility and Inclusive Tourism Development in Nature Areas - Compendium of Best Practices

14-07-2021

This publication was developed within the framework of the Working Group on Accessible Tourism, coordinated by the UNWTO Affiliate Members Department and chaired by the Spanish Network for Accessible Tourism (RedEstable). Its aim is to create an accessible pathway in nature, from which to descry a new approach for inclusive tourism development in natural areas, conceiving nature as the original space that integrated our full diversity. The growing demand for natural-based tourism is reshaping people's travel lifestyle, more interested in lower impact trips as a response to the the climate emergency context we are living in. The negative impact of tourism peaks on destinations and the SARS-COV-2 pandemic are added factors that have developed a desire to escape from urban environments and find more immersive and sustainable experiences in nature. Tourism based in natural spaces will therefore keep attracting visitors of all kind, reason why the shall be designed considering everyone's needs, placing people and universal design principles at the core of all nature-based tourism products and services. This compilation of best practices, developed by members of the Working Group on Accessible Tourism and other entities with expertise and knowledge in this field, and the conclusive recommendations, are a joint effort showcasing case studies that provide innovative, inclusive and sustainable solutions ensuring access to nature for all. This publication also raises awareness on a fundamental mission for the tourism sector, namely: making tourism development in nature areas more inclusive and accessible for all, taking into account that nature areas are - by its own characteristics - extra challenging when it comes to making them accessible.

Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals. The role of Latin American universities: Results, progress and new challenges

14-07-2021

Tourism is a sector that can contribute, directly or indirectly, to the achievement of all SDGs, and in this context, the WTO (2016) has developed a guide recommending a course of action, which indicates the “creation and dissemination of knowledge” and "institutional training and education”. Particularly universities, among other institutions, are encouraged to disseminate how sustainable tourism contributes to the development of countries, the tools that can be applied to measure the impacts of tourism, and the educational policies that can be promoted. It is important to point out, in order to meet the SDGs, that progress has been made, but in general, the actions aimed at achieving such goals are not yet developing as quickly as necessary. In addition, it cannot be ignored that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a strong impact and will require a review of compliance strategies. This is how the UN has appealed to enter the so-called “decade of action” (UN, 2020). Within this framework, this exploratory research will be developed to analyse the contribution of universities concerning tourism and the application of the SDGs, with a focus on Argentina and Brazil during the 2015-2020 period. To achieve this goal, surveys will be carried out in the academic field together with a compilation and analysis of documents produced and formally disseminated from the selected universities. The research project will be carried out within the framework of the consolidated universities network USAL-UADER-UFSM network (Argentina and Brazil), it will have a four-stage structure, it will make use of new technologies for the meeting of the research group and the application of surveys. Finally, the results (expected to 2023) will be will be shared with other universities through an international meeting to be held in virtual mode. The Research Team: Claudia Toselli (USAL, Argentina. General Co-ordination of the project) Luciana Davi Traverso (UFSM, Brazil. Academic Co-ordination of the project for Brazil) Andrea Takáts (UADER, Argentina – Principal Researcher) Adriana Ten Hoeve (USAL, Argentina – Principal Researcher) Caroline Ciliane Ceretta (UFSM, Brazil– Principal Researcher) Marcelo Ribeiro (UFSM, Brazil– Assistant Researcher) María Martha Lucano (USAL, Argentina - Assistant Researcher) Irene Aguer (UADER, Argentina – Assistant Researcher) Tiago Zardin Patias (UFSM, Brazil– Assistant Researcher)

Global Survey of Climate Action in Tourism

29-06-2021

UNWTO is inviting public and private stakeholders from around the world to take part in a Global Survey of Climate Action in Tourism and help identify frontrunning initiatives and opportunities to accelerate climate action in tourism. Launched on World Environment Day, the survey aims to support the ongoing efforts of the sector to reduce its environmental impacts and carbon emissions, as well as to strengthen its capacity to adapt to a changing climate. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “The pandemic and its impact on tourism, jobs and revenues, offers an unprecedented reminder of the need to rebalance our relationship with people, planet and prosperity. The green transformation of the sector is needed, not just for the planet, but also for tourism itself, boosting competitiveness and increasing resilience.” The Global Survey is part of the preparations for the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 and the results will be presented in November 2021 in Glasgow. It has been developed within the framework of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme. The survey is open until 15 July 2021 and destinations, businesses and tourism associations are all invited to take part. Please find more information on the survey here

TOURISM WEEK AND HACKATOUR 2021 - 17 STEPS TO TRANSFORMING THE WORLD

22-06-2021

The Tourism Week is a multidisciplinary academic scientific event promoted annually by professors and students in the area of Tourism field of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of São Paulo – Campus Cubatão (Brazil), due to the celebration of the World Tourism Day, promoting activities with the aim of understanding, stimulating, foment and disseminating critical reflections on how tourist activity enhances new opportunities for development and sustainability. In 2021, the program of activities will be dynamic (September to December) and will cover each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals for the Agenda 2030. The theme of the event is in line with the understanding of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) that the tourism as a transversal activity with profound social ramifications is an engine for positive change. As an integrated activity, a Hackatour will be organized, an event for the popularization of science, technology and innovation, with the aim of bringing together and integrating participants in work out in real problems/challenges in the tourism sector, heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting ideas and innovative solutions that embrace the 17 SDGs for a more resilient and sustainable tourism. Join us into the 17 steps to transforming the world!

Webinar: Covid-19 and Green Economic Recovery: What Roles for Sustainable Tourism?

21-06-2021

World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade in Services and Investment Division, jointly with Trade and Environment Division, have the pleasure of inviting you to a webinar on:

Covid-19 and Green Economic Recovery:

What Roles for Sustainable Tourism?

Tuesday, 22 June 2021, 16.30-18:15 (CET) – Zoom platform

The main objective of the high-level panel discussion is the knowledge exchange on 'Building Back Better in Tourism'. With the objective of a responsible recovery of tourism, the panel of experts will exchange insights on how to improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the tourism sector through, in particular, responsible trade and investment. Achieving sustainable tourism requires constant monitoring of impacts moving away from traditional measures to new indicators that include the environmental and social dimension in addition to the economic measurement. For registration and further details, please click on the links below: WTO | COVID-19 and Green Economic Recovery: What Roles for Sustainable Tourism? Please register here This event will be livestreamed at: https://youtu.be/z4rNfy0_ctU

Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO

18-06-2021

UNWTO is recognizing villages across the world that are committed to the promotion and preservation of their cultural heritage and sustainable development through tourism. The initiative of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will identify villages taking innovative and transformative approaches to tourism in rural areas in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the vision of making tourism a positive force for transformation, rural development and community wellbeing, ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ aims to maximize the contribution of the sector to reducing regional inequalities and fighting against rural depopulation. It also seeks to advance the role of tourism in valuing and safeguarding rural villages along with their associated landscapes, knowledge systems, biological and cultural diversity, local values and activities, including gastronomy. The Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO initiative aims to recognize those villages which is are outstanding examples of rural tourism destinations with recognized cultural and natural assets, that preserve and promote community based values, products and lifestyle and have a clear commitment to sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental with the fundamental aim of making tourism one of the drivers of positive transformation, rural development and community well-being.

Via Francigena. Road to Rome 2021. Start again!

07-06-2021

Via Francigena. Road to Rome 2021. Start again! is a relay march along the 3200 km of the Via Francigena pilgrimage route. A group of travelers will walk and cycle through all stages of the route, crossing England, France, Switzerland and Italy. Organized by the European Association of Via Francigena Ways (EAVF) with its network of partners and friends, the march relaunches sustainable and cultural tourism in response to the pandemic. It also aims to support the Via Francigena (VF) candidacy to the UNESCO World Heritage List, celebrate the foundation of EAVF, and the 27th anniversary of the recognition of the Francigena as a "Cultural Route of the Council of Europe", granted in 1994. The growing number of slow travelers all over the world shows a trend towards practicing cultural and sustainable tourism. The VF pilgrimage merges the positive impacts of proximity tourism with those of slow tourism to create a sustainable model. On the one hand, it supports a form of rural tourism focused on local economies and cultures while contrasting mass tourism trends that overexploit few macro destinations (SDG 11). On the other hand, slow tourism is a form of carbon-neutral and responsible tourism that avoids polluting transportation while prioritizing local habitats and communities (SDG 12). The European Association of Via Francigena Ways acts as a promoter and policymaker in the economic and socio-cultural development of the route, boosting job creation and the value of local cultures (SDG 8), and encourages multi-stakeholder partnerships for sustainable development (SDG 17). How can you join? - The group will depart on the 16th of June 2021 from Canterbury, km 0 of the route, will arrive in Rome on the 10th of September and in Santa Maria di Leuca on the 18th of October 2021. Join us with your local hiking club to walk with us! - Contribute to our crowdfunding campaign (see links) - If we cross your town, help us find hospitality and organize events!

Earth's Edge

29-04-2021

Porter Scholarship Programme: We believe it is essential that all our staff get the opportunity to progress in their chosen careers. Each year on Kilimanjaro we reward one of our hardworking porters by paying for their training to become a guide. The course which costs USD$900, is far beyond the means of most porters who make roughly USD$115 including tips per climb. After they feed and house their families, there is very little money left at the end of the month, which makes attending guide school themselves virtually impossible. Once they qualify as guides their pay with tips will increase to roughly USD$220, which means they will have much more disposable income to feed and educate their families. Another fantastic benefit of this programme is that it has fostered a healthy sense of competition amongst the porters which has led to even better levels of service on the mountain! In May 2019 two of our porters Fuso (2018 winner) and Thomas (2019 winner) qualified as guides. Established in 2007, Earth’s Edge is a small business based in Dublin, Ireland. We offer high altitude trekking, mountaineering, and our signature tri-adventure expeditions in some of the most stunning locations in the world. We are the only company in the world who send an international guide and doctor on all expeditions while keeping group sizes sustainably small. Sending an international guide and doctor allows us to deliver an unrivalled level of safety and service for each and every one of our clients. Having smaller group sizes brings a lot of advantages including better guide to client ratios, reduced environmental impact and stronger team dynamics. While our main focus is on safety and your experience with us, we also have a robust responsible travel policy encompassing the environment, communities and people we work with. This allows us to achieve our mission of providing you with a life changing experience while being kind to the planet and her people.

Clio Muse Tours Is Among the Winners of the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition

14-04-2021

Clio Muse Tours has been selected as one of the 25 winners from 18 countries at the UNWTO SDGs Global Startup Competition for its widespread ability to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The innovative Greek startup was selected out of 10,000 initial proposals from all regions across the globe achieving a great place in a list of innovative entrepreneurs. “The winners show the power of new ideas for transforming our sector”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili adding that “by embracing innovation, we can realize this potential and build a better future for people and planet through tourism. I congratulate them all and look forward to seeing these startups grow and deliver positive change.” Specifically, Clio Muse Tours was selected for generating the greatest impact in the “Decent work and economic growth” goal (SDG8). The reason why the company stood out among other similar solutions is mainly because of the company’s robust business model that promotes sustainable practices and also empowers professionals in the tourism and culture industries. “We have worked hard to develop a business plan that empowers professionals of the tourism and the culture sectors and at the same time promotes sustainable practices in tourism. We are confident that we can replicate our successful business model in any country and help professionals in tourism and culture grow through the unlimited availability of self-guided audio tours and their upselling potential,” says Andreas Fatouros, Clio Muse Tours’ CEO. The company creates and sells audio tours to travelers on its own e-shop and through the world’s online marketplaces and Online Travel Agencies. At the same time through its technological tools and platform Clio Muse assists professionals of the tourism and the cultural industries with B2B solutions to promote different aspects of our global cultural heritage to an international audience with low-cost customer acquisition strategies.

Greener Act

14-04-2021

Greener Act is the first ever App, which allows travellers to make positive changes by engaging in community projects and to support local causes, in order to create a more sustainable world. Our mission is to improve the livelihood of local communities and protect the natural environment, while contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, by Travelling and Acting in a more Sustainable way. Greener Act for Travellers: Once you have downloaded Greener Act and registered as a Traveller, you will start your sustainable journey. The more you engage, the more you will be able to raise your sustainable profile, starting as a ‘Greener Carer’ with 100 points, then reaching the status of ‘Greener Helper’ with 5.000 points, then reaching the status of ‘Greener Defender’ with 10.000 points and finally reaching the top level of a ‘Greener Activist’ with 20.000 points. You can now manifest your interest in participating in any local projects known as ‘Greener Events’, just by clicking the option “interested” and contribute to community development and environmental protection. You can also support any local charities which are close to your heart by donating towards ‘Greener Causes’. Greener Act does not take any commission on this transaction, as we believe that Sustainability is about transparency. Greener Act for Organisations: Showcase the good practices of your organisation and link them to the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. Define your own KPI’s (Key Performance Indicator) for your Greener Events so that you can start measuring effectively your positive impact on the environment. Create your own ‘Greener Cause’ so that you can support local charities which are close to your heart. Receive monthly reporting through dynamic dashboards for your own CSR reporting and share them on all social media. Measure your employee’s engagement and find out “who” is the Greener employee of the month. Create your own Cluster

Ikaalisten Matkatoimisto Oy

06-04-2021

Ikaalisten Matkatoimisto Oy (IMT) is a family owned finnish travel agent and a tour operator. We provide leisure travel packages to finnish customers. Our travel destinations are mostly picked from near countries of Finland, like Baltic and Nordic countries. We believe that by educating our customers about the local cultures, environment, and nature we enforce tolerance, equality, and sustainability. We believe that travel is one key to broader world view. On our company core, it’s written that we want to be a responsible company in every level of our operations. We have always been looking to work with responsible and sustainable partners. When choosing partners, for example, transportation or activities, we always value responsibility higher than price. For example, we have put in our effort to create bus routes for our customers' needs, so that they would have an alternative to their own car travelling. New buses are of course more expensive and more comfortable, but also way much more environmentally friendly than old ones. Actually, with the smart and efficient usage of new buses and routes, we can even beat average train transportation on environmental friendliness! During the Covid-19 crises we have brought new nature activities and local experiences to our customers. It’s been a horrible year with Covid-19 to travel industry. Nevertheless, we have still kept all of our staff and used only temporary lay-offs to be able to survive. In 2021 we are creating a CO2 emission calculator to show to our customers how much CO2 emissions are involved to travel. We have also planned to create compensation for the travel packages that consumers can pay at the same time when booking her travel package. We are also planning to have new kinds of travel experiences that would have an even bigger impact on local communities or local environments.

Initiative for accessible tourism in Switzerland OK:GO

30-03-2021

The desire to travel is in all of us. For people with disabilities and senior citizens, however, the well-deserved vacation involves intensive preparation. In order to enjoy a carefree time as much as possible, information about the accessibility of accommodations or leisure activities is needed even before departure. Many tourism providers in Switzerland have offers that are suitable for some of the people with disabilities and seniors. However, there is often a lack of publicly accessible information. The Accessible Switzerland Association helps the Swiss tourism industry address the travel requirements of senior citizens and people with disabilities appropriately and in such a way as to meet their specific needs. From the moment it was established in 2016, the FVBS has been supported by prominent service providers in the Swiss tourism industry and by disabled people’s associations. The aim of the initiative is that tourism businesses inform about the accessibility of their offers in order to facilitate travel planning for people with disabilities as well as seniors. For this purpose OK:GO provides the necessary system for recording and communication. It is by no means a matter of costly conversions or the need for an existing barrier-free infrastructure. What is new about the OK:GO approach is: All service providers can participate, even those who are "not 100% barrier-free" according to the classic understanding. It is about a commitment to the topic of "inclusion for people with disabilities" and a self-declaration for concrete and relevant information for this target group. The system for this is provided by OK:GO through its partner platform "ginto". Excerpts from the website.

Hotel Valsana Arosa

30-03-2021

The 4-star superior hotel Valsana in Arosa consistently implements sustainability. It has been Green Globe certified in 2020, making it one of the most sustainable hotels in Switzerland. Green Globe certification is a globally recognized, structured assessment of the sustainability performance of travel and tourism companies and their supply chain partners. As part of the certification process, all areas of the hotel's operations were evaluated and reviewed for the sustainability thinking behind them. This includes, among other things, employee training in the area of sustainability, integration into the local community, but also a purchasing policy that primarily takes local and regional producers into account. Valsana achieved 93 percent of the possible points in the certification process. In addition to the ice storage, the hotel's own beehive, the green roof and the majority of eco-certified and fair-trade products were particularly highlighted.

KITRO

30-03-2021

Excerpts from website: Kitro is a fully automatic food waste management solution for the food and beverage industry. KITRO provides customers with hardware and software that enables them to effortlessly reduce their food waste across the entire outlet. Reducing food costs and wasted resources for the hospitality industry is the goal of Kitro. KITRO seeks to provide a long-term solution that becomes as essential to a kitchen as a dishwasher or an oven, and helps companies track their food waste over time. KITRO delivers high quality Swiss solutions that are efficient and robust. KITRO's goal is to raise awareness and tackle food waste along the entire supply chain. For more information see links below

Innovationsgenerator 2.0

30-03-2021

Excerpts from website Tourism in Switzerland is facing major challenges in dealing with the effects of the Corona pandemic, climate change and the constantly changing needs of guests. With the Innotour project Innovation Generator 2.0, supported by SECO, a broad-based project sponsorship wants to contribute to making the change sustainable. Using co-creation methods, the Innovation Generator 2.0 brings together partners across sectors and offers development spaces for the development of innovative tourism projects. The funded projects should meet all three target dimensions of sustainability in the best possible way: Economy, Environment, Society. The Innovation Generator 2.0 builds on the experiences of the Innovation Generator 2016/18. The method for generating innovative ideas will be optimized, and the project perimeter will be extended from the Alpine region to the whole of Switzerland. The most promising ideas will be further developed and guided towards realization. The project offers the initiators personnel and financial support in the various phases of project development. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) Der Tourismus in der Schweiz steht vor grossen Herausforderungen im Zusammenhang mit den Auswirkungen der Corona-Pandemie, dem Klimawandel und sich ständig wandelnden Bedürfnissen der Gäste. Eine breit aufgestellte Projektträgerschaft möchte mit dem vom SECO unterstützten Innotour-Projekt Innovationsgenerator 2.0 dazu beitragen, dass der Wandel nachhaltig wird.

fairjourney - fairunterwegs - voyagéthique

30-03-2021

Excerpt from the website. fairjourney is a non-profit organisation concerned with the social, cultural, economic and ecological impacts of tourism on development. Right from it's inception, it's aim has been to promote the cause of the disadvantaged population in tourist destinations by raising public awareness, by advocating fair trade in tourism in a critical dialogue with the travel industry, and by encouraging travellers to be informed consumers. The travel portal with rules of thumb, practical tips, information and inspiration for fair encounters with people from other cultures - on the road as at home. fairjourney was founded in 1977 by a group of Swiss development agencies, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and committed tourism operators. Today, the competence center has some 130 members and, thanks to the support of government agencies, its education mandates and promotional partnerships for the operation of the travel portal fairunterwegs.org, is able to focus its activities on fair trade and the respect for human rights in tourism. Find out more in the links below

Hospitality Booster

30-03-2021

Hotelleriesuisse (proper spelling HotellerieSuisse, actually Schweizer Hotelier-Verein, SHV; also Swiss Hotel Association) is the business association of the Swiss lodging industry and represents the interests of lodging establishments in Switzerland. Innovation is needed for the Swiss lodging industry to remain competitive. With the Hospitality Booster, HotellerieSuisse enables and promotes innovation. The aim is to implement new services, products, processes or business models proactively and with high benefit for our members. For this purpose, the Hospitality Booster takes up needs from the industry, develops ideas and involves various partners. This is the only way to create new, efficient and needs-oriented solutions. For more information see links below

MYBLUEPLANET

30-03-2021

The "I AM PRO SNOW" project supports Swiss winter sports resorts and companies in reducing their carbon footprint and making their commitment to sustainable and climate-friendly tourism visible. All participants commit to switching to 100% renewable electricity by 2030 at the latest, and compile an individual action program to motivate employees and visitors to adopt climate-friendly behavior. I AM PRO SNOW is a project with international appeal. "I AM PRO SNOW" is an awareness and action campaign for climate protection aimed at mountain railroads. The campaign was launched in America by Al Gore (The Climate Reality Project) and disseminated in Switzerland by MYBLUEPLANET. Our vision is for Swiss winter sports resorts to take on a pioneering role in climate protection by committing in the campaign to switch to 100% renewable electricity by 2030 at the latest. For this purpose, there are further training offers for employees, attractive action days for guests and access to an international network." Excerpt from MYBLUEPLANET

Swisstainable

29-03-2021

"Nachhaltigkeit als Wettbewerbsvorteil für den Schweizer Tourismus und echten Mehrwert für die Gäste. Dafür bietet Schweiz Tourismus mit Swisstainable ein Programm an, an dem sich alle Leistungsträger beteiligen können." "Ziel der Kampagne sei es, mehr Orientierung für die Konsumenten zu bieten, heisst es. Eine Zertifizierung sei es aber nicht. Die teilnehmenden Unternehmen würden je nach ihrem Engagement für Nachhaltigkeit mit drei verschiedenen Signeten ausgezeichnet. Das erste Level «Swisstainable Commited» steht für Betriebe, die über keine Nachhaltigkeitszertifizierungen verfügen, ihren Betrieb aber in Richtung Nachhaltigkeit weiterentwickeln wollen. Das zweite und dritte Signet, «Swisstainable Engaged» und «Swisstainable Leading», wird an Unternehmen verliehen, die bereits im Bereich Nachhaltigkeit zertifiziert sind." "Entwickelt wurde das Konzept in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Institut für Tourismus und Mobilität ITM der Hochschule Luzern. Zudem wurde es von der unabhängigen Non-Profit-Organisation Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) inhaltlich begleitet. Ausgerollt wird es in der Sommerkampagne 2021 von Schweiz Tourismus. Vorerst wollen die Organisatoren den Begriff Swisstainable, eine Wortkombination aus Swiss (schweizerisch) und sustainable (nachhaltig) hierzulande bei der breiten Bevölkerung bekanntmachen. Kommendes Jahr wollen sie gute Beispiele einer nachhaltigen Veränderung der Reisebranche zeigen und im Jahr 2023 einen Swisstainable-Reiseführer herausgeben." "Die gesamte Tourismusbranche ist eingeladen, sich an Swisstainable zu beteiligen. Um den Gästen Orientierung zu schaffen, werden Leistungsträger, die sich in der Nachhaltigkeit engagieren, mit einem Signet ausgezeichnet. Diese Betriebe werden als Vorbilder präsentiert und in die Gästekommunikation integriert." Information in French and English is available via the links.

UNWTO Workshop on Sustainable Tourism Development Product in the Pacific Islands (hybrid)

29-03-2021

The UNWTO Workshop on Sustainable Tourism Development in the Pacific Islands will be held in a hybrid manner in Suva, Fiji on 31st March 2021. 08:00 - 15:00 (Fiji Time) The workshop is specifically designed to support tourism stakeholders from the Pacific Island Countries in the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19 that has affected all countries around the globe, but particularly Small Island Destinations in the Pacific who strongly depend on tourism as their main means of subsistence. It aims at strengthening effective and responsive sustainable tourism product development at national and destination levels, at a critical moment when most countries are struggling to restart their tourism. The objectives of the workshop are:

To support and advance the development of sustainable tourism products in the Pacific Islands
To encourage the exchange of good practices in sustainable tourism development between Pacific Islands and pioneer countries.
To promote and disseminate the findings of the UNWTO/APTEC Publication on Sustainable Tourism Product Development Opportunities in the Pacific Islands.

To find out more, please refer to the links below:

Improved skills through hospitality training in Cambodia

29-03-2021

“I felt self-confident as I had obtained substantial resources [knowledge] for myself. If I were to identify one lesson from the training that helped me achieve my development, it would be those hospitality knowledge and communication skills. For me, the hospitality training is a very beneficial project for Kampot [province], because it has provided both opportunity and knowledge to hospitality workers who did not possess enough skills, and also help them to obtain higher income” says Ms. Lihouy Tiev. Ms. Tiev participated in the Hospitality Kampuchea (HoKa), the 1st In-House training programme in the country targeted at the existing low-skilled workers of hotels and restaurants who can apply the technical skills in their workplace. HoKa has been introduced to Cambodia by the Mekong Inclusive Growth and Innovation Programme (MIGIP), implemented by Swisscontact, the Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation, and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Happel Foundation and the Kuoni and Hugentobler Foundation. A story that shows the significant impact to the SDGs 1, 4, 5 and 8 that tourism can have, if developed in an inclusive and sustainable way.

Tourism Governance and Destination Marketing in Tunisia

26-03-2021

The project contributes to diversifying and improving the competitiveness of Tunisian tourism by encouraging the development of new approaches to local tourism management and new regional tourism brands. Tourism accounts for 14% of national GDP and faces many structural and profound challenges. Tunisian tourism urgently needs reforms and measures to improve its positioning and added value in a competitive and increasingly segmented global market. Limited to a few coastal regions and heavily dependent on foreign tourism organizations, the sector is struggling to develop new offerings, while the country has real potential in terms of both product diversification and tourism regions. Swisscontact uses an inclusive approach involving tour operators, local public and private institutions, providers of ancillary and complementary activities and civil society actors, with particular attention to young people, women and small service providers. The project also aims at developing marketing techniques for tourism through new marketing approaches and methods, in particular destination marketing with digital and participatory approaches.

Green Investments for Hotel Revitalization Webinar

26-03-2021

We would like to invite you to participate in the webinar "Green Investments for Hotel Revitalization" with the purpose to provide relevant data insights and practical measures for a faster recovery of the tourism sector through the promotion of Green finance mechanisms offer by IFC. The webinar will focus on “Green Investments for Hotel Revitalization” with the purpose to provide relevant insights and green finance mechanisms available through financial institutions (FIs) for a faster recovery of the tourism sector. The webinar will invite government officials working on investments, Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs)managers, traditional investors, hotel owners with a forward-looking vision to provide liquidity and sustainability measures during COVID-19.

Date: 31st March 2021
Time: 09:30 AM CET Madrid Time (Please be aware of your time zone)
Language: English
Format: Webinar via Zoom
Speakers:
- Natalia Bayona, Director Innovation, Education and Investments at UNWTO
- Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
- Koto Ueda, Upstream Analyst, Financial Institutions Group at International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Register Here

For more questions, contact mafigueroa@unwto.org

Mekong Inclusive Growth and Innovation Programme (MIGIP Cambodia)

25-03-2021

Mekong Inclusive Growth and Innovation Programme (MIGIP) focuses on enterprise development in the agriculture and tourism sectors. Cambodia’s agriculture sector which is a major employer and livelihood option for the majority of the poor, is one of the key engines for economic growth and poverty reduction in the country. MIGIP recognises the critical role that agro-technologies can play in transforming Cambodia agriculture towards sustainable intensification. Tourism sector is a key driver for local economic development in Cambodia. MIGIP recognises that growth in the tourism sector has the potential to contribute to job creation, revenue generation, the improvement of people’s livelihood and poverty alleviation.

Agriculture Sector

To increase production through sustainable intensification and to increase the competitiveness of the agriculture sector, the use of improved technology and techniques are necessary. Hence, MIGIP is supporting the promotion of existing and new technologies giving special emphasis to sustainable agriculture. To achieve this vision in agriculture, MIGIP is working in the following intervention areas:

Increase efficiency of service provision: by improving functions that support agricultural technology such as access to finance, information services and extension services
Promote the adoption of agriculture technology: by increasing awareness of various agriculture technologies
Improve the quality of crops: by working on various mechanisms with the private sector and other market actors to transfer knowledge to smallholder farmers
Enhance commercial orientation of agriculture technologies: by facilitating stakeholder research on the commercialisation of agriculture technology particularly on sustainable agriculture.

Tourism sector

To increase the competitiveness of the tourism sector, MIGIP focuses on strengthening destination management structure, processes, marketing, and skills through public-private partnerships at the sub-national level. To achieve this vision in tourism, MIGIP is working in the following intervention areas:

Strengthen destination marketing: by developing sub-brands through the Visitor Flows marketing strategy
Improve service quality and skills: by providing in-house trainings aligned with the national standards for low-skilled workers
Strengthen specific visitor flows: by supporting local businesses to develop new products and activities targeted to specific market segments
Enhance destination management structure: by promoting public-private partnership in destination management.

Local Skills Development for Youth

25-03-2021

In the Local Skills Development for Youth (LSDY) project, unemployed young men and women from the Lake Victoria region, which is particularly affected by poverty, have access to modular, needs-oriented vocational education and training. Thanks to the training, they can earn their livelihood on their own as self-employed persons or employees and significantly improve their situation and that of their families. Furthermore, young entrepreneurs, who have already completed their vocational training courses in the last phase, are supported in professionalising their small businesses. Special focus is given to the access to coaching and financial services. The project makes use of innovative vocational training approaches, whether through learning methods in a company (based on a dual vocational training) or work in learning groups. Young adults acquire practical and technical skills and are equipped with financial and life skills to take on their journey into professional life. Project activities

Vocational training: basic and further training courses The project primarily focuses on vocational training and practical experience in companies.
Promotion of entrepreneurship Apart from technical skills, the project develops the business acumen of the trainees. In advanced courses, young adults learn how to plan their business, analyse customer needs, calculate profits and set prices.
Facilitate financial know-how and access to financial services The beneficiaries acquire basic financial literacy, which they can readily apply in savings and lending groups. The project also facilitates access to formal banks, savings and credit cooperatives and new innovative products, such as microleasing, tailored to the needs of young adults and entrepreneurs.
Strengthening social skills and self-competence Through its courses, the project develops social skills and self-competence of the youth, who are often caught up in a vicious cycle of poverty and frustration. For example, they learn about health, hygiene, safety and communication.
Networking young people with labour market Linkages between prospective employees with potential employers are facilitated through participation at fairs, internships etc.

Economically strong regions through sustainable tourism (MIGIP Laos)

25-03-2021

The objective of the project is to introduce new models for promoting localities that involve the social, environmental, and economic needs of local populations while creating additional income and jobs. Despite high and sustained economic growth, Laos remains one of the UN’s “Least Developed Countries” – one third of the population lives below the poverty line. The project creates jobs and income opportunities in the tourism sector, thereby contributing to poverty reduction. Swisscontact is applying an approach by which local actors can participate actively in developing the tourism sector with increasing flows of tourists. This approach not only considers economic, but also social and environmental factors: natural beauty is to be highlighted and protected; the local population must benefit from economic growth. Promoting the important tourism area of Champasak lies at the heart of our efforts. Through targeted trainings, tourism SMEs will improve the quality of services they offer, thereby enhancing their competitiveness. At the same time, the project is further developing the range of available services and activities. To this we can add new products and attractions, which we develop together with our local partners. By becoming a more attractive destination, international guests will stay for longer periods and also spend more money in the process. To find out more, please check the following links:

Pheun Than Heng A SipTraining Programme

25-03-2021

The tourism and hospitality sector in Lao PDR has expanded rapidly in recent years and the trend is set to continue. Tourism and hospitality services often drive revenues for micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in rural areas, which in turn can provide the livelihood for people from poor backgrounds. However, often MSMEs are not able to attract and retain customers due to low service quality; and many job-seekers, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, lack the necessary skills to break into the sector. This prevents MSMEs and disadvantaged job-seekers from benefitting from the potential of the growing tourism and hospitality sector in the country. The Pheun Than Heng A Sip (PTHAS) Training Programme includes over 120 training units, each tailor-made to address the issue of low service quality in tourism and hospitality businesses. Swisscontact originally developed the programme in partnership with the Lao National Institute for Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH), and piloted it in Champasak Province with the Department of Information Culture and Tourism (DICT), and the Champasak Hotel and Restaurant Association (CHRA), under a previous project from 2013 to 2016. To find out more, check out the links below

Sustainable Tourism Destination Development

25-03-2021

The SUSTOUR project is part of the overall Sustainable Tourism Development in Indonesia (STDI) Program of SECO, led by both SECO and the MoTCE. The Program focuses to develop a sustainable and inclusive expansion of tourism in Indonesia. SUSTOUR aims to increase employment and income opportunities for the local population through inclusive and sustainable economic growth in two targeted destinations, namely in Wakatobi and the western part of Flores (Labuan Bajo). Please find more information in the linksbelow:

Destinations in South-East Tunisia: new approaches and skills in the tourism sector

25-03-2021

The main objective of the project is to contribute to the attractiveness of South-East Tunisia through new approaches and skills for the development of sustainable, diversified and inclusive tourism. This will improve the income and living conditions of the local population. Since the revolution in 2011, 2018 has seen the best tourism result with 7.5 million tourists (an increase of 17% compared to 2017). Tunisia plans to be among the top three destinations in the world by 2020. However, the sector is in urgent need of reform and diversification. This is linked to the following challenges: lack of diversity of supply - this is concentrated in all-round resorts and hotels, endemic debt which weighs on investment and the quality of infrastructure, unequal quality of services, inadequate training and working conditions, and the sector's lack of profitability. Finally, the increase in competition (Egypt, Morocco) requires new tourist offers adapted to the region. Although the occupancy rate has improved significantly over the last two years, the quality of services is regularly judged to be disappointing, and the added value of tourism is still very low. The challenge now is to promote alternative accommodation, develop inland and short-stay tourism and enhance cultural sites.

Sustainable Tourism Education Development Project (STED)

25-03-2021

Tourism is an important part of the Indonesian economy and an important source for generating employment and foreign exchange reserves. Swisscontact has been actively supporting the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism since 2009 to strengthen the competitiveness of selected tourism destinations. The Government of Indonesia has set a number of objectives to improve the role of tourism in the Indonesian economy and has allocated additional funds to the Ministry of Tourism for promotion. The remaining core areas for the Indonesian Government to be addressed are: connectivity, basic services and tourism infrastructure; workforce skills and quality standards; investment and business climate; coordination and implementation capabilities at national and sub-national level. The government of Indonesia has prioritized tourism as one of the main pillars of the country’s economic growth potential. Its strategy is to make the tourism industry Indonesia’s biggest short-term source of foreign exchange revenues. Within the overall framework of the national tourism strategy, the aim is to build up sustainability in the tourism sector through competitive and sustainable destinations and a skilled workforce. The STED project aims to contribute to this goal by working towards a better qualified workforce with relevant skills for the tourism sector. Demand driven education will ensure that graduates meet the standards required by the Indonesian tourism sector, and will equip them with better knowledge on sustainability and inclusion, thereby creating more and better jobs for local population. The project is part of a broader system. While the primary beneficiary is the tourism destination of Lombok, the broader tourism sector in Indonesia and the Indonesian TVET system will also benefit from the project´s results via strengthening of a network of education institutions under the Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy Republic of Indonesia (MoTCE).

Science-based nature tourism as a strategy for ecosystem protection

25-03-2021

The project aims to utilise nature tourism in order to generate alternative income for local communities and mitigate deforestation and conserve biodiversity in the Santa Marta region. The National Development Plan includes the Tourism Sector Plan 2018-2022 "Tourism: the purpose that unites us", which seeks to improve Colombia's competitiveness as a tourist destination. This shall be achieved based on initiatives to strengthen productivity, the generation of value and co-responsibility among the actors in the tourism sector, and the country’s positioning in national and international markets. In this way, the Tourism Sector Plan and the present initiative are aligned in the search for the strengthening of territorial planning and management to develop nature tourism in a sustainable manner. The emphasis lies on protected areas and strategic ecosystems, aiming at the development of infrastructure for the promotion of high-value tourism and specialised products.

Skills Development Programme to Increase Employability of Youth

25-03-2021

In Nicaragua, there are 1.4 million working-age young people between the ages of 18 and 30 years; however, approximately 40% of the economically active youth do not have access to employment or do not earn a salary that meets the basic cost of living. This situation is further aggravated in rural areas and in urban peripheries where access to specialised training is difficult, especially training that facilitates incorporation into the labour market. Objective Consolidate processes to improve the quality and relevance of professional training for employability of youth and adults in prioritised sectors and territories. Currently the second phase of the project is being implemented.

Rural Market Opportunities in the Gulf of Fonseca

25-03-2021

Inclusive economic growth can break the cycle of poverty and social marginalisation in the Dry Corridor where the Gulf of Fonseca region is located. Agriculture is seen as the priority sector where efforts to address productivity, market and infrastructure issues are concentrated. Similarly, non-agricultural economic activities provide opportunities, as they generate a vigorous and diversified local economy. The Rural Market Opportunities Project in the Gulf of Fonseca contributes to the inclusive local economic development of 33 municipalities located in the region, with an emphasis on vulnerable populations, women and youth; specifically focusing on improving productivity and income. The “Rural Market Opportunities in the Gulf of Fonseca” project is sponsored by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Swisscontact. It addresses entrenched poverty and low economic productivity in the Dry Corridor by enabling rural MSMEs, including agricultural producers, to take full advantage of the agricultural and non-agricultural market opportunities available to them. The project approach to rural private sector development, is to build strength throughout the local economic system – supporting small businesses to operate more efficiently and effectively; helping them gain access to and meet the demands of local, national and export markets; and fostering an enabling environment that is conducive to their success and sustainability of the businesses. It will also link local economic development plans to broader regional and national strategies to harmonise efforts and make them more efficient. The project will reach 7460 people and their households.

Vocational Skills Development Project

25-03-2021

The Vocational Skills Development Program (VSDP) aims to improve the access of women and men from disadvantaged groups to quality vocational skills development (VSD) programs which results in employment or self-employment opportunities in the world of work. The significant lack of an appropriately skilled workforce in Myanmar, particularly for vocational occupations, is seen as a major factor restraining the economy’s potential for growth. In order to support its economy, Myanmar needs a committed, experienced and skilled workforce. To achieve this, there is a need to improve the quality, access and relevance of vocational skills development (VSD), especially for those with limited education and economic opportunities. Strengthened public-private partnerships in VSD are essential for implementing policies and skills development related initiatives that address existing labour market needs. To tackle these challenges, VSDP contributes to improve the VSD system and to make it more inclusive and relevant in Myanmar. It works closely with the private and public sectors and targets learners in ways which ensure high relevance of training to labour market demands. Skills for Hospitality sector In areas with high tourist numbers, the Program focuses on providing skills development in selected hospitality occupations. The Program strengthens the capacity of hotel supervisors at partner hotels to deliver training to line staff and learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Program is working with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism (MoHT) to support its capacity for vocational skills development within Myanmar as well as its integration of hospitality professionals into ASEAN.

Promoting Private Sector Employment

25-03-2021

SMEs that operate in competitive and well-organized economic sectors, where public policies better match private sector needs, provide increased sustainable gainful employment for women and men in Kosovo. Kosovo has grown moderately at an average rate of 3% in the last few years and is constantly facing growing labour force. The positive economic trends fall short to generate number of jobs needed to absorb those entering the market every year (around 30,000). Youth, women and minorities (particularly Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian minorities) remain most excluded groups. Formal employment makes around 75% (269,500 employees) of the overall employment, with public sector accounting for 25% of formal jobs. Lack of SME innovation as well as lack of relevant and affordable market support services are limiting SME growth. On the other hand, sustainable sector growth has the highest potential to create SMEs and employment opportunities. Therefore, private sector development and job creation remains the main goals of SDC and of the Kosovo Government. The project contributes to innovations and credible visible changes in the Food and Natural Ingredients and Tourism sectors respectively. Building upon the objectives, achievements, and lessons learned of Phase I, in this current phase 2017 – 2021 the project will tackle private sector development and job creation with more emphasis on youth, women and minorities. The Food and Natural Ingredients sector facilitates and supports opportunities in fresh and processed sectors of fruits and vegetables, medicinal and aromatic plants, and confectionary. Activities in this sector seek to improve the range and diversification of products, improve competitiveness of market actors; develop marketing and certification services, improve promotion and sales of products in local segments, and boost export. The Tourism sector aims to directly contribute to increased numbers of tourists, who spend more and stay longer in the destination, thus

Economic Empowerment of Indigenous Youth and Women (EMPODERA)

25-03-2021

The Project will improve the living conditions of indigenous men and women between the ages of 15 and 35 years, so that they can increase their income and improve their capabilities as well as improving the current conditions for autonomous decision-making; gaining access to professional technical education and market insertion opportunities; it will also the promote sustainable entrepreneurship and financial inclusion, as well as the empowerment of women.The department of Alta Verapaz is located in the north of the Republic of Guatemala. It has a total population of 1.3 million people, 50% are women and 50% men; the population is mainly indigenous (94%) and most of them belong to the Q'eqchí and Pocomchí ethnic groups; likewise, 77% reside mainly in the rural area and only 23% of the population lives in urban areas (INE, 2016). The department of Alta Verapaz has the highest indicator of extreme poverty at 53.6% and total poverty level of 83.1%. Instead of improving, as of 2014 (ENCOVI 2016) poverty has increased by 4.3%, making it the poorest department nationwide. When talking about the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), Alta Verapaz has the highest index in the country, at 0.529, meaning it has the least access to health, education and minimum quality of life conditions such as housing, electricity, sanitation, drinking water and other necessities. On the subject of reproductive sexual health, the data is alarming: According to the reflected indicators of the MSPAS (INE, SEGEPLAN, 2017), the fertility rate is 2.8 children per woman, maternity in adolescents (15 to 19 years) is 7% and there is total of 11,605 cases of young mothers from ages 10 to 19. The project will intervene in 12 municipalities in 3 key areas of the department of Alta Verapaz and in four sectors That have the greatest economic potential: The sectors of forestry, tourism, construction and environmental services.

Nuevas Oportunidades: Productive Reintegration of Returning Migrants

25-03-2021

The project seeks the productive reintegration of returning migrants through the introduction of certification of competences in El Salvador and eventually in the whole Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras). Thousands of migrants are forced every year to return to their home countries. Back in their country in the northern triangle, many returning migrants face difficulties. Although the vast majority of the returnees have no criminal background, the deportees are perceived as criminals by their fellow citizens and have difficulty integrating into the labour market. At the same time, these practically experienced skilled workers bear great potential for the labour market, as there is a demand for qualified workers in growing economic sectors such as construction and tourism.

FOMILENIO II: Review of job profiles, skills requirements and the design of training programs for the sugar, construction, poultry, tourism and coffee sectors

25-03-2021

The program FOMILENIO II included designing training programs for prioritised occupational careers in the sectors of construction, poultry, sugar, tourism and coffee, under the competence-oriented approach. The innovation here was that the programs are designed according to the explicit need of the productive sectors which are channeled through the sectorial committees. The idea was to encourage and obtain an active and broad participation of relevant actors for each stage of work, because this is how the products are validated and in fact pay for the increase in worker’s productivity or augment the job market. The FOMILENIO II program was financed by the United States government, through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and by the government of El Salvador.

Skills Development Programme

25-03-2021

The overall goal of the Skills Development Programme (SDP) is for disadvantaged young women and men and low-skilled workers in five rural provinces of Cambodia (Preah Vihear, Stung Treng, Kratie, Mondul Kiri and Ratanak Kiri) to gain access to decent employment and increased income. The programme pursues two main objectives: 1) The Cambodian Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system will be supported to become more effective in the target provinces, 2) Disadvantaged young men and women and low-skilled workers will improve their employability and income through technical skills, soft skills and entrepreneurship skills. SDP is an SDC-mandated project and is implemented by Swisscontact and INBAS in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT) and the Ministry of Tourism (MoT). The programme works closely with the government at the national and the provincial level and with partners such as the National Employment Agency (NEA), public and non-governmental training providers as well as private companies and small enterprises in the hospitality and other sectors.

Colombia + Competitiva - Strengthening the Competitiveness of the Private Sector

25-03-2021

The Programme aims to support Colombia in its systematic efforts to improve the competitiveness of its private sector in the framework of the National System of Competitiveness, Science, Technology and Innovation and its Productive Development Policy. "Colombia + Competitiva" follows a programmatic and systemic approach with clear ownership of the national and subnational entities and a significant contribution to their alignment and orientation towards common objectives. Currently the government is developing an overarching Productive Development Policy that defines the country’s competitiveness objectives, such as increase in productivity growth, exports, investments and numbers of innovative firms. The main objective is to support the country in achieving sustainable growth, and to reduce poverty and inequalities among its population. One focus lies on improving competitiveness of sectors with potential to create productive and decent employment. The programme supports a portfolio of projects in four sectors – tourism, cocoa, cosmetics/natural ingredients and sustainable construction building upon previous project experiences in the domain of private sector development and trade promotion as well as close consultation with Colombian partners.

Skills for Jobs (S4J)

25-03-2021

Skills for Jobs (S4J) is a project of Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) and is implemented by Swisscontact. The project is part of the Economic Development and Employment Domain of the Swiss Cooperation and Strategy 2018-2021 for Albania, with specific focus on employability. The main goal of ‘Skills for Jobs’ (S4J) project is to offer young people in Albania the best vocational education and training. Better skills will help young people to get a job that they love and that pays them well. More than 16,000 young people access improved VSD offers (IT-based, innovative and attractive, demand-oriented and gender-sensitive) in Tourism & Hospitality, Smart Construction, Textile, ICT and more branches in Shkodra, Lezha, Tirana, Elbasan, Berat and Vlora regions. Currently the second phase of the projects is ongoing (May 2019-June 2023).

Swiss Import Promotion Programme SIPPO

25-03-2021

The Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) is a longstanding, well-established initiative of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) with the overall vision of sustainable and inclusive economic growth and integration of SIPPO partner countries into world trade, through its mission of supporting Business Support Organizations (so called BSOs - which includes public or private asociations, chambers of commerce, export promotion agencies, among others) to increase their export promotion capacity and service provision to export-ready companies. The project will operate in 6 sectors: Fish & seafood Processed foods Natural ingredients Technical wood Value-added textiles Sustainable tourism Since April 2017, SIPPO is being implemented under the direction of Swisscontact in partnership with BHP Brugger and Partners and Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation.

ProJoven : Vocational training for young people at risk of exclusion

25-03-2021

The population of Honduras suffers from poverty, violence, corruption and unemployment. According to the National Statistics Institute of Honduras (INE), the unemployment rate is slightly over 7%; however, if the under-employment rate is added to this, it surpasses 40%, with young people comprising the largest group of unemployed. Furthermore, this group also faces the criminality of gangs and organised crime. Considering the lessons learned during the first phase of the ProJoven project (2013 - 2017), Swisscontact implements a second phase with the general objective of improving the effectiveness and coverage of the training system for vulnerable young people, through quality training that responds to the needs of the labour market and allows the employability of the young beneficiaries. For more information see links below.

WISATA Programme

25-03-2021

WISATA, as a landmark program, was carried out in close cooperation with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. The main goal of the program was to contribute to economic development through sustainable tourism, which creates employment and income to improve the livelihood of the local population. The programme was funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and carried out in close cooperation with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and in line with the national tourism development programme The WISATA programme, originally started in 2009 covering only the island of Flores. Due to the success of the first phase, it was decided that a second phase of the programme should start in June 2014, covering three additional destinations (Toraja, Tanjung Puting, and Wakatobi). Throughout this second phase, the approach, which was successfully developed and applied in Flores, was circulated. WISATA was carried out in close cooperation with the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and in line with the national tourism development programme. The main goal of the programme was to contribute to economic development through sustainable tourism in order to create employment and income that can improve the livelihood of the local population.

Switzerland - Morocco sustainable tourism programme

25-03-2021

Swisscontact implements the Swiss-Moroccan sustainable tourism programme which aims to support the provinces of Azilal and Beni Mellal in developing sustainable tourism with integrated sectors in order to reduce poverty, create income and new jobs and improve existing jobs, particularly for young people and women. The programme is financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO and the Kingdom of Morocco (Ministry of Tourism, Air Transport, Crafts and Social Economy). To learn more about the programme, follow the links below.

Our goal is to make Flores a leading eco-tourism destination in Southeast Asia

25-03-2021

Through the WISATA programme in Indonesia, several Destination Management Organisations received support on various levels. Interview with DMO Flores and IWG Networks, WISATA project partner. The WISATA project, started in 2009, initially covered only the Indonesian island of Flores. Early success meant that three additional destinations were facilitated by WISATA in 2014. The initial set-up of the project was to support the establishment of a Destination Management Organisation (DMO) in Flores. Under the district Destination Management Forum, three Island Working Groups (IWGs) manage the coordination function among tourism stakeholders in each island level. IWG Networks and DMO Flores were asked about their experiences and advances within the WISATA project. Read here the interviews with DMO Flores and IWG Networks from Wakatobi. They want to develop their islands into leading eco-destinations in South East Asia.

Being young is not easy in Honduras: A story of the ProJoven project in Honduras

25-03-2021

The story is about one of the young graduates of the ProJoven Programme. Most of the students in his class that graduated with him are working, says Moisés. However, he recognizes that the majority of the young people in his immediate environment, such as friends and family, have not been able to achieve their goals. "The person’s disposition and being able to find the support of someone who motivates you, is the most difficult thing to achieve. I feel that in Honduras, they rarely give young people the opportunity to grow. On top of that, the issue of violence aggravates everything "underlines Moisés while he finishes preparing coffee for a client. At only 21 years of age, Moisés Izaguirre already knows what he wants, "in five years I hope to have my own coffee business," he says determinedly. He trained as a waiter for seven months at the National Vocational Training Institute of San Felipe (INFOP), in Tegucigalpa, as part of the of the ProJoven program, which is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (COSUDE) and implemented by Swisscontact.

NATURAL MACONDO Colombia Inspiration Ciénaga - The Capital of Magic Realism

25-03-2021

Ciénaga is located on the Caribbean Sea below the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range in Colombia. It is known for its rich variety of landscapes and well-preserved architecture. Cienaga is focusing on developing ecological, cultural, and heritage tourism of indisputable value. The historic centre, an architectural mosaic featuring the church of San Juan Bautista, Centennial square, El Templete, the Freemason’ lodge, the “Devil’s House”, and a variety of republic-era buildings, testimony to the city’s old tobacco and banana booms, was declared a national heritage site in the early 1990s. The project aims to promote the "Macondo Natural" tourism product, which will be sold by the beneficiaries. This will be accomplished by improvements in the value chain, particularly creating service and marketing capacity with special attention to international tourists. In addition, special emphasis will be placed on destination management and the design of a public-private platform in order to promote the product online. “What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it.” Gabriel Garcia Marquez

How a “green job” connects different generations through their love for the environment and stories

25-03-2021

If you travel along the canals, green tunnels snake through the mangrove forests, sunlight peaks through the leaves offering beautiful natural lighting. You feel like you are in a surrealistic place. Your are going into the real landscapes of 100 years of solitude. You are getting to Macondo Natural. The Salamanca Island Road Park has been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Across a 56,200 hectare wetland, it features three ecosystems: a mangrove forest, a tropical riparian forest, and tropical dry broadleaf forest. A canoe tour takes you through the canals, with their Aguja caymans and fiddler crabs, to Ciénaga de Marchena. With a surface area of 450 km2, it is Colombia’s largest coastal lagoon and a bird paradise with over 200 species. This is a story of the intervention in this territory carried out through the Colombia + Competitive program, financed by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by Swisscontact.

Red Rocks Community Conservation Research Centre-Bridging Adventure, People and Nature!

22-03-2021

River Mukungwa Adventures- The source of River Mukungwa located in the Northern Province is where the foot adventures begin near the Volcanoes National Park and a true definition of co-existence showing how the people from the nearby areas and nature live in peace and harmony. The calmly surrounding region provides you with a chance to escape the crowded towns of Rwanda and get to experience the beautiful views of the lake all through to the amazing backdrop scenery of the Virunga Volcanoes. Soothe the mind with blistering sounds of the lake and the melodious sounds of the birds as you choose from a wide range of engaging activities we offer while you are here. The walk is not so physically demanding but rather an easy walk alongside the terrain of the lake. If You are looking for an exquisite way to enjoy the breathtaking views of the lake complemented by the amazing backdrop scenery of the Virunga Volcanoes and the open blue skies or perhaps for photographers looking for a natural scenario then you will be mesmerized by the beauty of the area as you get some of the best shots, or even an opportunity to watch some of the many bird species found in the region from Kingfishers, cormorants, pelicans, white egret just to mention a few. The trail gives you a superb way of meeting with the local people while they go on about their daily everyday life chores- the area also offers an abundant way of joining local fishermen for an all hands-on fishing expedition using locally made rods and if you are lucky enough you will catch your next meal. The walking safari also offers several on-road stops over’s for resting or simply a moment to eat your packed snacks. Studies on the water birds, local trees, soil, and vegetation will be carried out from this center to help us and the community better understand how to mitigate climate and environmental change. And if you are looking for ways in which you help us ensure that we continue with our conservation efforts.

UNWTO - ADB joint session: Aid for Trade Stocktaking Event 2021

19-03-2021

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is pleased to invite you to attend the UNWTO - ADB joint session in the context of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Aid-for-Trade Stocktaking Event 2021.

Session 15: “Reviving Tourism Amid COVID-19 – The Role of Aid for Trade” jointly organized by UNWTO and Asian Development Bank (ADB), taking place Wednesday 24 March, 9.30 - 11.00 am (CET).

The tourism sector has been one of the most dynamic service sectors prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. For many developing countries, the sector also generated the largest share in services exports. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the tourism sector particularly hard and abruptly. Reviving the sector is posing major challenges to governments around the world. With a focus on the Asia and Pacific region, the session will discuss:

options to help the tourism sector survive and how to prepare for a gradual re-opening. analyze how aid-for-trade can be used strategically to help the sector and to ensure that it delivers in terms of sustainability in the short and long run
present latest research findings on the future of tourism and how to achieve sustainable outcomes conducted by the Asian Development Bank jointly with the UN World Tourism Organization.

Interested participants are required to register here.

Red Rocks Biodegradable straws

15-03-2021

As the world is increasingly aware of the disadvantages of the plastic crisis, we declared to say no to using plastics straw, it is in this regard that we initiated the idea of planting the Lepironia Articulata wild grass to combat the issue, we have come up with new, more sustainable materials to make straws from the wild grass. To make both the fresh grass straws and the dried grass straws, the grass is harvested, washed, and cut into straw-sized tubes. Then, an iron rod is used to clean the inner part of the straws, followed by one last washing. While paper straws have seen a surge in popularity lately, many have criticized them for their lack of durability – in terms of them getting soggy. Metal straws have been popular too, they are reusable and have the ease of being washable. We found a zero-waste alternative to growing sustainable plastic straws. The straws are made from grey sedge grass of the species Lepironia Articulata. We have the intention of protecting the environment by reducing the use of plastic straws. To make both types of straws, the grass is harvested, washed, and cut into straw-sized tubes – lengths measuring 20 centimeters (about 8 inches). We plan in the future to sell the biodegradable straws, thus supporting the women and youth populations around our area.

WORLD TOURISM FORUM LUCERNE - INNOVATION FESTIVAL

15-03-2021

The event is organised by the World Tourism Forum Lucerne. "With the effect of the pandemic still ongoing, this is a difficult time for so many across the world. “Moving Forward” is our response to the huge challenges faced by our industry, as we believe the future belongs to those who can innovate, adapt and remain agile. Our Innovation Festival is dedicated to embracing change. Now more than ever, we’re forced to relinquish the past. It’s far from easy, but there has never been a more important time for our community to come together to restart the global economy and create a more resilient, healthy and sustainable world. At World Tourism Forum Lucerne, practicing what we preach and being innovative has meant modifying our own event format. Our biennial Forum is on hold for now and we are moving from Lucerne to Andermatt, an alpine tourism resort. The fabulous new venue allows the entire festival (conference, events and accommodation) to be staged under one roof. For everyone’s comfort and safety it will be a more intimate affair with a strict limitation on numbers. As well as a satellite physical event in Morocco, “Moving Forward” will also be fully hybrid, making virtual participation possible for everyone in our loyal global community across three generations who can’t attend in person." *** Hybrid event: There will be space for 250 on-site participants, with the vast majority taking part online. If we are unable to hold the event in April, we will postpone to a later date. For more information and registration see link below.

Tourism Hackdays - Innovation Festival

15-03-2021

We are happy to announce a new edition of the Open Data Hackdays on the topic of tourism! On April 28 and 29, 2021, the third Open Data Hackdays will take place online. The event will be organized and hosted by the students of the Master of Science in “Applied Information and Data Science” program of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in cooperation with Opendata.ch, HotellerieSuisse and the Tourist Office Lab. A look into the future reveals the issues that tourism will increasingly face but also the emerging opportunities: Ecological concern, individual tourism, globalization, technological progress, urbanization and mobility. To deal with these megatrends, the whole industry must respond with new, innovative and transparent offers and products. Registration via links below.

99 Tourist Village in the province of West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

13-03-2021

The Governor of West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, Dr. H. Zulkieflimansyah, SE, MSc has established 99 tourist villages which will be focused on being developed in the next five years. In line with the above program, the Tourism Promotion Board of West Nusa Tenggara ( BPPD Nusa Tenggara Barat ) has one of the objectives to promote this initiative to the worldwide market as an initiative that needs to be supported by everyone as we do our utmost to empower our people/community to manage the tourism program with an objective of improving people welfare thru tourism. West Nusa Tenggara Province is consist of two beautiful islands : Lombok and Sumbawa; which can be reach only within 30 minutes flight from Bali to Lombok Island. We will ensure that you will have an Endless Discovery experience which will enrich your life experience. . The tourism industry on new eral will have a new face and one of them would be community-based tourism and Indonesia could lead this type of tourism as we have a huge number of villages in the rural area where they have people with their own unique culture, lifestyle and a well-reserved nature resources. Then one of our effort to list this initiative to the Tourism4SDGS platform which belongs to UNWTO so it will be an effective way to communicate to our future partner who might interest to support and collaborate to develop this community-based tourism activity in West Nusa Tenggara province. We are open to any type of collaboration to promote and to bring a lot more people to our village which has been converted as a new alternative type of tourism in the new normal era. We have a dream that tourism should bring more benefits to a larger community in the villages / rural area by highlighting their culture in a bigger perspective and nature where they live. In the end, we want sustainable tourism is implemented in a real program to support the vision and goal of SDGs 2030.

Values and Partnerships in Swiss Parks

02-03-2021

The Swiss Parks are unique territories that strive to promote a sustainable regional development. In order to integrate sustainability more strongly into local activities and partnerships, the Parks have defined seven core values: preservation and valorisation of nature and landscapes, regional value creation, awareness raising and communication, cooperation, innovation and quality, regional identity and culture, fairness and health. These values indicate how the Parks understand sustainability and how they implement it. They form the common basis for all Swiss Parks to enter into partnerships with local, regional or national organisations. For each value, the Parks have developed specific criteria, which are discussed and evaluated in coaching conversations with existing and potential partner companies. On the basis of these discussions, an action plan is drawn up with concrete measures that the company takes to make its business activities more sustainable. The values and criteria are thus not only a practical instrument for developing and strengthening a sustainability-oriented regional economy, but also form the basis for sustainable communication and cooperation between the park's stakeholders. The aim of this innovative process is to form a community of regional and national actors that encourage each other, share best practice examples and work together towards a sustainable future.

Fahrtziel Natur

02-03-2021

Fahrtziel Natur is a national cooperation in which the Swiss Parks work together with various local transport companies as well as environmental organisations and cantons in order to encourage tourists to travel to the Parks by public transport. In order to do so, Fahrtziel Natur develops sustainable travel offers with attractive discounts. In tourism, transportation (travelling to and from the destination) makes up for the majority of carbon dioxide emissions. By combining exciting activities and explaining how easily accessible they are, the Swiss Parks tackle this issue and contribute to reducing global CO2 emissions. Moreover, the Swiss Parks include the information on “how to get there by public transport” in all their communication. That way, they raise awareness and make people more conscious that their transportation choice is important. Finally, innovation is also a key element and new ideas are being created in order to make public transport more attractive.

RED ROCKS APES CONSERVATION ARTISTS

01-03-2021

In Kinigi , near the volcanoes national park and in Kigali, we established art galleries as a place for promoting the cultural heritage of Rwanda and disseminate information about the conservation of the great apes found within the great lakes region. The project is aimed at encouraging the local community to tell and sell the Rwandan story through art and crafts, tapping into, training and nurturing artistic talent and proper mastery of craft skills to make quality materials that can compete with and sell our culture internationally and create awareness of protecting the habitat and the rare mountain gorillas, chimps, Monkey and other species. Apart from arts and crafts, our centers also encourage performing arts like music dance, and drama which are enjoyed by visitors from all over the world that come to this center. So as a cultural center. Our project is creating alternative avenues for the local communities to earn income thereby diverting the undue pressure that had previously been put on the natural resources through illegal activities like poaching and deforestation of the national park, and also preserving our cultural heritage for future generations through art. At our center, we house conservation-themed artworks, cultural objects (material culture), and numerous handicraft items made by local women groups and youths in the Virunga massif region and even beyond. We use art projects as a way to help our local children develop their arts and crafts skills, which provide a unique, fun opportunity to learn and improve their creativity. When creating an arts and crafts piece, children are able to develop their skills and carry over into a multitude of other activities which will be especially important in giving the child a head start in school after the long holidays experienced due the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most important benefits that arts and crafts give, is the chance to be creative. This makes the child see that their imagination has no limits

THInC 2021 - Tourism and Hospitality International Conference on “CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND TOURISM FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT”

25-02-2021

The first edition of the Tourism and Hospitality International Conference (THInC) will focus on “CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND TOURISM FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT”. The event is organized by the Lusófona University (Portugal) and the Coventry University (United Kingdom), in collaboration with 'CEO CPL Meetings & Events', to be held on 2021, May 19th-21st. The main aim of the event will be that of promoting international debate on issues relating to cultural diversity and its link to tourism development. According to Fabio Carbone, Chair of the organizing committee, "we aim to give an impulse to the scientific research in this field and, on the other side, to raise awareness about the need for models of cooperation between all stakeholders to safeguard and enhance cultural diversity and facilitate the exchange of knowledge through innovative tourism practices based on cultural diversity and the SDGs' principles". Cultural diversity, as a source of exchange, innovation and creativity, is as necessary as services or infrastructure for the development of tourism destination. Tourism thus became not only one of the fastest growing sectors, but also an activity with the potential of promoting social cohesion and understanding at global level, as well as a powerful creative force that can contribute to mutual cultural enrichment, to the consolidation of the culture of peace and to the prosperity of people. In this sense, and considering the general principles contained in the conventions and the international declarations such as the Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001); UNESCO Conventions for the Safeguarding of the Cultural and Natural Tangible (1972) and intangible (2003) Heritage; the UNWTO Code of Ethics for Tourism and the principles underlining by the Sustainable Development Goals in the UN Agenda 2030. Scholars, practitioners and students from all over the world will exchange information both on academic advances and innovative practices.

RED ROCKS SPORTS FOR CONSERVATION PROGRAM

25-02-2021

Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development brings together the community in support of its children through conservation and health education programs. Our dedicated team of Conservation Heritage members provides education to these children and their families to attain sustainable knowledge, practice, and enhance their health and communities through artistic and experiential projects. Our main focus is conservation and health education programs in schools from communities adjacent to the Volcanoes National Park, home to the endangered mountain gorillas. This initiative was established not only to provide opportunities for future generations (children) who want to practice and play tennis, basketball, table tennis, and chess but also to encourage healthy living habits and unite communities in safeguarding Rwanda’s National Parks and wildlife. Children learn etiquette on and off the court, practice teamwork and proper sportsmanship, gaining strength, and being honest. They also understand how to win and lose! Competition becomes part of their life, it makes them improve and they try harder next time. We expanded our conservation education program to other places in our centers, that is in Northern, Western, and Eastern provinces where we established community centers and promoting health through sports, and create awareness of the advantages of protecting our environment. Our sports for conservation have made remarkable impacts on community members and the children providing an important role in community conservation and wellness.

Red Rocks taking care of baby steps through provision of early childhood education

18-02-2021

The early years of life are critical for a child’s growth and development. Kids who are well nurtured, instructed and cared for during their earliest years in a family and social environment are more likely to grow physically and mentally healthy, develop language, thinking, social and emotional skills and achieve their full potential when they become adults. The above statement is the premise behind establishment of Red Rocks Kindergarten in Nyakinama village, Musanze district, where 150 group of children between the age of three and five years are now enrolled to receive early childhood education. Most of the children come from vulnerable families, they provided holistic education and we initiated this program to provide the best care for these young kids from poor rural families who otherwise would not have had access to early intervention in education at this young age due to their family backgrounds. The establishment of the kindergarten is part of Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development’s efforts to integrate tourism, conservation and community development around the Volcanoes National Parks, adding that some of their parents also have been actively involved in income-generating activities like making of traditional handcrafts they sell to tourists to uplift their living standards. We realized that apart from helping their parents to market their skills and products, and initiating programs to help them support their families, their children also needed an early good start in life and this is how the idea of kindergarten was born. With the support of donors and well-wishers, we also purchase them the scholastic materials they need so that they can have the best education possible at their early age. We teach the children positive values and Rwandan culture so that they can be agents to push forward the country’s rich cultural heritage, adding that we also involve them in bible studies to instill discipline in them at early age.

Etico for sustainability

16-02-2021

The ETICO for Sustainability is a tool that assists stakeholders to adopt sustainable strategies, which guarantee an holistic integration at a social, cultural, environment and economic level. The main aim is to meet each stakeholder objectives, in line with each business environment and stakeholders, enhancing and highlighting the positive outcomes, for a sustainable future. Etico for Sustainability was established to support a wide range of different business and social areas as, Education, Sport, Tourism, Hospitality and other vital development areas, such as industry and services. Our main aim is to build resilient and inclusive societies. We are aware that Tourism and Hospitality brings a varied multitude of outcomes within the sector it operates and to external stakeholders involved. This is recognised by its vast international economic and social value and also for its remarkable environmental and sociocultural impacts. Therefore, Etico for Sustainability provides a support framework based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Etico for Sustainability contributes to differentiate stakeholders that commit with five main pillars, defined in line with the UN SDGs, namely People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships. Etico for Sustainabilty, is a referential framework which aims to assure the achievement of each UN SDGs by incorporating the Agenda 2030 within its business scope. We aim to achieve this by introducing and verifying basic management and functionality measures, that guarantee the commitment of a stakeholder with the UN SDGs and Agenda 2030.

Slow Food Travel

16-02-2021

Behind every place lie stories, gastronomic traditions, artisanal flavors, and time-honored practices, preserved by women and men whose identities and cultures have been constructed over centuries. Every gastronomic tradition can become a unique tourism experience. Slow Food Travel offers a new model for tourism, made up of meetings and exchanges with farmers, cheesemakers, herders, butchers, bakers, and winegrowers who, along with the chefs who cook their products, will be the narrators of their local areas and unique guides to the local traditions. It proposes tourist itineraries with the aim of bringing travelers closer to the conservation of food biodiversity and to the knowledge of local cultures, identities, and gastronomies. Slow Food Travel offers territories the opportunity to develop their potential as a quality gastronomic destination, in compliance with the strict guidelines and philosophy of the association, through the construction of alliances and experiences that best enhance the local gastronomic heritage.

CEnTOUR

16-02-2021

CEnTOUR - CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN TOURISM is a European project funded by COSME, with duration from September 2020 to September 2023. CENTOUR is a strategic opportunity to develop and test innovative ideas to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector towards the transition to a circular economy, fostering an integrated system at local/regional level. SMEs, in particular of the tourism sector, are slowly approaching the challenges of moving from a linear to a circular economic model and, given the average size, do not normally have the resources and skills to face it with the appropriate tools and references. Tourism systems are very tied systems that benefit from an integrated approach to business development, both in terms of efficiency and promotion. It is therefore important to support SMEs in the development and implementation of circular businesses (in terms of knowledge transfer, skills, innovation, certifications) and to realize them within an integrated system for the local development. CENTOUR fosters innovative solutions for sustainable tourism development and management of tourism enterprises, through transnational cooperation and knowledge transfer, in particular toward SMEs focused on local supply chains and developing industrial symbiosis to develop circular business models. The Consortium of CEnTOUR is consisted of 10 partner entities: P1. Marche Chamber of Commerce –ITALY P2. Marche Politechnic University UNIVPM – ITALY P3. Chamber of Commerce of Cantabria – SPAIN P4. ECORES - BELGIUM P5. ODIMM Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises Sector Development – MOLDOVA P6. BICT Business Innovation Center – NORTH MACEDONIA P7. Xanthi Chamber Of Commerce – GREECE P8. Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) – CYPRUS P9.Forum of the Adriatic and Ionian Chambers of Commerce- ITALY P10. Progetto ARCADIA - ITALY

Learn, Earn and Save (U-LEARN II)

16-02-2021

The U-LEARN Project targets economically, socially and academically disadvantaged youth between the ages of 18 and24 years from families living below or slightly above the national poverty line of $1.90 a day. It is implemented in 14 districts in the Mwanza and Mara regions of Tanzania and 11 districts in the Central, East and Western regions of Uganda. The project focuses on three broad sectors. These are agri-business, building and construction and tourism and hospitality. These sectors are fast growing and require more locally skilled personnel to meet demand and enhance growth. The project is guided by a unique youth and market-driven learning group model. Youth, particularly young women, are engaged in all aspects of the project, including design, implementation, and management. Swisscontact acts as a market facilitator; building capacity within local institutions to deliver relevant training, business, and employment services to the youth. Through learning groups, Swisscontact offers a holistic package including technical and vocational skills training, business support services, market access and linkages, social and healthy living skills training, and financial service support. To learn more about the programme, follow the links below. The programme is financed by the Mastercard Foundation

CEnTOUR

11-02-2021

CEnTOUR - CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN TOURISM is a European project funded by COSME, with duration from September 2020 to September 2023. CENTOUR is a strategic opportunity to develop and test innovative ideas to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector towards the transition to a circular economy, fostering an integrated system at local/regional level. SMEs, in particular of the tourism sector, are slowly approaching the challenges of moving from a linear to a circular economic model and, given the average size, do not normally have the resources and skills to face it with the appropriate tools and references. Tourism systems are very tied systems that benefit from an integrated approach to business development, both in terms of efficiency and promotion. It is therefore important to support SMEs in the development and implementation of circular businesses (in terms of knowledge transfer, skills, innovation, certifications) and to realize them within an integrated system for the local development. CENTOUR fosters innovative solutions for sustainable tourism development and management of tourism enterprises, through transnational cooperation and knowledge transfer, in particular toward SMEs focused on local supply chains and developing industrial symbiosis to develop circular business models. The Consortium of CEnTOUR is consisted of 10 partner entities: P1. Marche Chamber of Commerce –ITALY P2. Marche Politechnic University UNIVPM – ITALY P3. Chamber of Commerce of Cantabria – SPAIN P4. ECORES - BELGIUM P5. ODIMM Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises Sector Development – MOLDOVA P6. BICT Business Innovation Center – NORTH MACEDONIA P7. Xanthi Chamber Of Commerce – GREECE P8. Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) – CYPRUS P9.Forum of the Adriatic and Ionian Chambers of Commerce- ITALY P10. Progetto ARCADIA - ITALY

We made it happen! Ado-Awaye now has electricity!

09-02-2021

#RestartTourism When my team(ComeMakeWeGo Africa) and I started marketing Ado-Awaye located in Oyo state Nigeria, as a great hiking destination, a core of our plan was to ensure overnight stay in the destination. - We knew there were challenges to face, but, we also knew the goal. We had gone to meet the managers of the two motels located in the community, our meeting with the managers led to the improvement of their facilities - new bedsheets, curtains, cleaner toilets, to mention a few. We then donated dozens of waste bins which were strategically placed around the destination. - To ensure tourists keep the destination clean. But here was the issue. - No electricity. We made negotiations with the motels to run their generators from 7 pm-12 am whenever we brought a guest. - But, this didn’t make sense in the long run. - tourist gets uneasy after 12am, also, hike in petrol price made it uneconomical for the motels to run. In partnership with the King of the destination (HRM Oba Revd. Ademola Olugbile Folakanmi, Makuledoye 11, Iludero1) we got intentional about dealing with the electricity challenge and so, work began, letters and meetings here and there. - it has all paid off. Thanks to the tourist who have visited Ado-Awaye while it was in darkness, now, there is light, let’s #RestartTourism at Ado-Awaye. Thanks to the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde who understands the value that can be generated from tourism if well harnessed by the state. Thanks to the Paramount Traditional Ruler in Ado-Awaye and Araromi LCDA, HRM Oba Revd. Ademola Olugbile Folakanmi, Makuledoye 11, Iludero1. - We at ComeMakeWeGo Africa believe that any development can only be sustainable when the locals themselves understand and accept it. - And this, of course, has been displayed by the cooperation of the King and the people of Ado-Awaye. Thanks to every tour operator who has brought in hikers into Ado-Awaye,. You also made this happen!

CUBES - Cultural Administration Boosting with the Engagement of Sustainability for the local communities

05-02-2021

CUBES - Cultural Administration Boosting with the Engagement of Sustainability for the Local Communities is a project co-funded by Erasmus+, aiming to design and develop a training program offered on an inclusive, interactive and user-friendly digital platform, to create and disseminate know-how regarding the sustainable administration of tangible and intangible cultural resources in order to empower all sectors of society, including tourism, the economy and the local communities, to own and administer their cultural resources in sustainable ways, aiming at both cultural democracy, cultural sustainability and sustainable tourism, economy and development. Main objectives of the CUBES project: - To empower local communities in the participating countries with knowledge and awareness on significant aspects of cultural administration and sustainable development - To provide target groups with all the necessary knowledge so that they can act as access point-role mentors in the local communities, taking up the responsibility of informing, guiding, mentoring the other members of the communities in a series of cultural management & sustainability framework - To give the chance to youth & women of these local communities to act as leaders in their communities - To digitize the quality of learning content as a driver for systematic change in cultural administration & sustainability and for an increase in the quality of training - To create and deliver innovative products and training digital tools based on differentiation methodologies and adult education approaches The partnership of the CUBES project consists of: Homo Eminens - Lithuania (Project Leader), Center for Social Innovation - Cyprus, MINDSHIFT - Portugal, Sarajevo Meeting of Culture - SMOC (Bosnia Herzegovina), Xenios Polis Culture, Science & Action - Greece, GRIPEN - Romania, NGO Support Center - Cyprus, University of Peloponnese - Greece, Assembly of European Regions (France)

COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM

04-02-2021

Red Rocks initiatives for sustainable development have fulfilled the dream of ensuring communities are the direct beneficiaries of all our actions. All the activities go under the name of Eco-tour have been designed to work on local sustainable development through tourism and the collaboration of external partners. The Igihoho seed bag is one of these. This project idea came with Greg from Spain in 2016, and is implementing the governmental restriction on use and manufacturing of single-use plastic items, which were banned in 2008 and finally became law in 2019. For a long time already, these bags have represented a new norm for the region’s communities. They now regularly recycle the fibre of the abundant banana trees, and even before plastic was conclusively banned by law, they were experiencing the benefits and had introduced ecological alternatives for all their tree-planting activities. All the activities linked directly to the land, like local food preparation, farming with local families and beekeeping, and the botanical tours which can be taken in the Kinigi centre, are working in two directions: generating alternative income as well as educating the locals on the eco-friendly alternatives available, often from the same products that were considered as waste. Recycling, upcycling and other circular economy concepts are available to be explored and applied. In Red Rocks currently, the workshops on the use of banana eco-paper production, the Igihoho eco-friendly seed bag and even the banana beer preparation are excellent opportunities to maintain environmental sustainable activities while providing extra income for the people directly involved and, at the same time, bringing benefits to the local environment and to the community as a whole.

Youth Advisory Council

01-02-2021

Travel Unity, an NGO focused on increasing diversity in the world of travel, is seeking youth (13+) and adults to join its Youth Advisory Council. Applicants from all backgrounds and those with disabilities are encouraged to apply! Travel Unity's main SDG alignment is with No Poverty (1), Quality Education (4), Decent Work and Economic Growth (8), and Reduced Inequalities (10) - More info here: https://travelunity.org/sdgs Youth Advisory Council members will work with one another and Travel Unity's staff, Board, and Advisors on Travel Unity's programs and mission. Volunteers must be able to work on a team basis, communicate regularly, be proficient with meeting programs (Zoom, Google Meet, etc.), and enjoy the excitement of collaborative output. This is a great opportunity to work with fellow youth from around the world who care about culture, travel, and inclusion, along with an array of professionals dedicated to creating a more equitable world. https://travelunity.org/TUYAC

Verona In tour

28-01-2021

Verona In Tour creates tailor-made travel experiences and sojourns, authentic itineraries, private events and celebrations. Verona In Tour was created to offer experiences and activities to develop empathy enhancing unique landscapes, traditions and flavors and encouraging sustainable tourism. Our aim is to promote tourism in lesser known areas, particularly smaller villages, towns and in the countryside. This has the double goal of taking some pressure off over-crowded cities, reducing the damage deriving from mass tourism, and of spreading the wealth to other beautiful but less known sites. In fact, our offices are located at Villafranca di Verona, a town near Verona that is less-known but very important in terms of history. Our added value is based on our services. We offer high quality, organized and authentic touristic services that contribute in the promotion of a sustainable lifestyle including the 3 pillars of sustainability: -Social: one of our main goals is to have a product that can give the real essence of our culture, preserving it and giving it value. -Economic: we contribute to the economy while spreading the economic benefits of tourism mainly to rural areas, paying fairly to our employees and suppliers and -establishing a fair price for our products. -Environmental: one of our bases is the active tourism that promotes green mobility, resulting in the creation of more sustainable cities not only for residents but also for tourists (i.e. the promotion of cycle-paths). All our tours are accompanied by expert local guides and are done in an ecological and genuine way using mainly non-polluting means, such as bicycles, horses or on foot and in full respect of the environment, the local economy, culture and the people who live there. And, at the same time, enhancing unconventional places such as the countryside and small villages that are often dulled by the mass-tourism cities such as Verona.

HORIZON Solar folding roof over large parking areas e.g. near mountain railways and tourist attractions

22-01-2021

For the first time in the world, the HORIZON solar folding roof enables double use of parking areas and industrial usable areas for solar power production without the area underneath being restricted. HORIZON increases the efficiency of parking and logistics areas and offers decisive advantages over conventional carports. This is made possible thanks to the innovative lightweight construction and the patented folding mechanism. Very wide column spacings and a large height above the ground allow full freedom of use for vehicles, logistics, and goods and at the same time halve the use of materials compared to comparable systems. During winter electricity production is also possible without interruption: When it snows, the roof is retracted fully automatically, the modules remain snow-free and immediately produce electricity again the next time the sun shines. Another advantage of the solar folding roof is the charging infrastructure for the increasingly popular electric mobility. Last but not least, thanks to its aesthetic design, it enjoys great acceptance among the population and thus contributes to the positive image of the company.

CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY BASED TOURISM ACTIVITIES

21-01-2021

We at Red Rocks Rwanda fulfilled our dream of starting the process that puts communities at its center, and that ensures they are the direct beneficiaries of all its actions. All our activities that go under the name of Eco-tour have been designed to work on local sustainable development through tourism and the collaboration of external partners. The Igihoho seed bag is one of these. This project idea came after the government restricted the use and manufacturing of single-use plastic items, which were banned in 2008 and finally became law in 2019. For a long time already, these bags have represented a new norm for the region’s communities. They now regularly recycle the fiber of the abundant banana trees, and even before plastic was conclusively banned by law, they were experiencing the benefits and the locals had introduced ecological alternatives for all their tree-planting activities. All the activities linked directly to the land, like local food preparation, farming with local families and beekeeping, and the botanical tours, are working in two directions: generating alternative income as well as educating the locals on the eco-friendly alternatives available, often from the same products that were considered as waste. Recycling, upcycling, and other circular economy concepts are available to be explored and applied. At our premises the workshops on the use of banana eco-paper papers, the Igihoho eco-friendly seed bag, and even the banana beer preparation are excellent opportunities to maintain environmental sustainable activities while providing extra income for the people directly involved and, at the same time, bringing benefits to the local environment and to the community as a whole.

MUSANZE THE ECO TOURISM DESTINATION OF RWANDA

18-01-2021

Musanze district is the hub of Rwanda’s tourism industry and a source of many adventures, also known as the food basket of Rwanda, due to the fact that it’s the only area in Rwanda which receives high rainfall and got volcanic soils which are good for food growing. It has a long list of adventure activities on offer. However, when the spotlight is put on an adventure, most people will immediately think of the mountain gorillas. This would be right since the primates have positioned themselves as the icon of Rwanda’s tourist attraction. But there are other must-see attractions in Musanze, such as the Musanze Caves, as well as other animals that reside in the Volcanoes National Park. There is also the historic Buhanga Eco-Park, which was a sacred forest where Rwandan kings performed initiation ceremonies. Whenever you get to visit this city, do miss out on some different tourism attractions, that are around the city, take your time to visit Diana Fossey Museum, continue visiting Red Rocks Arts Center in Kinigi, that is focusing on art for conservation, Continue your trip with the visit to Inshuti Art center. If time permits, get the local guide from Red rocks cultural center, who will give you a full tour of Musanze, that includes the visit to the cultural center and during your city tour, take time to check on one of the famous Mirror on the Rock behind Amahoro Tours office, that has also a very nice view of the city of Musanze, take some good photos of the view and the Mirror that Reflects, life in the Rwandan community, from the past to the present. The tour will take you up to Ruhondo Lake and enjoy fishing with the locals and get to taste some if you can.

RED ROCKS COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CENTERS IN RWANDA

18-01-2021

Red Rocks community conservation centers within Rwanda, the center are based in Kinigi, Kigali, Kayonza, Kabaya, and Bulera, we work with the local community to improve their livelihoods using tourism as a tool for sustainable development for both the community and the biodiversity areas through research and projects that implement grassroots conservation of wildlife. KINIGI COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CENTER (ARTS FOR CONSERVATION) Since 2018, after the establishment of Red Rocks Arts Gallery in Kinigi, near the volcanoes national park, we have been the sole visual Arts gallery, promoting painting workshops in the Kinigi village to empower the young talented artisans to get involved in the efforts of conserving the endangered Mountain gorillas through arts and crafts. KAYONZA COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CENTER (ECO-FARMING) Located at Kayonza District, Rwinkwavu Sector, some 70 kilometers from Kigali city, Eastern province - we initiated the idea of commercializing the emerging eco-farmers who lack the resources and expertise to participate in the mainstream economy and to help them adapt to climate change. KABAYA COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CENTER (CULTURAL & HERITAGE PRESERVATION) Kabaya center is located in the western province, near the Gishwati forest national park. We involve the local community to focus on protecting and caring for tangible cultural heritage items, including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and ancient collections. BULERA COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CENTER (FARM TOURISM) Bulera community center is located just at the foothills of Muhabura mountain of the extinct volcanoes of the Virunga massif, 30 kilometers from Musanze town, on the way to the border of Rwanda and Uganda – Cyanika. KIGALI COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CENTER (ARTS & CRAFTS GALLERY) Great Vision Needs Great Partners, Red rocks initiative for sustainable development(RRISD) partnered with Rwanda Ex-combatants and other people with disabilities organization (RECOPDO) and Inshuti Arts

Museums and Disaster Risk Reduction: building resilience in museums, society and nature

18-01-2021

This free Guide (which can be dowloaded at this link: https://bit.ly/3nTpONk) aims to help empower museums (small, large and of any kind, anywhere), museum workers, museum networks and their partners to draw on Disaster Risk Reduction approaches. This should help them reduce the impact of disasters, whether COVID-19, climate change, or any other kind of disaster, for the benefit of themselves, their communities, and the natural environment. Disaster Risk Reduction is the subject of a number of SDGs, notably SDGs 11.5 and 11.B, while COVID-19 and its management also relates to SDG 3.D. The Guide has two main goals: 1. To help museums build their resilience, and reduce the impact of disasters on museums themselves. 2. To help museums contribute to resilience-building in the wider world, for the benefit of society and the natural environment.

A Global Initiative for Tourism Executives - Recovery and Resilience Dialogue Event 3

11-01-2021

Leading public and private executives from around the world tell you how COVID-19 has influenced their strategies and measures regarding ecological sustainability. They share with you how they (try to) gain a competitive edge by measuring, reducing, and communicating the ecological footprint of their organisation or destination, and how they improve tourism's ecological performance and resilience by strengthening local and nearby markets. Be part of the initiatives by the World Economic Forum, the UN World Tourism Organization, and the UN Global Compact to make tourism more resilient and sustainable! Listen to and discuss with the following decision-makers: • Manfred Häupl, Owner and Executive Director of the tour operator Hauser Exkursionen • Arvind Bundhun, Director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority • Paul Jones, Founder & President of the hospitality corporation The Lux Colective, Mauritius • Martina von Münchhausen, Senior Programme Manager Sustainable Tourism of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) • Collaborative strategy “México 2030": land of future tourism”: Miguel Torruco Marqués, Minister of Tourism; Rosi Amerena, Coordinator of "México 2030”

Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility towards Smart Destinations

11-01-2021

Integration of regional/local policies for Sustainable Mobility, Accessibility & low-carbon Responsible Travel, with policies for efficient sustainable tourism towards a low-carbon economy, requires particular attention in the EU. This is a common challenge that public regional/local and transport authorities increasingly face, particularly at busy destinations with high tourism travel flows (inc. in South Europe, coastal, maritime & insular, mass tourism destinations). Immediate action is needed through interregional cooperation to capitalise best practices, improve policy instruments & prepare action plans with implementation monitoring & evaluation. The DESTI-SMART project, addresses the above towards 'Smart Destinations', for sustainable & responsible tourism development in Europe, with low-carbon, multimodal sustainable mobility & accessibility. The overall objective is to improve the transport and tourism policies of EU destinations, by integrating strategies for sustainable mobility, accessibility and responsible travel with efficient & sustainable tourism development, for transition to a low-carbon economy, through efficiency, resilience, multimodality, novel low-carbon transport systems, cycling & walking, with implementation innovations, policy learning and capacity building. The following pressing issues are addressed: - Investments in low-carbon transport systems for mode shift to sustainable tourism mobility, incl. Electro-Mobility - Intermodality facilities for visitors, including ICT, Mobile Aps & MaaS - Accessible tourism for all - Cycling & Walking facilities & promotion for visitors. Main outputs: - policy learning & capacity building for public authorities & their stakeholders - improved policy instruments & action plans in 9 destinations, with close involvement of stakeholders - advances in EU2020 objectives - communication & dissemination learning materials. Smart Mobility towards Smart Destinations & Tourism

Cultural and Creative Tourism based on Cultural and Creative Industries for SME Competitiveness

07-01-2021

The potential of Cultural & Creative Industries (CCIs) in developing new Cultural & Creative Tourism (CCT) products and services for Growth & Jobs, is being advanced by the Cult-CreaTE project with policy change in 8 EU regions. Common challenges are: - The contribution of CCIs to CCT has not been given the attention it deserves to date. Cultural tourism needs CCIs to partially reinvent itself and attract the new generations. CCIs are also an indispensable source of innovation for other types of sustainable tourism, typically ‘Creative Tourism’. - Creative Tourism is considered a new generation of cultural tourism by involving the tourists themselves and the locals in the creation of the tourist products (co-creation). - CCIs are in a strategic position to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in all EU regions and cities, and thus contribute fully to the Europe 2020 Strategy and beyond, through their deployment for CCT. - While some EU regions have been very good at tapping into this extraordinary potential as a way to promote socio-economic development, it however, appears that many others have not been making most of this potential. - Synergies between sustainable tourism and CCIs can enhance the visibility and promotion of CCT. These synergies can contribute to the promotion of sustainable tourism destinations, an attraction of new investment and creation of new employment opportunities, particularly for youth and in lagging regions. The overall objective is to redeploy CCIs for the development and promotion of CCT strategies, with sustainability, innovations, capitalisation, policy learning, policy implementation and capacity building. Main outputs are action plans, with implementation and monitoring of improved policy instruments in 8 EU destination regions, communication and dissemination tools for policy learning and capacity building, contribution to EU policies and SDGs. The beneficiaries are public authorities and their stakeholders.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND TOURISM (SESSION 6): WBG Learning Series

07-01-2021

The tourism sector is a generator of jobs and income but without proper systems in place, tourism can consume large quantities of energy, water, and plastics which degrade the environmental quality of coastal destinations and ecosystems and affect the lives of residents. New and circular business models are needed to change the way tourism operates and enable businesses and destinations to be sustainable. The COVID-19-related tourism pause is an opportunity to rethink, refocus, and reimagine how the tourism sector can build a better and more circular economy tourism system for the future. This Webinar brings together policy-makers and leading private sector stakeholders to discuss the needed transition to circular business models and explore approaches to operationalizing a circular tourism economy in a post-COVID world Join us on 12th January 2020 (Tuesday) | 8.30 – 10.00am EST (NY Time) | 14:30 - 16:00 (CET). Register HERE #Tourism4Dev #circulareconomy

More than Gorillas

07-01-2021

Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development has always known that there is more to in Rwanda than the gorillas it is famous for, and we wanted to create more reasons for tourists to visit this green land. We involve community engagement as the core of the tourism offer; we discovered interconnectedness and wants to use tourism as a tool for local development. There is indeed more than just gorillas in Rwanda. There is a variety of bountiful natural environments. On the thousand hills for which the country is famous, agriculture flourishes. Tea and coffee plantations follow bananas, avocados, oranges and other fruit trees, and, of course, plenty of maize, rice, cassava and other crops. Five national parks cover a relatively small area, incorporating volcanic mountains in the north, an inland sea – Lake Kivu – trekking trails and waterfalls in the west, the montane rainforest of the Nyungwe Forest National Park, with the chimpanzee and the blue monkey, in the southern province, and savannah woodland in the eastern province. But again, there is more than that. There is also art, and many local artists and artisans. The women use grass to weave colourful baskets and clay and water to mould rounded vases. They also set the rhythm of many celebrations in Rwanda. Umutima w’urugo’ –‘the heart of the house is a woman’. Therefore, it is usually our women usually welcome the visitors with powerful drumming sessions and take the backbone of any cultural performance. There are women and there is youth, as well as ancient knowledge, and many skills that are ever-improving so we linking all the dots through tourism. RWANDAN COMMUNITY-LED INITIATIVES : Red Rocks Rwanda (RRR), the social enterprise established in 2010 that offers tours led by well-trained locals, gave birth in 2017 to its sister organization, Red Rock Initiative (RRI). This local NGO focuses on the sustainable development of communities through a variety of programmes. RRI’s mission is to ‘improve community

Descending from the alpine pasture in Entlebuch

05-01-2021

Since 2004, the Entlebuch alpine herders (“Älpler”) have been bringing their cattle down from the alp to the valley together. Seven proud Älpler families take part in the Entlebucher Alpabzug with their approximately 250 festively decorated animals. In Schüpfheim more than 10’000 locals and guests await to warmly welcome them. Yodelers, alphorn blowers, traditional dance groups and flag-wavers accompany the Älper families on the procession and meet for an impressive concert on the church steps. At the large cheese and regional product market, visitors can taste and buy the local products. The cheerful Älplerchilbi lasts until well into the evening. The idea of the joint alpine departure arose within the framework of a research project on the future of alpine farming. By strengthening the cohesion among the Älpler families and the joy of the profession, it can contribute to the long-term preservation of the alpine economy. The market offers an ideal sales platform for alpine and regional products and direct contact with consumers. The living tradition gives insight into the life of the alpine farmers and raises the guests’ awareness for the various challenges around it. Today, it is jointly supported and organized by the alpine farmers, tourism, the community and the Entlebuch Biosphere.

digital “igitaramo”

28-12-2020

You are invited to an open digital “igitaramo” – which is the Rwandan word for an occasion when people of diverse cultures come together to share their stories. A concept fitting perfect into the idea of OUR FUTURE. The aim with OUR FUTURE is to open up for conversations between communities and destinations around the globe. To learn from each other, to share experiences and to reflect on identified dilemmas, challenges and opportunities. In the Rwandan spirit of igitaramo, the event will be broadcast worldwide from the Red Rocks Intercultural Center. This will be the time for Rwanda to showcase local and regional assets and good examples from across the country of sustainable community based tourism, promoting conservation and community development projects. Rwandans will have the chance to share snapshots of their vast cultural richness as well as openly discuss their most pressing concerns with a tuned-in, progressive digitally hosted group of "outsider" panelists from around the world. Welcome to the conservation, no matter who you are. We invite you, the people of Rwanda, but also everyone else from around the globe. Tour operators, stakeholders of community-based tourism, universities, conservation and destination development organizations, and others with special interest in this event. This is a locally held event, in an international context. So, SAVE THE DATE and register to the event already now! More information will be posted first week of January together with the announcement of the panel members.

Aua Forta – Water Days Engadin Scuol

23-12-2020

The traditional Water Days Engadin Scuol will be given a new concept and will now include a symposium. In cooperation with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), a festival of ideas has been developed which provides an ideal basis for the new symposium. At this ideas festival, which will be accompanied by exciting and top-class specialist presentations, participants will be able to develop solutions and ideas on current climate issues together with selected speakers. The symposium with the theme "Water, Climate and Tourism in Mountain Regions" will be enriched with exciting excursions around the main topics of the symposium and with a top-class supporting programme. Get involved in the Ideas Festival and get to know sustainable showcase projects in the Engadin mountain world on selected excursions.

Alpbeizli-Pass

22-12-2020

The Korporation Uri, one of the largest landowners in the canton of Uri, is a central partner for the Uri Holiday Region. The property of the Korporation covers almost all alpine pastures, most of the forest, lakes and streams as well as agricultural land on the valley floor. These valuable natural assets represent a significant part of the tourist attractiveness of the Uri Holi-day Region and form the basis for the tourism development of the destination in the strategic thematic focal points "Mountain summer in Uri" and "Active on the road". Within the framework of the strategic focal points, the Alps are to be made experiencable for the guests. The personal and thus unique experience makes a visit to an alp in Uri an unforgettable excursion. The guests discover unknown regions, feel the need to come again and finally recommend them to friends and family. For this purpose, the "Alpbeizli-Pass" (stamp collection card) was developed. It is aimed for all hiking enthusiasts who are interested in alpine culture or who simply like to stop in and enjoy local products such as fresh alpine cheese. For every visit to an Alpbeizli (alp inn run by mountain farmers), you get a stamp. The goal of every hiker and alp lover would be to collect all the stamps from every listed alp inns. The pass has been available since sum-mer 2015 and is still popular with guests. The "Alpbeizli-Pass" not only encourages guests and locals to get to know different alp inns and thus new hikes and regions, but also promotes the added value of the alpine businesses. Thanks to the collecting fever, several hikes are made. Thus, the "Alpbeizli-Pass" encourages hikers to go hiking several times in the canton of Uri. At the end of the season, the "Alpbeizli-Passes" can be returned to the Uri Holiday Region. For all hikers who have collected all stamps, great prizes are waiting. Moreover, a main prize will be raffled among all participants who have collected at least three stamps.

Pro-Women - Upskilling Itineraries Up-skilling Itineraries for Women as New Cultural Promoters to Enhance Territorial Heritage

21-12-2020

Pro-Women – Up-skilling Itineraries for Women as New Cultural Promoters to Enhance Territorial Heritage is an Erasmus+ KA2 project that wants to promote equal opportunities and social-labour inclusion of the low-skilled and unemployed women by providing intervention tools for training and empowerment. The target group will undertake a participative learning path to strengthen their competences and acquire new ones, with the final aim of supporting their employability in the Tourism sector. The project challenge is to operate in sustainable tourism. Therefore, this sector must increasingly be approached with a view of enhancing the cultural and environmental heritage, namely the legacy which includes tangible and intangible culture, as well as natural heritage (landscapes, biodiversity, etc.). Objectives: - To valorise innovative methodological approaches aimed at women empowerment. - To facilitate low-skilled and unemployed women’s access to training, employment, and entrepreneurship by empowering them. - To boost cultural growth, enhancement of cultural heritages, social inclusion, and cohesion processes involving local communities. - To promote entrepreneurship among the target group as a way of improving its social and labour situation. - To provide professionals and educators working with women with efficient tools as a Learning Package and Handbooks aimed at supporting target groups’ social and labour integration. The partners involved in Pro-Women project are: - Cooperativa Sociale San Saturnino Onlus - Italy (coordinator) - Obiettivo Famiglia / Federcasalinghe - Italy - Center for Social Innovation CSI - Cyprus - WISAMAR - Germany - Ayuntamiento de Torrijos - Spain - AFORMAC - France

OK:GO Initiative

17-12-2020

Many tourism service providers in Switzerland have offers that are suitable for some senior citizens and people with disabilities. However, there is often little information available to the public. Now, the Accessible Switzerland Association would like to change that with the help of the OK:GO Initiative. Our vision is for all Swiss tourism service providers to make information about the accessibility of their offerings publicly available in a well-structured format. To implement the scheme, OK:GO relies on input from individual businesses. Companies can gather, manage, and communicate the information themselves using a simple system based on technology provided by ginto, a platform operated by the association AccessibilityGuide. If a business would like to participate in the initiative, the required information can be collected using the ginto app. After that, the company adds the OK:GO logo to its website which links to the information it has provided. The OK:GO logo on the website signals to visitors that they are welcome and that accessibility information is available.

Corporate Volunteering in Swiss Parks

14-12-2020

Swiss nature parks regularly organize volunteering events for companies that strive to contribute to environmental sustainability by actively engaging their employees in this cause. Participants help to maintain valuable natural and cultural landscapes in Swiss parks. In doing so they get to know the park, exchange ideas with the local population and enjoy regional specialities. Competent accompanying persons impart knowledge about the local fauna, flora and regional culture.

La Route Verte

10-12-2020

La Route Verte is a 7-day e-bike itinerary that leads tourists from Schaffhausen to Geneva through the Jura Arc's six Regional Nature Parks. For every stage, a "living landscape" is presented and presents how a landscape (for example the vineyards of the Blauburgunderland in Schaffhause Nature Park) is maintained by local people who work hand in hand with nature (here, the winemaker) to create delicious and sustainable products (the wine). By meeting locally engaged people and by buying the local products, tourists can help support not only the local economy but also the beautiful nature and environment they cycle through. Apart from wine, La Route Verte also showcases high-stem orchards, the forest as a economic and social ressource, Franches-Montagnes horses, dry-stoned walls, Absinth and alpine pasture cheese. By telling these "behind the scene" stories, La Route Verte creates a special bond between the tourists and the landscapes they learn to love. In addition to raising awareness for local products and the interrelation of it with maintaining Switzerland's landscapes, La Route Verte also encourages people to go on a healthy active holiday, offers a care-freee holiday with a luggage transfer solution and connects over 100 players (the parks, the tourist offices, hotels and restaurants, ...) all over the Jura Arc.

INTEGRATING TOURISM, CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

10-12-2020

Despite spatial importance of national parks and other protected areas and increasing threats posed to nature by different agents, successful conservation still remains inconsistent and, in some instances, controversial. Tourism is a challenging business. The whole of Africa only attracts 5% of global travellers. And the market is quite competitive. Tour operators have to deal with high overhead costs and low profit margins. Furthermore, this industry is sensitive to shocks caused by disease outbreaks, natural disasters and political instability and the current global pandemic effects of COVID-19. What all these imply is that there’s little money spared for large-scale conservation efforts and/or sustainable community development. And strong competition among tour firms for bookings necessitates promotion of famous animal species like the mountain gorillas in the Virunga massif and the Big 5. The protection of the critically endangered species has also been a major concern for industry players. However, less captivating animals and plants are often overlooked. The hope, for these reasons, placed in ecotourism as part of solution to Africa’s poverty and conservation problems has not been realized. But all is not lost. There’s a flicker of light beginning to shine at the end of a tunnel. At our premises based in Nyakinama Village, 8 kilometers from Musanze town we are taking a lead in integrating tourism, conservation and community development around the Volcanoes National Park. Instead of basing our activities on wistful thinking and profit-driven motifs, we changed the narrative by establishing partnership with other ecotourism ventures, charitable NGOs and volunteers to fulfill our different programs running under Red Rocks Initiatives for Sustainable Development . And these partnerships seem to be working better. Red Rocks ecotourism programs continue to provide environmentally-sensitive employment to the locals, mostly youth and women,

A Global Initiative for Tourism Executives - Recovery and Resilience Dialogue Event 2

02-12-2020

Leading public and private executives from around the world share with you how they use data for a more balanced tourism. The data-based forecasting and guidance of tourism flows can help reduce public health risks, improve social acceptance and make more people and places benefit from our sector. Be part of the initiatives by the World Economic Forum, the UN World Tourism Organization, and the UN Global Compact to make tourism more resilient and sustainable! Listen to and discuss with the following decision-makers: • Ignacio Barrios, CEO of the analytics firm Kido Dynamics • Jon Erni, Founder & President of the back-end provider discover.swiss • Sérgio Guerreiro, Senior Director of Knowledge Management and Innovation of Turismo de Portugal • Jeremy Sampson, CEO of The Travel Foundation • Eduard Torres, President of Turisme de Barcelona On December 9, 2020 (2:30-4:00pm, Central European Time on ZOOM/Webex

Walk the Talk

30-11-2020

On behalf of the Switzerland State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), we have developed "Walk the talk“, a new format of knowledge transfer. SECO wants to multiply touristic projects and increase the transfer of know-how from implemented Innotour projects. In the form of inspiring walks and talk sessions in unconventional locations in the „Mattequartier“ of Bern (theatre, cinema and advertising agency), prominent figures from tourism will hold interesting panel discussions on the following topics: „the way to successful cooperation“, „making sustainable use of synergies with agriculture“, „relieving tourist accommodations through new guest data management“ and „product development for tomorrow’s tourism adventures“. Going for a walk in between talks provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on podium inputs, to exchange personal experiences, and to bring up concerns and ques5ons. With the chosen format, gutundgut has been able to create an inspiring environment where a friendly atmosphere between panelists and participating professionals is created and thus a lot of prac5cal knowledge is conveyed. The events are organized and moderated from A to Z by gutundgut gmbh on behalf of SECO.

Ksar Ghilane

30-11-2020

For many years the oasis Ksar Ghilane was known for its very high quality of dates. Today the oasis is threatened by the increasing day tourism. This has a negative effect on the ecosystem and generates little added value. At the beginning of January 2019, Rafael Enzler and Christian Müller from gutundgut worked together with André Gribi from the Hotel & Gastro Consulting GmbH to develop the first foundations for sustainable tourism development. Workshops were held with local authorities, service providers as well as residents. A sustainable concept for water quality, electricity, transport, and waste management was developed and should provide the necessary basis to improve local tourism.

Vajra Eco Resort Nepal

30-11-2020

The Vajra Eco Resort is a breeding ground for sustainable entrepreneurship. Nepal is not only in need of educated young people but also of those who are interested in creating new jobs as entrepreneurs. With this in mind, the project of building a sustainable hotel complex was initiated. Apprentices from all sectors have the opportunity to complete an internship and gain work experience, hopefully with the aim of one day establishing their own business. The hotel complex is a socially responsible corporation as a part of the profit is donated to social projects. A solar kitchen, biogas recycling facility, an own dairy factory and a small hydroelectric power station for electricity make the complex self-sufficient. Even vegetables are grown in the hotel’s own organic garden. The doctor’s office also offers their services and information to the local population. This comprehensive sustainable approach of the Vajra Eco Resort can be seen as a pioneer.

Tourism development South Albania

30-11-2020

gutundgut was asked by the German Society for International Cooperation to analyze the tourism potential and create a tourism strategy for the southern Albanian cities Vlora, Himara, and Konispol. This strategy for sustainable tourism in the southern coastal region is currently being developed in close collaboration with the local people and workers. First, it was important to become familiar with the region. By traveling through the country Christian Müller and Rafael Enzler from gutundgut became acquainted with the present state of the region and got to know the local people as well as their culture. Existing infrastructure, tourism offers, communication channels, cooperation between the various providers and expectations were examined and analyzed. In a basic concept, findings and potentials were combined – for prospective key experiences which are rooted directly in the region. And with the involvement of the local people and circumstances boosting tourism in a sustainable way.

Green Marathon Zürich

30-11-2020

Since 21 May 2017, the 42 km long route of the „Green Marathon Zurich“ connects the most picturesque urban oases throughout the city. The running course leads from the city center to the lake, passing by meadows and nearby forests. It is ideal for stage races, hikes and walks as well as a training area. The route offers stunning views over the city and the lake. The course can be used year-round. The stages can be chosen freely and are easily accessible all over the city by public transport or are within walking distance. For orientation purposes route field, km indication and information panels are fixed on the existing hiking and urban network.

Mountain Lab Adelboden

25-11-2020

On behalf of TALK AG, gutundgut integrated a coworking space in Adelboden and the Tourist Center under the roof of the Mountain Lab Adelboden. The Tourist Center in Adelboden has become an innovative open space where the staff of the Tourist Center and the ski school share space with independent entrepreneurs, digital nomads, and local talent. From the beginning of the project, it was important to involve the local population. Besides the co-working space, the Mountain Lab offers external meeting rooms in various locations. In co-operation with hotels and vacation homeowners, a coliving offer was developed. Together these three offers form an attractive opportunity to combine work with leisure time and support Adelboden in its positioning as an innovative place of tourism and work.

Science and Conservation

25-11-2020

Amazon Emotions is fully committed to making a significant positive impact on biodiversity conservation in the Amazon. All of our project-related activities are directed from our Brazilian Amazon headquarters in Presidente Figueiredo. In 2019, a RAPELD module for creating a long-term ecological research site is being installed with the support of CENBAM (The Amazonian Biodiversity Studies Centre) and their PPBio (Research Program on Biodiversity) group. This is going to provide a research station for scientists in the rainforest. Our goal is to teach the local communities about the value of their natural resources and to educate the international community and visitors about biodiversity. All this research helps the region in a number of ways. For example; the knowledge generated is passed on to the guides who work at Amazon Emotions, which in turn will enrich the experience of our guests and enhance our environmental education projects. This endeavour also contributes directly and indirectly, to society in general by providing information about the conservation of this region. This project intends to serve as a model for sustainable conservation and can be replicated throughout the Amazon.

Sustainability Charter of the Azores

20-11-2020

The Sustainability Charter of the Azores is a Government initiative that has the mission to be an agent of change for sustainable development in the Azores through the dissemination, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the Sustainable Development Goals and encouraging the collaboration and formation of partnerships. It is a local action, with a global impact. Subscribing to the Charter is to undertake a public commitment with a responsible and transparent management, guided by the implementation of the sustainable development goals, with the eyes set in the future. With the government support, each regional organization, company and NGO that aims to subscribe the Charter, has free access to Forums, sustainability consultation and Workshops, where a specialized team guides them on how they can align their strategies as well as measure and manage their contribution to the SDGs. The Subscribing Workshops, that took place in every island, a specialized sustainability team and the Azores DMO, helps regional tourism (and other) companies and organizations to understand what are the SDGs and how integrating the SDGs in their core business will enhance the value of their corporate sustainability, and will help them discover new growth opportunities and lower their risk profiles, capitalizing a range of benefits. Since 2017 we could witness to a growing project. In the first public session of the Sustainability Charter of the Azores, 45 local companies voluntarily subscribed to the charter, identifying three annual public commitments aligned with the SDGs. In 2019 we can count with more than one hundred subscribers, which translates in more than three hundred sustainable public commitments. This is collaborative approach that involves a wide net of local stakeholders and the local community, working together to bring benefits to the environment and society, involving all aboard in this ship, sailing towards the sustainable future of the Azores.

Amazon Emotions

16-11-2020

Amazon Emotions connects responsible-minded travelers, interested in authentic travel experiences, with local entrepreneurs, small businesses, and organized community groups committed to sustainable tourism practices. We adopt UNWTO’s definition in that sustainable tourism is “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities”. The goal of this policy is to reduce the negative impacts of our tourism activities on the environment and the host communities that we visit; at the same time maximizing the positive benefits to the host communities, their natural environment, and to our travelers. This policy will serve to inform our employees, local partners, suppliers, and travelers [collectively the stakeholders] of our commitment to develop and promote sustainable tourism products that are managed and enjoyed in a responsible manner. It will also detail the role and responsibilities of each of the stakeholders in the successful implementation of the policy.

A Global Initiative for Tourism Executives - Recovery and Resilience Dialogue

16-11-2020

How to survive amidst COVID-19 in the short run without neglecting the destination’s or company’s long-term resilience and sustainability? How do leading decision-makers from the public and private realm cope with this monumental challenge? The TouRRD is organised by the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons, in cooperation with the Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, the UN World Tourism Organization, and the World Economic Forum. Bringing together decision-makers from government, business, and civil society, in three virtual events it tackles three different challenges, namely: «How to restore consumers’ trust and confidence» (18.11.2020), «How to use data for a more balanced tourism» (9.12.2020), and «How to turn future headwinds into opportunities» (13.1.2021). The events take place from 2:30pm to 4:00pm (Central European Time). They are conducted via ZOOM and offer the audience an ample opportunity to engage in a high-level peer-to-peer exchange of ideas and experiences.

SDG4

08-11-2020

OPEN ROAD FOR CONTINOUS EDUCATION Effective date: 16/11/2020 Contact: Gerardo Delgado Gaona SDG4 Introduction Fully aware of the need for education opportunities for the greater percentage of our staff members, we declare our Hotel on favor to support the program OPEN ROAD FOR CONTINOUS EDUCATION, considering the existence of the CENEVAL, which is a formal Institution in México, recognized by the Mexican Education authorities, backing up the key points that we persuit as policy's purpose to promote and estimulate the individual growth as a way to open new opportunities for themselves. Policy: OPEN ROAD FOR CONTINOUS EDUCATION is a program for personal growth and formal education as GENERAL EDUCATION DEVELOMPENT, available to the staff members of HOTEL PALACIO AZTECA. Candidates may enroll after their third month of working in the property. Twice a week will have access to an available meeting room in a giving authorized schedule, equipped with WIFI and all necesary equipment to receive recorded class and/or academic advising and counseling so they can be prepared for presenting test to validate grades on course. The ultimate goal, is to help our staff members to reach their Junior High or, High School diplomas, so they may enroll in the online courses for University degrees and allow them to reach better opportunities for their personal growth and their families. Hotel Palacio Azteca Administration

UNWTO AWARD WINNER GREG BAKUNZI CONTINUES TO LEAD SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TOURISM

02-11-2020

Early last year the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recognized founder of Red Rocks Cultural Centre http://www.redrocksrwanda.com/ and Red Rocks Initiatives for ustainable Development http://development.www.redrocksinitiative.org/ for his role in pioneering sustainable tourism development in Africa. The award was in recognition of what Greg has been doing to promote tourism, conservation and community development in and around the Volcanoes National Park and the community tourism operator is using his vast amount of knowledge and experience to lobby for the inclusiveness of local Rwandans into destination and product management which ensures that the community plays a greater role in developing cultural products that are both directly beneficial while ensuring they sustaining their environment Bakunzi ‘s humble beginning is a journey that spans over 15 years in the travel and hospitality industry, taking him from working as young Rwandan tour organizer and guide for various international tour operators in the volcanoes way back after the conflict and through gradual hard work over the past years, he has gained experience and exceptional understanding of the needs and desires of the communities surrounding the national park and using his wide range of networks he has been able to motivate and engage locals in beneficial cultural based tourism activities that offer visitors memorable experiences while creating sustainable sources of income for the community. Greg continues to serves his community with passion and still manages to do more philanthropic work which has created awareness for the protection of environmental and natural resources, Under the initiative for sustainable development, he has been able to bring under-served communities together into the tourism supply chain and also supports community development projects that help people help themselves through the Igihogo Banana Seed Bags,

#IoResto

02-11-2020

A city that is not good for its citizens is not good for tourists. The non-profit organization #IoResto (#IRemain) was founded by Giovanni Pitingolo together with other citizens of Crotone (Italy) as a response to the alarming increase in the local phenomenon of migration. Crotone is indeed a city with a massive tourist potential, exceptionally rich in tangible and intangible cultural heritage as well as quite unique natural resources (e.g. the Marine protected area under the Barcelona Convention - Specially Protected Area – and the Geosite of Vrica, practically unique in its kind all over the world), but at the same time is heavily affected by socio-economic problems such as unemployment, marginalization and security, among others. In this context, the organization #IoResto aims to make the city and the surrounding human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. By doing so, #IoResto contributes to the improvement of the citizens’ quality of life, and prepares the destination for a more satisfactory and sustainable tourist experience. The approach adopted by #IoResto is particularly innovative as it is based on public participation, promotion of the civic sense and sense of belonging, and finally the stimulation of a bottom-up action toward the sustainable development of Crotone both as a city were to live and as a tourist destination. Among the projects already developed by #IoResto it is worth to mention the "Intimate Diary of a Territory: a school to stay", an itinerant “school” to promote and to bring back to life the villages surrounding the city that are suffering for a strong phenomenon of depopulation. To reach the goal, workshops are realized to preserve and promote the landscape, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and to put children and young people in contact with traditional activities and by doing so promoting the intergenerational dialogue and facilitating e the transmission of traditional knowhow and wisdom.

Restaurant Profitability Revamp Summit

28-10-2020

Experiences made during the current pandemic and how the hospitality industry can get out of this in a more strengthened way – depending on the individual speaker, sustainability is an important part of individual presentations and discussions. This virtual conference brings together experts and interested audience from Asia and around the world. The event is organized by the company Quarto Products,

Courageously shaping sustainable development in tourism

22-10-2020

Concrete examples and reactions to the corona crisis provide impulses for sustainable tourism development. In this German-language online event, Swiss stakeholders share their experiences and discuss how these could be transferred to the Swiss and international tourism context.

BTM Business Tourism Management

22-10-2020

For 7 years, Business Tourism Management is the event that brings together operators, administrations, companies, public and private bodies in the city of Lecce with the aim of creating a value network around the theme of tourism to strengthen the link between the territory and international dynamics. Next year, for the first time it will be held in Taranto a city where the environmental problem is very high due to the presence of a huge steel production plant. The reason is to promote initiative to foster the role of tourism in the Sustainable Development Goals and to start a great discussion about how to convert destinations from industrial to touristic. About 16 thousand participants for the 2020 edition, in addition to the exhibiting companies, at the VI edition of BTM - Business Tourism Management. Companies, tour operators, hoteliers, agencies, marketing experts, startuppers, public administrators and curious to know the latest emerging trends in tourism met at Lecce Fiera on 20, 21 and 22 February. Travel & innovation is the keyword chosen by Nevio D’Arpa, organizer of BTM, who built the program together with Mary Rossi, Event Manager on different thematic paths: hospitality & destination, sustainability, digital strategy, innovation, food & wine. One hundred and seventy-five exhibitors, more than 300 companies, 16 activities, theatrical performances, training sessions with tourist schools, 80 international buyers from all over the world.

UNWTO Country Fact Sheets

20-10-2020

In support of World Statistics Day 2020 and around the theme “Connecting the world with data we can trust”, UNWTO has launched it's Country Fact Sheets to reflect upon the importance of trust, authoritative data, innovation, and the public good that come with statistics, all values that are now more than ever relevant for tourism. On the country fact sheet map, the user will find country fact sheets for all the countries for which UNWTO has data. These fact sheets include the latest available data on inbound tourism, domestic tourism, outbound tourism, tourism expenditure, tourism industries, tourism employment, Tourism Direct GDP, and other macroeconomic indicators. The data used to create these fact sheets is collected on a yearly basis by the UNWTO and is made available through the UNWTO database.

Red Rocks conservation and Tourism Education Programs

08-10-2020

Tourism is a tool for peace and dialogue among civilizations. Peace profits everyone and conflicts scare away visitors and retard development. It compels all of us to find the means to create a universal peaceful coexistence. Beyond its economic importance, tourism can play an imperative role in relation to world peace. Tourism is potentially the most important vehicle for promoting personal perception, trust, and goodwill among the peoples of the world. It offers the ideal opportunity for people to discover other different cultures and to develop an admiration of cultural diversity. It enables people to interact and learn from each other. It also allows an exchange of ideas through cultural synthesis. The most important lesson tourism can teach the world is the existence of diverse cultural differences and similarities. It can also be used to make people in different parts of the world to be more aware of each other’s problems and points of view. It promotes tolerance, cultural understanding, and respect. Tourism can as well play an important role in healing the wounds of conflicts. Tourism creates employment opportunities for women, youths, and other underprivileged groups. This, in turn, helps in deterring people from taking part in illegal activities, thereby contributing to harmony. It is for the above and other reasons that there is strong confidence that tourism can have a philosophical impact on creating a conducive environment for peace. Let us implement the idea of education for peace whereby schools, universities and other training institutions, plus the media, join hands with the tourism industry to initiate awareness of tourism through Peace Programs.

Forum of Mayors 2020

05-10-2020

Cities are on the front lines of addressing humanity’s most pressing challenges, including pandemics, climate change and natural hazards. As our world is growing increasingly urban – with some 75% of the population already living in cities in the UNECE region – these challenges cannot be solved by national governments alone. Cities have become key partners to tackle these challenges and support the efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the remaining ten years. Organized by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe - UNECE, The Forum of Mayors will bring together city leaders from Europe, North America, Central Asia and the Caucasus to address the key challenges of our time. The 2020 Forum will focus on “City action for a resilient future: Strengthening local government preparedness and response to emergencies and the impact of disasters and climate change”. There will also be a United for our Goals #SDG match. The Forum of Mayors 2020 will bring together mayors and diplomats on a football field. City leaders and Geneva-based ambassadors will team-up to get the ball rolling for the Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs. The match will take place at the Palais des Nations (Geneva, Switzerland) – the grass field normally reserved for peacocks will turn into a playing field for sporty policymakers and tactical diplomats.

To find out more please visit: https://forumofmayors.unece.org/

The impacts of climate variables and climate-related extreme events on island country’s tourism: Evidence from Indonesia

04-10-2020

Tourism is one of the main economic sectors, which is impacted by climate change on a global scale. Yet, whether and to what extent climate change influences tourism in island countries with tropical weather has not been fully understood. Here, we seek to fill this gap by evaluating the role of climate variables and climate-related extreme events on the number of international tourists in Indonesia empirically. A panel dataset of 5 provinces in Indonesia, which accounted for more than 80 percent of international tourists traveling to Indonesia between 2008 and 2018, was used to perform a feasible generalized least square (FGLS) regression. Consistent with previous findings, the empirical results show that both temperature and relative humidity particularly explain the variations in the number of international tourists in Indonesia. Every 1% increment of temperature and relative humidity is associated with a decrease in the number of international tourists in Indonesia by 1.37% and 0.59%, respectively. This study also suggests that the effect of climate change and climate-related extreme events is not homogeneous among tourists from different regions. These findings develop novel insights for climate change adaptation for policymakers.

The impacts of climate variables and climate-related extreme events on island country’s tourism: Evidence from Indonesia

04-10-2020

Tourism is one of the main economic sectors, which is impacted by climate change on a global scale. Yet, whether and to what extent climate change influences tourism in island countries with tropical weather has not been fully understood. Here, we seek to fill this gap by evaluating the role of climate variables and climate-related extreme events on the number of international tourists in Indonesia empirically. A panel dataset of 5 provinces in Indonesia, which accounted for more than 80 percent of international tourists traveling to Indonesia between 2008 and 2018, was used to perform a feasible generalized least square (FGLS) regression. Consistent with previous findings, the empirical results show that both temperature and relative humidity particularly explain the variations in the number of international tourists in Indonesia. Every 1% increment of temperature and relative humidity is associated with a decrease in the number of international tourists in Indonesia by 1.37% and 0.59%, respectively. This study also suggests that the effect of climate change and climate-related extreme events is not homogeneous among tourists from different regions. These findings develop novel insights for climate change adaptation for policymakers.

WORLD TOURISM FORUM LUCERNE (WTFL) & WTM RESPONSIBLE TOURISM INTERVIEW SERIES | BIODIVERSITY, ECO-SYSTEM SERVICES AND TOURISM – CONFLICT OR SYMBIOSIS?

01-10-2020

Conversation series organized by World Tourism Forum Lucerne (WTFL) & WTM Responsible Tourism Description: The importance of striking a balance between the environmental, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable development. A burning issue is biodiversity. Biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history. Tourism and biodiversity have a symbiotic relationship – positive and negative. We are committed to:

Promoting dialogue on responsible tourism as an eco-system service that promotes the conservation of biodiversity.
Documenting and amplifying best practices in our sector that promote consumer awareness.
Working with other stakeholders in our industry to advance this agenda together.

#Swisstourism4sdgs

Travel Unity Virtual Summit

01-10-2020

Since 2014, Travel Unity has worked hard to create a platform for thought leaders, brands and stakeholders committed to improving diversity and inclusion in the tourism and hospitality industries to meet and share ideas. And this year is no exception. Join us October 21-23 for Reset and Rebuild: Advancing Travel Together. We’re excited to host three days of conversations that matter. Conversations that are designed to directly and intentionally address the effects and causes of the lack of diversity, inclusion and equity in the tourism and hospitality industries. Conversations that challenge you to think and act differently and asks you to invest in inspired ideas and approaches that will reset and rebuild the tourism and hospitality industries. We have assembled thought leaders, tourism experts and DEI professionals to examine how we could work together to advance tourism and create a space that is truly a welcoming community where everyone regardless of their background or ability can be safe and realize their full potential. Learn more and register for the 2020 Travel Unity Virtual Summit at https://bit.ly/TUVS2020

How Red Rocks Initiatives link tourism, conservation and community Development in Rwanda

29-09-2020

Red Rocks Initiatives believes that Surplus income from ecotourism allows workers or their family members to start up small businesses or to pass on the money to other community members by buying local goods and paying for child care and other services. Having transformed from a social enterprise to a non-governmental organization operating mostly around the Volcanoes National Park, Red Rocks Initiatives basically target different fields including conservation, responsible tourism and community development as key pillars to ensure the local community gains, and have a say, in tourism activities that would eventually uplift their living standards while they actively take part in conservation efforts. For instance, the IGIHOHO Support Cooperative program promotes sustainable forest management, which balances social, environmental and economic concerns to meet today’s requirements, while guaranteeing our forests for future generations. Early last year, as part of Red Rocks Initiatives to promote forestation around the protected areas, we, under Igohoho involved a group of local women cooperatives to plant 20,000 trees using seedling they grew from biodegradable banana stem bags. We also made mutual partnership with Soldiers for wildlife, based in Zambia to find ways through which we can inclusively work together to harness Tourism, Conservation and Sustainable Community Development in Africa. Red Rocks Initiatives also partnered with local visual artists, where we opened an art gallery in Kinigi, the hub of tourism industry in Musanze, and Rwanda in general to promote conservation and tourism through art classes while the artists also develop art works that promote conservation and environmental protection for future survival of endangered animal and plant species.

Colombia me Inspira - experiencias sostenibles de turismo en toda Colombia

29-09-2020

The event is organised by SIPPO (Swiss Import Promotion Programme) and C+C (Colombia + Competitiva) #ColombiaMeInspira es una plataforma de contenidos para descubrir la riqueza turística del país. Online Event celebrating the world tourism day 2020 For more information and to watch the recording, see links below.

Gastronomy in Tourism Supply Chains: Shrinking the Distance between Farmer and Consumer (Farm to Fork)

28-09-2020

As part of the Geneva Trade Week 2020 and coinciding with the World Tourism Day 2020, there will be a special session on Gastronomy and Tourism in Supply Chains on 30th September 2020 at 9.00 am. Register and join via WebEx HERE Prior to the travel disruptions of Covid-19, economies all over the world were seeing significant growth in tourism consumption supply chains, fuelling value addition, product development agri-processing, innovation, and quality. Looking beyond the pandemic, the intersection between tourism and local agri-business will be key to recovery for many communities. This session will draw on a number of case studies to explore how connections between the tourism and agri-business drove market and economic diversification, created jobs and promoted inclusivity. It will also explore where the successful promotion of local cuisine, culture and heritage led to strengthened tourism attractiveness, which in turn fuelled growth in mutually supportive sectors. Key questions:

What are the challenges to creating value added products at a local level and accessing trade?
What strategic partnerships in the food and hospitality industry are needed to support sustainable and fair trade?
What is the role of quality products in engaging consumers in the food and tourism sector, while reducing the carbon footprint?

Speakers:

Benjamin Ozsanay, CEO and CoFounder - COOKLY
Mary Dickson, R&D Manager - Niche Cocoa Industry
Peter Muchemi, CEO - Jiranis Food
Cristina Reni, Alliances for Action - International Trade Centre
Hernan Manson, Senior Officer - Sector Competitiveness - International Trade Centre
Zoritsa Urosevic, Director, Institutional Relations and Partnerships Department- UNWTO
Natalia Bayona, Director of Innovation, Digital Transformation and Investments - UNWTO

Taktvoll

24-09-2020

In the summer of 2020, Lake Achensee in Tirol was a highly sought-after destination not only for tourists from other countries, but also for people who live in Tirol and visit for a day. Where more people wanted to see and to stay at the same beautiful places, hiking up the mountains, lying at the beach of the lake, also more waste was left behind. Alpinmarketing had the idea to address this problem using the SDGs as a guideline. Therefore, we created a marketing campaign together with the destination management organization, targeting visitors to the Achensee holiday region. The aim is to raise awareness for more mindfulness and understanding nature. The campaign is running on Facebook, covering several relevant topics using titles of well-known songs, e.g. "What goes up, must come down" by the band Blood, Sweat and Tears, telling a short story why hikers shouldn’t leave their rubbish behind. The campaign is very successful and will continue with more topics. Raising awareness for nature is a consistent feature of the work of the Achensee Tourist Board, with the aim of bringing guests closer to the beautiful nature between mountains and the lake and to provide a sustainable holiday experience in a natural environment. If we maintain a respectful coexistence on the mountains, at the lake and in our valleys, ALL of us will be able to enjoy the high-quality Tirolean summer at Lake Achensee in the future. However, it’s not only up to us to observe certain rules – everybody must treat nature with respect.

MAPS FORUM - SUSTAINABILITY, TOURISM & EVENTS

24-09-2020

MAPS 2020 Forum Tourism, Events and Sustainability Regeneration: the natural convergence On the 15th and 16th of September, you have the chance to participate in an unprecedented international Forum. Together, Tourism, Events and Sustainability can radiate positive actions into the largest set of sectors and boost their recovery: economy, social insertion, labor market, education and - an increasingly sensitive area - nature preservation and regeneration. Today, Sustainability is the only concept that supports and can guarantee lasting results for business and the planet. Brazil has the potential to become the great world model in Tourism and Sustainability Events. And the segment actors will be the protagonists of this story. The importance of the themes and speakers of the panels represents the great opportunity for a virtuous turn, making the MAPS Forum 2020 an event of general interest: operators, agents, suppliers, consumers and corporate customers, we will all make the most of it.

Empower the local tourist guides

18-09-2020

Andreas, Daphne and Yiannis, the founders of Clio Muse in 2014, shared a common concern: the world was missing a global platform that would connect the world’s cultural heritage, while being scalable and sustainable. Our initial ambition was to bring people back to the museums. Therefore, from the very beginning, we collaborated with Greece’s world-class museums to develop our methodology from the ground up, which was pivotal for the successful implementation of our idea but that’s what made our business model sustainable since its inception. Our aim was and still remains to create an exceptional travel experience. On the one hand to bring travellers to museums, on the other, to unravel the magical stories of off-the-beaten-path places and often connect the two. Crafting fascinating narratives that will captivate modern-day travellers and bring our cultural heritage to the foreground, seemed natural to us. We developed a unique storytelling methodology, which we use for the creation of each one of our self-guided audio tours and virtual tour experiences. It may took us two years to optimize it, but today, six years later, we are confident that this is what makes us stand out. With over 300 self-guided audio tours in 11 countries, we know that our methodology can be applied in every city around the world. Booking.com Cares Lab 2018 has awarded it as a solution for more sustainable tourism in the city of Amsterdam while our business model has been recognized by the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen for its efforts in “Sustainable, Innovative and Responsible Entrepreneurship.” We also empower local tourist guides, through our authoring tool, CREATE by providing the opportunity to share their knowledge with travel enthusiasts via self-guided audio tours. Featuring a tool that can connect and benefit people from different corners of the globe is to us a step closer to the global platform we are aspiring to create.

Yukon Tourism Development Strategy

16-09-2020

The Yukon Tourism Development Strategy is guided by the core values expressed by Yukoners and lays out a ten-year vision for tourism to be a vibrant, sustainable component of Yukon’s economy and society for the benefit of future generations. It also includes goals that balance economic, environmental and social priorities, and is supported by strategic actions to bring the vision to life. The strategy is the culmination of a fourteen-month process to develop a long-term vision for sustainably growing tourism in the territory. Guided by a steering committee of industry experts, the strategy was developed based on best practices around the globe and comprehensive engagement with tourism industry stakeholders, Yukon First Nations, municipalities, the arts and culture community and the public. This ten-year adaptive strategy lays out the goals, values and strategic actions to realize a tourism vision for the Yukon, developed by Yukoners. To become a leading sustainable tourism destination, we must foster the conditions for a thriving tourism economy, develop tourism in a manner that balances economic, social and environmental values, and bolster support for the industry by aligning our collective efforts with the core values of Yukoners. Four connected pillars outline the strategic actions that will be developed and implemented to bring this vision to life. While each goal, value and pillar is important in and of itself, the strength of this strategy and the success by which it is measured, stems from the need to ensure they are interconnected and pursued in balance. Our vision is for tourism to be a sustainable, vibrant component of the Yukon’s economy and society for the benefit of future generations. Our goals are to have a thriving tourism economy; to develop tourism sustainably; and to have resident support for tourism. Implementation of the strategy and it's action plans began in 2019 and is ongoing.

LAYAG 2020 Tourism & Hospitality Research

14-09-2020

In celebration of World Tourism Day, the LAYAG 2020 : 2nd Tourism & Hospitality Research Conference will be held as an Academic Research Conference to provide opportunity for researchers, experienced professionals and academicians as well as other organizations to actively exchange, share meaningful findings of their latest research on topics relating to tourism and hospitality industry. The goal of the conference is to respond to the need of the community, especially we have this COVID19 pandemic, it is timely and relevant to disseminate new knowledge in relation to tourism and hospitality, being one of greatly affected by the pandemic. The conference invites conceptual, empirical, and methodological research papers on various tourism and hospitality themes: Best practices in hospitality and tourism establishments; Business resilience of tourism and hospitality; Climate change and Risk Management; Digital tourism and technological advancement; Food safety, hygiene and security policies and practices; Human resource opportunities and issues; Sustainable tourism and green hotel practices; Tourism and hospitality education adaptation to technology; and Tourism and Hospitality operations management; Publication Opportunities. All submitted papers will follow a rigorous double-blind review process and will be accepted and published in a CHED recognized journal. This would enable the researcher to disseminate information and contribute to the growing body of knowledge relating to tourism and hospitality. We never stop learning and looking for possible solution through research, so we look forward to welcoming you LAYAG 2020 and we are confident that it will be an enjoyable and educational experience for all even through a virtual platform.

MiWeeks eco conscious booking

31-08-2020

MiWeeks eco conscious travel club operates in the online booking segment where we propose a selection of quality vacation rentals. At MiWeeks we are developing "eco friendly travel technology". Our point of departure begins by rethinking the traditional 21st century business model and question investment theories used in the business world. We bring forward human values in our business model and reflect these in the development of our travel technology. Further, we believe that travel technology is key to help finance the green economy and sustainable development goals. I explain: According to WTTC in 2018 travel & tourism, the worlds largest industry, had a direct contribution to the global economy amounting to 8.81 trillion dollars and by 2023 70% of revenues will be made online. At MiWeeks we believe that travel technology is at a cross road, we can continue to develop smart travel technology that will know everything about us, anticipate our needs with the specific purpose to generate online revenues, or we can develop smart travel technology that can help finance the necessary actions to tackle the environmental effects created by the industry (land conversion, biodiversity loss, air pollution, ocean acidification & pollution etc..)

Swiss Tourism 4 SDGs

25-08-2020

The Swiss Tourism Dialogue on SDGs (SwissTourism4SDGs) is a broad-based initiative supported by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO to anchor the Agenda 2030 with its 17 sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the tourism industry. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint for economic, social and ecological development up to 2030. Adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, the SDGs are a call for action by all countries, civil society, the private sector and the scientific community to promote prosperity while protecting the environment. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, equality and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and working to preserve our ocean and forests. Switzerland is committed to the implementation of Agenda 2030 at both national and international level, and tourism as a cross-cutting sector can make an important contribution to achieving these goals. With the Swiss SDG Tourism Dialogue, we are networking the players in Swiss incoming and outgoing tourism with the aim of ensuring that, thanks to the exchange of knowledge, innovative ideas and good practice the SDGs can be achieved in a more targeted, effective and rapid manner. Consequently, the Swiss SDG Tourism Dialogue does not develop its own measures to help reach the SDGs more effectively but supports initiatives by finding suitable partners for them, tapping into missing knowledge and actively communicating these initiatives within the network.

Official Launch of SwissTourism4SDGs - the Swiss dialogue on tourism & SDGs

25-08-2020

Official Launch of SwissTourism4SDGs - the Swiss dialogue on tourism & SDGs The initiative aims to anchor the global Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more firmly in the tourism industry. Alongside the Swiss Tourism Federation (STV), the consortium consists of the Swiss Foundation for Technical Development Cooperation Swisscontact, the myclimate foundation, the Swiss Travel Association (SRV), the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden, the Swiss Parks Network, the consulting firm ecos and gutundgut gmbh. The initiative strives to achieve SDGs in a more targeted and effective way through knowledge sharing. The potential lies in better networking of all players in Swiss tourism and in promoting the exchange of practical experience. The role of the SDG dialogue is to raise awareness of sustainability goals, bring knowledge together, find suitable partners for initiatives and actively communicate these within the network. In this sense, the Swiss Tourism Dialogue does not develop its own projects, but brings together committed partners.

Green Technology Selector (GTS)

24-08-2020

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has developed Green Technology Selector (GTS) to promote global transfer of high-performing green technologies. The online B2B and B2C platform with over 22,000 high-performing technologies helps businesses and households reduce utility costs, increase comfort, quality of services or productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening resilience to climate change. Green Technology Selector connects technology buyers with financial institutions and technology suppliers (manufacturers and local vendors), and improves access to green solutions and climate finance. Green Technology Selector is available in over 10 languages across over 26 countries. Browse www.techselector.com or TechSelector mobile app to find concrete solutions for the tourism and hospitality sector (energy efficiency equipment and materials, renewable energy technologies and water saving solutions). Many hotels and businesses in the hospitality sector in the EBRD region have already benefitted from technologies and finance supported by GTS (Real companies - real stories!).

Africa Tourism & SDGs Summit 2020

20-08-2020

The "Africa Tourism & SDGs Virtual Summit 2020" seeks to bring Tourism and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Stakeholders together to look for ways to fast-track the achievement of the SDGs in Africa through tourism while capitalizing on the UNWTO's Tourism4SDGs campaign. Topic: The Role of Tourism In Fast-tracking The Achievement of SDGs In Africa Post Lockdown

Guide: Museums and the Sustainable Development Goals: a how-to guide for museums, galleries, the cultural sector and their partners

04-08-2020

This guide is intended to help empower museums (small, large and of any kind, anywhere), museum workers, museum networks and their partners to contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs for short).

FLOCKEO

28-07-2020

We have created Flockeo to federate a global community around sustainable tourism. We aim at connecting travelers and professionals in an inclusive eco-system based on the values of sustainability, protection of the environment, sharing experiences with the local communities, and extending the benefits of tourism to the larger local regions. The protection of the environment is an incredible opportunity for every destination to reinvent its tourism policy and to promote new regions. This is a great space to counter mass tourism and to advocate sustainable development in newly developed areas. Through our map, we provide the Flockeo indicator to the community with an independent, transparent view of the environmental footprint of tourism on a destination. The Flockeo barometer takes into account 4 key indicators to assess the ecological footprint of tourist destinations : 1 Quality of biodiversity: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to the protection and preservation of nature. It regularly publishes a red list on its website to map the animals or plant species at risk around the world. 2 Pressure on water: Satellite data, together with other data sources, can be used to assess water-related risks. The Flockeo barometer accounts for the quantity, quality as well as existence and relevancy of the infrastructures set up to better manage water. 3 Population density: Cities have existed for thousands of years; they are essential for economic and social development. However, a growing town is a shrinking natural habitat. Our goal is to heighten awareness about this dilemma and to help you discover new tourist “green lanes”. 4 Air Quality: The air quality is a key factor for a pleasant stay in any destination. Whether it is the result of natural or manmade activities, air quality may show high variability due to sudden events (e.g. forest fires or industrial hazard)

Basilicata's food and wine tourism ecosystem Recreating the offer to recover #TravelTomorrow

21-07-2020

The United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development identifies sustainable tourism as one of the sectors for achieving the sustainability goals. Under the goal 8, dedicated to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all, through the target 8.9 the Agenda 2030 suggests “devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products”. Food and wine therefore falls into the areas of tourism able to promote the sustainable competitiveness of a destination, a tourism capable of involving the various levels of sustainability, distinguished by an enormous capacity to stimulate economies, especially local economies, and to promote sustainability and inclusion. It answers the need of destinations of positioning themselves in an increasingly crowded market creating new tourism products based on the authenticity, sustainability and originality of the destination, all elements able to satisfy the motivations dictating demand especially in the current situation of the symmetrical shock caused by Covid 19. The travel ban seems to be the right moment to speed up reorganisation of a territorial offer able to satisfy the demand for sustainability to which the need for security has been added. This research project aims to define the strategic planning of food and wine tourism in Basilicata, a rural region of southern Italy, contributing to the growth of the local economy in a sustainable way. This aim can be achieved by creating a food and wine tourism ecosystem for Basilicata (as the initial phase of a wider strategic plan) which will be a step towards creating a food and wine tourism product that is sufficiently competitive and sustainable to satisfy the current demands of the tourism market.

Sustainable Travel Finland

01-07-2020

The Programme of Finnish Government, is ‘Inclusive and competent Finland – a socially, economically and ecologically sustainable society’. Meanwhile, Finland's Arctic Strategy, driving sustainable development in the Arctic, has set sustainable tourism as one of its priorities. Furthermore, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, responsible for Finland’s updated tourism strategy, has identified four priorities that will facilitate the sustainable growth and renewal of the tourism sector in Finland - first priority being supporting sustainable development. To help the tourism industry in Finland to put these strategies into action, together with various stakeholders Visit Finland has developed the Sustainable Travel Finland -programme, designed for tourism companies and destinations in Finland. With focus on all dimensions of sustainability (ecological, cultural, social and economic), Sustainable Travel Finland programme offers Finnish tourism industry a complete toolkit to adapt sustainable practices: a 7-step sustainable tourism development path. Although Sustainable Travel Finland programme aligns with internationally known sustainable tourism programmes and SDGs, it is built in consideration of regional and national development needs. Initially, the current state analyses recognized the following areas to develop: commitment, knowhow, planning, communication, auditing and measuring. Instead of adopting a foreign model to Finland, a national model was designed to address these needs, as well as regional differences. Companies and destinations that undergo the entire programme are awarded with the Sustainable Travel Finland label, providing travel trade and travellers an easy way to identify a tourism actor that takes sustainability seriously and make a responsible choice.

Mujeres en Turismo en la Argentina

19-06-2020

Es una red flexible, diversa, apartidaria y dinámica que agrupa los esfuerzos de quienes -desde sus distintos perfiles, aspiraciones y objetivos- buscan sumar sus talentos y acciones al logro de la igualdad y al empoderamiento de las mujeres como agentes de cambio en el sector turístico. Esta organización aboga por los derechos de las mujeres y es dirigida de manera democrática por mujeres. Es un movimiento colectivo que desde un grupo de iguales plantea asumir algunos retos conjuntamente desde una perspectiva de colaboración más amplia. Para ello, promueve ir construyendo redes con aquellas mujeres unidas en el mismo objetivo de erradicar esta brecha. Para ello, se trabaja de manera colectiva en estrategias comunes con fines concretos fomentando encuentros e intercambios de opiniones. No solo buscamos una mayor inserción y avance de las mujeres, sino un cambio genuino en el sector donde mujeres y hombres puedan desenvolverse en condiciones de igualdad.

EIF Trade for Development News, UNWTO and the Commonwealth presents Tourism and COVID-19 webinar

08-06-2020

EIF Trade for Development News, UNWTO and the Commonwealth presents Tourism and COVID-19 webinar on 11 June 2020, 10am CET

Tourism is the backbone of many developing world economies, and the sector is being drastically affected by COVID-19. How can countries weather and recover from this crisis? What lessons can we take from the past? Explore with our Experts!

SPEAKERS Belise Kariza, Chief Tourism Officer, Rwanda Development Board Zoritsa Urosevic, Director, Institutional Relations and Partnerships Department, Special Representative to the United Nations in Geneva - World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Anna Spenceley, Chair of IUCN WCPA Tourism and Protected Areas Specialist Group and Board Member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council MODERATOR Brendan Vickers, Adviser and Head of Section in the International Trade Policy Section, Commonwealth Secretariat Join Us! and Register HERE

A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE, RESPONSIBLY

01-06-2020

We live in a global and connected world and by no means, we can neglect it. Over the last few decades, distances were shortened, communications improved, borders faded away and intercultural exchange became a part of our daily lives. We are, more than ever, citizens of the world and many of us live by the motto “to travel is to live”. Therefore, traveling has increased exponentially over the past 60 years and became a global trend: it is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the daily life, as it gives us the chance of discovering new places, languages, accents, foods, and ways of life. However, and besides its undeniable virtues, tourism and the travel industry also have many disadvantages, both socially and environmentally, that balance the scale. This massive industry, present all over the world, can cause long-term damage to a destination if there’s a lack of sustainable and responsible management of resources. The good news is that, if we address these disadvantages correctly, we can minimize their effects drastically. Moreover, an increasing number of globetrotters are becoming more aware of this dramatic reality and are aiming to be more conscious and sustainable travelers. Impactrip, as a responsible tourism operator, is no stranger to the problems this industry may cause and, since 2015, is trying to change the way people travel, offering and promoting meaningful experiences that deeply respect the uniqueness and character of tourist destinations. Thus, the Responsible Tourism Experiences (RTE) were created to all those travelers looking for an enriching and authentic experience, away from mass tourism and with the add-on of leaving a positive social and/or environmental impact on the destinations. With that, Impactrip has partnered up with hundreds of local projects and organizations that fight against several social and environmental problems to create transformative experiences not only for travelers, but also for the communities and destinations they visit. Visitors can join these RTEs all over Portugal (including the delightful Azores Islands) and activities range from a zero-waste cooking class to discovering the preserved old traditions of a small village in the middle of the country. All the experiences have the main goal of giving back to the host communities, while enhancing their well-being, improving working conditions and making positive contributions

to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. Also, Impactrip promotes a set of eco- friendly initiatives to help everyone becoming a more conscious and sustainable traveler: refusing plastic straws, carrying reusable bags, shopping in small local stores and eating seasonally are just a few examples of small (but meaningful!) actions that Impactrip encourages all their clients and staff members to take. Impactrip, as a certified B-Corporation (a business that meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance and works toward reducing inequalities, lowering levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and creating quality jobs with dignity and purpose) is aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Over the last 5 years, the company has striven to give tourists the chance of actively contributing to this bold agenda that sets out a global framework to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change until 2030. As a result, Impactrip’s Responsible Experiences contribute towards these goals, because all of them are based on equality for all, saving the planet and economic prosperity. For instance, during the Cascais by Art tour (Lisbon) visitor will get to know the story of a neighborhood that has united diverse ethnicities and generations through art and that nowadays it’s an open-air art gallery. Since the tour guides are youngsters from a local group, participants will be contributing directly to SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth – making this social business more dynamic. Another possibility to get to know Lisbon in a different perspective is taking A Walk for Diversity, a walking tour through Mouraria, Lisbon’s most multiethnic neighborhood. Nowadays, migrants make up around 30 per cent of this local community and in this urban tour, the guides are nothing more but migrants that will share their most personal and cultural stories. So that, Impactrip has partnered up with this integrative project to Reduce Inequalities (SDG10) and poverty (SDG 1) in these needy communities. We can also mention the Green Guardians of the Forests environmental program, that takes place in the fascinating Sintra Natural Park, where nature lovers get involved with the recovery of ecologically degraded areas, through the restitution of native forests to restore ecological systems. Needless to say, this experience is a major contribution to the achievement of SDGs 13 – Climate Action – and 15 – Life on Land – because it encourages participants to take actions to combat climate change and also to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

As our world is composed of 71% of water, Impactrip also wants to create a positive impact on the ocean. Travelers can eco-dive in different locations, from the crystal-clear waters of the Azores to the light blue ones of the Algarve. Taking part in any of these wonderful experiences gives the possibility of connecting the thrill and beauty of Ocean diving with learning what one can do to protect and preserve our precious Life below Water – SDG14. In short, all these are Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17), since Impactrip is joining forces with local organizations so that we attain a successful sustainable development for all, placing people and the planet at the center. As you see, there are plenty of opportunities for everyone to experience a different way of getting to know a new country and culture. We indeed live in a multicultural world, but travel with caution and respect to the local people and nature is possible. Incorporating the SDGs in our next travel plan, and looking for meaningful responsible experiences in the places we visit, that will imbalance the downsides of tourism, are great ways of making the difference and contribute to a more sustainable world. Lastly, Impactrip envisions forming a global community of people wanting to be the change they seek in the world and that also believe that we’re responsible for each other and future generations. So, these Responsible Experiences are a mean to a greater and lasting end: Impactrip ultimate goal is that everyone who takes joins these experiences can also create a positive and meaningful impact in their communities. Written by: Maria João Gens is a young professional from Porto, Portugal. She has studied Foreign Languages and Business Relations and is passionate about other cultures, travelling and (good) food. A full-time dreamer (and hard-worker!), she's trying to be the change she wishes to see in the world through path of Sustainability, Education, Responsible Consumption and Personal Development.

evway Travel Network

29-05-2020

Route220 is the leading provider of charging services in Italy, serving more than 10.000 EV-Users all over Europe. The initiative was created in order to gather all the hospitality services - sleeping, eating, shopping and cultural locations - that offer EV charging solutions for their guests - visitors; therefore Route220 created "evway Travel Network”: with evway Travel Network the charging pauses become opportunities to discovery the territory. evway Travel Network is a touristic portal dedicated to EV-Drivers where they can find hospitality facilities and tourist attractions that offer charging service. The aim is to improve the experience of the charging session and to promote the businesses that believe in sustainable mobility. The front-end device to enable mapping, charging and paying the charging services is called EVWAY and it's offered free of charge in iOS and Android and enables charging an electric vehicle all over Europe in more than 150.000 charging spots. The App also shows EV-Driver the points of interest near the charging station - museums, tourist attractions... -, allowing him to take advantage of his charging stop to discover what the territory has to offer. Within the App, the users can easily identify all the hospitality partners that adhere to the mission of the network: promote a sustainable way to travel in Europe. The App, in fact, indicates - with special markers for product category - the facilities that have a charging station - hotel, restaurant, museum, shopping center. The EV-Traveller can find ad-hoc pre-defined itineraries to discover the opportunities and beauties of territories in Europe, in alliance with local providers of sustainable events or experiences such as sailing tour, farm-to-fork shops, rental of electric boats, ebikes and cars. evway and the evway Travel Network are the first real tool to support and enable both the electric mobility and the discovery and promotion of sustainable tourism.

EU UNESCO4ALL TOUR

25-05-2020

The EU UNESCO4ALL TOUR is an innovative, experiential, inclusive and transnational cultural tourism product combining together different but common UNESCO cultural WH sites in Europe by a thematic narrative logic. The tourism packages are fully focused on UNESCO built heritage and in particular on churches, monasteries and cathedrals, thus according to a "spiritual" narrative logic (“The Soul of Europe”) and addressed to - but not limited to - people with visual impairments, but ultimately including all kind of audiences according to the "designed4all" approach. They will all have the opportunity to access the arts and to experience the outstanding value of the UNESCO cultural heritage sites as never before both in museums and on site. Given the focus on UNESCO WH sites, the tourism product will also target the accessible tourism market: for this purpose, a specialised training to museums staffs in the field of the management of UNESCO WH sites and accessible tourism is provided, thus creating a multiplier effect for the adoption of the same good practice by other museums in Europe. The tourism packages are built on disruptive innovation making art accessible to the blind and visually impaired. The technology integrates tactile exploration with audio data, which is provided by an International company, leader in audio guides for cultural purposes. Currently tactile models are the way through which the blind and visually impaired people perceive the artworks and cultural heritage. The models, however, are per se “dumb”, so an audio guide or a human guide is necessary to integrate tactile perception with verbal information. We will therefore solve the problem by transforming tactile models of artworks into speaking models, thus allowing an interactive and independent exploration from people with visual disabilities.

UNWTO Webinar “Agenda 2030 and SDGs in times of COVID-19: the chance to true recovery"

25-05-2020

The upcoming UNWTO Webinar of the series “Quo Vadis Tourism” will take place on May 27, 2020 at 12:00 PM (CET) The webinar is dedicated to the theme “Agenda 2030 and SDGs in times of COVID-19: the chance to true recovery”. This edition will debate issues related to the COVID-19 crisis and recovery as an opportunity to build an innovative tourism business model , as well as to highlight the need to integrate sustainability during recovery/value proposition, empower stakeholders and stimulate dialogue to inspire action for the tourism sector to embrace a new model of sustainable development during the drafting of recovery plans. HOSTS: Ms. Alessandra Priante, Regional Director for Europe, UNWTO Ms. Zoritsa Urosevic, Special Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and New York & Director of the Institutional Relations and Partnerships Department, UNWTO EXPERTS: Dr. Susanne Becken, Professor of Sustainable Tourism, Griffith University Prof. Theocharis Tsoutsos, Director of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Lab at School of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete Dr. David Ermen, Managing Director of Desti.nation Capacity Ltd (NZ), Destination Capacity Ltd Ms. Michaela Reittere, Owner Boutiquehotel Stadthalle & President of the Austrian Hotel Association, Boutique hotel Stadthalle Dr. Peter Prokosch, Chairman of the Norwegian-registered NGO Linking Tourism & Conservation, LinkingTourism&Conservation Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WmBgUc_hQKuc61dn6ctiLg Livestreaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX7z1lV-j2c&feature=youtu.be

ImpacTrip - Leave Your Footprint… In A Meaningful Way

05-05-2020

Nowadays, we tend to give the word “footprint” a negative connotation, probably because we relate it with the ecological, carbon or water imprint we leave in our Mother Earth. On the Internet, many are the articles and websites with tips and tricks on “How to reduce your carbon footprint?” or to help you calculate “how many planets does it take to support your lifestyle?”. But... What if you could change your perspective on this? What if you could leave a positive and purposeful impact while traveling abroad, discovering a new country and its local community?

This was exactly what Rita Marques, one of Impactrip’s founders, dreamt about, after travelling solo around Asia: creating a project which joined her strong will to change for good people’s lives, her passion to travel and also her life purpose of leaving her positive mark in the world. So that, after partnering up with Diogo, another intrepid traveler and dreamer, Impactrip was born! Since 2015 that, along with an A-Team, they’re developing International Volunteering Programs for those who want to enjoy a new destination while having a life-changing experience, not only for them but also for the local communities with whom they interact.

By enrolling in one of the International Volunteering Programs Impactrip offers, that range from working with people with special needs to helping with the conservation of endangered marine species, volunteers will not only have the opportunity to support the important mission of non-profit organizations in many different fields but also to develop countless soft-skills and get to know people from all over the world.

Currently operating in four European destinations – Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona and Split – Impactrip has already received people from over 60 different nationalities and contributed with 50.000+ hours to support a network of 350 non-profits. In addition, Impactrip is fully committed to contribute as much as it can to be a force of good. So that, the company makes great effort to encourage all of the volunteers, staff members and partners to adopt sustainable practices in their daily lives, such as consuming responsibly and local, avoiding plastic waste, using water sparingly, etc. As you can see, Impactrip is always thriving to improve and to become a company that is constantly up to date with the current need from the communities not only with whom it directly works with but also with the World. We live in a true “global village” and we need, more than ever before, to be working along the global agendas to contribute to a sustainable development for all.

That’s why Impactrip’s International Volunteering Programs (IVP) are aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, to contribute to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and fix climate change until 2030. All of the Volunteering Programs have the potential to contribute, directly or indirectly, to all of the goals, but we would highlight that the major contributions fit in with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 – Good Health and Well-being - because within our Special Needs Support volunteers give vulnerable people quality care, compassion and a sense of hope and with the SDG 4 – Quality Education because through our Youth Support and Teaching program we ensure equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Moreover, the IVPs are also focused on pushing for Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), while supporting productive activities, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation and for Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10). In the programs, especially in the Creative Technologies, Special Needs and Youth Support ones, volunteers cooperate with non-profits that help people live equally and as full citizens in all aspects of social living. Furthermore, these concerns don’t stop here. Besides the social-related issues, Impactrip’s IVPs also cover environmental problems. Animal and sea lovers can become part of a worldwide movement of passionate people dealing with the global challenge of litter and the impact human development is having on the oceans in the Marine Conservation program, while actively contributing to the SGD12-Responsible Consumption and Production–and13–ClimateAction– because they’ll help achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, by significantly reduce their release to water. Besides, we have to mention that this program also protects Life below Water (SDG 14), by developing activities that prevent and reduce marine pollution of all kinds. Likewise, Life on Land (SDG 15) is not forgotten: the Animal Care program aims to improve the lives of cats and dogs cats and to promote the understanding of the importance and value of animal welfare for a harmonious society.

Last, but not the least, all of the IVPs are a bold example of Partnerships for the Goals (Goal 17) since Impactrip, as a company and intermediary, and volunteers, as direct contributors, join causes dedicated to achieving a sustainable development for all. However, we should bear in mind that tourism has also its downsides, and each one of us ought to become, day by day and step by step, a more conscious traveler, citizen and sustainable development advocate. By choosing to travel responsabily you are already spending your time making a long-term positive contribution to the world and, as you could see, there are also many ways of leaving a positive footprint where we pass by. Impactrip, as a sustainable and responsible tour operator, is more than pleased to encourage and help people to travel in a more meaningful and positive way. On top of this, Impactrip ultimate goal is to create everlasting changemakers, this is, Impactrip aims for people to take home all of their inspiring experiences and continue to give back to their communities. Written by Maria João Gens Maria João Gens is a young professional from Porto, Portugal. She has studied Foreign Languages and Business Relations and is passionate about other cultures, travelling and (good) food. A full-time dreamer (and hard-worker!), she's trying to be the change she wishes to see in the world through path of Sustainability, Education, Responsible Consumption and Personal Development.

Curso a distancia en Turismo Sostenible y Desarrollo Local en Áreas Rurales

05-05-2020

Esta propuesta formativa que busca fortalecer las capacidades de los actores para diseñar estrategias de desarrollo local basadas en un turismo responsable que pueda capitalizar su inmenso potencial en términos de prosperidad económica, inclusión social y preservación cultural y ambiental. La OIT considera el turismo como un importante motor para un desarrollo socioeconómico inclusivo y para la reducción de la pobreza. Dada su capacidad de generar empleo directo y su efecto multiplicador en otros sectores puede contribuir a la diversificación económica y al desarrollo local especialmente en las zonas rurales. El turismo es uno de los sectores más afectados por la actual crisis pero también ha demostrado una gran capacidad de reactivación y de generación de empleo y bienestar social. En una plataforma de formación en línea, el Ecampus del CIF/OIT, los participantes trabajarán con el apoyo de un equipo de tutorías los diferentes temas: la contribución del turismo al desarrollo, la oferta turística territorial, la gestión de destinos, las cadenas de valor y el diseño de un proyecto para el propio territorio. ¿A quién se dirige? Responsables políticos, técnicos superiores y actores socioeconómicos claves del desarrollo del turismo que desarrollen sus actividades en instituciones públicas y privadas, en organizaciones de la sociedad civil o de la cooperación internacional relacionadas con el tema del curs. CERTIFICACIÓN Al final del proceso y tras la evaluación satisfactoria de los ejercicios y el proyecto final, los participantes recibirán un Certificado de Aprovechamiento del CIF/OIT.

Toolkit for CSR data in organisations (www.sustainablekeyindicators.com)

29-04-2020

It consists of the integration of the GRI Standards indicators with the SDGs at companies in the toolkit www.sustainablekeyindicators.com It has been implemented in the hotel sector. During the COVID-19 crisis, training sessions of the indicators are given through webinars.

Tourism Week 2020: Shall we think about the future?

27-04-2020

The Tourism Week 2020 is promoted by teachers and students of the Graduation Course of Tourism Management at the Federal Center for Technological Education (CEFET / RJ), - Nova Friburgo campus and is scheduled to take place on the 17th, 18th and 19th of November 2020. The date may be changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SemaTur 2020 focuses on actions in the area of Tourism that can contribute to the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, of the United Nations (UN). The document proposes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure that people achieve peace and prosperity. The theme of the event is in line with the understanding of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) that it is possible to reach the SDGs through tourism, given the economic relevance of Tourism as well as its role in stimulating environmental sustainability and cultural safeguard , in reducing inequalities, promoting gender equality, accessibility and social inclusion. In order to contribute to Tourism being a vector in the reach of the SDGs, SemaTur 2020 accepts the invitation proposed on the platform “Tourism4SDGs”, created by OMT: “Let's make tourism a driver for realizing the SDGs!”. To this end, SemaTur 2020 will have oral communications and posters that have as a central axis "thinking about the future", seeking to reflect on the type of tourism we want to practice, how its actions, policies, plans and practices can contribute to the end of inequalities , promoting sustainability and achieving the SDGs. You can register or submit works through the link https://linktr.ee/Sematur

Tourism Week 2020: Shall we think about the future?

26-04-2020

The Tourism Week 2020 is promoted by teachers and students of the Graduation Course of Tourism Management at the Federal Center for Technological Education (CEFET / RJ), - Nova Friburgo campus and is scheduled to take place on the 17th, 18th and 19th of November 2020. The date may be changed due to the COVID pandemic19. SemaTur 2020 focuses on actions in the area of Tourism that can contribute to the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, of the United Nations (UN). The document proposes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure that people achieve peace and prosperity. The theme of the event is in line with the understanding of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) that it is possible to reach the SDGs / UN through tourism, given the economic relevance of Tourism as well as its role in stimulating environmental sustainability and cultural safeguard , in reducing inequalities, promoting gender equality, accessibility and social inclusion. In order to contribute to Tourism being a vector in the reach of the SDGs, SemaTur 2020 accepts the invitation proposed on the platform “Tourism4SDGs”, created by OMT: “Let's make tourism a driver for realizing the SDGs!”. To this end, SemaTur 2020 will have oral communications and posters that have as a central axis "thinking about the future", seeking to reflect on the type of tourism we want to practice, how its actions, policies, plans and practices can contribute to the end of inequalities , promoting sustainability and achieving the SDGs. You can register or submit works through the link https://linktr.ee/Sematur

Impact House, a hostel in Lisbon allied with the SDGs

24-04-2020

On its 2019 Sustainable Travel Report Booking.com concluded that 55% of the travelers are more likely to make sustainable travel choices than they were a year ago. But barriers include a lack of knowledge and available or appealing options. So, consumers want to become more sustainable in their travels but do not seem to find the offer to match their aspirations. This is a great motivation for companies in the tourism sector to change theirs practice to more sustainable ones and for new companies with more social and environmental purposes to emerge. That was the case in 2018, when Rita and Diogo (founders of Impact+) decided to create another brand of the company: Impact House, a hostel committed with sustainability and NGO support in Lisbon. To define and to keeping improving our business in a sustainable way we could trust the SDGs as guidelines. We always saw the SDGs as our common goals as society that could only be attained with the contribution of all, governments, citizens, and, very importantly, companies. Independently of size, age and sector. In the tourism sector particularly, we knew the high risks of having a negative impact on host communities and natural resources. Therefore, we were aware of the importance of giving our contribution to change the sector aligned with the SGDs framework. Although we have practices and examples in all 17 Goals, we decided to choose 5 SDGs to share what we are doing in our sustainable hostel, Impact House. 2 – Zero hunger We are working to establish long-term business partnerships with small and local food suppliers, giving preference to NGOs. To make sure we minimize our food waste, we make accounts of the number of meals we have to make every day. We include our guests asking them to let us know when they are not going to have dinner or lunch, so we can adjust the quantities of food. If we have any food excess, we donate it to NGOs that make sure the food will be given to individuals or families in need. 4 – Quality Education

We are committed to give work opportunities to students at Impact House to learned how we work in the sustainable tourism sector. We have partnerships with tourism schools and universities and welcome interns every summer. Informal education is very important for us, we believe that volunteering is a great way to learning. Part of Impact House clients are engaged in international volunteer programs managed by the sister brand ImpacTrip. So, we not only make sure our guests have all their needs met to fully take part in their volunteering, but also, we invite all our guests to enroll in spontaneous volunteer activities to help our partners NGOs. Everything we do related with sustainability and NGO support we communicate and engage our clients. Our goal is to raise awareness and the levels of social and environmental consciousness. 7 – Affordable and clean energy At Impact House our electricity is exclusively from renewable sources. We made a contract with our energy supplier that finances the company investment in renewable sources of energy. We have in place the energy basics: Led lights and efficient home appliances, our guests and employees are incentivized to use public transportations in their daily commuting or trips among many other small initiatives to save energy. We also offset the Impact House CO2 emissions that we can’t avoid and we are working to calculate our own and our supply chain GHG emissions to achieve our 2030 commitment to be Net Zero. 12 – Responsible consumption and production We have a procurement policy that explicitly states our preference for non-profit and local suppliers, that recommends to analyze other options before buying new, and disregard for products packaged in single-use plastic. We are working hard to restructure our supply chain to be more aligned with our sustainability principles. We also extend these belief to our clients as we donate clothes, shoes, and hygiene products that are no longer used by our clients to NGOs that support homeless people and we incentivize our guests can swap clothes between them by using the swap spot, enlarging the life of fashion products.

Finally, we separate plastic, glass, paper and batteries for recycling, and we separate organic waste and compostable waste to use in our vermicompostor and then fertilize our food garden. Again, we engage our clients in the whole process. 17 – Partnerships for the goals This SDG is probably the most important for us because it is connected to the mission of the company Impact+. Our mission is to support our social and environmental non-profit partners. At Impact House, social and environmental partners are preferred suppliers and donations receivers. They are at the heart of everything we do, from the social shop where we promote and sell their products, to their art exhibitions we host every month, not forgetting the agenda of events we promote every week where these partners organize activities and raise awareness to different causes. These are some of our best practices, we hope some of them give inspiration to more companies in the tourism sector to be more sustainable and allied with the SGDs - we all gain with that. We invite you to see in loco, our doors are open to everyone. Written by Mariana Teixeira Mariana has dedicated her time and energy to managing companies, organizations, or projects with positive impact. She is a pessimistic-idealistic professional, obsessed with inequality and social problems and driven by purpose. She believes that social businesses will lead the change the world needs! Dance and gastronomy are her favorite ways to know a new culture and she trusts in the power of tourism to make the world smaller and the people closer. Mariana became a keen problem solver thanks to: her work experience in CSR consultancy, management challenges in both the private and social sectors, a master’s degree in development economics, a lot of volunteering hours and many adventures as a solo traveler.

6th Sustainable Tourism Africa Summit 2020

30-03-2020

The Sustainable Tourism Africa Summit is an annual event whose purpose is modelling a sustainable future for tourism in Africa. The event brings together, for 3 days, tourism stakeholder from Africa and the rest of the world for the one purpose. The Sustainable Tourism Africa Summit features sustainable tourism masterclasses, presentation, workshops, side events, exhibitions and sustainable tourism awards. For the 3 days, the businesses, leaders and professionals present their solutions, business models and innovative products. The Sustainable tourism Africa summit also supports creation of networks that drive sustainability of business and destinations. The theme for 6th Sustainable Tourism Africa Summit is Sustainability and Optimizing Destination Africa~Our People. Our Planet. Our Prosperity. The 1st day, under the main theme;tourism resilience, recovery and crisis management. These will be a series of panel sessions by African Economic Communities, International and Regional Travel Tourism Associations and International and Regional Development Organizations. The 2nd day, under the main theme, will focus on Optimizing Destination Africa Through Sustainable Tourism Practice. These will be a series of presentations and panel sessions by leading sustainable tourism destinations and businesses. The 3rd day, under the main theme, will focus on Optimizing Destination Africa Through Technology & Research. These will be series of presentations and panel session by leading tourism & travel tech innovators and researchers. Afternoon session of day 1 & two is dedicated for workshops and idea pitches. Evening of day 3 will feature the Sustainable Tourism Africa Award which will be awarding Africa's top countries and destinations that are promoting sustainable tourism.

2nd UNWTO Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition

13-03-2020

The World Tourism Organization in collaboration with the Basque Culinary Center holds the 2nd Global Competition for Gastronomy Tourism Startups. Its main objective is to identify disruptive startups and projects that can transform the Gastronomy Tourism sector in the near future. Categories *Startup *Social innovation Calendar Launch: 28 January 2020 Deadline for applications: 6 April 2020 Announcement finalists: 4 May Final pitch session and announcement of the winner: 1-3 June Background Tourism is a driver of inclusive and sustainable economic growth, a cross-cutting sector with a high impact on the promotion of social welfare, with the aim of promoting the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With continuous growth in the last decade, tourism generates approximately one in 10 jobs, and accounts for 10.2% of world GDP. At its intersection with the gastronomy sector, food tourism or culinary tourism, it is organized around experiential trips and assumes as part of its essence ethical and sustainable values related to the territory, heritage, local culture, local products, authenticity, tradition or culinary techniques at the local, regional or national level. Gastronomy tourism stimulates entrepreneurship and the generation of new companies and organizations that necessarily affect other industries transversally and fosters values such as: *Sustainability based on maintaining a balance between economic growth and gastronomic culture and heritage *The quality of initiatives from production to experience, along the entire tourism value chain *Authentic communication and a coherent narrative of gastronomic offerings with the participation of all the stakeholders of the sector; from chefs to the media *Cooperation among all actors throughout the entire value chain of the gastronomic and tourism sector *Authenticity by highlighting cultural heritage, local products and cultural values

III Encontro para o Desenvolvimento do Cicloturismo 2020

12-03-2020

In its third edition, the Meeting for the Development of Cycling Tourism 2020 is an event dedicated to the promotion of bicycle tourism in Brazil through the qualification of the actors and the generation of research capable of offering subsidies for the expansion of this market. The event will deal with Governance for Regional Development in this edition and will take place on May 28th and 29th in the city of Blumenau (Santa Catarina), in the southern part of Brazil that concentrates the largest cycling tours in the country.

Survey on how the SDGs have been incorporated into tourism

06-03-2020

The survey is conducted to glean the information from all around the world and from all the tourism sub-sectors. It will provide an overarching preview of the current situation of the carried-out activities on how the Sustainable Development Goals are incorporated into tourism. The results will pave the way towards consolidating the existing initiatives and creating better oriented practices during the UN Decade of Action. How to contribute: You are strongly encouraged to complete the Survey and also share it with your networks ranging from the private sector to civil societies and academia. Your contribution to the survey is really valued and the results and findings will be shared globally with all tourism public and private sectors. Why contribute: Tourism is a powerful vehicle to promote and reach the milestones of the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, given that it is one of the most important sectors in the global economy, a main job and wealth creator for many countries while enabling us to preserve our environment. Your actions, policies, plans, practices and etc. can make a huge contribution to the enhancement of the sustainable and responsible tourism. It is essential to mobilize everyone, everywhere to take action, locally and globally. Your activities can inspire the ones looking for the best practices. You can contribute to the new ways of accelerating SDGs action for those that are still behind in meeting the goals and create partnership and cooperation opportunities. Your responses will enrich the outcomes of this survey which will contribute to further empower tourism stakeholders to incorporate sustainability measures and policies in their daily work and objectives.

NowHow

25-02-2020

NowHow is an invitation to bring the SDGs to life by applying values that for centuries have supported the sustainability of communities in rural Japan. Visitors invited to a small village in the mountains of northeast Japan are encouraged to see themselves as community interns. They learn about local culture and history, work alongside people who live in the community, and consider the relevance of village think to the health of modern urban society. Attention focuses in particular on 44 Vanishing Values that Prof. Ryuzo Furukawa has identified in the course of discussing "life before convenience" with several hundred people aged 90 and over throughout Japan and in other countries. How can these universal values advance progress to global goals? Why are they currently vanishing? What are the consequences of their impending extinction for the differentiation of Japan from other travel destinations? And what, in the first place, is the benefit of engagement between insider and outsider to the health of any community? NowHow is an opportunity to address all of these questions -- and to experience Japan's subtle power to mend a broken heart.

Overtourism Solution

25-02-2020

Overtourism Solution is the new initiative with which the co-founders of Venezia Autentica (veneziaautentica.com) are looking to transfer their unique, on the ground experience, to more destinations around the world. Venezia Autentica (VA) is a localized social enterprise using digital technologies, communication, and social innovation to increase both the satisfaction of visitors and the retention of tourism revenue in Venice and make tourism beneficial for residents, visitors and the destination. The work of VA has been highlighted by features in media such as CNN, Forbes and Conde Nast Traveler, participation as speakers at prestigious international conferences and by awards competition. In the past few years, it is estimated that VA contributed over 3 million euros to 150 local businesses in Venice and that its content reached over 40 million users. By working with government, institutions, corporations, schools, organizations and any kind of individual and entities looking to see tourism become a force for good, Overtourism Solution seeks to help transform the tourism industry as a whole. Today Overtourism Solution is a pioneer, a rare initiative, proposing concrete solutions to an overgrowing problem: the negative impact of tourism. Frequently commenting on media, or advocating for change at events or directly to governments, Overtourism Solution is the ideal partner for governments, tourism boards, and associations who are looking to increase the satisfaction of visitors while making sure that tourism benefit the local community and destination.

UNWTO Acceleration Programme

18-02-2020

The UNWTO Acceleration Programme is the first training platform specifically designed for the tourism officials of the World Tourism Organization's Member States in order to develop innovation and digital transformation skills and provide practical tools for project implementation in diverse destinations. Its objectives are: *To encourage government officials to foster innovation and digital transformation within their regions *To strengthen knowledge in innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem development *To introduce case studies and best practices which may lead governments to define concrete actions *To provide tools to drive digital transformation projects Its first edition gathered more than 50 participants from 20 nationalities, covering the 5 UNWTO regions. The attendees had an intensive agenda with keynote speeches, masterclasses and workshops about digital transformation, entrepreneurship, how to grow startups to scaleups, GovTech initiatives, public-private innovation, smart destinations and venture capital. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals led the discussions and allowed the participants to observe the importance of merging innovation and sustainability.

Promoting Innovation for Productive Employment in Tourism Sector

17-02-2020

The initiative by name of Promoting Innovation for Productive Employment in Tourism Sector (PIPETS) aims to increase productive employment opportunities for jobless people in the key priority areas of the tourism sector for the economic development of Rwanda. The PIPETS project is set to achieve this by innovatively develop workforce employability competencies besides product market performances in the tourism sector. The workforce employability competencies are to be innovatively developed through dual education or training to take place alternately in two venues: the education or training centre and the company. The company-based is to be put to work through on-the-job training (coaching, instructional, and apprenticeship, understudy) methods. The education or training centre-based is to be put to work with the help of off-the-job-training (lectures, vestibule training, simulation exercises, sensitivity training, and transactional training) methods. This five-year workforce competency development initiative is to serve 1,000,010 unemployed people, mainly students and graduates including the energetic jobless people and 8,844 sectoral stakeholders in the economic development priority sectors of Rwanda. The effective product market performances to be innovatively developed will include product innovation, service innovation, process innovation, marketing innovation, and organizational innovation. This PIPETS project will be a result of the combined efforts of different stakeholders for the consolidated development of workforce employability competency and product market performance in the tourism sector of Rwanda. These stakeholders will be those from the private and public sectors that provide, deliver or manage tourism, and employment opportunities. These stakeholders are to be comprised of educators and trainers, funders, and regulators.

Leave it Better than You Met It : Keep Ado-Awaye Clean

17-02-2020

ComeMakeWeGo Africa launches an environmental sustainability initiative with wastebaskets and bins at Ado-Awaye(Oyo State, Nigeria) to boost sustainable tourism. “Leave it better than you met it; Keep Ado-Awaye Clean” Lagos, Nigeria, Feb 13, 2020: -- In the cause to boost sustainable tourism around local communities in Africa, Comemakewego Africa, a leading destination marketing and community-driven sustainable tourism agency in Nigeria initiated an environmental sustainability project in Ado-Awaye, Oyo state, Nigeria. Comemakewego Africa has been the sole promoter of Ado-Awaye; A community in Oyo state known to have the only suspended lake in Africa(1 of the only 2 in the world), and the best hiking landscape in southwest Nigeria. Due to the dynamic strategies used for destination promotion, Comemakewego Africa has been able to get over 5000 hikers to the destination in less than 2 years, and as these numbers keep increasing, the brand believes there is a need to take actions in ensuring the environment is kept safe for both the locals and hikers. The launch event was attended by members of the local community and state government. To mention a few in attendance; Local community: The Royal Father (Alado of Ado-Awaye), the community chairman, elders of the community, youth representatives. State Government: Permanent Secretary Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Director of Culture, Director of Tourism, SA to the governor on student affairs, etc. While addressing the community leaders and representatives, Atabo David, who is the founder of Comemakewego Africa stated that “It is when the local people understand the benefit of development, that is when the government and private investors would be encouraged to bring further development”. This statement was to charge the community to ensure that every development coming into the community should be guarded jealously and taken care of, and also, the members of the community need to be at peace.

Barba Azul Nature Reserve

27-01-2020

Barba Azul Nature Reserve is the only private reserve protecting the Endangered Beni savanna ecosystem. This hyper-seasonal savanna eco-region, combined with raised forest islands, is characterized by 8 months of flooding followed by a severe dry period. It is the habitat of the endemic and Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis). Between 400 and 450 individuals are left in the wild, of which up to 155 forage at Barba Azul, making this reserve population the stronghold for the species. Not only is it important for the macaws, but Barba Azul also provides refuge for many other threatened birds, mammals and plants. Created as a sanctuary for the Critically Endangered Blue-throated Macaw, our conservation effort has given a safe home to many tame birds and mammals that can be seen like nowhere else in Bolivia. Hundreds of Macaws, with Toucans, Hawks, and enormous aquatic birds like the Jabiru, abound on our trails. Barba Azul is the best place to see giant anteater, maned wolf, puma, howler monkey and the gigantic black caiman. Barba Azul has it all, large open rivers where you can fish for Piranha, dense palm forests to see howley monkeys and Blue-throated Macaws, open cerrado forest, and massive areas of tall grass savanna offering a home to rare birds, armadillos, pumas, and giant anteaters. Barba Azul has several maintained trails through forest islands, savanna and open woodlands offering countless opportunities to see wildlife. Barba Azul is a great place for birdwatching with over 316 birds, with the record of 179 bird species seen in one day. The tame and abundant wildlife makes for a great observing experience, whether it is during a slow sundown river trip, or on horseback through the savannas, or sipping a cool drink on our veranda bird feeders overlooking the marsh, river and forest.

Red-fronted Macaw Reserve

21-01-2020

The Red-fronted Macaw Reserve (50 hectares) is the destination for a wildlife and bird watching ecotourism holiday in Bolivia that supports indigenous communities. It is an initiative of Armonía and three communities of Omerque, to protect the largest breeding population of the Bolivian endemic and Critically Endangered Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys). Not only does the reserve retain the largest known nesting site of the Red-Fronted Macaw, other endemic species like the Bolivian Blackbird (Oreopsar bolivianus) and Cliff Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus luchsi) breed here. The Quechua communities of San Carlos, Perereta and Amaya have become the guardians of the dry Andean wildlife, dedicated to the protection of the Red-fronted Macaw. They are managing de Red-fronted Macaw lodge to improve their community’s quality of life through the nature conservation. The reserve also protects one of the best conserved archaeological sites of the Omereque culture the ancient fortress of Tunas Mok’o.

Global Tourism Plastics Initiative

20-01-2020

The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative aims to articulate, support and scale-up action by tourism stakeholders and is building a global alliance to fight plastic pollution. As part of the activities of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme, the Initiative is led by UN Environment and UNWTO in collaboration with Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Recognizing the global importance of the tourism sector and its role as an agent of change, the Initiative will support partner organizations in making better use of plastics in their operations and reducing plastic waste. In particular, action towards 2025 is being structured through the development of a menu of commitments for private sector, destinations and associations to define concrete roadmaps for implementation by 2025.

Verdensmål Stevns

20-01-2020

Stevns Klint just south of Copenhagen in Denmark became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014.In order to generate sustainable societal, economic and environmental development, a partner program was created for all companies, associations, organizations, artists, etc. who wish to support sustainable development within the framework of UNESCO World Heritage. The partner program currently has more than 80 active partners and throughout the year events and activities are held in support of their work. It is aided by Stevns Municipality’s strategical focus on sustainable tourism and development. The partner program centers on working with the 17 SDGs. In order to help the partners integrate the SDGs in their activities, the local world heritage organization and the local business council developed a Sustainability Toolkit. The toolkit is an online form, that details each of the 17 SDGs and allows the partners to make their own notes on how they are working with selected SDGs. The toolkit thus offers an overview of how each partner articulates and translates selected SDG into concrete business initiatives. The partners also put down ideas for further developing work with the 17 SDGs inspiring each other to build upon current initiatives. By sharing the notes with each other using the toolkit, the partners now have a source of inspiration and knowledge sharing when integrating the SDGs in the development of their businesses. Additionally, the toolkit offers insights regarding the partners work with the SDGs as well as knowledge about those SDGs that are currently trending among the partners thus allowing the local world heritage organization and the local business council to develop the partner program further - still driven by the focus of its partners. In 2020, the partner program will create a vision with a project for the partners grounded in their SDG focus areas, which will have the partners working together in groups to strengthen sustainable development.

IMAGINE - ICTs to promote sustainable heritage tourism in Indonesia

08-01-2020

Summer School 2020 of the UNESCO Chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites (USI - Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland) IMAGINE ICTs to promote sustainable heritage tourism in Indonesia August 16-23, 2020 – Indonesia The 7th edition of the USI UNESCO Chair Summer School is realized in collaboration with Trisakti School of Tourism, in Indonesia. The USI UNESCO Chair Summer School in Indonesia will discover tangible Indonesian UNESCO World Heritage Sites and intangible Cultural Heritage in five cities (Jakarta, Cirebon, Pekalongan, Solo, and Yogyakarta). The Summer School will provide learning experiences about Indonesian Batik textile heritage, local gastronomy, as well as cultural visits and seminars. A special focus will be placed on the issue of how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be applied to enhance the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Indonesia and strengthen sustainable tourism, as well as connect locals and visitors. Seminars will be conducted in three Royal Palaces (Cirebon, Solo, and Yogyakarta) on Java Island. The Summer School also includes the two most prominent Indonesian UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the Borobudur and Prambanan Temple compounds.

Taste and Travel SA de CV

08-01-2020

Taste & Travel offers authentic culinary experiencies with local taste and social sense in Mexico and we are expanding into the Latam region. Local Taste: we work with traditional cooks, usually women, from all the regions in Mexico Social Sense: we invest 1% of all our revenues in the purchase of crafts from local women artisans from the Triqui community in Oaxaca, Mexico, to help them preserve their cultural heritage.

Digital communication of indigenous African heritage and fashion

08-01-2020

Southern Summer School of the UNESCO Chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites (USI - UNiversità della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland) Digital communication of indigenous African heritage and fashion February 9-15, 2020 – Namibia The 2020 Southern Summer School, the first of its kind, is realized in collaboration with the University of Namibia and the University of Turku, in Finland. Africa is a rich continent with very diverse cultures, heritage sites and indigenous fashion designs, which can be found in different countries. ICTs are used to preserve and promote cultural tourism and fashion. This Southern Summer School aims to investigate how digital technologies could be leveraged to communicate, promote and market African fashion designs and cultural tourism. Additionally, the school aims to inspire participants to work with local stakeholders from cultural tourism and fashion. The school will offer a perspective of the Namibian cultural tourism and fashion. It will consist of lectures, visits to sites, hands-on exercise, as well as formal and informal activities, which are related to cultural tourism and fashion. Additionally, this school will contribute to celebrate the 150 years of Namibian – Finnish relationship.

Exclusive Art Tourism

17-12-2019

The Art Industry is underplayed and does not get the recognition that it deserves considering the role that it plays in cultural sustainability and its contribution to the economic growth of the country. As a result artists struggle to be seen and appreciated and often do not have the resources or capacity to promote and advertise their work. Although there are initiatives to try and provide a platform for such artists these are mostly uncoordinated leading to scattered efforts. The lack of local appreciation and understanding of the arts industry equates to a poor flow of traffic to galleries, art centres etc from the local population. Solution: -A Partnership between us as the (Tour Operator) and the Art Galleries, Artists and Community Art Centres to develop Exclusive Art Tours. -Taking tourists to the artists through planned art tours. The increase in traffic of people to art centres and galleries, some of which are in remote areas or rural communities will ensure that they become more visible and will do a lot in terms of rural development. The Project incorporates atleast 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals as the attached document highlights. For example; the support of under resourced communities (SDG 1 and 8), academic sponsorship of a young female artist in the rural communities as well as nurturing of their art skills (SDG 4 and 5), support of the women in the tourism circle (wives of our drivers and others in similar circumstances) to start income generating projects as well as giving them the necessary training (SDG 5 and 8). We also seek to strengthen the structures already in place to promote local art by partnering with them and supporting their efforts through the planned tours (SDG 17) Also support in creation or rennovation of existing creative hubs to incorporate more artists with diverse arts and crafts skills and thus provide them a platform to engage with the rest of the world through the tours (SDG 9).

Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park

16-12-2019

The history of Mistico Park, where Costa Rica's famous suspension bridges are located, started at the beginning of the 20th century. Landelina Rodríguez and Adrián Castillo, natives from La Fortuna, San Carlos, dedicated their life to work the land they had inherited from their parents on the slopes of Arenal Volcano. At the beginning of 21st century, the family decided to open this natural forest sanctuary to the public, and they hired a company to develop the Puentes del Arenal ecotourism project, which would allow thousands of people to enjoy the beauty of the forests in a comfortable and comfortable way. comfortable. safe. Under the Mistico Park brand, today the park offers not only the attraction of suspension bridges, but also a wide variety of routes that allow visitors to enjoy direct contact with nature, where many native species live in an ecosystem with great diversity biological In Mistico Park, inclusive ecotourism is promoted, which offers the highest level of comfort possible to all visitors with accessible trails. These have no stairs, have railings and the surface material is non-slip concrete. During our visit to Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park we observed different joint ecosystems forming a belt of transition vegetation with a high level of biodiversity, that can be found along the border between two types of forests: highlands and lowlands, collecting species from both areas. Over years of evolution, plants from lowland rainforests, typical of Sarapiquí and Tortuguero, has experienced an altitude migration up to 500-600 meters, allowing it to meet and interact with plants from the highlands. For this reason, the treetops in Mistico Park offers a rich environment in biodiversity, with a strong presence of several species of epiphytic plants, birds, mammals, butterflies and much more. Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park is a great example of good practices on implementing SDGs from local actions to attain sustainability.

Tourismus und die SDGs

12-12-2019

With the initative "Tourismus und die SDGs" the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism of Austria developed a website that offers information and best-practice examples on how to implement the SDGs in tourism with a special focus on Austria. The project is supported by a network of 11 SDG ambassadors who are key stakeholders in the Austrian tourism sector.

Join #UNWTO for 'Transforming Tourism for Climate Action' at #COP25 - low- carbon growth is reachable!

02-12-2019

No time to lose!

Climate response - how?

#tourism can show the way!

Join #UNWTO for 'Transforming Tourism for Climate Action' at #COP 25- low carbon growth is reachable!

Salam Pakistan 4 Treveler's Perspective

29-11-2019

Pakistan, a growing destination !! Did you know that Pakistan is a very attractive country for those who like high mountains, beaches, deserts, waterfalls, culture, history and good food. Visitors go there several times and if you have been there once, you might always want to visit again. Salam Pakistan 2020 presents to you travelers who have traveled from Sweden and the rest of Europe to Pakistan to explore its beauty. An afternoon full of experiences where travelers share their perspectives of their journey within Pakistan. In addition, we offer our guests entertainment in the form of traditional dance performances and live music. Come and meet our travelers on the spot, at this year's Salam Pakistan 2020 "Travelers' Perspective" event. Who knows, you might hang with them next time !! Follow us and stay tuned for more info. www.salampakistan.se #SalamPakistan2020 #SalamPakistan #CulturalExchange #sustainabletourism #responsibletourism #visitpakistan

Sociology of Leisure and Tourism

27-11-2019

The Sociology of Leisure and Tourism course at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) will help undergraduate students to understand tourism from a sociological perspective. Students will analyze and study topics such as: -Sociological perspectives on environmental sustainability in tourism -Sociological perspectives on cultural sustainability in tourism -Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals -The role of tangible and intangible cultural heritage for host communities -Integration of local communities in the tourism value chain -The importance of the collaboration between local communities, governments, and members of the hospitality industry Moreover, being the class taught in Las Vegas, which is one of the most famous tourism destinations in the world, students will reflect on the city's role in the hospitality industry, especially focusing on sustainability and tourism practices. Students will use research-based material produced by both the Department of Sociology and the International Gaming Institute at UNLV. Instructor: Marta Soligo - marta.soligo@unlv.edu

Destination Mapping, Analysis and Strategic Action Planning in in Guyana

22-11-2019

In November 2018, the Swisscontact Tourism Advisory Services and Trainings team executed an assignment in the South American country of Guyana, contracted by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA). Objectives of the assignment were on-the-job training for strategic destination assessment, training for a “Living Destination Development & Management Action Plan (LiDDMAP)” and the anchoring of this knowledge through capacity building, structure and guidance, for selected staff and partners of GTA. The focus of the assessment process were two destinations: The capital of Georgetown and its surroundings and the Rupununi Savannah in the South of the country.

Travel Kollekt - Guidebooks re-invented

22-11-2019

Travel Kollekt (travelkollekt.com) is an on-demand, web-based publishing tool that is bringing the paper and books back to the travel experience. We reinvent the concept of the travel book, with an on-demand publishing tool that is bringing the paper and books back to the travel experience. The company bridge the digital with analog, using reverse printing to create a new tactile and aesthetic experience. The tool is designed to empower people to organize their travel research and enable them to create their own travel guide books. It is a new approach towards responsible travel, giving people authorship of their journey. Travel Kollekt meets a growing demand of travellers who want to have personalized, responsible travel information and curated expert content at hand. We're taking a stand against the trend of "suggested" experiences and algorithms. Instead we empower travelers to think for themselves. Knowledge gives people the power to make better choices; that’s why we celebrate the research and reading process before and during a trip. Our tool is designed to empower independent travelers and professionals to organize their travel research and enable them to create personal travel books. We truly believe that every journey is a book yet to be written. Travel Kollekt gives travellers authorship of their journeys. It’s a new approach to travel, a more responsible way to lead with it and have a memorable personal experience. The perfect solution for independent travellers looking for personalization and inspiration. Our responsible vision We empower responsible travellers. We do this by tackling the first barrier to sustainable behavior: a lack of information. Supporting a global movement of independent travellers with tools to be more conscious. We want to play a role in encouraging people travelling with intention proving them that planning, sustainability, and serendipity can go hand in hand.

Hotelplan Suisse

11-11-2019

Hotelplan Suisse is strengthening its cooperation with OceanCare: Activities as swimming with dolphins or visiting dolphinaria will no longer be advertised and hence travellers' awareness raised.

Destination Pledges Research: Objectives, Strategies, Implementation

07-11-2019

To date, this project has explored destination pledges in Iceland, Palau, Hawai’i, New Zealand and Finland from an organisational perspective. The project has focused on the motivations, strategies and impacts related to these destination pledges. Sixteen semi-structured interviews have been carried out with a total of 19 participants. Participants were high-ranking representatives of organisations involved in developing, managing and implementing activities related to the Icelandic Pledge, the Palau Pledge, the Hawai’I Pono Pledge, Tiaki – Care for New Zealand and the Sustainable Finland Pledge. Please see attached results summary for an overview of initial findings. Please contact the researchers for more details: Dr Julia Albrecht, University of Otago, julia.albrecht@otago.ac.nz Eliza Raymond, GOOD Travel, eliza@good-travel.org

Development also brings change

05-11-2019

Swisscontact implemented the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs’ WISATA project in Indonesia since 2010. The objective was to develop first one, then four tourism destinations, thereby creating the conditions for more jobs and better income opportunities. Ruedi Nuetzi directed the project since the very beginning, before closing it down in summer 2018. Read the interview with him here:

Venezuela Voluntary National Review

01-11-2019

The recognition of the role of tourism in sustainable development and the emphasis placed in the SDGs on the development of public policies for sustainable tourism is a landmark breakthrough that provides a unique opportunity for all governments to create a sound and favourable policy foundation. The first two years of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda have shown that countries are making headway in aligning national strategies, adapting institutional frameworks and adjusting policies to realize the SDGs. The countries’ efforts have been reported in the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), presented by UN Member States during the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in 2016 and 2017. In Venezuela’s Voluntary National Review 2016, tourism is mentioned as one of the three most dynamic economic drivers, together with agriculture and non-petroleum exports.

Tourism Cares Meaningful Travel Summit: North Lake Tahoe

28-10-2019

By harnessing the collective power of the industry for a common purpose, we can tackle some of the seemingly unmanageable issues facing destinations. Our Meaningful Travel Summits provide not only immediate impact through volunteering but help create lasting impact by leveraging the power of the travel and tourism industry. As a destination with incredible natural assets, it’s not hard to see why North Lake Tahoe is considered one of the most beautiful places in the world. But Tahoe remains pristine because of the commitments of local businesses and individuals to keep Tahoe blue. We will focus our work and conversations around water, climate change, forest health and how a destination like Lake Tahoe overcomes the challenges created as a popular tourism destination. What lessons can we as a greater industry learn from our colleagues and destination partners? Join us in North Lake Tahoe for two days of inspiration and action. From executive level decision-makers to product development and sales teams -all levels of the business join our programs. Representatives from companies such as Delta Air Lines Vacations, Brand USA, Collette, Booking.com, Apple Leisure Group as well as industry associations and consortia such as CLIA, ASTA, USTOA, Signature Travel Network and US Travel are prior program sponsors and are expected to attend. Tourism Cares also has deep media partnerships with Travel Weekly, AFAR Magazine, Travel Market Report, TravAlliance and others.

RED ROCKS ARTS FOR CONSERVATION PROGRAM

28-10-2019

Art has been used to tell conservation stories that have captivated the world and make people act. Artists have painted different images that speak for animals and plants that cannot speak for themselves. Red Rocks Initiatives founded the Red Rocks Art Gallery in Kinigi where it engages the local community in tourism, conservation and sustainable development in and around Volcanoes National Park. The Arts for Conservation initiative is a partnership between Red Rocks Cultural Centre and local artisans at the Kinigi Community, we opened doors to a cooperative of 12 members who produce arts and handcrafts. The gallery targets education, art, research, and community development programs. Arts for Conservation activities include painting and learning more about painting. Tourists visiting our art gallery may participate in painting with local artists, and also learn painting techniques from them. Visitors are welcome to take their paintings home as a souvenir. The community and their families benefit directly from this project since many of our artists are community members. Since the art exhibits emphasize conservation, the local community now understands the essence of protecting the park.

II ENCONTRO DE INOVAÇÃO EM TURISMO: INTERAÇÃO ENTRE ACADEMIA, MERCADO, SETOR PÚBLICO E SOCIEDADE CIVIL

23-10-2019

The “II TOURISM INNOVATION MEETING: INTERACTION BETWEEN ACADEMY, MARKET, PUBLIC SECTOR AND CIVIL SOCIETY”, designed by UNIGRANRIO Tourism Research Center, coordinated by Professor Deborah Moraes Zouain, aims to stimulate the interaction between the different actors in the field of tourism, so that innovation in the destination happens. The event will be held on October 29, 2019, from 9a.m. to 5p.m., at the Museu Histórico Nacional, in Rio de Janeiro, with support and funding from FAPERJ, and will be attended by researchers, entrepreneurs, public managers and representatives of civil society. Through the use of the Design Thinking methodology and thematic round tables, it will be possible to identify bottlenecks and propose solutions in the 4 main tourist areas of Rio de Janeiro: Downtown, Port Zone, South Zone and Barra da Tijuca, considering the different tourism segments. . Therefore, the event will seek to create a collaborative environment that enhances the knowledge of the participants involved and contributes to this post-Olympic period in the city of Rio de Janeiro .The event aims to contribute to the strengthening of business networks, as well as to the development of an innovation mindset, whether in the short, medium or long term, and is a driving force for co-creation and cooperation between different organizations. In an increasingly competitive world market, this relationship between academia and the market, the public sector and civil society becomes essential for the production of knowledge and scientific and technological development. The event relates especially to the SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals - as well as SDG 9 Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure, when proposes that the articulation and participation of all actors involved in tourism development shall promote innovation and a sustainable growth to the sector. Farther, it is possible to relate the results aimed with the event to several SDGs, such as SDG8, SDG 10, SDG11 and SDG12.

Birding Festivals in Honduras

15-10-2019

Honduras Turismo y Marketing S.A., organizes birding festivals geared towards locals to create interest in birdwatching as a healthy and rewarding hobby and promote conservation under the theme "healthy habitats for birds are also healthy for humans". Our birding festivals include presentations & workshops in topics relating to birds, birding, tourism and conservation, and are complemented with birding walks led by local birding guides and volunteers from the local birding clubs. Our first festival in the Caribbean Coast of Honduras in March 2019 won the Mindful Birding Award for promoting ethical birding (the 1st international recipient of the award). Our second festival in Marcala (scheduled for November 2019) will focus on the importance of tree-shade grown coffee habitat for migratory birds from North America. During the festival we will join in the celebration of World Migratory Bird Day. The Marcala Birding Festival will also showcase local coffee farmers that are diversifying their farm income with agritourism as a way to counteract issues in coffee production from climate change and volatile coffee prices. Our third festival is scheduled for Copan in 2020 and will focus on birds in Mayan mythology and iconography. For the logistics of the festivals we hire national birding guides as trip leaders and source food, entertainment, ground transportation, and lodging from locally owned and operated entrepreneurs and companies.

From Industrial Chocolate to Locally Made Chocolate

15-10-2019

Do you know how to make chocolate? When you visit Oveng lodge camp (a beautiful eco tourism camp in Cameroon), you can participate in a chocolate making workshop. The young Master who gave us the workshop for 1h30 minutes is very professional and teaches you the technique step by step. The site is also housing a plantation where you can taste fresh cocoa. The young Master supervises, but the cocoa making is done by yourself: it was very interesting. In the end, you leave with your 100% pure cocoa chocolate. I should have come with a small reusable jar because I have already stopped using single use plastic. It was a nice surprise that this young man from the Village is fully supported by the Site Oveng, school, and training hotel and catering. If one wants to fight against the rural exodus, the education, social and professional insertion of young people in activities generating income within their locality is important.

Urbanity Culture, Art And Sustainable Tourism Development

14-10-2019

Throughout the history of human civilization, some countries enjoyed a dynamic economy due to the capability of their people. This achievement created a thriving economy in a society, whose people provided the necessary context for the growth and excellence using their culture and art. This could also lead to the continuity of the human civilization and society. Creating a cultural, artistic, and tourism center with an economic nature opens up new possibilities to people to respond to their social and cultural concerns, and brings about dynamism and hope for a brilliant future. Today, large numbers of tourists from all over the world travel to become familiar with various cultures and arts of nations of the world, and the creation of a market for the exchange of cultural and artistic goods of different nations will naturally be tempting and appealing.

Think Sustainably - The Local Guide for Sustainable Helsinki

14-10-2019

City of Helsinki launches local sustainability programme in response to citizen concern about climate change. According to a survey carried out by the City of Helsinki in 2018, two thirds of residents identified the climate crisis as their major concern when thinking about the future of the city. In response, Helsinki has launched Think Sustainably, the world’s first online service that enables making sustainable choices as easy as using an app. The Think Sustainably empowers residents and visitors to make informed daily choices, rating the Finnish capital’s restaurants, attractions, shops and accommodation against bespoke sustainability criteria developed by Helsinki Marketing in collaboration with the independent think tank Demos Helsinki, local interest groups and sustainability experts. The service also includes a route planner feature that enables choosing emission-free transportation options to the wide variety of experiences on offer in the city. Cities house more than half of the world’s population and are responsible for over 70 per cent of the world’s energy-related carbon emissions (C40). The City of Helsinki recognises that cities are at the forefront of combating climate change and implementing innovative policies. The City is aware of the need of systemic change in habits and the programme is the latest initiative to support its 2035 carbon neutral target. In developing Think Sustainably, The City has recognised the unique role that cities play in creating solutions to enable change in everyday lifestyles to address the global climate crisis. The Think Sustainably digital service provides residents, visitors and business owners with practical tools to rethink their daily behaviour and make more sustainable lifestyle and business decisions. Currently gathering feedback from users, the Think Sustainably service is publicly available with plans to roll the programme out further and review its impact in 2020.

Australia’s South West Tourism Observatory (ASWTO)

14-10-2019

The Australia’s South West Sustainable Tourism Observatory (ASWTO) is the first of its kind in Australia and will be hosted by the Tourism Research Cluster of Curtin University supporting the formulation and implementation of sustainable tourism policies, strategies and management processes through continuous and systematic measurement of sustainability indicators. The observatory is supported by a committed group of public and private stakeholders and will start monitoring a set of 20 region-specific indicators covering 11 thematic areas, including: tourism seasonality, employment, energy-, water-, and solid waste management, economic benefits, governance, regional production cycles, inclusion and accessibility as well as landscape quality.

Advancing Development in Zimbabwe: Tourism Vocational Training in Zimbabwe

10-10-2019

The overall objective of the project is to expand vocational training for the tourism sector with a view to enabling tourism employees and unemployed youth and women to make a career in the tourism sector.

Making Sustainable Tourism a Key Driver for Biodiversity Conservation and Inclusive Development in Cross-Border Parks and Protected Areas of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)

10-10-2019

The main objective of this project is to develop sustainable tourism in cross-border parks and rich biodiversity in protected areas in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and contribute to poverty eradication, job creation, environmental and cultural preservation.

Advancing Sustainable Development Through Tourism: Regional Capacity-Building Programme in Tourism Statistics and Tourism Satellite Accounts

10-10-2019

The overall objective of this project is to strengthen national tourism statistical systems through regional capacity building workshops, in order to better understand the role of tourism in the national economy and contribute to evidence-based decisions in tourism policy, planning, and development.

Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) Pioneering Use of the MST Methodology

10-10-2019

To build a statistical infrastructure for measuring the sustainability of tourism, and in particular its economic, social, and environmental dimensions, at national and subnational levels.

Strengthening Governance through the development of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs)

10-10-2019

The overall objective is to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the destinations by building sustainable and effective DMOs that create a framework favourable towards inclusive tourism growth that benefits tourists and local communities alike.

Becoming Leaders in Tourism Through UNWTO Executive Education courses

10-10-2019

The overall objective is to strengthen institutional knowledge on building a sustainable and responsible tourism sector, as well as on the role of tourism in the 2030 Agenda.

Research on Tourism Education and Training

10-10-2019

The overall objective of this project is to increase the understanding of required changes in tourism education based on research on developments in the tourism sector and its needs.

The UNWTO Tourism Education Fund

10-10-2019

The overall objective is to provide opportunities to future tourism leaders to enhance their capabilities and skills so that they are able to contribute to sustainable development through tourism.

Increasing the Employability of Women and Youth through the Development of Curricular Content at the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Leve

10-10-2019

The overall objective is to develop curricula in tourism that corresponds to the needs of the tourism sector and of the labour market and increase the employability of women and youth.

UNWTO.TedQual: Quality assurance in Tourism Education & Training to foster employability

10-10-2019

The overall objective is to foster employment and employability in tourism, especially for women and youth

Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building on Financing Tourism for the 2030 Agenda

10-10-2019

The overall objective of this project is to empower policy makers to leverage the role of tourism and its financing to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, and to secure more donor resources for tourism at the national and global levels.

1st UNWTO Foreign Direct Investment Guidelines for Poverty Reduction and Job Creation Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT)

10-10-2019

The overall objective is to enhance public-private partnerships through FDI investment in tourism and contribute to poverty reduction and job creation.

Doing While Advancing Peace and Development: Practical guidelines and Recommendations for Conflict-sensitive Tourism Practices in Post-conflict and Fragile States

10-10-2019

The overall objective is to create a tourism sector that is aware of its role in contributing to peace and conflict prevention in general and in post-conflict settings in particular.

Enhancing economic growth through a Local Community Tourism Awareness Campaign in Jordan

10-10-2019

The overall objective of this project is to develop and implement a programme to raise awareness about tourism as an important sector of Jordan’s economy, with benefits that can accrue to the local population.

Advancing Sustainable Development Through Tourism: Support in Building the National Brand of Tajikistan

10-10-2019

The main objective of the project is to advance sustainable development by providing support to the Government in the implementation, management and monitoring of its national tourism brand.

Supporting local rural communities in the southern region of Yerevan, Armenia

10-10-2019

The project´s main objective is to leverage Armenia’s rural heritage into an engine of economic growth, helping to develop remote areas and boost the regional and national economy by empowering local communities.

Circular Food for Sustainable Tourism in the Asia- Pacific Region

10-10-2019

The overall objective is to accelerate the necessary shift towards SCP through planning and strategy tools, including sustainable food solutions for corporate change across the value chain.

Supporting Regional Development through Rural Tourism in Ukraine

10-10-2019

The project´s main objective is to leverage Ukraine´s rural heritage as an engine of economic growth, helping to fight rural depopulation and boost the regional and national economy by empowering local communities.

Viengxay District Tourism Master Plan

10-10-2019

The overall objective is to create a sustainable tourism sector in Viengxay Town that provides decent jobs and contributes to socio-economic welfare, as well as to the preservation of cultural and natural assets.

Boosting sustainable development in Mongolia through Tourism Promotion

10-10-2019

The overall objective of this project is to contribute to economic development through increased international tourism flows.

Boosting Sustainable Development in Fiji through Tourism

10-10-2019

The overall objective of this project is to boost the economy and drive social development of Fiji through a Sustainable Tourism Development Policy.

TuMoDeLo: Turismo – Motor de Desarrollo Local in Costa Rica (Tourism – Engine for Local Development)

10-10-2019

The overall objective of this project is to improve the lives of farming communities in Costa Rica by consolidating a public-private partnership that connects the tourism and agriculture sectors for the implementation of sustainable procurement practices.

test

08-10-2019

test

Teaching and educating about the principles of Sustainable travel and tourism in Cameroon.

08-10-2019

As a new Community Ambassador for the Communities SGDs Ambassador Sustainability Objectives of the Youth Kmer Volunteers for SDGs program, throughout this year I will continue to teach and educate on the principles and tips of sustainable tourism. This tourism creates sustainable jobs in the community, respects the local culture and respects the environment. Obviously help, invest, work in synergy with other groups of young people to make a better Cameroon, a Cameroon where no one is left behind. The more I traveled, I realized I can not just travel without learning. I started to be a tourist and more I started to enjoy learning I started to enjoy sharing my travels journeys AS A CAMEROONIAN TRAVELER IN CAMEROON! I started to get involved I was doing while while traveling. To respect local cultures To protect the environment by going almost zero waste each time By teaching my travels After 5 years of local tourism with 3 included on sustainable tourism, 1 year as active contributor I have been selected as a SDGs Community Ambassador. So the initiative is to build a Community of responsible and sustainable travellers who will help the Government implement strategies to build a strong and sustainable tourism industry in Cameroon.

Tourism and Trade for Development in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda

07-10-2019

The main objective of the project is to support inclusive tourism development and thereby help maximize the contribution of trade in services to development, job creation, and achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Contributing to sustainable development through tourism: the implementation of a national hotel classification system in Tunisia

07-10-2019

The overall objective is to enhance the tourism sector in Tunisia through a hotel classification system that contributes to economic growth, decent jobs, and well-being.

Advancing development through tourism: strengthening the system of tourism statistics and development of a tourism satellite account in Cameroon

07-10-2019

The overall objective of this project is to strengthen the national tourism statistical system to permit a better understanding of the role of tourism in the national economy and contribute to evidence-based decisions in tourism policy, planning, and development, with the aim of turning tourism into an engine for socio-economic development in Cameroon.

CURSO DE TURISMO SOSTENIBLE Y DESARROLLO LOCAL EN ÁREAS RURALES

25-09-2019

El curso está basado en el concepto del turismo como motor para la creación de actividades económicas y de empleo decente en las áreas rurales. Se analizaran las claves necesarias para que el turismo pueda ser una alternativa socioeconómica sostenible, y cuáles son los elementos a tener en cuenta para diseñar una estrategia de desarrollo rural basada en el turismo. Durante la formación se combinarán presentaciones de expertos con visitas de estudio e intercambio de experiencias entre los participantes de diferentes paises.

RED ROCKS COMMUNITY CONSERVATION CENTER

25-09-2019

Red Rocks community conservation center works with community livelihoods in biodiversity areas through research and projects that implement grassroot conservation of wildlife. We build community networks for conservation by the established summer institute. The community conservation center is based on the vision to create a sustainable business model in conservation work by creating eco-tourism schemes that focus on conservation based tourism. RESEARCH CENTER The research center is geared towards continued work that ensures we build sustainable business models for our environment and communities, we work to find sustainable solutions for the co-existence of our wildlife species alongside community people by improving the understanding of wildlife ecology, status and conservation requirements. Our activities involve developing practical solutions that mitigate wildlife-human conflict, environmental damage and climate change. SUMMER INSTITUTE The center’s summer Institute offers short-term opportunities to work on conservation and research projects through direct exposure to diverse wildlife plus also engaging students in the study and discussion of principles and best practices for sustainable conservation with hands-on experience. WILDLIFE PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION Our wildlife protection and conservation work comprises projects that are committed to the protection of the volcanoes endangered wildlife through conservation awareness and community engagement. We collaborate with communities to address a multitude of issues that impact people and wildlife

The Green Wall

19-09-2019

The Green Wall was founded in 2019 by Acacia Sustainability to provide consumers with sustainable alternatives to products and services used every day. The Green Wall aims to empower everyday consumers with information about products and services that are being sold today to reduce consumers impact on the environment. We hope that this will help in the shift to a low carbon economy and increased the demand for sustainable products and services. By making the choice to stay in a hotel or resort that has been certified by an eco-label such as Green Globe, Green Key, Travelife or EarthCheck, you are choosing accommodation that have taken steps to achieve several SGD’s. Hotels and resorts that have received an eco-label have taken steps to achieving several SDG’s. Green Globe for example identified three key goals that relate to sustainable tourism and are built into their more than 40 sustainability criteria to receive certification: Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth; Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production; and Goal 14: Life below water. To search for hotels and resorts that have achieved an eco-label certification, visit The Green Wall’s Hotels & Resorts page.

Giving back - Social and Responsible Tourism

19-09-2019

Impacto social a comunidades necesitadas, apoyando a micro empresarios locales por medio del comercio justo, voluntariado y donaciones a programas de desarrollo local por medio del turismo socialmente responsable. Ofrecer a un grupo selecto de viajeros la oportunidad de impactar positivamente a las comunidades locales, quienes tienen el deseo de ayudar y contribuir a la desigualdad en el mundo, con su tiempo y recursos. We support local communities through social and responsible tourism programmes, involving local artisans and entrepreneurs. We provide high-end customers and luxury travellers the opportunity to give back to Guatemalan communities, working together with NGOs supporting with donations, volunteering and fair trade.

Contributing to the carbon neutrality of travelers visiting Mauritius.

19-09-2019

Mauritius Conscious Travel achieves a sustainable milestone. Mauritius Conscious Travel, a sustainable travel agency in collaboration with AERA Group, the pioneer of carbon finance in Africa, contributes to the carbon neutrality of travellers visiting Mauritius. Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Mauritius Conscious Travel has achieved its 1st carbon offset transaction by compensating 79 tons of CO2 emissions. The monetized carbon credits collected by the travel agency are destined, through AERA, to the 1st solar photovoltaic project in Mauritius: La Ferme Bambous. In their efforts to reduce the CO2 produced by their trips, Mauritius Conscious offers tailor-made packages including eco-friendly accommodations, use of public transportation and non-motorized activities for positive impact including clean-ups in nature, reforestation efforts and bio-agriculture workshops in collaboration with local NGOs. Romina Tello, CEO of Mauritius Conscious Travel highlights ‘Limiting the negative aspects of tourism is no longer enough. Today, tourism needs to embrace restorative actions to benefit the places we visit.’

Women Empowerment through Arts & Crafts

19-09-2019

Red Rocks initiatives for sustainable Development improvised ways to empower women so that they can become their own agents of positive change. Community arts and crafts projects made a positive contribution toward empowering Women to improve their wellbeing, enhance the sense of self and self and economical gains.

National Dance Award with History 2020

17-09-2019

2° National Dance Award with History 2020, is an initiative imagined by the Society of Historical, Archaeological and Geographical Studies of Chile, in conjunction with the directors of the Oriental Dance Academy Najmah All Sahara. The event, after being included in 2019 in the list of international events that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has become the most important contest for rescue of the cultural heritage of Oriental Dance in Chile. With the main objective of stimulating creation in the field of historical research and geographical - historical analysis of oriental dance and tribal fusion in the continent, the meeting has been designed to educate the audience through dance and its interpretations with historical foundations, promoting good health and well-being through dance, with emphasis on social inclusion and gender equality. The contest, which hopes to bring together important representatives of the country and the American continent, will be held in the beautiful World Heritage City of Valparaíso; promoting tourism and the multicultural relationship. The alliance between the Dance Academy and the History Society, goes to show that both history and dance are made up of multiple aspects, beyond the technique or trajectory of those who represent them, in such a way that we have created a unique space for the multidisciplinary study of dance's history and its artistic interpretation. The event is sponsored by the Historical Bulletin (ISSN 0719-7802), a scientific journal that will publish all the reviews submitted to the contest.

Día Mundial del Turismo

09-09-2019

En el marco de la Semana Mundial de Acción por los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible y en el Primer Festival de Acción por los ODS Costa Rica 2019, estaremos celebrando el Día Mundial del Turismo, con la charla Turismo y empleo: un futuro mejor para todos. Esta actividad totalmente gratuita se realizará a las 9:00 am en el Auditorio de Administración Universitaria de la Universidad Técnica Nacional (Sede Central, Villa Bonita) Alajuela, Costa Rica.

A Sustainable Hero Trail to discover the 17 SDGs.

30-08-2019

You learn about the 17 SDGs in a challenging trail. What are the SDGs? What do they each stand for? And above all what can you do to contribute to a better world for everyone? Hidrodoe is in 2019 one of the six SDG Voices in Belgium. For a whole year we tell and educate about the SDGs. Hidrodoe is a tourist attraction in Belgium. A interactive science center about water. This extra exhibition/trail is included in the normal admission price.

Help the local economy while travelling

30-08-2019

.The story of this Kaba. For a cultural festival I needed traditional outfits. I could have taken some at home but the travel instructions came down the day before and were "travel light" Result i just take 1 that I wear before the big ceremony. The day before the official ceremony, I went to the market with my travel friend. Understand Nkongsamba is a shopping city. You will find everything. Absolutely everything. I bought and left 3 material at 11am at her cousin's. An amateur stylist I told her to have fun as its pleases her. At 17 am this outfit was ready. The other 2 ready the next day. What I like most about tourism is "leaving money on the spot", contributing to the local economy. Events like the Festival help boost the small and big business. Oh I also took a bag for my camera, it's the one hanging on my arm and that was very useful for 5 days :) Traveling is good Traveling useful is even better. # Tourism4Sdgs # SDGS8 #Cameroon #Cameroon #NKongsamba

Panama City Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

The Tourism Observatory of Panama City is the first of its kind in Panama. Established in 2018, the objective of the Observatory is to collect and organize timely and quality information for the planning of tourism in the country, supporting decision makers in the planning and strengthening of sustainable tourism in Panama. Leading the way in tourism data management, the Observatory will be leading the way for similar initiatives throughout the country, gathering valuable experiences for future expansions. With the purpose to increase also the public participation, especially from local communities, in development processes, the Observatory is hosted by the National Tourism Chamber of Panama and counts on the support of many different stakeholders in the destination.

Aegean Islands Observatory

27-08-2019

Established by the University of the Aegean in collaboration with UNWTO and with the support of the Ministry of Tourism of Greece, the first Sustainable Tourism Observatory in Europe opened in the Aegan Islands, the main archipelago of Greece, in early 2013. The observatory has several physical sites, one in Rhodes for the South Aegean, another in Chios for the North Aegean, and one at the University of Aegean in Mytilene, on the island of Lesvos. The monitoring efforts focus on the environmental, social and economic impacts of tourism in the Aegean archipelago and seek to serve as a model to expand the concept to a national level. The monitoring and implementation of sustainable tourism practices are being realized in close cooperation with the tourism public and private sector in the area of the Aegean.

Tourism Observatory of the City of Buenos Aires

27-08-2019

The Tourism Observatory of the City of Buenos Aires is a General Direction within the Buenos Aires Tourism Board, under the direct supervision of the President of the Buenos Aires Tourism Board. The Buenos Aires Tourism Board reports to the General Secretary of International Affairs, under the direct supervision of the Mayor of Buenos Aires, who is the Head of the government of the city. The mission of the Buenos Aires Tourism Observatory is to gather data and generate key information to guide the private and public sectors’ decision making process and to become global leaders in the production of strategic knowledge using Big Data and innovative research methods, thus strengthening tourism governance and taking effective data driven decisions in an ever-changing and competitive market.

Antigua Guatemala Sustainable Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

The Antigua Guatemala Sustainable Tourism Observatory is located in the city of La Antigua Guatemala, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Observatory will periodically collect data and scientific evidence as it monitors the effect tourism has on the historic city. This data will then be used to assess how tourism can best be used to help drive sustainable growth and development.

Navarre Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

As first Tourism Observatory in Spain to join INSTO, the Navarre Tourism Observatory aims to be the reference site for stakeholders at all levels and to support them with Tourism Intelligence in the successful strengthening of tourism as a strategic activity for the region in a context of maximum sustainability. The Observatory is hosted by the Directorate of Tourism and Trade of the Government of Navarre and builds upon already established monitoring activities in the economic area, extending its efforts to a wider monitoring approach, including regular measurement of social and environmental impacts of the sector.

South Tyrol Sustainable Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

The South Tyrol Sustainable Tourism Observatory was established in 2018 and is aiming at continuously monitoring, evaluating and communicating on South Tyrol’s (i.e. the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen) tourism developments and the impacts they have. With the generated data in areas such as mobility, climate change, regional products and quality control, employment and many other topics, the Observatory will support awareness raising activities and decision-making processes of different stakeholders groups, serving the local community as think-tank that fosters communication, collaboration and evidence-based destination management.

Alentejo Sustainable Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

The Alentejo Sustainable Tourism Observatory was created through a partnership between Portugal Tourism, the Regional Tourism Board of Alentejo, the University of Évora, as well as both the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre and Santarém. ASTO is the first monitoring entity within a nation-wide observatory initiative launched by the Portugese Government in the framework of the 2027 Tourism Strategy. Monitoring areas include, among others: Community Participation, Tourism Seasonality, Competitiveness of Tourism Businesses, Water Availability and Conservation, Local Satisfaction With Tourism; Destination Economic Benefits; Employment.

Toba Lake Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

Hosted by the University of Sumatera Utara, the observatory monitors Pangururan in which there are 25 villages and 3 urban villages.

Sanur Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

Hosted by the Research Centre for Culture and Tourism of the Udayana University, the Observatory monitors Sanur tourism destination consisting of three villages which are Sanur Kauh Village, Sanur Village and Sanur Kaja Village.

Sonoma County Sustainable Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

The monitoring area of the Sonoma County Sustainable Tourism Observatory is strategically located 45 minutes North of the Golden Gate Bridge and the metropolitan areas of San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Thanks to the region's premier position as a wine destination, its proximity to major innovation hubs and its abundant variety of culinary and scenic attractions, the area attracts millions of visitors every year. The observatory is the first of its kind under the umbrella of the Coalition to Observe and Advance Sustainable Tourism (COAST), which aims to serve as an anchor for a possible network of Pacific Coast observatories, connecting key tourism destinations along the Pacific Coast of North America from San Francisco and the Channel Islands , stretching from San Francisco and the Channel Islands in the south to Vancouver and Victoria BC in the north. The observatory aims to share best practices which have been developed in the destination and learn from other member destinations of the INSTO network to advance its work, especially in the areas of water management, the impacts of agricultural-tourism growth, climate change responsiveness, the viable regeneration of essential public places, employment and local living opportunities, among others.

Pangandaran Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

Pangandaran is located on the southern coast of the island of Java and has become a popular tourist destination because of its famous surfing beach. Hosted by the Bandung Institute of Technology, the Observatory focuses on monitoring tourism impacts in the Batukaras Village, which is located in the Cijulang District of the Pangandaran Regency.

Sleman Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

Hosted by the Magister and Doctor Tourism Program of the Graduate School of Gadjah Mada University, the University the observatory seeks to foster an increased understanding of sustainable tourism development in the regency. The initial regional scope of the observatory focuses on the tourism village of Pulesari in Wonokerto, Turi district of Sleman, which is increasingly known for its potential of outdoor activities. The work of the observatory includes the assessment of the village as a destination for sustainable tourism and the analysis of current and possible tourism activities in that area.

Lombok Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

Hosted by the Faculty of Economics of Mataram University, the observatory monitors two destinations, namely Sesaot and Senggigi, both nature-based tourist destinations. While Sesaot is only in its initial phase of development and located within the island, Senggigi is - in comparison - more known due to its coastal character with beaches, housing already a small variety of different accommodations. For both destinations, it is the goal to qualify them as sustainable tourist destinations based on local involvement, creating positive impacts for all stakeholders.

Croatian Sustainable Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

The Croatian Sustainable Tourism Observatory (CROSTO) is hosted by the Institute for Tourism in Zagreb, which is responsible for monitoring sustainable tourism in the Adriatic Croatia. CROSTO advises local communities on minimizing possible negative impacts of tourism development and measures their economic benefits and energy, water and waste control. The country's commitment to sustainability has been emphasized in its Tourism Development Strategy 2020. The initiative aims at fostering innovation in the framework of sustainable tourism.

The Tourism and Events Observatory of the City of São Paulo

27-08-2019

The Tourism and Events Observatory of the City of São Paulo (OTE) is a pioneer in data collection and analysis for the tourism in the State capital. Lead by the Department of Research and Market Intelligence of São Paulo Turismo, OTE was created in 2008 with the goal of analyzing the tourism behavior and the events segment in São Paulo.

Guanajuato Tourism Observatory

27-08-2019

The Tourism Observatory of Guanajuato was created in 2008 and is an organization dedicated to permanently research, analyze, evaluate and consult about the performance of the tourism sector. It is monitoring tourism activity in the entire State of Guanajuato through an inter-sectoral and multidisciplinary approach that allows for measuring and monitoring tourism in various relevant aspects. It focusses its efforts especially on issues regarding governance, tourism demand, tourism services offer, infrastructure, local community benefits, tourist attractions and sustainability.

Jiangmen Observatory

27-08-2019

The Jiangmen Observatory is the ninth observatory in China. Situated at the Pearl River Estuary and south of the South China Sea, Jiangmen has a permanent resident population of 4.51 million inhabitants.The monitoring efforts of the observatory focus especially on measuring the overall development of tourism, including local economic benefits, local satisfaction, employment, seasonality, water, sewage and waste water management, as well as the protection of the existing World Culture Heritage Sites in the destination.

Xishuangbanna Observatory

27-08-2019

Xishuangbanna is an eco-tourism area rich in natural, historical and cultural resources which include folklore, tropical rain forests, rare plants and wildlife. An additional feature of Xishuangbanna is the composition of its population, with 13 ethnic groups besides the Han living in this region. The focus of the observatory lies on monitoring sustainability and indigenous groups, ensuring that tourism generates socio-economic benefits for the various communities.

Changshu Observatory

27-08-2019

Changshu is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and is part of the Yangtze River Delta. The city covers an area of 1276 square kilometers (including the Yangtze River water area). In Chinese county-level city, it is the first city owning the title of “National Garden City” and “International Garden City”. For the past 5 years, income from the tourism sector has increased on average by more than 20% on a yearly basis. Meanwhile, the number of visitor has risen by more than 10% yearly. The observatory focuses on two major themes: 'the development of the tourism industry in developed areas and enhancement of residents' quality of life and overall happiness' as well as 'the development and ecological conservation of the tourism industry in developed areas'.

Henan Observatory

27-08-2019

The Henan Observatory is focusing on two cities within the Henan province, namely Luoyang and Jiaozuo. The province is situated in the central-eastern part of China on the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. It is one of the main birthplaces of Chinese Nation and Chinese Civilization, where cultural sites and natural landscapes coexist harmoniously. Overall, there are 4 ancient capitals within the province. Luoyang, capital during multiple dynasties, is home to Baima Si (White Horse Temple). Founded in the 1st century, it's among China’s first Buddhist temples. Nearby, the Longmen Grottoes have Buddhist rock carvings dating to the 5th century. Due to these attractions, tourism has become a core sector of Henan’s economy. The observatory's monitoring efforts include research regarding the socio-economic and environmental aspects of tourism development as well as the protection of historical relic and the tourism development around these sites.

Kanas Observatory

27-08-2019

Bordering Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia, Kanas is a lake nature reserve in north-west China. The lake is located in a valley in the Altai Mountains, near the very northern tip of Xinjiang and the major tourism attraction in that part of the country. Due to its rural characteristic with its vast natural resources, the Kanas Observatory focuses its monitoring efforts especially on tourism in remote and border areas.

Chengdu Observatory

27-08-2019

Chengdu is the fourth most populated city in mainland China and the capital of the Sichuan province and an important economic hub in western China. Chengdu's history dates back to at least the 4th century B.C., when it served as capital for the Shu Kingdom. The city is one of China’s most visited destinations, which is why the Chengdu Observatory is naturally focused on tourism and urbanization, along with post-disaster reconstruction.

Zhangjiajie Observatory

27-08-2019

Zhangjiajie, a city in the northwest of China's Hunan province, is home to the famed Wulingyuan Scenic Area. This protected zone encompasses thousands of jagged quartzite sandstone columns, many of which rise over 200m, as well as caves filled with stalactites and stalagmites. The third observatory in China was established at the entrance of the National Park of Zhangjiajie in the Hunan province, China. The park is the first national forest park in China, receiving up to 40 000 visitors a day during high season. Tourism is the main sector in the area, and the focus of the Zhangjiajie Observatory is tourism for regional development.

Huangshan Observatory

27-08-2019

A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of China’s major tourist destinations, Huangshan is a mountain range in the southern province of Anhui, famous for its unique granite peak scenery. Besides the scenic area around the site, the observatory focuses its efforts also on two villages, namely Xidi and Hongcun, which are located in Yi county, Huangshan City, and which are also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These two villages are vivid illustrations of a type of human settlement created during a feudal period and based on a prosperous trading economy. The observatory monitoring these sites focuses especially on environmental and cultural heritage protection.

Yangshuo Observatory

27-08-2019

Yangshuo is a county in the northeastern region of Guangxi, about 1.5h away from the city Guilin. The area is most famous for its dramatic karst mountain landscape and outdoor recreation. In 2006, the observatory which focuses on both Yangshuo and Guilin, was the first to be established, due to the fast rise in tourism in the region, and the growing importance of the sector to the area. Its focus lies especially on community participation and tourism impacts.

UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories

27-08-2019

The UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) was created in 2004 with the main objective to support the continuous improvement of sustainability and resilience in the tourism sector through systematic, timely and regular monitoring of tourism performance and impact and to connect dedicated destinations in order to better understand destination-wide resource use and foster the responsible management of tourism. Through the systematic application of monitoring, evaluation and information management techniques, the initiative provides policy makers, planners, tourism managers and other relevant stakeholders with key tools to strengthen institutional capacities to support the formulation and implementation of sustainable tourism policies, strategies, plans and management processes.

Waikato Tourism Monitoring Observatory

27-08-2019

The Waikato Tourism Monitoring Observatory is the first observatory to open in New Zealand and is hosted by the Waikato Management School of the University of Waikato. The Waikato Observatory seeks to support the strengthening of the world famous surfing town Raglan as a sustainable destination, while continuing to protect the unique landscapes and the biodiversity of Waitomo and its iconic tourist attraction the Waitomo Caves. The observatory focuses its monitoring efforts especially on crucial socio-cultural aspects such as ‘local and visitor satisfaction’, ‘destination economic benefits’, ‘tourism seasonality’ and ‘development control’. Over time, efforts will be extended, covering additional thematic areas related to waste management, housing issues, water supply and sewage management, among others.

Summer School LeVERAGE: ICTs for Tourism Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism for preserving LiVing hERitAGE

27-08-2019

2019 Summer School of the UNESCO chair in ICT to develop and promote sustainable tourism in World Heritage Sites, established at USI - Università della Svizzera italiana (Lugano, Switzerland). The 2019 Summer School of the UNESCO chair takes place in Switzerland: the activities of the first two days (August 24th and 25th) are running within the 2019 edition of the MEM Summer Summit in Lugano, then the group is moving to Val Müstair, home to the Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The focus is on living heritage, which is living practices and expressions passed down from generation to generation and constantly recreated by communities in response to their environment, their relationship with nature and their history. The importance of living heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted. Lectures, visits to UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Biospheres reserves, hands-on exercises and a range of formal and informal activities will allow participants to understand how to leverage ICTs for a sustainbale tourism that is able to preserve and transmit living heritage.

ComeMakeWeGo Ado-Awaye : Getting the community involved in their own development

26-08-2019

Getting the community involved in their own development is one of the reasons why I began ComeMakeWeGo Africa. We tell local communities; "Invest in what you have, with what you have, and watch how people would be eager to invest more in you. Flashback to some months ago, when we decided to focus on promoting AdoAwaye - an untapped destination in Nigeria with Africa's only recognized suspended lake, and one of the best hiking spots in Nigeria. We can remember how the community chiefs welcomed me, at first they thought I was bringing plenty of money from the government for them - but instead, we were evangelizing on how they should invest as little as they have to move the place forward before government or other people can show support. They complained about the lack of funds and we usually responded; "what funds do you really need when we have people among you with needed skills, and we can get basic materials from almost everywhere around your village.." Boom! They have understood us! and now, they have started investing In what they have with what they have. Now the people of AdoAwaye are saying; We dream of better Chalets, but now, we have one made of wood. We dream of better staircases, but now, we have one made of wood. We dream of bigger investments, but now, we are investing in ourselves. At ComeMakeWeGo, we believe in Sustainable Development; hence, we have ensured that; 1. All trees cut down to make the wooden stairs were replaced- #SDGs 12,13 & 15 2. We have kept a policy in place to adequately compensate the local laborers involved in the construction. - #SDGs 1, 2, 8.

CAMEROONIAN TRAVELLERS PROMOTING LOCAL AND RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION

26-08-2019

THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL DINING ON A TRAVEL Tourism and local consumption. Whenever I travel, I always consume local menus. That's to say if I'm in the North, I obviously eat rice couscous with vegetables, rice porridge. ➡️If I am in Central-Southeast, I eat vegetables, freshwater fish and beef. In coastal areas I eat seafood and marine species. Obviously Grassfield obviously couscous and all the sauces that accompany. The only things I eat are not the forbidden menus in my own culture (snake, palm tree rat for example) and the species that are forbidden to hunt / protected. If I have never tasted a dish, I will find out, respect my host and his culture. Why? I realized that eating and buying locally grown seasonal foods was much better. FoodThe local food is part of the culture. And traveling means learning and respecting culture, preserving heritage. Experiencing the local culture is a big part of traveling and trying traditional food is largely related to this cultural experience. Traditional foods are part of the heritage of a country or region and are deeply rooted in the memory of the local population. Responsible production and consumption is the way to go, according to # SDG12 FoodLocal Food supports the community, helps create decent jobs and boosts economic growth in line with # SDG 8. Supporting the local community is a very important aspect of the trip. Choosing to have a coffee in a local café, a snack in a street meal or a lunch at a local restaurant is a simple way to become a socially responsible tourist. Eating in local places supports local businesses and the local economy, while creating connections between locals and travelers. Travelers who stay only a few days in the same place may think that there is not enough time to build relationships, but eating will be part of the local community's perception of tourists and sometimes even nationalities.

Layag: Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference 2019

23-08-2019

In line with World Tourism Day, Lumina Foundation for Integral Human development through the Network of Professional Researchers and Educators and Lyceum of the Philippines University Batangas through the College of International Tourism and Hospitality Management will host the first LAYAG whose aim is to gather academicians, researchers and industry partners to share their research output related to sustaibale tourism and contribute to the growing industry. For more information email us at layag.lumina@gmail.com

Sustainable city discovery: fall in love with any city

22-08-2019

We started Secret City Trails for locals to fall in love with their own cities again. We developed our first riddle game in the centre of Amsterdam showing locals places they had no idea existed. Some spots are hiding in plain sight, others are truly hidden and only found by solving our riddles. After the positive feedback on our first game in Amsterdam, Kristina and I travelled to other cities we’d lived in and created discovery games there too. Initially we focused on targeting locals in new cities. But, we soon learned about the huge opportunity of marketing our games to travellers. Did you know that cities represent half of global international travel? Today we can stay with locals, book all our flights and accommodation online, but the way we discover cities has barely changed over the last 50+ years. The most popular way to discover - and learn about - a city is still large group walking tours. We’re both frequent travellers and we had grown bored with (free) group walking tours that started at fixed times, generally took us to a city’s main (crowded) sights, took place with too many people (you can’t hear the guide) and had to be pre-booked. Our city discovery games are made up of riddles which guide you from one place to the next. Along the way, as you solve the riddles by answering questions about your surroundings, you unlock stories about heritage, history, art and culture. All games are played via a web app and don’t require any downloads! It’s creative locals who follow our ‘playbook’ (guidelines) and create wicked adventures. In exchange for creating and maintaining their city games, they receive a share of the revenue of each game sold (thus we empower local entrepreneurs!) Not only has travel to cities has grown rapidly, there’s an increase in demand for more experiential and sustainable travel . We're excited to promote cultural heritage all over Europe, take more travellers off the beaten path and work with more locals across our region.

Red Rocks Cultural Festival

20-08-2019

Since its inception, a few years back, the cultural tourism week has brought about positive gains to communities through its focus on bringing Tourism, Conservation and community for a sustainable development. The event brings community, conservation and tourism stakeholders together for sustainable development around the Volcanoes National Park. Through the cultural tourism week communities have a chance to exchange ideas and learn from one another how they can use their talents, culture, and other local tools for development through effective sustainable planning, maximizing social and economic benefits to locals, and reducing tourism’s negative impact to cultural and environmental heritages? During the event local community members will be happy to share their success stories concerning harnessing tourism as a means of socio-economic and sustainable development. Apart from celebrating viable conservation efforts that the local community has undertaken, attendants will also have the chance to meet different tourism and conservation players from a broad spectrum in the industry who will provide with significant details about the history of ecotourism around the Virunga massif, and the greater need to promote awareness of ecotourism concepts and approaches the government and private institutions have undertaken to encourage growth of ecotourism. Rwanda is a small country that prides itself in its rich and diversified cultural heritage. Passed from generation to generation, they include customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values among others, and often expressed as either tangible or intangible cultural heritage. Our community members will exhibit hands-on experience of how Red Rocks is keeping our cultural heritage alive. There will be a show of how local community benefits from tourism activities together with the ways we can preserve our pristine culture for the benefit of future generation. Visitors will participate in different cultu

Asian Ecotourism Standard for Accommodations

20-08-2019

In response to the disbandment of the Japan Ecolodge Association, the GSTC recognized standard, Environmentally Sustainable Accommodations International Standard (ESAIS), has transferred all its rights to Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN) as the end of year 2017. The revision of the original standard took place within AEN to reflect 1) the changes made to comply with the updated GSTC Industry Criteria and 2) the Asian ecotourism contexts and deleted the Japanese contexts that were not relevant for other Asian countries. The shaded criteria comply with the GSTC-HTO standard. The adoption of the standard will help the nature-based lodges to achieve SDGs and collect relevant evidences. Rules to meet the standard: All criteria are encouraged to be used for all nature-based lodges and resorts regardless of the size. It can be used as a checklist. Depending on the country or geographical setting, some criteria are difficult to apply thus they are made as optional criteria. We will be setting the rules for ones that satisfy our standard in the form of recognition and/or awards with an opportunity for annual internal and periodic third party auditing. The details will be made available here on the website.

RED ROCKS POTTERY WORKSHOP

08-08-2019

Pottery is more than an activity in Rwanda, but it is a way of expressing our cultural values and telling our story through imagination, creativity and skill. The beauty of the end product shows who we are. Telling our story and living the story are two different things. This is why on 21st of July 2019, we organized a pottery workshop at the Red Rocks Campsite and welcomed participants from all walks life to experience the story of Rwanda people of the Northern Province of Musanze through pottery.Working side by side with the community, our visitors were provided with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the traditional Rwandese methods of ceramic production. As a sustainable tourism organization, we seek to create transformation from our travel experiences and provide deeper connections between cultures. Our visitors had to get their hands dirty. They had to form that bond and learn from the people by practically participating in the local activities. This is what makes our programs unique. All the pieces made during the workshop were produced by our visitors and artisans from the community. The workshop had some benefits for both the community and visiting tourists; it was a perfect way to unwind after a stressful day at work. Those who attended met new people, and created new bonds while working in a creative and tranquil environment.

capacity building form sustainable tourism in rural areas with different stakeholders perspective

05-08-2019

The respct of local community and convresation of environment

Taketombo Corp. - Social Innovation Design Enterprise

22-07-2019

TAKETOMBO instigates social innovation activation in rural craft towns of Japan. The hype generated for 2020 Tokyo Olympic, and Japan's government's new target to drive tourist growth from 20 to 40 million in-bound visitors by 2020, and 60 million by 2060 maybe driving economic growth for Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. It is also creating negative impact to these major locations: local residential lives disruption, trash, traffic, pollution ...etc. It is also accelerating rural-to-urban migration. Overall population with age over 65 is at record high of 28%. (World Economic Forum (4/2019). Some rural towns are seeing as high as 32-35%. Simulation also shows hundreds of regional municipalities may disappear in 40-50 years. Consolidation of shrinking municipalities are also destroying their history and cultural identities (as towns assume new names with little to no relevancy to town history). OPPORTUNITY - Leverage explosive tourist growth and trending experiential tourism & eco-tourism development. - Leverage No.1 Competitive Advantage of Japan: Artisanship & Diligence - Diversification - Create a new sustainable practice that stimulate economy growth of declining towns. CREATIVE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY - RESILIENCE COMMUNITIES - ECONOMIC GROWTH (1) Divert investments and draw attention from overcrowding Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka (2) Leverage foreign interests to create aspiration for new generation rural lifestyle for the locals. (3) Leverage global creative ideas and Japan artisanship to create new functional objects or art objects. Open new market and business channel. (4) Protect and sustain craft legacies. (5) Activate declining rural towns. Bring new traffic to towns through quality experiential tourism and cultural exchange, one town at a time. (6) Bring awareness to Cultural Sustainability. (7) Renew legacy craft town "brands".

KitManif

17-07-2019

KITmanif, an interactive and dynamic platform, proposes to event organizers to move towards sustainable development by including this component in the organization stages of the event. The organizers of small or large events will not only be able to consult the given information, but also to create their personalized "kit" free of charge, according to the profile of their event, in order to archive tips, procedures, practical tools, as well as the references of local providers that they can share with the various members of their committee. In short, a complete and "tailor-made" kit to facilitate the success of sports and cultural events, reaching towards sustainability. "KITmanif" is fully in line with the sustainability objectives of the 2030 Agenda.

Architecture and tourism. Academic participation.

16-07-2019

A project of teaching innovation in the university, Instituto Superior de Arquitectura y Diseño de Chihuahua ISAD (Higher Institute of Architecture and Design of Chihuahua). Through the creation of a new subject that makes the future architect's laboral perspectives bigger by the union of tourism, heritage, and architecture. Looking at the national social and political reality. Architecture is one of the main subjects for tourism, nevertheless is rare to find interest in tourism inside architecture degree programs. It´s because of that, this project is important and necessary for the development of both knowledge sciences, tourism, and architecture. Always with the sustainable principles present. --- Background It is intended primarily to reinforce four competencies derived from the WORLD CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION - Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century - Vision and Action. 9 October 1998 1. Interdisciplinarity. 2. Scientific investigation. 3. Specific objectives. 4. Social trends. STUDY APPROACHES Interdisciplinary focus. Scientific. Method. Participation in existing programs Study case: The touristic program Pueblos Mágicos (Magic towns). Architecture, sustainability, and tourism in Chihuahua, Mexico. The students will analyze the touristic program "Pueblos Mágicos" and make architecture and urbanism projects under sustainable aspects.

Jornadas Internacionales de Turismo, Educación y Ciudadanía

05-07-2019

Docentes pertenecientes a las carreras de Tecnicatura y Licenciatura en Turismo, y del Instituto de Educación y Ciudadanía de la Unidad Académica Río Turbio, dependiente de la Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, presentan las Jornadas de Turismo, Educación y Ciudadanía; tomando como eje principal Turismo para la educación y educación para el turismo: potenciando el desarrollo de la comunidad. Con el fin de comprender, estimular, fomentar y difundir los beneficios que ofrece la educación, relacionada con el turismo, hacia la comunidad y potenciales visitantes; se promoverá el intercambio de experiencias y conocimientos para que sean aplicados local y regionalmente. Se buscará generar un marco propicio para la presentación de trabajos y estudios, por medio de la promoción sobre el rescate y puesta en valor del patrimonio cultural tangible e intangible de una región, fortaleciendo la interculturalidad en la educación, fomentando la potenciación de nuevas oportunidades de desarrollo y sustentabilidad del turismo y los beneficios que este conlleva. El desarrollo de estas jornadas busca crear un punto de encuentro para propiciar sinergias que logren un desarrollo local armónico y sustentable, estimulando el intercambio de conocimientos y experiencias que enriquezcan la calidad de vida de las comunidades en un evento participativo y dinámico. TEMÁTICAS Se invita a profesionales, investigadores, representantes de organismos oficiales, gestores del turismo, estudiantes avanzados o interesados a presentar trabajos referidos a los temas referidos a continuación. Para ello se han definido los siguientes ejes: TEMA 1: El turismo como herramienta educativa para la ciudadanía TEMA 2: Turismo en ámbitos externos a las instituciones educativas TEMA 3: Políticas Públicas, estado y gobierno TEMA 4: Turismo, Educación y Sociedad

Alliances for Action: One Product. One Chef. One Origin

02-07-2019

Overall Objective The overall objective of the project is to work with farmers and micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries and to connect them with top chefs, buyers, consumers and influencers alike in the food and tourism industries to generate value-added markets using native ingredients. This will be done through an innovative, inclusive and responsible business model that ensures quality, promotes the uniqueness of healthy food products, and generates inclusive impact and better income generation opportunities for farmers.

EAST AFRICA TOURISM EXPO

28-06-2019

The East Africa Tourism Expo, is the region’s biggest travel show that brings together stakeholders in the tourism sector including high-value target consumers and destination sellers, travel service providers under one roof in a world-class setting. The event will be held in Uganda, between November 14th – 17th, 2019, under the Theme;"Enhancing Tourism as Engine for Social and Economic Transformation" at Kololo Independence Grounds, Kampala Uganda The opportunity that EATE provides is networking with like minded organizations operating in the Tourism sector is second to none. It is our ambition to provide you with the opportunity to showcase your products and services, share experiences, listen to new ideas and discuss emerging issues with your colleagues from all over the world during the Expo.

Katú: Sustainable Gastronomy in Alajuela - Costa Rica

19-06-2019

Sustainable Gastronomy Day emphasizes the need to focus the world’s attention on the role that sustainable gastronomy can play. It also reaffirms that all cultures and civilizations are contributors and crucial enablers of sustainable development. The set of dishes and culinary uses of a particular place is one more expression of the natural and cultural diversity of the planet. Chef Cristian Morera Leiva is very clear about the concept of sustainable gastronomy, in his restaurant Katú he combines the legacy of the Costa Rican indigenous culture, the local economic development, as well as the protection of the environment. We went to visit him for tasting the delicious menu, we also knew the details that make this restaurant an example on sustainability to follow:

TOURISM AND TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT 2020

19-06-2019

TOURISM AND TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT 2020. THEME>>>THE FUTURE FOR TRAVEL AND TOURISM IN AFRICA BIOMETRICS>>> ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE>>>DATA Brandworld Media in partnership with Technology Mirror is proud to present the 2nd edition of the TOURISM AND TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT with the theme THE FUTURE FOR TRAVEL AND TOURISM IN AFRICA.>>>BIOMETRICS . ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE . BIG DATA. The future of travel is technology-based, so tourism jobs will require both technical and advanced soft skills used to effectively implement and manage smart initiatives. The greatest societal impact of digital transformation in tourism may be the effect on the sector’s workforce, which directly and indirectly represents 1 in every 10 jobs worldwide. Like in other economic sectors, intelligent automation will change the nature of some travel jobs and eradicate others altogether. However, digitally-enabled growth will also generate new employment opportunities that could outpace the automation of existing roles, especially as strong growth is forecast for the sector. Tourism and Technology Summit is a project driven by a vision to disrupt the Tourism industry in Africa through Technology.It works with the public & private sector to drive the growth & development of the industry through: • Emerging technology driven by innovations • Sector inspiring policies that enhance growth & development • Thoughtful stakeholders’ engagement. • The exposure of players to knowledge on global best practices that engender quality services. Under SDGS 17 PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS, the summit aims to focus on how Technology can deliver smart solutions to enable and grow the Tourism industry in Africa.

Level of Satisfaction of the Customers in terms of Service Quality of Real Eagle Restaurant, South Forbes Golf and Country Club, Silang, Cavite

17-06-2019

This study assesses the level of satisfaction of Filipino respondents on the quality service of Real Eagle Restaurant, South Forbes Golf and Country Club in Silang, Cavite. The reason for this topic is primarily because the researchers aim to contribute to existing literature pertaining to service and food quality. Additionally, the researchers seek to deliver a more exhaustive paradigm that fully explains customer satisfaction. In this way, it makes a way for the creation of effective and appropriate marketing strategies that not only benefit the researchers and/or the Lasallian community, but also the restaurant itself. The level of satisfaction is measured based on the dimensions included in the SERVQUAL model developed by Parasuraman and Berry in 1985 namely, reliability, assurance, tangibility, empathy, and responsiveness. This research is quantitative in nature which makes the dissemination of survey questionnaires the most suitable way to obtain the required data. A total of 45 respondents were gathered through convenience sampling. This study also follows a descriptive correlational design that allows researchers to utilize descriptive statistics, while also figuring out whether or not there is a relationship between reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction. Results of this study were verified statistically using the ANOVA table, while taking into consideration the average means of the each dimension of service quality. Findings reveal that Real Eagle Restaurant’s service quality is Very Satisfactory according to the respondents and each dimension of SERVQUAL model, it has exhibited high levels of service quality with very minimal improvements to be implemented. The researchers were able to create an employee development program, as well as a customer satisfaction program that seek to address the recurring and common problems that were identified in the process.

RED ROCKS VOLUNTEERISM PROJECTS

17-06-2019

Our volunteerism projects allow enjoying the sights and sounds of Rwanda while at the same time making a difference to the host community. This is an excellent way to get the most out of your holiday in Rwanda, and spend some time with us making a difference to the hosts and the environment. There are so many remarkable, charitable projects that Red Rocks initiatives are involved in, both conservation and community led which our clients can visit and be a part of – from clinics, to schools, to hospitals, to self-improvement, to conservation projects. When you travel and give your skills and your time it makes us feel better, not only about ourselves, but also about the potential difference that you are making in the world. It makes us feel part of something bigger than just us … alive. Become a part of ongoing efforts to support sustainable development while exploring Rwanda and its culture. BRIEF INTRODUCTION ABOUT WHAT WE DO Red rocks initiatives believes that benefits of the local people need to, come from what they own or what has been initiated benefit in order to value them. We provides a multitude of benefits to surrounding communities including establishing mechanisms where local people can engage with the tourist and ensure their interests are considered in management decisions. Local environmental education programmes are established to promote understanding among the local population of the need to conserve natural resources and use them sustain-ably. Where possible, we also engage with development organizations to provide social welfare services around our initiatives area particularly in the fields of education and health.

Baúl del Turismo

17-06-2019

El Baúl del Turismo tiene su origen en la necesidad de contar con un espacio especializado en información académica de turismo, es común que al implementar procesos de investigación en el campo o por tarea nos enfrentamos a la búsqueda exhaustiva de información que si existe en la web, pero que se encuentra dispersa en cientos de páginas, lo que toma mucho tiempo valioso únicamente en identificar estas fuentes. Esto motivo la creación de un espacio donde se pueda acceder a textos, podcast, videos y de más información técnica de manera gratuita, la misma información que se encuentra en la web pero en un solo lugar. De esta manera, basados en el principio de democratización del conocimiento el Baúl del Turismo busca compartir información a todos los interesados en la actividad turística, ya sea por motivos académico, profesionales o interés en general. Buscamos que el Baúl siga creciendo, teniendo como visión convertirse en una verdadera plataforma del conocimiento, al momento contamos ya con más de 100 libros de descarga gratuita en su mayoría enviados por sus propios autores y tenemos más de 3.000 seguidores en toda Latinoamérica, sin embargo es necesario contar con el apoyo de nuestros seguidores ya que realmente somos todos los que construimos este Baúl del conocimiento.

OLD HOKURIKU BANK BUILDING A Historic Preservation & Cultural Education Initiative - Nanto City, Japan

17-06-2019

TAKETOMBO is a social innovation venture dedicated in instigating social innovative activation to promote cultural sustainability, and divert attention and investment in aging and declining rural towns outside of glamorous Tokyo and Kyoto. Aging population and rapid decline in rural population resulted in abandoned property and under-utilized public facilities. Up-keeping a 90-year old building (the ex-Hokuriku Bank) has become a financial burden for the local government. Aging structure that lacks seismic reinforcement also poses life-safety concern. Nanto City government's plan is to sell the property for private ownership. If no suitable bid received, the building will be demolished. In December 2018, Taketombo proposed to Mayor of Nanto City in bringing in overseas design work group to conducting feasibility and design research. Mr. Mayor Tanaka immediately agreed to postpone public bidding to allow concerning groups to conduct due diligence, the public can also hold proper hearing to collect feedback and reach a consensus in 2019. However, the Government will cease ownership of the building by the end of 2019, and Inami Art Association will lose its museum space. If there is no undertaking of the building (retrofitting, renovation, management), demolition is still possible. This is a grass-root / community-driven / educational initiative in exploring ways to protect and preserve cultural assets for historic town with social and economic challenges. A design study group from Department of Interior Architecture specializing in Architecture Adaptive Reuse (Master of Design) is invited as the partner in the Inami design-study initiative. Visiting group will conduct qualitative to quantitative research, deep dive into unique cultural and social aspect of Inami, and propose design interventions to built environment as part of the due diligence; and to promote good design practice through adaptive reuse.

African Sports Tourism Week

13-06-2019

African Sports Tourism Week is the sports travel market event where stakeholders from both sports and tourism landscapes cross-fertilize ideas and exchange a hand of fellowship towards maximizing the opportunities in sporting events/holiday, with the sole goal of arriving at an Africa that consciously approaches sports as tourism.

The 3rd Philippine Research Conference on Tourism and Hospitality

13-06-2019

Ensuring inclusivity in tourism and hospitality is the overarching theme of the Philippine Research Conference in Tourism and Hospitality (PRCTH). Running on its third year, the conference is aimed at presenting inclusivity which traverses issues along the value chain of sustainable tourism from integrated destination planning and operations to technology systems of products and services that create impacts on the value of tourism and hospitality. Memberes of the Academia- faculty and students alike (graduate and undergraduate), the Local Government Units, and Industry Practictioners are envisaged to participate in the conference.

CULTURAL TOURISM WEEK 2019

23-05-2019

The annual Cultural Tourism Week at Red Rocks in Musanze is back and in its seventh year running, the Cultural Tourism week is a forum through which Rwandans reflect on the gains made in conservation efforts and also showcase and partake in the country’s rich cultural heritage. The event typically attracts conservationists, government and local leaders, community members, tourism industry players and policy makers, as well civil society organizations, creating abundant networking opportunities. The activities kick off on 31st August and close with the Cultural tourism week after party on the evening 06th september 2019 , there will be a local display of events and products that reflect the country’s art of conservation for cultural heritage and this will run alongside discussion dialogue and conversations on wild life and nature protection.

International Institute for Peace through Tourism, Iran Chapter

22-05-2019

After many months of preparation, on April 18th was held the First IIPT Iranian Working at the headquarters of the company “Miniature Group” in Tehran. With this meeting Fabio Carbone, lecturer and researcher in Heritage, Tourism and Intercultural Dialogue, IIPT Ambassador-at-Large and Special Envoy for Iran, officially launched the challenge of creating an Iranian Chapter of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT). The meeting was attended by over 50 people came from all over Iran, representatives of different sectors of Iranian tourism industry (public, private, non-governmental and academic). Mostafa Khoshabi (Miniature Group) did the honours, as host who from the very beginning is supporting the project on the field, together with Sassan Ghassemi. Fabio Carbone, IIPT ambassador at large and special envoy for Iran, had finally his speech. He presented the IIPT in detail and then presented the idea of creating an IIPT Iran Chapter. In particular, with his passionate speech Fabio Carbone highlighted the immediate and long-term benefits of an approach to tourism development in Iran based not only on economic profit, but also and above all on the socio-cultural development and the promotion, through the tourist activity, of the intercultural dialogue for the construction of peace. Industry, academics, representative of the government and civil society joined the meeting. The “Tehran Agreement on the creation of the IIPT Iran Chapter” is the document produced in the end of the working meeting. We can now officially say the Iranian tourism industry got committed to the SDGs, specifically the SDG #16 by embracing the IIPT principles and get engaged with the creation of the IIPT Iran Chapter.

Ekôa Park: Parque Ecológico

22-05-2019

O Ekôa Park é um paraíso ecológico dentro da maior área contínua remanescente de Mata Atlântica, que encanta e inspira por meio de experiências únicas e transformadoras, conectando você com a sua natureza. Localizado em Morretes, na região litorânea do Paraná, ocupamos uma área privilegiada destinada ao lazer, entretenimento, educação ambiental e desenvolvimento profissional. O parque foi criado a partir da necessidade de proteger e preservar uma reserva de 238 hectares de Floresta Atlântica. Infelizmente, ainda é comum áreas protegidas por lei, mas sob a tutela privada, sofrerem com desmatamento irregular, invasão de posseiros, caçadores, palmiteiros entre outras ameaças. Acreditando no poder da transformação, o empreendimento foi idealizado para mudar esse cenário, agindo como um catalisador de novas oportunidades e disseminador de conhecimento. Nossa missão é ensinar por meio da natureza, encantando e sensibilizando nossos visitantes para promover a conservação do patrimônio natural e da biodiversidade. O Ekôa é aberto ao público aos sábados, domingos e feriados para “day use” – e também recebemos grupos fechados de escolas e empresas para atividades imersivas ao longo da semana.

Celebration of Crete's Biodiversity, Historic Food and Wine Routes

22-05-2019

Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Educational Network Open Seminars June 24-29, 2019 or September 23-28, 2019 5-Day Seminar in Crete, Greece: Celebration of Crete's Biodiversity and Historic Food and Wine Routes. Explore Crete's magnificent countryside and historic sites with resident specialists. Enjoy botanical hikes, visits to organic farms, olive groves and wineries. Savor traditional cuisine in tranquil villages. Adventures and classes include: Botany-biodiversity, archaeology, agroecology, heirloom seed saving, Minoan cooking techniques, cultural-culinary heritage preservation initiatives, traditional and modern Cretan cuisine, herbal medicine, and our silk road-spice route history. This program is designed for researchers and enthusiasts of cultural-natural heritage protection and responsible travel. Our presentations are private, tailored for our small group. Accommodation is in a traditional village in lovingly restored family-owned lodges. Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries “School without Walls,” was founded in 1997 by Nikki Rose, a Greek American journalist, seminar director and professional chef living in Crete. The mission of CCS is to help provide tangible support to residents working on action programs to protect their cultural and natural heritage. The CCS Network of over 50 resident specialists organizes dynamic accredited academic study tours, and seminars for culture-nature enthusiasts. Rose is author of "Crete: The Roots of the Mediterranean Diet." CCS is an award-winning program for best practices in Responsible Travel/Sustainable Travel, featured in National Geographic Traveler and Center for Sustainable Destinations, World Travel and Tourism Council, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and The International Institute of Peace Through Tourism. CCS is working on a documentary focusing on “heritage protectors.”

6th Asia Pacific Youth Exchange in Thailand

06-05-2019

Asia Pacific Youth Exchange Thailand is a two weeks exchange program held from 4 – 16 August 2019 under the theme of “Sustainable Tourism,” aiming at the Youth Empowerment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through social innovation and social entrepreneurship. The program expects the participation of 150 international delegates from more than 20 countries around Asia-Pacific and the world. APYE components include 1) Leadership Development Training, 2) Local Immersion and 3) Youth Symposium. Throughout the program, delegates will have practical experience from the engagement with local communities and work in international teams to develop a social business proposal for Thai communities. WHAT WILL YOU LEARN IN APYE? - Meet inspiring speakers to learn about SDGs in the forum at United Nations Conference Center in Thailand - Join Design Thinking Process to create your own Social Innovation - Experience living in local community and co-create Social Business ideas for Sustainable Tourism in Thailand - Meet mentors to enhance your Social Entrepreneurship skills - Connect with youth from more than 17 countries in Asia Pacific and other regions Program Date: 4-16 August 2019 Place: Bangkok, Thailand Apply now! Let’s be a part of the 6th APYE Thailand. Website: http://www.apyethailand.org/ Application Link: http://bit.ly/6thAPYEapp The application is open to all youth from the Asia-Pacific and other regions who have great interest in the SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT and TOURISM. Up to 50% Scholarship for applicants are available

Celebration of Crete's Biodiversity, Historic Food and Wine Routes

29-04-2019

Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Educational Network Open Seminars June 24-29, 2019 or September 23-28, 2019 5-Day Seminar in Crete, Greece: Celebration of Crete's Biodiversity and Historic Food and Wine Routes. Explore Crete's magnificent countryside and historic sites with resident specialists. Enjoy botanical hikes, visits to organic farms, olive groves and wineries. Savor traditional cuisine in tranquil villages. Adventures and classes include: Botany-biodiversity, archaeology, agroecology, heirloom seed saving, Minoan cooking techniques, cultural-culinary heritage preservation initiatives, traditional and modern Cretan cuisine, herbal medicine, and our silk road-spice route history. This program is designed for researchers and enthusiasts of cultural-natural heritage protection and responsible travel. Our presentations are private, tailored for our small group. Accommodation is in a traditional village in lovingly restored family-owned lodges. Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries “School without Walls,” was founded in 1997 by Nikki Rose, a Greek American journalist, seminar director and professional chef living in Crete. The mission of CCS is to help provide tangible support to residents working on action programs to protect their cultural and natural heritage. The CCS Network of over 50 resident specialists organizes dynamic accredited academic study tours, and seminars for culture-nature enthusiasts. Rose is author of "Crete: The Roots of the Mediterranean Diet." CCS is an award-winning program for best practices in Responsible Travel/Sustainable Travel, featured in National Geographic Traveler and Center for Sustainable Destinations, World Travel and Tourism Council, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and The International Institute of Peace Through Tourism. CCS is working on a documentary focusing on “heritage protectors.”

Celebration of Crete's Biodiversity, Historic Food and Wine Routes

26-04-2019

Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Educational Network Open Seminars June 24-29, 2019 or September 23-28, 2019 5-Day Seminar in Crete, Greece: Celebration of Crete's Biodiversity and Historic Food and Wine Routes. Explore Crete's magnificent countryside and historic sites with resident specialists. Enjoy botanical hikes, visits to organic farms, olive groves and wineries. Savor traditional cuisine in tranquil villages. Adventures and classes include: Botany-biodiversity, archaeology, agroecology, heirloom seed saving, Minoan cooking techniques, cultural-culinary heritage preservation initiatives, traditional and modern Cretan cuisine, herbal medicine, and our silk road-spice route history. This program is designed for researchers and enthusiasts of cultural-natural heritage protection and responsible travel. Our presentations are private, tailored for our small group. Accommodation is in a traditional village in lovingly restored family-owned lodges. Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries “School without Walls,” was founded in 1997 by Nikki Rose, a Greek American journalist, seminar director and professional chef living in Crete. The mission of CCS is to help provide tangible support to residents working on action programs to protect their cultural and natural heritage. The CCS Network of over 50 resident specialists organizes dynamic accredited academic study tours, and seminars for culture-nature enthusiasts. Rose is author of "Crete: The Roots of the Mediterranean Diet." CCS is an award-winning program for best practices in Responsible Travel/Sustainable Travel, featured in National Geographic Traveler and Center for Sustainable Destinations, World Travel and Tourism Council, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and The International Institute of Peace Through Tourism. CCS is working on a documentary focusing on “heritage protectors.”

The Indicator Analysis of the Sustainable Development in Ukraine

18-04-2019

This research project aims to scrutinize the current system of monitoring the sustainable development in Ukraine and to improve its consistency with the globally and regionally (EU) practiced ones in order to clarify the geospatial patterns across the country based on the international and national benchmarking. The project pursues academic and educational goals of the Regional Studies and Tourism Chair of the Geography Faculty of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The research focuses on the objectives as follows: 1. Scrutiny and critical analysis of indicators and studies of SR and SDG in Ukraine 2. Analysis of the consistency of the indicators of the SD and SDG Ukraine-UN; Ukraine-EU 3. Integrated model of SD-SDG indicators in Ukraine - feasibility, functionality, etc. 5. Benchmarking the international experience of localization, monitoring, information representation, policy of SD and implementation of the SDG 6. Information / digital transformation and sustainable development 7. Public-private partnership and sustainable development 8. Analysis of state strategic (profile) documents and budget programs / projects on compliance with the principles of SD and adapted for Ukraine SDG 9. Sustainable development / achievement of the CSR at the macro and mezzo regional level 10. Comparability of STD/ Tourism for SDG Ukraine-UN, Global Council for Sustainable Tourism (GCST), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), EU (ETIS) 11. Comparison of indicators of SR / Tourism for the UKRAINE-EU CSR. 12. Stable production and consumption in tourism 13. Benchmarking the international experience of localization, information representation, STD policy and implementation of the SDG in tourism. 14. Prospect for the sustainable tourism development observatory (INSTO-UNWTO network - Kaniv Nature Reserve of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv) 15. Prospect for the virtual tourist observatory in accordance with the requirements of the European Commission on the

ASEAN Youth on Sustainable Tourism

18-04-2019

Young generations are believed to play an important role in the efforts of achieving Sustainable Tourism Development goals. UNWTO’s former Secretary-General Taleb Rifai once stated that “Young people, recognized by the United Nations as a major force for development and social change, have the potential to drive sustainable development in the tourism sector”. Endorsing this belief, AYST exchange program is initiated by students, and for ASEAN students, and non-ASEAN students who have interests in ASEAN community development to learn about issues in Tourism Industry globally. This is a professional and empirical learning environment where young tourism professionals can meet experts and fellows from different countries, participate in field trips to local businesses and heritage sites, encounter real situations, raise their voices, and stimulate initiatives and leadership towards Sustainable Tourism Development. Main purposes of AYST program include: Raising awareness of younger generations about Sustainable Tourism Development in the ASEAN region. Stimulating dialogues, workshops, cultural exchange and discovery, networking and more, for young people within ASEAN, on Tourism and Sustainability. Building a community of young tourism professionals for knowledge and expertise exchange in the region. Strengthening the ASEAN community of youth by driving peace and mutual understanding through Tourism. Empowering cross-border exchanges and collaborations to unlock the potentials of ASEAN young human capital in the Tourism sector.

Walk for SDGs

18-04-2019

We are walking to create awareness about the SDGs. This 11km walk will involve youths between the ages of 15-30 olds to express their support towards the goals and how they can contribute to it. This will be a pre-event to our major event called the SDGs for Ghana Tourism where we will discuss ways we can use the SDGs to develop the country. Also, we will come up with projects which will be run with volunteers across the world.

4th UNWTO Euro-Asian Mountain Tourism Conference

18-04-2019

The Future of Mountain Tourism” is the theme of the 4th edition of the UNWTO Euro-Asian Mountain Tourism Conference. The conference spotlights the significant opportunities to be seized and the challenges facing the development of mountain tourism. It highlights the need for collective efforts in overcoming current challenges that mountain destinations are facing to adapt to new consumer trends and market changes, to address seasonality by diversifying tourism products in an innovative manner while protecting natural and cultural resources. It is conceived to create a long-term and shared vision for mountain tourism and it features some 15 international speakers from Europe and Asia and includes a session on the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme and the Sustainable Development Goals, as a framework to align actors across sectors and borders on policies and actions. The Bavarian Minister for Economics, Development and Energy, UNWTO Secretary-General, and the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, inaugurate the conference, alongside the Chief Executive of the Berchtesgaden District and host of the event. A total of six panel debates and various thematic presentations provide the opportunity for participants to address themes such as the new tourist, the impact of demographic change, digitalization and mobility, tourism experiences for all four seasons, transnational cooperation and the contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals, among others. The conference is organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Berchtesgadener Land Region, with the support of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany. This edition follows the conferences held in Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea and Georgia over the past decade.

Dream and Delhi

25-03-2019

This is a blog about how a woman entrepreneur from Manipur is trying to persuade her community to get involved in mushroom farming. Farmers used to burn off the hay after harvest. In India this is unfortunately a common practice these days which choked the capital city of New Delhi with smog. Hay is of no commercial value for farmers and stocking them is a waste of time and effort for them. In this scenario, Ms. Prava’s Initiative is relevant. She wants to promote the use of hay in mushroom cultivation so that she can prevent the burning of hay in her village. She is also worried about the forests being cut down during months of unemployment. Villagers cut trees for firewood since they have no money to buy fuel for cooking. Prava believes that mushroom cultivation solves this problem to a large extend as farmers get money throughout the year. This is also a method to employ women and empower them. Prava aims at exporting mushrooms too. For a tourist, such initiatives are important. This addresses air pollution and improves the environment. Places like Delhi has a lot to offer to visitors. But air pollution has caused considerable decline in the number of visitors. To look at other parts of the world, regional solutions like these which may not have direct implication on tourism, can be identified. This is definitely in tune with the larger impact.

Dream and Delhi

25-03-2019

This is a blog about how a woman entrepreneur from Manipur is trying to persuade her community to get involved in mushroom farming. Farmers used to burn off the hay after harvest. In India this is unfortunately a common practice these days which choked the capital city of New Delhi with smog. Hay is of no commercial value for farmers and stocking them is a waste of time and effort for them. In this scenario, Ms. Prava’s Initiative is relevant. She wants to promote the use of hay in mushroom cultivation so that she can prevent the burning of hay in her village. She is also worried about the forests being cut down during months of unemployment. Villagers cut trees for firewood since they have no money to buy fuel for cooking. Prava believes that mushroom cultivation solves this problem to a large extend as farmers get money throughout the year. This is also a method to employ women and empower them. Prava aims at exporting mushrooms too. For a tourist, such initiatives are important. This addresses air pollution and improves the environment. Places like Delhi has a lot to offer to visitors. But air pollution has caused considerable decline in the number of visitors. To look at other parts of the world, regional solutions like these which may not have direct implication on tourism, can be identified. This is definitely in tune with the larger impact.

Backpackers Haven

25-03-2019

Red Rocks in Musanze, Rwanda. There are very few places that will make you feel right at home, inspire you to visit more and to do more for planet and for people. This is especially if you are sustainable travel junkie like I am or what I like to call a “greenpacker”. Red Rocks in Musanze is one of such places. It’s a place that made me view Rwanda differently, as more than a gorilla tracking destination. It’s also a place where the loyalty of my taste buds was tested. Red Rocks Inter Cultural Exchange Center, is a unique budget accommodation facility and camping site in Musanze, Rwanda that also offers exciting responsible travel experiences that contribute to local community development and conservation, through their Red Rocks Initiative. In other words, its a “greenpackers” haven that does more than offer budget accommodation, but involves you in the life of the people, to appreciate their culture and contribute to their development in one of the most responsible and immersive travel experiences. It’s also a place to participate in conservation activities, learn art, appreciate camping, hike and meet new people while sharing stories at a bonfire.

Culture and Art

25-03-2019

Culture is a very complex and extensive collection, which was created by human beings in the process of social and historical evolution, and is the most important element of the identity of each society, its background, and its cultural richness. The culture of each society shows the level of advancement, science, and literature in that society with regard to its social transformation. The culture of each land possesses the specific characteristics and features of that land, which gives it a unique and different identity under the influence of the geographical and religious elements. Consequently, preserving and revitalizing the culture of every society, region, and the nation is a necessity. Over the last centuries, customs, traditions, and beliefs of various communities and societies have had widespread influences that have led to the expansion and enhancement of cultural relations with other nations and peoples.

UP ! Hotel Group

25-03-2019

Recycling projects with PET Bottles in house construction often go along with poor design. This is good enough for social projects like schools and little hospitals. BUT if you want to use those techniques for commercial projects the focus must be on the design. The KEY is to use recycling and upcycling projects to make money !! A hotel must be a phantastic dream place where the tourists want to stay... The Eco aspects come second. This is the only way to develop the regions in the 3. world and show the locals a way to stand on their own feet. Our solution is an intelligent link between ecological solution in the basic house construction and a mixture of local and international design elements Our first project will be in the Kilimanjaro area in Tanzania.

Rural Community Based Tourism - Indonesia

25-03-2019

We are on the stage of place making activities to develop a new concept of Rural Community Based Tourism in Indonesia. As a starting point we have our prototype villages in Sumbawa Island and will have another villages in Lombok Island too. On this initiative we are having a concept to empower the community such as the youth to coordinate and manage the activities / experience on each villages and the women in the village to start their on small business to produce snacks, handicraft, hand weaving etc to be presented to the traveler who visiting their village. On top of that, their house will be typical accommodation for traveler and their original, authentic and tasty culinary will be offered to the visitor. we encourage people or community to take an active role toward this activity. Besides that, we try to make community understand how important it is for all of us to preserve our culture, environment, local values, way of life as well as authentic tasty culinary on each community. Most of our program is experience based activity for all our client to take part in each activity so they get first hand experience how to do something from the community then they will know and understand the local deeper on their life, culture, values , art as well as culinary. The other objective of the program besides things that we have mentioned above is to have an additional generating income activity for the community in rural area so they could improve their welfare. .

Walkabout

25-03-2019

Walkabout, a for Profit, for Good enterprise aiming to alleviate youth unemployment in Morocco. In recognition of their innovative social enterprise, four Moroccan students won the 2019 Hult Prize on campus contest at Mohammadia School of Engineers on December 13th and are willing to take on the regional in London on March 15th. This year’s Hult Prize challenge is to build a sustainable, scalable social venture that has the power to transform the lives of 10,000 unemployed youth in the next decade. The Walkabout concept does this by disrupting the traditional tourism industry in Morocco. The team is building a multi-sided platform that provides private tours through their carefully selected network of local tour guides, each of whom is keen to share his knowledge, experience and expertise in a marketplace of one-on-one transactions. Talking about the inspiration behind the concept, Founder Zakaria Oussaad said: “Our heritage as a team shaped the project. We were shocked at how fast the tourism industry is growing in Morocco. Yet the very people growing it are the ones left behind by the industry and society. Through no fault of their own. We realized that the global economy picks up, but increased income remains a challenge. even worse, our youth are risking their lives and being illegal outsiders in other countries. We want to change that; we want to make of them ambassadors of our country.” The aim of this initiative is to enable socio-economic empowerment of tour guides. The following four mains aims are derived from and based on this project’s aim in the long run : 1. A proper mechanism to restructure and include unlicensed tour guides. 2. Improve the efficiency of the tour guide training program 3. Establishing reasonable Salary Systems 4. Solve issues around low wages, irregularities in pay, subcontracting, police harassment, and labor insecurity and risks.

Dreams Academy

25-03-2019

Dreams Academy is an Alternative art initiative which provides equal chance, opportunities and safe space to people with special needs with an inclusive approach.. Based on social entrepreneurial principals, self sustainable, not for profit but having social enterprises, less staff more volunteers,both local and international, partnering with UNDP and other global institutions , following the principals of Global Compact Principals, UN Convention for Rights of PWD, Millenium Goals and recently HeForShe and SDGs, member of ENAT and Pountau ( European Network of Accessible Tourism ), promoting accessible and social tourism every year during REHACARE in Germany, following the Events of UNWTO, Partnering with DfA ( Design for All Foundaition / Barcelona), IB-BehindertenHilfe in Germany,

Red Rocks Initiatives

25-03-2019

Red rocks initiatives visit. Why visiting Red rocks initiative, the more you get to learn from the community initiatives, that connects community, conservation and tourism the better you will admire our nature and cultural, visiting Red rocks initiative, will always be a memorable experience, and leaves you with an education that comes straight away from the community .Our initiatives target the local community towards sustainable economic development. We believe responsible tourism has the power to uplift the living standards of the vulnerable local Community. Get to know how our initiatives recognize that we all have a part to play when we influence on tourism as a means of sustainable community development aspect by creating a physical place that will unite communities of artist, musicians, and locals in one place in which they can all get involved in building a stronger society by bringing in their different competencies. visit the link www.redrocksinitiative.org

La Ruta del Café - COSTA RICA (Región Occidental)

25-03-2019

Nuestro objetivo es hacer del café un impulsor del desarrollo ecoturístico alternativo, en forma inclusiva y accesible, sostenible con el ambiente y de beneficio para las comunidades de la región. La Ruta del Café de Costa Rica (Región Occidental) contribuye a revalorar un conjunto de poblaciones del país que siempre han estado en el imaginario colectivo de la nación en su conjunto y que representan alternativas frescas y diferentes para los visitantes nacionales y extranjeros. Es un reconocimiento a quienes habitan esos hermosos lugares de la geografía costarricense y han sabido guardar para todos, la riqueza cultural e histórica que encierran. También son constantes las buenas prácticas agrícolas en las fincas y el beneficiado en armonía con la naturaleza, en el que están comprometidos los productores, beneficiadores y exportadores.

Urbanity Culture, Art And Sustainable Tourism Development Abstract

25-03-2019

Urbanity Culture, Art And Sustainable Tourism Development Abstract Sustainable Tourism Development: Today, the tourism industry is one of the major sources of income generation, as well as one of the influential factors on cultural exchanges between countries. In a constantly evolving world, a dynamic and effective atmosphere can be created by being inspired by the past and looking to the future in order to meet the need for development and growth using the optimum historical and cultural facilities. Today, large numbers of tourists from all over the world travel to become familiar with various cultures and arts of the nations of the world, and the creation of a market for the exchange of cultural and artistic goods of different nations will naturally be tempting and appealing. The economic, cultural, artistic, tourist, and recreational attractions of a multi-functional complex in a green and fun environment, along with a set for meeting the daily needs of tourists and citizens, will ensure the prosperity and efficiency of the above-mentioned project. The culture and art of nations is like an ornate and colorful carpet, which owes its beauty to the diversity of tribes, languages, traditions, as well as the diversity of the cultures of nations.

Générateur d'innovation

25-03-2019

By leveraging co-creation, the Innovations Generator has stimulated new strengths to develop innovative touristic project ideas (SDGG 9), initiated new partnerships (SDG 17) and offered spaces for creation. The initiators of these projects were advised and supported, and the promising projects received financial support to allow the development of the initial idea. The projects had to respect at best the three dimensions of sustainability: the economy, the ecology and the society. The Innovations Generator has generated a lot of interest: 49 project ideas were submitted to the competition. This project was supported by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO.

Hospitality For All

25-03-2019

A guide book for Tourism For All, Definitions, how to implement, good examples, disability etiquette, smart solutions

Renewable jet fuel from organic waste

25-03-2019

Our project will develop a process to produce sustainable biojet fuel (SBJF) from organic waste. The use of biojet fuel can reduce CO2 emissions in the aviation sector and will lead to sustainable travel. Our process will be able to convert any type of organic waste, including food or agricultural waste, to a ‘drop-in’ biofuel which can be mixed with traditional aviation fuel. The phase one of the project will be carried out at the University of Amsterdam. We are looking for funding or investment to scale up to pilot scale. We have been granted by Booking.com so we can start the R&D and then will look to scale this further. We are looking to partner with organisation that wish to turn their waste into fuel using circular economy principles. We are Amsterdam based but will look to scale to other locations also.

Responsible, ecological and personal-growth travel that supports the SDGs

25-03-2019

This book is about travel – not tourism per se, but travel – responsible, ecological and personal-growth travel; the kind of travel that benefits both the visitor and the visited while helping to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Leading travel expert Adam Rogers draws upon 40 years of experience exploring more than 130 countries in every region on Earth (22 years working with the United Nations Development Programme) to share the smartest and most conscious ways to travel in this tip-filled guide. Whether a budget traveler or Fortune 500 jetsetter, whether you are 18 or 80 years old and travel with a backpack, a duffel bag or a suitcase, this book has the inside scoop on how to navigate the often-perplexing world of travel, with detailed advice on: Airlines Ground transportation Culture shock Learning languages Ecotourism Pilgrimages Travel photography Hotels and alternative lodging Staying connected Passports, visas and red tape Avoiding trouble Staying healthy Finding work And much, much more Full of recommendations, real-life anecdotes, and answers to the most common questions about travel, this book is a must-read for anyone traveling anywhere.

Adventure and Heritage Walk in abandoned meter gauge railway track of Halflong, Assam

25-03-2019

Meter gauge railway track that was built by the British way back in the last decade of the 19th century through the most difficult Barail mountains in Assam’s Dima Hasao district, and was always referred to as an engineering marvel, has become history. The zig-zag metre-gauge track whose tunnels and bridges were a major attraction. This was one of the most adventurous, scenic , most beautiful and the most riskiest Meter Gauge Railway track of the Indian Railways. This is the only Heritage Trail of North East India. It could be the prime attraction of Assam Tourism in near future. Hope Indian Railway and both State & Central Government will take necessary action in this regard.

Colombia + Competitiva

25-03-2019

Improving tourism in post conflict areas of Colombia “Colombia mas Competitiva” (C+C) is a program of Swisscontact, a swiss development foundation, that is financed by the state secretariat of economic affairs (SECO) of Switzerland. Among others the program has so far two tourism projects to improve and enhance tourism in two post conflict areas (Casanare and Putumayo). The larger aim is to improve the competitiveness of the country, diversify its economy and to create a favorable environment for business activities in the related field. Among the interventions carried out are: creating OGDs, providing expert knowledge and facilitating the design of touristic products. In general, the pilot projects are directed to act as role models for other destinations as a way out of poverty and to create stable change in former highly complicated areas. Of course, in line with the latest consensus about sustainability in all three dimensions and the SDGs. Several of the SDGs are tackled by the projects such as °1 “No poverty”, °5 “Gender equality”, °8 “decent work & economic growth” and °10 “reduced inequalities”. This by the principal focus of the projects, which is to create jobs and increase economic income with a strong emphasis in gender, social and minority inclusion, that address the mentioned goals. Also, it targets the goals °6 “clean water & sanitation” as well as °9 “industry, innovation & infrastructure” by enabling businesses to apply for local sustainability norms and relevant capacitation related to the mentioned. So far, the two projects are on track with several targets and indicators already achieved. Still there are some key steps to take and it is too early, given to the timeline of the projects (2017-2019), to draft a closing conclusion. Nevertheless, there are already negotiations going on for two more projects, which will start in early 2019.

Agro Tavush Tourism Organization

25-03-2019

We are newly opened tourism organization.We want to enlarge Agro tourism in our small but extraordinary region.We think it’s a wonderful way to reveal our region,which is famous for its rich nature,agriculture,churches and so on and so forth.We want to have tourists all over the world in order them to reveal the extraordinary features of our region.You can go for hiking and stay all day long in high mountains.You can taste Armenian lavash,you can see the process of making lavash,and other delicious things which can fill your day with joy.We are waiting for you.

VIA SUSTENTÁVEL

25-03-2019

Via Sustentável is a sustainable tourism news portal. Created to be 100% digital, it is part of Editora Via Group, which publishes Brasilturis, the first tourism market news newspaper, ViaG, a pioneer magazine in LGBT tourism, and Best Travel, the first magazine focused on tourism for the third Age.Conceived by the journalist Velma Gregório, specialist in Communication, by the Cásper Líbero Faculty and University of Florida, and in sustainability, Fundação Getúlio Vargas. She has collaborated with Editora Via since the launch of ViaG magazine and, since 2018, Communications Director of the group.Editora Via is a society of entrepreneurs Ana Carolina Melo, Publisher, and Amanda Leonel, CEO.Our purpose is to "raise awareness about sustainable tourism while showing the travel experience."We have the challenge of engaging the market and travelers in preserving the environment, in social development and in strengthening the local economy through the reporting of travel experiences. The idea is to awaken the desire to know destinations, products and initiatives and show what each of them does for sustainability.That is, offering information on tourism and going beyond, showing the backstage how everything works and supporting more conscious choices.By 2015, global leaders agreed to have the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to guide our development by 2030. Tourism is committed to doing its part in this journey and this is expressed as a goal in two of the 17 goals:ODS 8 - Entrepreneurship and Economic GrowthTarget 8.9: By 2030, design and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products;ODS 12 - Responsible Consumption and ProductionTarget 12b - Develop and implement tools to monitor the impacts of sustainable development on sustainable tourism, which generates jobs, promotes local culture and products;

Applied sustainability in Swiss tourist destinations

25-03-2019

Sustainable development is particularly challenging for tourist destinations, with their various service providers, organisations, associations and offices. The aim of the project “Applied sustainability for Swiss tourist destinations” is to write a new handbook for destination management organisations (DMOs) with practical tools, indicators and recommendations for action for developing tourism successfully in the long term (an adaptation of the German standard reference work “Developing criteria for the sustainable structuring of tourism destinations in Germany”). Based on this handbook, a practice-orientated training course on sustainability in tourist destinations will be developed. The project investigates whether a ranking or award provides incentives and attracts media attention for sustainable tourist destinations. It also examines how a “Sustainability in tourism” centre of excellence could create the necessary interface between the various stakeholders and simplify the development of the destinations. Project manager: Tourismus Engadin Scuol Samnaun Val Müstair AG (TESSVM)

cause we care – voluntary climate protection in Alpine and outdoor tourism

25-03-2019

myclimate “cause we care” is a customer- and company-based sustainability initiative for Alpine and outdoor tourism. The programme gives tourism service providers and guests a tool so that they can do something on a voluntary basis to combat climate change, which is becoming ever more noticeable. A “cause we care” company offers its guests the opportunity to purchase a climate-neutral service, while promising to double their contribution and implement sustainability measures locally. The guest thus enables global and local climate protection and service providers receive additional funds for sustainability measures. In this way, the issue can be addressed step by step in their own companies and their efforts can be actively enhanced through the networking of all participants. The exchange of innovations, the reach of communications, including cross-marketing, and the involvement of customers, as well as the associated awareness raised among guests, also create a basis for a movement. myclimate “cause we care” is open to all institutions in the tourism service chain. Project manager: myclimate Foundation

Creating a “slow destination” – an innovative and promising project for tourism in the Morges region

25-03-2019

If you choose “slow tourism”, you are choosing an antidote to everyday stress. Authentic experiences are more important than discovering as much as possible as quickly as possible. “Slow travellers” take it easy, seek contact with local people and value environmentally friendly behaviour. They appreciate good food and regional products, enjoy tasting local wines and are interested in the cultural heritage of the region. They are committed to gentle mobility and prefer travelling by train, bike, horse or on foot. The innovative aspect of this project is the establishment and development of a broad range of services covering five different “slow” areas. Certain areas have existed for a long time, such as “slow food” or “slow city”. The new and unique element is the intention to position and market these five areas as a global offering, involving local stakeholders. “Slow travel”, “slow sleep” and “slow wine” are being added to the two areas already mentioned. Project manager: Association de la région Cossonay-Aubonne-Morges (ARCAM)

Green Marathon Zurich

25-03-2019

The city of Zurich is being given a new highlight. For the first time in Switzerland, a permanently signposted route the symbolic length of a marathon (42 km) leading through urban green spaces is being created. The “discovery route” runs exclusively along the Zurich network of hiking trails, meaning that relaxation, variety and breathtaking panoramic views of the city of Zurich are guaranteed. This new tourist attraction is aimed at business and leisure guests who love nature and running and are looking to discover the city. The public and reliably signposted running, hiking or sightseeing route is available throughout the year. The Green Marathon Zurich is fully accessible on foot. Visitors to the city of Zurich can access the route from anywhere using public transport and can thus discover sections of the route around Zurich in stages. Project manager: Green Marathon Association

I AM PRO SNOW – the campaign to enjoy winter sports sustainably in Switzerland

25-03-2019

The “I AM PRO SNOW” project helps Swiss winter sports resorts and companies to reduce their carbon footprint and make their commitment to sustainable and climate-friendly tourism visible. All participants undertake to switch to 100% renewable energy by 2030 at the latest. They also put together an individual action plan to motivate employees and visitors to adopt climate-friendly behaviour. I AM PRO SNOW is a project with an international impact. Project manager: myblueplanet association

Innovation generator in the UN Year of Sustainable Tourism 2017 – unconventional tourism ideas with the aid of co-creation

25-03-2019

In 2017, the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the innovation generator is offering expert and financial support to proactive people from all regions and cities in Switzerland who would like to implement sustainable tourism projects in the Swiss Alpine region and the Jura. If required, the innovation generator brings project initiators together with the right stakeholders and partners and establishes a creative environment. Projects that can be implemented are developed in three stages. In the first phase, project ideas are accepted and assessed by an expert judging panel. In the second phase, the ideas are developed in more detail and their feasibility is evaluated. The most promising projects are helped towards implementation with an initial contribution. Finally, the project methodology is reviewed. The potential need for a long-term innovation laboratory to connect innovative stakeholders with one another, help to develop sustainable projects and transform new ideas into added value is being considered. With the aid of co-creation, the innovation generator forms unusual partnerships and provides new areas for development. Funded projects must address all three dimensions of sustainability being targeted as effectively as possible: the economy, the environment and society. Project manager: International Commission for the Protection of the Alps CIPRA Switzerland

Making information on accessibility in the Swiss hotel industry visible and marketable

25-03-2019

People with disabilities or age-related restrictions need accessible entrances, toilets and rooms. From 2018, the Swiss hotel database will contain comprehensive information on hotel accessibility, which tourism platforms can use. The aim is to make searching for accessible hotels easier for accessible tourism guests thanks to reliable information visible on tourism platforms. As part of the cooperation project between tourism and disability organisations, standardised information criteria and pictograms will be coordinated and the necessary data will be recorded uniformly. Finally, they will be made available to tourism platforms via the Swiss hotel database in the form of differentiated information on accessibility in hotels. Project manager: Claire & George Foundation

Tourism close to nature and culture in Swiss parks

25-03-2019

The Swiss parks are doing their bit to achieve the SDGs with innovative and sustainable tourism offers focusing on the following activities: - Developing environmentally friendly tourism offers (SDG 7, 13-15) - Promoting innovations in tourism in the areas of infrastructure, health-focused, social and accessible offers and educational and awareness-raising offers (SDG 3-4, 9-10) - Forming partnerships between tourism stakeholders (organisations, service providers, mobility partners) and parks (SDG 17) - Generating added value for the park regions and creating jobs (SDG 8) Two best-practice projects: Schweizer Pärke für alle (Swiss parks for all) – the parks are striving to achieve an inclusive society. They are improving information on the accessibility of tourism offers so that disabled people can also plan their trips to the parks independently. Park management bodies are raising awareness of accessibility among staff and partners and developing accessible tourism offers to enable everyone to discover nature and culture while enjoying a high-quality experience. Destination Nature – a strong partnership for gentle mobility. All tourism offers in the parks can be reached by public transport but it is not used often enough. In order to boost public transport use, the parks are working with regional railway companies (such as RhB and BLS), PostBus and nature conservation organisations (VCS, BirdLife) to develop and market attractive public transport packages and highlight the benefits of travelling by public transport. Project manager: Swiss Parks Network

Panamá Accesible

25-03-2019

We are a startup that creates and promotes accessible tours in the Panama Republic. We have designed an accessible tour in Panama City, for disabling travelers (wheelchair user, blinds and deaf). In the following weeks, we would like to add some other national destinations as snorkeling in Portobelo and beach activities in San Blas (indigenous community) where some communities had expressed their desire to attract disabled tourists. We have some other communities where we would like to develop an accessible artisan route. Our program also includes on how to set prices, branding and marketing. The program is simple and easy to understand and develop. Hence, we are here to spread the word and maybe find someone who would be interesting to support our Accessible Tourism Consultancy. Hoping you join us in making more people travel into new accessible destinations. With many thanks, Panamá Accesible.

A Journey into Pre-historic Times

20-03-2019

Hi, it's Negin again and in this story I will be introducing the city of Dezful in Khuzestan, Iran and it's surrounding areas. Dezful is known as the World Brick City with bridges, dams, qanats, and buildings going back to the Sassanid eras. A very scenic, hour-long drive from Dezful will take you to Pamenar village, the focal point of interaction and intersection between nomadic and sedentary cultures where a Bakhtiari tribe lives. These inhabitants must be helped to relocate ASAP with the threat of cracked hanging walls that are about to fall down any moment. Inter-institutional cooperation and coordination of public and private sectors and stakeholders is needed to save the villagers' lives whose origin and costumes go back to Parthians. A 40-minute ride from Dezful will take you to the UNESCO World Heritage ancient city of Susa where the presence of Mesopotamian and Iranian civilizations of the pre-historic to historic eras span over 5th century BC - 13th century AD ! Structures of the Elamite, Persian, and Parthian Empires can be seen in the royal city of Susa. An hour ride from Dezful will take you to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System inscribed as a masterpiece of creative genius dating back to Darius the Great in the 5th century BC. The system has diverse uses as urban water supply, mills, irrigation, fish farming, river transport, and defensive system. It testifies as the sustainable development of a human society in harmony with its natural and urban environment. Further involvement of the local community is required for the interpretation of the sites. Finally, a little over an hour ride from Dezful will take to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Tchogha Zanbil, founded in 1250 BC and dedicated to the Elamite divinities. Unfortunately, the increase in air and water pollution caused by sugar cane cultivation calls for sustainable production modes. Also, a change in the course of the nearby river threatens the walls.

EXPERIENCE BREAKFAST IN THE TRAIN IN CAMEROON, 15 HOURS JOURNEY

20-03-2019

uivante : français Did you know that tourism helps promote sustained, shared and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Tourism is one of the driving forces of global economic growth and today accounts for 1 in 11 jobs worldwide. Through access to decent work opportunities in the tourism sector, skills development and career progression are good for society, especially for young people and women. The more you travel and consume products derived from tourism, the more you help to create productive and permanent employment for all, and above all decent work for all. The famous breakfast on the train! So when we took this train we had already planned breaks crusts for the morning Barely embarked, a lady came to offer menus from the restaurant on board. We declined because we did not really want to eat in the middle of the night. By cons in the morning the smell that emanated from the restaurant ... Well we said why not. Result After the little morning wash, we went to 6h30-7h at the restaurant We just ordered: Eggs Garnis (sausage or sardine) + bread + hot drinks. Surprise will have been ours when the lady landed with 3 full trays Garnished omelettes + bread + croissant + cheese + fruit + hot drinks !!!!! Price 2,500 fcfa Taste: DEATH! Quantity: A lot! If we recommend? YES !!!!!!! In short yes you can embark with your meals for the morning, but if you wish not, there is a service on board Understand that if no one has lunch, this lady loses her income because will have unsold. The more you travel, the more you help support a growing economy. PS: The restaurant is also home to travelers on the road who have had no places to eat

WE VISITED GORGES DE KOLA

20-03-2019

I recently visited GORGES DE KOLA with my two friends . It's located in the Norther part of Cameroon , Guider, in a small village called KOLA We paid 500 fcfa per person and 1000 FCFA for non-nationals. We took the car from Garoua to Guider (1h30 drive) Then at the entrance of the village of Kola we went to the gorge where we paid 500 fcfa each A guide and 4 children drove us all along Hold this guide, the one we found is extremely talented in taking pictures! Just show him your phone or camera. He will hold the device all the way. We are in February, early dry season: we were dressed light and no jeans happily! We were able to move better! We were in sandals, we removed them at a time to climb better Do not worry the guide will tell you where to walk and how to walk to not fall. I encourage people to boost the local economy of KOLA by visiting this beautiful site , paying the entrance fees and some souvenirs will increase the economy. In accordance with SDGS 8, the more we visit and consume local products just like souvenirs locally made , the more we act through Sdgs, the more we will help the little village of Kola GORGES DE KOLA deserve to be part of the UNESCO's World Heritage List .

Futurismo BioBío

20-03-2019

Futurismo es un evento de alta convocatoria de tres días dedicado a la industria turística, sus innovadores, desafíos y oportunidades. Cuenta con la participación activa de expertos internacionales, nacionales y locales para fomentar el intercambio de ideas, la asociatividad y la conversación en torno a las próximas grandes tendencias y retos que impulsaran el sector del turismo. Es un encuentro gratuito abierto a toda la comunidad, reúne a emprendedores, empresarios, estudiantes, académicos, conservacionistas, influenciadores, expertos nacionales e internacionales para compartir prácticas y soluciones que ayuden a crear un turismo más sostenible, afrontar los retos actuales y futuros de la industria turística y posicionar destinos turísticos como polos de emprendimiento e innovación. El próximo encuentro se realizará en la región del Biobío; Provincia de Arauco, los días 23, 24 y 25 de abril. Los temas del evento son, > Turismo como motor de desarrollo social > Conservación en el turismo > Rol de la Mujer en el turismo

ROADMAP FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

26-02-2019

This project explores how social entrepreneurs can embrace the development of sustainable tourism with the collaboration of indigenous communities, in areas where the tourism industry directly impacts a local community. The project's case study focuses on the development of sustainable tourism in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico with local Maya indigenous communities to support the design of the proposed solution: a Roadmap for Sustainable Tourism Development with Indigenous Communities—a facilitating roadmap tool to design sustainable tourism projects. The roadmap is designed based on the following principles: a Triple Bottom Line by Design and Culture approach (planet, people, profit, and culture), the Sustainable Development of Tourism Principles by UNWTO (Respect, Conserve, Sustain), and Participatory action research for the engagement and empowerment of indigenous communities throughout the process. This work is a graduation project of the master's degree Design Management of Pratt Institute in New York. The group of Design Managers that researched, designed and created this project are Maria Camila Pava, María Fernanda Álvarez León, Vania Arevalo Garnica, Yu Chiu, and Apinya Rattananubal. Below is the description of the attached material: - Roadmap for Sustainable Tourism Development with Indigenous Communities - The project's Research Paper - The project's Presentation

Sustainable Tourism Leadership Programme

18-02-2019

The Sustainable Tourism Leadership programme is a 14 day ‘travelling’ programme across the South Island of New Zealand. Visiting and actively engaging with a variety of tourism operations and professionals in some of the most iconic locations of New Zealand Tourism. These locations are many and varied and we include visits to famous locations such as the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura. The locations range from the high mountains of the Southern Alps where we visit the alpine parrot species ‘Kea’ to the oceans of the Pacific where we explore the town of Kaikoura and its indigenous tourism industry created around the ‘whales’ that frequent the vibrant marine habitats. Each of these learning areas target specific topics within the tourism industry and will use a combination of lectures, real time case studies/site visits and outdoor activities to reinforce learnings. TOURISM LEADERSHIP EXPLAINED: At the forefront in developing workable and sustainable tourism models and behaviours the importance of quality, informed and entpreneurial leadership is fundamental. One could ask ‘if the industry is not led wisely and honestly, can it utlimately be sustainable?’ This is across the spectrum; economically, socially, culturally and environmentally. During the programme we will explore and analyse a range of core leadership and management models and take participants on a personal journey through a range of key attributes required in developing oneself into an adaptable leader. This includes: Entrepreneurial Leadership Creativity and Innovation Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Communication and Collaboration Flexibility and Adaptability Initiative and Self Direction Social and Cross Cultural Skills Productivity and Accountability

Hotel Sector Survey: Sustainable Indicators

12-02-2019

Hotel Sector Survey: Sustainable Indicators The research was done by the Secretary of Minas Gerais State for Tourism (SETUR MG), in 2015 and aimed to gather information to help the development of public policies to hotel business, especially with regard to the sustainability of establishments. The research was held in three of the main cities of the State, which have received Olympic delegations in preparation for Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The survey used followed models of hotel censuses conducted in Brazil and was also based on the “European Tourism Indicator System for Sustainable Destinations”, created by the European Union. In relation to the establishments, the following topics were analyzed: sustainable management, voluntary certification for the environment, sustainability measures, initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions, selective collection, water recycling and effective actions to support protection, conservation and management of local biodiversity and landscape. A new version of the survey is planned for 2019.

Linking travel marketing to the local economy

12-02-2019

Honduras Turismo y Marketing S.A. (HT&M), is a Honduran based travel marketing company working with local entrepreneurs and organized community groups in designing and marketing multi-day trip itineraries. showcasing the cultural and natural diversity of Honduras. Currently it markets the trips under two brands: Choose Honduras and Visit Honduras Coffee. As part of its marketing strategy, the company attends networking events, industry trade shows and travel shows in North America and Europe. Instead of purchasing the typical giveaways, HT&M purchases locally made products, bought directly from the artisans, to use as promos and giveaway items during events. For bird-watching shows, bird inspired key-chains are purchased from Artesanos y Guias El Pino, a grassroots organization that supports bird conservancy efforts, trains local guides, and provides free art classes to local kids. Located in the community of El Pino, Atlantida, Honduras. For other travel shows a document zippered pouch was designed by a local artist from La Ceiba, Honduras. The pouches are sewn by local seamstresses, and hand-painted with "Honduran travel themes" by local artist Ele from Cre@tive Enterprise. The result is that local artisans benefit from the tourism value chain even at the marketing and promotion stage. For potential travelers the giveaway has more meaning, as it is handmade, and this can create a positive emotional connection with the destination, even before the trip.

Tourism Observatory of Minas Gerais

12-02-2019

The Tourism Observatory of Minas Gerais is a research network composed by 18 entities between public and private institutions (including tourism universities) and coordinated by the Secretary of Minas Gerais State for Tourism. The Observatory aims to monitor, as a network, the touristic activities in the State, encouraging innovation, market intelligence and to promote academic researches. The entity has as fundamental premises the sharing of information and the establishment of partnerships to carry out its activities. The partnerships can help the formulation and application of researches, generation of reports, exchange of information and knowledge, fieldworks, academic work, among others. In the website (https://seturmg.wixsite.com/observatorioturismo), the surveys, data and results produced by the network can be downloaded and viewed in a practical and easy way, assisting in studies, planning actions and decision-making by those involved in the tourism sector. The Observatory is also responsible for the “Tourism Research and Innovation Seminar” (http://tourism4sdgs.org/events/seminario-mineiro-de-pesquisa-e-inovacao-em-turismo/), and also participates in the “ Brazilian Tourism Observatories Network”, which was originated in the first seminar edition. Through Decree No. 47,526/2018, the Observatory was regulated as a research entity, being supported by State Law No. 22,765/2017.

thefairtraveller.org

12-02-2019

At thefairtraveller.org we believe in a world where travelling has a positive impact. Where fair travellers can spread awareness wherever they go, contributing to local communities and protecting the environment, and where businesses taking socially and environmentally friendly actions are rewarded. We aim to promote another type of travel to popular destinations and, at the same time, support other, lesser known, places. We are the first online platform based on user generated content that showcases only businesses/tourism activities where people are taking important environmental or social actions, which are called "fairspots" in our platform. Currently, there are over 1100 fairspots from 59 countries listed on our website and 78 fairpractices (actions taken by the fairspots) documented in the form of short videos or blog posts. We currently rely on 275 users from 27 countries to add new fairspots every month. We are constantly organizing events, called faircrawls, to raise awareness and promote hidden fairspots in Switzerland, but also in the US, Canada, Peru, Mexico and Finland. We were mentioned by the Swiss Radio and Television (RTS) and Elle Magazine in 2018, just to name a few, and we are partners with Agritourism Switzerland, with whom we have been organizing #swissfaircrawls during the European Sustainable Development Week and taking several travellers (using bikes, train and electrical cars) to spend a week in several fairspots, learning and documenting their fairpractices.

La innovación hace la fuerza!

12-02-2019

Hasta hace muy poco veíamos como la transformación digital había llegado a nuestra mente para fortalecer la manera como los destinos turísticos a través de campañas online, videojuegos e incluso como los viajes a través del móvil estaban cambiando nuestra manera de viajar. Sin embargo, la transformación digital ha evolucionado. Nos ha ayudado a ver que solo a través de la unión y el trabajo en equipo se hace la fuerza y que sin la creación de un verdadero ecosistema de innovación turística, no habrá crecimiento económico sostenible y a través de la innovación abierta vía startups podrán fortalecerse las nueva tecnologías y crear oportunidades de trabajo de valor agregado para todos. Pero, porque una agencia especializada de Naciones Unidas como la Organización Mundial del Turismo decide priorizar la innovación? Recuerdo hace apenas 7 meses cuando ingresé a la Organización Mundial del Turismo cuando conversábamos con nuestro Secretario General, Zurab Pololikashvili acerca del nuevo reto para el mundo: empezar a crear un ecosistema global de innovación especializado en turismo y posicionar al sector dentro de la agenda mundial de innovación. Saben porqué ? No solo porque es la manera de dar valor agregado a todos los países sin importar si son potencia turística o no, sino porque ningún organismo a nivel global estaba liderando la innovación turística para fortalecer los diferentes países. Gracias a esto, pusimos en marcha un sueño, un gran reto para el sector turístico: liderar una estrategia global de innovación que se adaptara a todos nuestros Estados Miembros. La estrategia de innovación, transformación digital e inversiones de la Organización Mundial del Turismo está enfocada en ayudar a los diferentes Estados Miembros a crear, conectar o escalar los ecosistemas de emprendimiento.

Positive Impact Travel

08-02-2019

Better Places Travel is a social enterprise that organizes trips with a positive impact. We believe travel can make the world a better place when it’s done in a sustainable and responsible way. This means that we are committed to making a social impact above making a profit. Our aim is to maximize the positive impact of our trips, for example, through creating work opportunities and stimulating cultural interaction, while limiting the negative impact as much as possible by, for example, minimizing waste, CO2 emissions and overtourism. Sustainability is also a major factor when choosing our partners. Our travel experts are enthusiastic, local professionals from the destination themselves or who have lived there for years. They work in small-scale local travel operators and help you design your ideal travel experience while trying to involve the local population as much as possible. This way we make sure you have an authentic travel experience, and the local people have a fair and direct source of income. Better Places Travel is introducing positive impact trips in order to create travel itineraries that contribute positively to local communities and the natural environment, and at the same time offer the best travel experience for the traveller, by working together with local experts and initiatives. These impact trips are all at least three weeks long and provide many opportunities for contact with locals during the trip. Think about using local drivers and guides, choosing special excursions and staying in homestays or small-scale sustainable accommodations. Travellers will not only see the highlights of a country, but also visit the more off-the-beaten-track places. With these trips, Better Places Travel helps contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals by, for example, creating work opportunities and stimulating economic growth.

VISTA Destination Network Open Platform and Ecosystem

08-02-2019

It is rainmaker’s passion to democratize world class technology to enable small, medium independent lodging and tour operator businesses in a destination to become more efficient and compete with global giants. We create competitive advantages and more efficiency for destinations and its hospitality and tourism businesses in Africa, keeping more tourism spend in the destination and thus, add more to the GDP and help against poverty, improve education and drive entrepreneurship in the destination, aligned to the Tourism Sustainability Goals. Our Award Winning 5 Stages of Success holistic methodology, enabled by the VISTA Destination Network Open Platform and ECO-System and powered by the Google Cloud Platform is time tested and proven. In less than two years, we created extraordinary results for more than 200 customers. For this, rainmaker and its team has won the HSMAI Adrian Gold Award for its business impact out of 1100 global applications from all over the world. We have been awarded with the Innovators Award from World Tourism Forum Luzern. The VISTA Destination Network Open Platform and ECO-System for Destinations, its DMO's, Associations and local in-destination businesses creates competitive advantages by connecting all stakeholders seamlessly together in terms of rich content and business transactions. We enable the destination to provide instant gratification to the consumer and change the way destinations control their visibility and distribution, winning back from the global giants. The rainmaker founders combine more than 50 years of experience in the hotel, tourism, sales and marketing fields, 36 years of experience in the IT, software development and systems integration fields, enhanced by more than 16 years of digital marketing expertise.

Black Sea Sustainable Rural Tourism Program

08-02-2019

The Black Sea Sustainable Rural Tourism Program is a community based, regionally integrated, social enterprise venture that will continuously improve livelihoods, promote entrepreneurship, support sustainable economic actions and preserve social, cultural and environmental heritage. The BSST Program is a result of over 4 years of preparation that included situational analyses and partner development in Ukraine, Turkey and, as of the summer of 2018, Georgia. It will expand to include rural communities in Moldova, Bulgaria and Romania. The Program is community membership based. It has adopted Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria as a foundation for working toward UN Sustainable Development Goals. GSTC criteria will be adapted to the local political and legal environment, and requires communities to create a formal organization ideally composed of local businesses, ordinary citizens and local government representatives who can complete a strategic plan for the development of the Program in the community. Community Organizations select and approve businesses and accommodation owners to participate within the Program and work directly with a National Office that reports to a Secretariat. The Program provides an international web platform on which communities describe their history, activities, festivals and events. Approved accommodation owners are able to showcase their facilities and bookings, packages, tours and events are handled on the web platform. Additionally, communities are encouraged take part in experiential exchanges with their partner communities in other countries. Since 2014 four exchanges have taken place between Ukraine, Turkey and Georgia giving participants the opportunity to refine their knowledge and apply sustainable practices to their communities. Training has been provided in gender equality, standards, service delivery and strategic planning. The BSST Program is a social enterprise of Sustainable Rural Development Int'l Ltd.

Guaravito - Sustentabilidad y Conservación

08-02-2019

We are an organization that works for the construction of peace through environmental conservation, decarbonization against climate change and sustainable development focused on ecotourism in Costa Rica. With communities, organizations, institutions and business, we have developed the Action Campaign for the Sustainable Development Goals. Our objective is to make sustainable coffee plantations an alternative ecotourism development promoter, in an inclusive, accessible and diverse way, sustainable with the environment, for the benefit of the communities in the region. Our vision is to develop the region's growth in a sustainable, inclusive, accessible and diverse way, with the joint effort of micro entrepreneurs and communities, coordinated by local and international authorities. Ecotourism and social innovation alternative services -on an inclusive, accessible and diverse rural circuits, contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, as new opportunities are generated, it has a direct impact on the social development of the local communities involved. This project is also based on the World Tourism Organization's Code of Ethics for Tourism, which is a fundamental reference for responsible and sustainable tourism, linked to economic prosperity, job creation and resource growth for environmental protection, this global set of principles were designed to guide tourism development, and is equally aimed to governments, tourism companies, destinations, local communities and responsible tourists for a sustainable tourism industry. As one of the largest socio-economic sectors in Costa Rica, sustainable tourism can stimulate economic growth, create decent work and entrepreneurial opportunities, and help thousands of people out of poverty and improve their livelihoods.

Seminário Mineiro de Pesquisa e Inovação em Turismo

06-02-2019

The “Seminário Mineiro de Pesquisa e Inovação em Turismo (SEMPIT)” aims to provide an environment of knowledge and information exchange between the academic community and tourism professionals. Held every two years and already having two successful editions, SEMPIT has the intention to foment the production of studies and research related with the impact of tourism as a socioeconomic development activity. In addition, it enables the equality of information and methodologies among researchers. Also, it contributes to promote new projects in tourism sector related with public and private sector. The event stimulates publication of scientific papers with the aim to generate projects of greater assertiveness and costs reductions. It also encourages support from government and private sector to increase studies and investments in the field of innovation in tourism, generating products of greater acceptance in the market and increasing tourist satisfaction in Minas Gerais. In addition, the SEMPIT programme includes national and international speakers and presentation of articles where the best are selected to be published in academic journals. The event is organized by the “Observatório do Turismo de Minas Gerais”, which is a research network composed by public and private companies. It aims to promote tourism in Minas Gerais, incentive innovation projects, market intelligence and develop academic research in tourism.

Lufthansa CSR Actions:

25-01-2019

Paperless Maintenance Program: The digital documentation of maintenance processes saves effort and redundant data entry, and avoids switching between different media. Another advantage: In the future, their technicians will have to deal with a significantly smaller volume of documentation relating to their work on aircraft. Their integrated platform Maintenance Log allows them to process all documents required by their customers both ergonomically and digitally. In this way, data transparency is generated in real time, which in the case of Lufthansa allows active control at an entirely new level. The advantage: Customers no longer have to produce and administer paper documents, while Lufthansa can work at an early stage with the data transmitted. In addition, digitalization can help conserve about 7,800 tonnes of paper across the industry per year.

Sustainable Tourism Assessment: Eritrea's Massawa and Dahlak Archipelago

25-01-2019

This assessment evaluates the potential for sustainable tourism development in Eritrea’s coastal Massawa and Dahlak Archipelago as an economic opportunity that can contribute to improved livelihoods, heritage promotion and natural conservation efforts. A total of 472 surveys were administered with local communities from Massawa and Dahlak; more than 200 surveys with local, diaspora and international visitors to these target destinations; and a series of key informant interviews with local and national level tourism stakeholders, to assess the potential for developing both a sustainable and competitive tourism sector. The assessment finds that the overall potential for Eritrea to develop a sustainable tourism industry in Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago is substantial. The findings demonstrate that the destinations are not only endowed with significant natural and cultural heritage sites that are rated as high potential tourism assets, but also communities which have responded with a positive inclination towards tourism led economic growth. Resident and local stakeholders identify an increase in the tourism industry with positive gains in employment generation, development of the service sector, infrastructure and improved social welfare benefits. Visitors rank Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago as high potential destinations that are endowed with attractive natural and cultural assets that are appealing to local and international tourist travel markets. However the research also finds that the development of a sustainable tourism sector in Massawa and the Dahlak Archipelago faces a number of branding, infrastructure and policy oriented challenges. These challenges necessitate a concerted effort from a diverse network of national and international stakeholders to develop an enabling environment that promotes the emergence of a successful and vibrant industry.

Hospitality and Tourism Congress 2019

21-01-2019

Hospitality and Tourism Congress (HTC) designed as a one-day event to build relationships between the Hospitality and Tourism Industry, to take over develop and manage places of touristic interest in the Union Territory of Puducherry and to promote tourism by all the ways and means to adopt such methods and devices necessary to attract tourists in large numbers, and also to call upon the new business of running Hotels, Restaurant and Watersports & Theme parks. It provides an exclusive platform for inspiration, innovation, and debate. It is our ambition to ensure the future success of our industry and a level playing field for hospitality and tourism businesses that operate in the Puducherry. Conference on Hospitality and Tourism aims to bring together leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of Hospitality and Tourism. It also provides a premier interdisciplinary platform for researchers, practitioners and educators to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Hospitality and Tourism. The hospitality and tourism industry is of central importance to the continued success and development of many countries and is a major contributor to economic growth. Designed as a one-day event to build relationships between the concierge community, meeting and event planning industry, and businesses that cater to Pondicherry’s visitors, this show highlights the best of what a business or leisure traveller could experience in Pondicherry and an opportunity to network with principals of businesses that cater to the city’s visitors.

Sustainable jet fuel from organic waste

21-01-2019

Our project will develop a process to produce sustainable biojet fuel (SBJF) from organic waste. The use of biojet fuel can reduce CO2 emissions in the aviation sector and will lead to sustainable travel. Our process will be able to convert any type of organic waste, including food or agricultural waste, to a ‘drop-in’ biofuel which can be mixed with traditional aviation fuel. The phase one of the project will be carried out at the University of Amsterdam. We are looking for funding or investment to scale up to pilot scale. We have been granted by Booking.com so we can start the R&D and then will look to scale this further. We are looking to partner with organisation that wish to turn their waste into fuel using circular economy principles. We are Amsterdam based but will look to scale to other locations also.

Flavours of Málaga: Empowering women through gastronomic heritage tourism in Málaga, Spain

21-01-2019

Málaga is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the Spanish region of Andalusia that provides employment up to 20.5 percent of the labour force in the region, However, women have barely gained from these developments. As in many destinations worldwide, the labour force in Málaga is highly gendered and women are far behind in agency. This situation is particularly visible in the adjoined working-class neighbourhoods of Trinidad and Perchel which suffers by high unemployment rates (in total 62,3% in 2014) with 10% higher unemployment for women. Recently, women from Trinidad and Perchel have established their own association, called ‘La Alacena del Corralón’. As part of their activities, to generate income, they organise gastronomic activities in 19th century residential communities, called 'Corralones', every June and December. In order to further improve the socio-economic position of these women, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, in close collaboration with the Municipality of Málaga, the gastronomic club ‘Kilómetro 0’ and with financial support from TUI Care Foundation, initiated the gastronomic heritage tourism project ‘Flavours of Málaga’. The aim of this initiative is to enable socio-economic empowerment of 50-70 women and their families in Trinidad and Perchel by offering sustainable gastronomic heritage products and activities for the tourism industry. The following four mains aims are derived from and based on this project’s aim in the long run (5-10 years): 1. Increase women’s participation in the workforce and reinforce their socio-economic position. 2. Advance women’s entrepreneurial skills and leadership position through trainings and workshops. 3. Improve the livelihood of the wider local community through sustainable business developments 4. Provide an exemplary connection between women’s empowerment strategies and sustainable tourism development as pillars of urban development in vulnerable areas.

Corporate Social Responsibility

16-01-2019

SUSTAINABILITY ACTIONS SOCIAL MAINTENANCE BANK HOURS Through a local social organization (El Risell), the donation of 2 hours of maintenance work for residents of the neighborhood with few resources is managed. In this way those people generally of old age have access to a person in their house of confidence that can carry out the small repairs that normally would not manage well due to lack of resources or because they are too small for a technician to solve it. :-) SOCIAL IMPACT JAM "IMPERFECT" The hotel will have at the breakfast buffet of jams organized by the organization www.espigoladors.cat Local entity of El Prat (Barrio de Sant Cosme) that through a social entrepreneurship provides employment coverage to people at risk of social exclusion. SOLIDARY "VERMUTS" We organize solidarity vermuts in which the hotel offers space and vermouth with tapas for 100 people. The full collection of the tickets sold goes to the social organization gracia solidaria that brings together 17 solidarity and voluntary organizations that work to get the basic services of education, health and social assistance to those who can not have them. Https://www.facebook.com/graciasolidaria/ MEMBER OF THE SCHOOL ROAD The hotel is on the access road to 2 neighborhood schools. The hotel has been assigned as a member of the school path of these two schools. This means that children at a given time can enter the hotel and request help if necessary. The advantage of a hotel is that we are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. EXCESSING Whenever we have material, leftover foods or cleaning the forgotten clients, we contact local entities such as the Bank of Resources, The Bank of Foods, or the La Nau organization for the donation of these items and they distribute to local social entities or direct users. ENVIRONMENTAL LEED® Certification - Leader in Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Design, Sustainable Buildings Certification System. LEED® is a registered trademark of the U.S.

Alternative Camp

16-01-2019

Initiated by Alternative Life Association in 2002, Alternative Camp has been held in different cities in Turkey for 15 years, and since 2014 it is held in the Çukurbağ Village in Kaş/Antalya. It aims to spread the sense of volunteerism, to break social isolation and discrimination and to create an alternative model of holiday-making for the disabled and individuals with different needs. Alternative Camp organizes sports activities, workshops, cultural events and trips targeting disabled individuals, chronically ill persons, poor young people and volunteers. This project, based on volunteerism at each and every level, acts almost like a school for the disabled and for volunteerism. The project reached 150 institutions, 4,000 disabled people, 700 volunteers, 300 guests and companions so far. Alternative Camp has been awarded the World Young Entrepreneurs Award, the“Golden Love” Award of the Turkish Presidency and the “Special” Award of the Prime Ministry. The program continues to open up new windows in the world of young individuals with or without disability, engaging in projects “for a better world”. For detailed information: www.alternativecamp.org

Políticas publicas y gestión publica

28-12-2018

Aunque no es exclusivo de las instituciones públicas, en ellas es indispensable contar con un modelo de gestión por valores, para dar respuesta a los retos que tenemos a nivel internacional. Las instituciones públicas deben ser modernizadas; para lograrlo, se debe enfrentar algunas deficiencias surgidas en el transcurso del tiempo por diversas razones. Algunas de ellas son las siguientes:  Falta de un diseño de gestión por procesos, lo cual lleva a que muchos trabajadores consideren que cumplir con su función es suficiente, por ser lo que indican los documentos.  Mala distribución de infraestructura, con lo cual es posible encontrar muy buenas oficinas por un lado, mientras que, por otro lado, las personas pueden estar en condiciones totalmente inadecuadas.  Ausencia de criterios homogéneos, adecuados, así como indicadores para medir los resultados obtenidos.  Falta de mecanismos que permitan evitar la duplicidad de funciones, mecanismos para compartir información entre las distintas entidades públicas, así como para coordinar trabajos conjuntos.  Mala asignación presupuestal y su respectiva aplicación según lo planificado y lo requerido en cada situación.  Inadecuada estructura organizacional, en la que los cargos no obedecen a las necesidades reales y a la forma de operar de la institución.  Política y gestión de recursos humanos ineficiente. Estas deficiencias no pueden ser resueltas por personas que cumplen funciones de acuerdo con los programas preestablecidos; se requiere de personas que

Políticas publicas y gestión publica

28-12-2018

Aunque no es exclusivo de las instituciones públicas, en ellas es indispensable contar con un modelo de gestión por valores, para dar respuesta a los retos que tenemos a nivel internacional. Las instituciones públicas deben ser modernizadas; para lograrlo, se debe enfrentar algunas deficiencias surgidas en el transcurso del tiempo por diversas razones. Algunas de ellas son las siguientes:  Falta de un diseño de gestión por procesos, lo cual lleva a que muchos trabajadores consideren que cumplir con su función es suficiente, por ser lo que indican los documentos.  Mala distribución de infraestructura, con lo cual es posible encontrar muy buenas oficinas por un lado, mientras que, por otro lado, las personas pueden estar en condiciones totalmente inadecuadas.  Ausencia de criterios homogéneos, adecuados, así como indicadores para medir los resultados obtenidos.  Falta de mecanismos que permitan evitar la duplicidad de funciones, mecanismos para compartir información entre las distintas entidades públicas, así como para coordinar trabajos conjuntos.  Mala asignación presupuestal y su respectiva aplicación según lo planificado y lo requerido en cada situación.  Inadecuada estructura organizacional, en la que los cargos no obedecen a las necesidades reales y a la forma de operar de la institución.  Política y gestión de recursos humanos ineficiente. Estas deficiencias no pueden ser resueltas por personas que cumplen funciones de acuerdo con los programas preestablecidos; se requiere de personas que

Reviewing Tourism and Technology as Sustainable Rural Development Strategy: A Case of Hunza, Pakistan

15-11-2018

The rationale of this study is to envelop the debate on the role of tourism and technology for a sustainable rural development in the Hunza valley in North Pakistan and. And this study also guides us to build a viable socio-economic policy framework for CPEC and its projects in different regions of Gilgit-Baltistan. Following the qualitative research methods, an explanatory case study design was used. Purposive sampling technique was used to identify and reach respondents from district Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan Pakistan. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, unstructured interviews and participant observation. The findings of this study show that links between tourism, technology and rural development are not much complex to materialize for upgrading the socio-economic life of the local people.

Venezia Autentica

15-11-2018

Venezia Autentica is an impact-driven startup leveraging digital media & tech as well as cultural tourism to increase the retention of tourism revenue in urban destinations while improving visitors' experience. We do so to halt the impoverishment and displacement of the local residents and consequently preserve unique cultures, heritages, and ways of life. We are currently piloting and active in Venice, Italy and planning on expanding to other cities suffering from the problem of overtourism. Our work and expertise have been featured over 60 times in major international publications such as BBC, ABC, National Geographic Traveler, Arte TV, Conde Nast Traveler and more. Concretely, we make it easy and fun for visitors to have an authentic experience of their destination while making a positive impact on the local community, mainly by supporting vetted local businesses and associations. You can read more at https://veneziaautentica.com or e-mail me at valeria@veneziaautentica.com

Inventory analysis and carbon footprint of coastland-hotel services: A Spanish case study

05-11-2018

Tourism is a key industry in the Spanish economy. Spain was in the World top three ranking by international tourist arrivals and by income in 2015. The development of the tourism industry is essential to maintain the established economic system. However, if the environmental requirements were not taken into account, the country would face a negative effect on depletion of local environmental resources from which tourism depends. This case study evaluates, through a life cycle perspective, the average carbon footprint of an overnight stay in a Spanish coastland hotel by analyzing 14 two-to-five-stars hotels. Inventory and impact data are analyzed and presented both for resource use and greenhouse gases emissions, with the intention of helping in the environmental decision-making process. The main identified potential hotspots are electricity and fuels consumption (6 to 30 kWh/overnight stay and 24 to 127 MJ/overnight stay respectively), which are proportional to the number of stars and inoccupancy rate and they produce more than 75% of the impact. It is also revealed that voluntary implementation of environmental monitoring systems (like EMAS regulation) promotes the collection of more detailed and accurate data, which helps in a more efficient use of resources. A literature review on LCA and tourism is also discussed. Spanish hotels inventory data presented here for the first time will be useful for tourism related managers (destination managers, policy makers and hotel managers among others) to calculate sustainability key indicators, which can lead to achieve real sustainable-tourism goals. Further data collection will be needed in future projects to gather representative data from more hotels, other accommodation facilities and also other products/services offered by tourist sector in Spain (like transport of tourists, food and beverage, culture sports & recreation and others).

Value Chain Assessment in Tourism

05-11-2018

Since January 2014 the International Labor Organization (ILO) has implemented the SECO funded project “Supporting Tourism in Myanmar through Business Management training”. Following on from Phase 1, ILO carries out Phase 2 (2017-2021) of the Project on SME development in Myanmar supported by NORAD. In order to identify sensible development activities at local level and resources that could support their implementation, research into the domestic and international tourism value chains in Myanmar is considered vital. Tourism value chain assessments of this kind have been conducted in the two beach resorts Chaung Thar and Ngwe Saung (2014), in Bagan (2015), in Kyaing Tong (2015), in Myeik (2016), Mrauk-U (2017) and most recently a combined assessment of the two tourism destinations Mawlamyine and Hpa-An in January and February 2018. The Myanmar Tourism Master Plan defines cultural and creative tourism as the typical forms of tourism relevant for Hpa-An. So far however, most tour operators have not yet included Hpa-An and other parts of Kayin State in their tours. Kayin State including the region around Hpa-An started enjoying a relative peace and stability recently. In the past, the potential for armed conflict has hampered developing the tourism potential of the State. Many areas in Kayin State are still today restricted for tourists. However, the prospect of a peaceful future will further boost tourism in the city and the State. The tourism VCA has produced a comprehensive picture of challenges and opportunities local tourism SMEs and other tourism actors are facing in Hpa-An and helped identifying a first batch of 13 proposals for action that would address the kind of support tourism entrepreneurs would need to develop. The analysis indicates that Hpa-An has great future tourism potential, if current problems are addressed. Those problems include the availability of tourist information, transportation options to the destination, poor Internet access and quali

Bringing ecotourism and volunteerism together: a Case of the Great Baikal Trail

05-11-2018

Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains 20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve. Known as the 'Galapagos of Russia', its age and isolation have produced one of the world's richest and most unusual freshwater faunas, which is of exceptional value to evolutionary science (UNESCO, 1996). Apart from being a natural wonder of the outstanding universal value, Baikal Lake also attracts thousands of tourists annually. Touristic exploration is present at both sides of the lake, i.e. in Buryatia and Irkutsk Oblast. As the most visited areas around Baikal are at the same time special protected natural areas, development of environmentally friendly infrastructure at National Parks and outside would be a reasonable solution to a mass-tourism-caused challenge. With that in mind Great Baikal Trail – a former interregional NGO and today an Association of Leadership, Ecological Education, and Trailbuilding has been built environmentally sensitive trails around Baikal Lake for the last 15 years. Through its diverse projects in environmental education and volunteerism it also aims to cultivate social responsibility in the modern society. Not only GBT’s projects evolve around environment that is a primary field within the discourse of sustainable tourism development, but they also clearly reflect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities. Thus, the local region is a home to Buryats, the largest ethnic minority in Siberia. Every trailbuilding project involves introduction to this culture, including cuisine and traditions. Hence, such projects raise awareness about the unique local population domestically and internationally.

Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard

25-10-2018

The Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard provides a broader insight into how the sector is contributing to the SDGs by tracking indicators across a range of relevant sustainability dimensions.

Reducing plastic

25-10-2018

Oceans are, with their temperature, their currents and under life sea, the engine of global systems that make the earth habitable for people. Oceans cover three-quarters of the earth’s surface, and our drinking water, the weather, the climate, the coasts, most of our food and even the air we breathe are dependent of the oceans. Worldwide, everyone is aware of the plastic soup floating around in the oceans. Plastic fragments into small particles, which changes all our water into a global microplastic soup. Water animals and plankton eat these plastics, and this is how it enters our food chain. On average, travellers use at least 30 water bottles per person during a two-week trip, especially in warm countries where you have to drink a lot. This causes a huge amount of plastic waste. In many countries waste is not properly processed, and litter is a big problem. In order to reduce the amount of plastic waste, we work together with our local experts to expand the number of water refill stations in cities and hotels. This way our travellers can easily refill their own refillable bottle without having to buy plastic bottles. We are also partner of RefillMyBottle, a community that has mapped all locations where people can refill their bottle for free or minimum fee. In some of the countries where we organise holidays to, it is not possible to drink water straight from the tap. That is why we also started to promote the Lifestraw bottle, the SteriPEN and the Grayl bottle to our clients. This re-usable bottle filters unsafe drinking water into safe drinking water! We have started the plastic-free travel challenge with several bloggers to show our travellers that zero-waste travel is actually possible. Involved: Better Places network, Dopper, Lifestraw, SteriPEN, Grayl, RefillMyBottle, all local experts of the Better Places network.

OffWorld

17-10-2018

OffWorld is a brand new French company advising travellers with a responsible & ethical approach while booking their next trip. As a personal travel coach, OffWorld provides tailor made advice and work with a committed network in order to offer the best solutions for all the travellers. OffWorld works with local partners to participate to the economic development, it also promotes off-road destinations in order to avoid the mass tourism effect while offering responsible accommodation solutions and cultural activities to better understand every people. The goal is to find back the real values of a trip : the discovery, the feelings and above all the respect. Please feel free to contact us at contact@offworld.fr for any request about the company or even a partnership. Together, let's prove to all the travellers that responsible tourism ensure our future.

Kuoni Congress Sustainability

17-10-2018

Kuoni Congress strives to act as a good corporate citizen which takes into full account the current and future economic, social and environmental impacts of its business. Kuoni Congress seeks to manage meetings, events and congress activities in an ecologically and socially sustainable manner.

Wine Tours

17-10-2018

Venivinum’s wine tours give you the opportunity to taste the unique wines of Catalonia. Departing from Barcelona, you will enjoy vineyards, grapes, land, history and landscape, a combination of ancestral agriculture and expertise, in wineries that produce the best natural, biodynamic and organic wines and sparkling wines. From your accommodation in Barcelona -hotel, hostel, apartament, room, cruisers...- or from an agreed meeting point -like cruisers in Tarragona or other place-, we will use the most sustainable means of transport, whether that be train, electric bicycles, electric or hybrid cars or conventional cars for bigger groups (up to 6 people). We will visit wineries, enjoy a meal together and take you back to the meeting point at the end.

Globetrotterseven B2B tour

16-10-2018

The trip will serve as un opportunity for participants to get hands-on experience and exposure to Lesotho's cultural norms, business regulatory framework, political climate and socioeconomic challenges and opportunities. The visit is a mixture of tourism activities and face to face purposefully arranged meetings with local business and governmental offices. Participants will have an opportunity to explore business ventures available in Lesotho in 4 main sectors Agribusiness, tourism and creative arts, textiles and innovation.

National Dance Award with Histor

16-10-2018

The National Dance Award with History, is an initiative imagined by the Society of Historical, Archaeological and Geographical Studies of Chile, in conjunction with the directors of the Oriental Dance Academy Najmah All Sahara. With the main objective of stimulating creation in the field of historical research and geographical - historical analysis of oriental dance and tribal fusion in the continent, the meeting has been designed to educate the audience through dance and its interpretations with historical foundations, promoting good health and well-being through dance, with emphasis on social inclusion and gender equality. The contest, which hopes to bring together important representatives of the country and the American continent, will be held in the beautiful World Heritage City of Valparaíso; promoting tourism and the multicultural relationship. The alliance between the Dance Academy and the History Society, goes to show that both history and dance are made up of multiple aspects, beyond the technique or trajectory of those who represent them, in such a way that we have created a unique space for the multidisciplinary study of dance's history and its artistic interpretation. The event is sponsored by the Historical Bulletin (ISSN 0719-7802), a scientific journal that will publish all the reviews submitted to the contest, and supported by the International Symposium "Meeting of History and Geography" Concón, Chile; event that already has the support of the work of tourism4sdgs.

Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals – Good Practices in the Americas

15-10-2018

This joint publication between UNWTO and the Organization of American States highlights case studies from across the Americas that showcase the contribution of tourism to sustainable development in line with the 17 universal SDGs. It shows how a common multi-stakeholder approach to tourism development can catalyze sustainable growth through our sector. Key recommendations: • Across the Americas and particularly in the Caribbean, tourism is one of the primary sources of employment, foreign direct investment and GDP. • Tourism in the Americas also improves livelihoods, promotes poverty alleviation, enhances the protection of biodiversity and cultural heritage development, and helps to build peace. • It is crucial to precisely define the role tourism should play in the sustainable development agenda of the region up to and beyond 2030. • Critical attention must be paid to the way tourism is managed, with its income generation and employment benefits at risk of being compromised by tourism 'overcrowding' and climate change. • The emergence of a more responsible traveller means that destinations in the region should integrate resource efficiency and multi-stakeholder involvement in adopting policies, actions and initiatives. • Managing tourism development sustainably also requires strengthening partnerships between national and international public and private stakeholders, as well as local communities. • Destinations can fill their data gap in measuring the social, economic and environmental impacts of tourism, and improve effectiveness of policies and programmes related to the SDGs, through a statistical framework such as is being suggested by the launch of the Measuring Sustainable Tourism (MST) project.

Tourism for Development – Volume II: Good Practices

15-10-2018

How can tourism effectively contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? This flagship report addresses the changes needed in policies, business practices and consumer behaviour. Showcased along 23 case studies from around the world, this two-volume report examines the role of tourism in each of the five pillars of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, 2017: 1. Sustainable economic growth; 2. Social inclusiveness, employment and poverty reduction; 3. Resource efficiency, environmental protection and climate change; 4. Cultural values, diversity and heritage; and 5. Mutual understanding, peace and security.

Tourism for Development – Volume I: Key Areas for Action

15-10-2018

How can tourism effectively contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? This flagship report addresses the changes needed in policies, business practices and consumer behaviour. Showcased along 23 case studies from around the world, this two-volume report examines the role of tourism in each of the five pillars of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, 2017: 1. Sustainable economic growth; 2. Social inclusiveness, employment and poverty reduction; 3. Resource efficiency, environmental protection and climate change; 4. Cultural values, diversity and heritage; and 5. Mutual understanding, peace and security.

Tourism and Culture Synergies

15-10-2018

The UNWTO report on Tourism and Culture Synergies highlights the symbiotic relationship between tourism and culture and the interdependency of the two sectors. The report, undertaken through a survey of UNWTO member states and expert opinion, affirms that cultural tourism plays a major role in global tourism today. It also reveals that the sub-sector, in keeping with the changes to tourism as a whole, has been transformed by changing lifestyles, new forms of culture and creativity, and evolution and innovation in technology.

Youth Career Initiative

15-10-2018

The Youth Career Initiative is the hotel industry’s award winning solution to global youth unemployment. It aids the hotel sector to address SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by supporting disadvantaged young people – including survivors of human trafficking – through skills and employability training. Such skills enable them to access employment and education opportunities, thereby boosting local economies. YCI currently works with eleven international hotel groups, including Marriott and the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), to transform the lives of youths in 16 countries and 26 locations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific. YCI centres on a six-month programme offering students hands-on vocation training in 15 hotel departments (80% of the programme). They also gain work and life skills in a classroom-based environment (20% of the programme). YCI’s partnership model is unique, bringing together hotels and local non-profit partners to work collaboratively to deliver the training programme. Hand in hand, they create an engaging curriculum with the support of dedicated mentors. YCI enables hotels and other businesses to recruit from an untapped talent pool, while building a motivated workforce. YCI began in 1995 as the Youth Career Development Programme in Bangkok, spearheaded by the Pan Pacific Hotels Group. Lyndall De Marco, Corporate Director of Education at Pan Pacific, and Dr Kitiya Phornsadja, Child Protection Officer for UNICEF Thailand, created the unique model. They recruited the programme’s first students from social welfare schools in northern Thailand’s rural provinces. In 2004, De Marco joined the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), where she expanded the programme under its current name (YCI) as an initiative of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP).

Enhancing the climate resilience of tourism-reliant communities

15-10-2018

Tourism is the dominant sector of the Samoan economy, contributing more than 20% of its GDP. The principle resource bases of tourism are Samoa’s pristine beaches and its coastal, lagoon and reef areas. Some 70% of Samoa’s population live within the coastal strips, with tourism operations generally within 100 meters of the coastline. As they are adjacent to the coast, many operators and reliant communities are exposed to the impacts of climate change-induced natural hazards and other long-term incremental changes like rising sea-levels. To address these issues, this project (2013-2017) focuses on expanding the resilience of natural and socio-economic systems in tourism-related operations and areas; on enhancing livelihood strategies; and on supporting communities to weather climate change-induced hazards. The initiative supported the formulation of integrated and climate-sensitive Management Plans for five Tourism Development Areas, involving at least 10 villages, 16 community-owned tourism operations, four tourism attractions, and the wider communities in the villages of South-East Upolu, Manono, Eastern Savaii, Northwest Savaii and South East Savaii. The project’s objectives are pursued by strengthening multi-level stakeholder collaboration and public-private partnerships, in order to introduce a set of locally-tailored adaptation measures; strengthen institutional capacities to integrate climate change and disaster risks in tourism-related policy frameworks; and improve local awareness and understanding of the importance and benefits of preparedness in the face of climate change risks.

Sustainable tourism governance in the Bohol Province

15-10-2018

Bohol province, located in the Central Visayas region, is the tenth largest of the Philippines’ 7,641 islands. With a main island surrounded by 72 smaller islands, Bohol is now one of the country’s most prominent tourism destinations. The province is best known for its tourism circuits involving one of the world’s smallest and most endangered primates – the Philippine tarsier – as well as the unique limestone formations of the Chocolate Hills, its white sand beaches and other natural wonders. Bohol is historically and culturally significant, with its Spanish-era heritage churches. Prior to its development as a major tourism destination, the province was characterized by widespread poverty, low incomes and high out-migration rates. Bohol was a member of Club 20 – the 20 poorest provinces of the Philippines – and a hotbed of communist insurgency, hosting the general headquarters of the Communist Party in the Central and Eastern Visayas. To address these issues, the Provincial Government of Bohol decided to pursue ecotourism as a form of regional development for environment-friendly and community-based economic growth. This decision was based on the influence of good governance practice, province-wide stakeholder consultations involving local communities, and the province’s inclusion as one of the key sites in the Philippines’ National Ecotourism Strategy. This led to the establishment of strong partnerships both within and outside the province. As such, provincial tourism stakeholders gained the skills to manage continued and sustainable tourism growth.

Sustainable Destinations Alliance for the Americas

15-10-2018

The SDAA focuses on two of the most tourism dependent regions in the world – the Caribbean and Central America. These regions are also biodiversity hotspots, particularly for marine ecosystems, and are highly susceptible to climate change vulnerability. If inappropriately managed, tourism may aggravate challenges in these areas, such as the misuse or degradation of precious ecosystems, economic leakages, and a loss of cultural traditions in face of rising homogenization. However, tourism can also be a powerful mechanism for addressing such issues by supporting conservation efforts, moves to protect reefs and forests, initiatives to safeguard culture and heritage, and by providing much-needed employment opportunities, foreign exchange earnings and prospects for investment. To harness tourism’s potential in this regard, the SDAA was launched in March 2014 by Sustainable Travel International (STI) and a range of partner organizations, listed below. This innovative public-private partnership is grounded upon a shared commitment to building resilience in local communities, improving the way tourism is managed, and enhancing competitiveness in destinations across the Caribbean and Latin America. Eleven destinations – mainly coastal regions and islands that are highly popular with tourists – are part of the Alliance, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico, and St Kitts and Nevis. The SDAA demonstrates how sustainably managed tourism can be efficiently managed at the regional level to improve lives and protect the environment. The SDAA’s objectives are to: – Maximize tourism’s benefits for local communities and residents; – Protect the region’s natural and cultural assets by conserving its land and marine resources; and – Embed sustainability practices in the day-to-day management and marketing of destinations.

Chumbe Island Coral Park

15-10-2018

Tanzania’s coral reefs are under threat from dynamite fishing and overexploitation, while coastal forests are disappearing in the wake of rising charcoal production and coastal development. Marine Protected Areas play a crucial role in conversing biodiversity and replenishing coral and fish stock. They can also generate income for their own sustainable management through ecotourism. In response to this situation, CHICOP’s overall aim is to create a model of sustainable nature conservation – one in which ecotourism supports park management, research and Environmental Education Programmes for local school children. While the Park’s objectives are non-commercial, its operations follow commercial principles. Since 1991, CHICOP has turned the formerly uninhabited Chumbe Island into a fully-managed, internationally recognised nature reserve that: – Includes a marine park, forest reserve, visitors’ centre and eco lodge; and – Provides sanctuary to critically endangered species, such as Aders’ duikers, coconut crabs and Roseate terns. All this was achieved in partnership with local communities, through: – Village meetings before and during project development; – Employing and training former fishermen as Park Rangers, underscored by a preference for recruiting local people; – Basing all operations on detailed Management Plans spanning 1995-2027; – Creating a Park Advisory Committee with Government, university and village representatives; – Offering marine rescue services to local fishermen/women in distress; and – Developing Environmental Education Programmes for fishermen, school children and all visitors.

Ecotourism in Sundarbans Impact Zone

15-10-2018

The Sundarbans mangrove forest, a natural wonder and one of the largest continuous blocks of mangrove forests in the world, stretches across south-western Bangladesh. Local communities living along the fringes of this UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Ramsar Wetland Sanctuary, in the districts of Sathkhira and Khulna, are highly dependent on forest resources for their lives and livelihoods. Natural phenomena and the overexploitation of natural resources, including by growing human populations with few alternative livelihood opportunities, pose a threat to this delicate mangrove forest ecosystem. Relief International’s (RI) ecotourism project in the Sundarbans Impact Zone aims to lessen local communities’ dependence on forest resources by supporting them to explore ecotourism as an alternative income generating source, and develop their options as eco-entrepreneurs and service providers in the ecotourism value chain. The project’s overall objective is to strengthen local livelihoods and enhance respect for local culture, communities – including minority ethnic groups – and ecology through the development of ecotourism, cultural tourism and entrepreneurship. The initiative also instils a sense of respect and responsibility among tourists, encouraging them to buy local products, ensure that they have the least amount of impact on the surrounding environment, and understand that their contributions assist the conservation of the neighbouring mangrove forest.

Art, Culture and Tourism Centres

15-10-2018

Lanzarote, a leading European destination and the easternmost of Spain’s Canary Islands, receives 3 million tourists each year. Given the island’s unique landscape, local artist and architect César Manrique conceived an ambitious creative project to conserve Lanzarote’s environment and culture while showing its beauty to the world, involving interventions that explore the harmonious relationship between art and nature. Thus, the foundations of the Art, Culture and Tourism Centres (CACTs) were laid in 1966. Manrique began to develop a network of tourist centers for Lanzarote’s Cabildo (island Government), engaging fellow artist Jesús Soto and a range of outstanding craftsmen – gardeners, blacksmiths, stone masons, carpenters and Cabildo workers. Today, the network of Centers encompasses nine tourism attractions integrated with the surrounding natural environment. Combined, they receive 2.9 million visitors annually. The spaces include a cave (Cueva de los Verdes), a volcano (Jameos del Agua), other natural wonders (Jardín de Cactus, Mirador del Río, and Montañas del Fuego/Timanfaya), a castle (Castillo de San José), an underwater museum (Museo Atlántico) and cultural heritage sites (La Casa Amarilla and Monumento al Campesino).

Hostelling International

15-10-2018

HI USA, a national non-profit organization that operates 33 hostels across the United States of America, offers carefully-designed immersive environments that promote interaction and understanding among people of diverse backgrounds. Its targeted experiential learning programmes foster cultural competence and challenge the traditional tourism experience – one characterized by spectatorship and consumption as opposed to engagement and creation. HI USA’s education and engagement programmes are a permanent, recurring core feature of the organizations work. They are offered to guests and community members to strengthen intercultural understanding and global citizenship. Between April 2016 and March 2017, over 122,000 people participated in HI USA’s intercultural experiential learning programmes – 5,100 programmes were offered to travellers and 760 to community members. 56% of all programmes were led by community volunteers. Over the same period, HI USA’s New York Hostel offered 930 experiential learning programmes to travellers and 57 to community members. Led by locals interested in engaging visitors and learning about them, HI NYC’s programmes offer a deeper opportunity to think about travellers’ impact on the lived experience of the places they visit, and reflect on their own culture’s similarities or differences. Community-led discussions, events and service opportunities help visitors develop a more complex perspective of a place, how it shapes the people who live and work there, and the challenges that local communities face. This impacts what tourists think about others, themselves, and the actions they take. The good practice lessons learned from these programmes have direct impacts on intercultural understanding.

Mayakoba Tourism Development

15-10-2018

The Mayakoba Tourism Development initiative is situated in Riviera Maya, within the Solidaridad municipality in the northern reaches of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It encompasses a 249 hectare complex, located on a karstic coast with a humid tropical climate. The local environmental systems – known as Punta Bete and Punta Maroma – form strips parallel to the sea, consisting of beaches, coastal dunes, mangrove forests and ‘medium’ forests. Tourism has a high environmental impact on such dune and mangrove ecosystems, especially mass tourism with a high density of rooms. Recognizing the need for a very different model of tourism development in Mayakoba, the Spanish company Obrascón Huarte Lain (OHL) designed and implemented an innovative, low-density model. Engineers, architects, experts, consultants and scientists from research centres – both local and international – undertook specialized studies and participated in technical planning. Mayakoba’s main location lies behind the mangrove forest and involves minimum use of the rear dune’s watershed. It seeks to have the lowest possible impact on local ecosystems. The complex forms an environmental matrix, marked by the use of existing terrestrial ecosystems and the creation of a 25 hectare aquatic ecosystem of canals, which functions as a natural estuary. Designed through rigorous study based on scientific foundations, the area’s tourism infrastructure consists of four world-class hotels and a PGA Tour-certified professional golf course. Mayakoba’s natural and anthropic elements are integrated within a framework of ‘lasting natural luxury’. Its operation has enabled the maintenance of pre-existing flora and fauna, as well as the creation of aquatic and coastal habitats that did not previously exist. This has sparked an increase in fauna, particularly birds, fish and amphibians, forming an important new wildlife sanctuary.

Climate Change Vulnerability Studies

15-10-2018

Mexico is highly exposed to natural hazards – ranging from droughts to hurricanes. As climate change gains pace, wide-ranging shifts in climate variability are anticipated, including increases in extreme weather events and associated likely impacts on economic activities like tourism. To address these challenges, a series of Climate Change Vulnerability Studies on 20 of Mexico’s priority tourism destinations were conducted between 2012 and 2016. These studies were undertaken by a research centre, the National Academy of Research and Development, at the request of the Ministry of Tourism. They assess vulnerability to climate change in Cancún, Riviera Maya, Acapulco, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, Mazatlán, Boca del Río, Veracruz, Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Huatulco, Campeche, Coatzacoalcos, Costa Esmeralda, Tlacotalpan, Guanajuato, Monterrey, Morelia, Puebla, San Miguel de Allende and Manzanillo. These Climate Change Vulnerability Studies have four main components: - An assessment of the destination’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate variability and climate change, considering various risks; - An Adaptation Programme for each destination, carried out through an on-site workshop with local actors. These evaluate the matrix of specific adaptation actions to be carried out by the tourism sector in each destination, subjected to a hierarchical and cost-benefit approach; - Vulnerability and risk maps for each destination, featuring geographic information on vulnerabilities; and - Analysis of each destination’s Early Warning System, operated by the Directorate General of Civil Protection of Mexico’s Ministry of the Interior.

Olderkesi Community Wildlife Conservation Trust

15-10-2018

The Olderkesi Community Wildlife Conservation Trust (OCWCT) spans 7, 608 acres in the south-eastern reaches of the Maasai Mara region in Kenya, bordering Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Home to the Maasai tribe, the area is known for its abundant wildlife – both flora and fauna – including several endangered species of animals. In 2013, the OCWCT was initiated by the Cottar’s Wildlife Community Trust (CWCT) and landowners in Olderkesi, with the aim of improving the livelihoods of the Maasai community in Olderkesi. All activities undertaken through the OCWCT seek to strengthen livelihoods, preserving Maasai culture and enhance visitor experiences at Cottar’s 1920s Camp and Bush Villa. Community land is leased to OCWCT for wildlife conservation and tourism. In return, the community receives an incentive in the form of a land lease fee. Wildlife and the area’s rich Maasai culture are the main tourism products which have been sustained through the CWCT and OCWCT. The latter’s main stakeholders are Cottar’s 1920s Camp and landowners in the area, who are involved in decision making. The participation of all land owners has been vital, as is the involvement of relevant local authorities to ensure proper documentation and certification.

El Carlos Ecotourism and Archaeological Centre

15-10-2018

The village of El Carlos in northern Colombia, situated in the Necoclí municipality in Antioquia state’s Urabá region, lies next to the border with Panama. Due to its strategic location, the Urabá region has suffered a history of violence. El Carlos itself was affected, obliging communities to develop survival strategies to avoid becoming a target of conflict. In 2005, with the demobilization of paramilitary forces, a process of community reconciliation began. Communities began working together in the spheres of tourism, handicrafts, fisheries and cocoa farms. Thus, the El Carlos Ecotourism and Archaeological Centre was created to strengthen tourism and peace in the area. The community was supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Prosperity Department, which initiated a programme to provide community members with alternatives to illegal economic activities. Support was also forthcoming from the local government for various projects, with funds from a range of ministries and institutions. The community developed ties with tourism stakeholders in the area. In 2015, Colombia’s Vice Ministry of Tourism designated the Urabá region as a pilot in its Tourism Development Plan, within the context of its Tourism, Peace and Coexistence programme.

Nearly Zero Energy Hotels (neZEH)

15-10-2018

Buildings account for 40% of the European Union’s (EU) total energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions. Accommodation is responsible for 21% of the tourism sector’s CO2 emissions. While there is immense potential for savings in this sphere, the hospitality sector’s fragmented nature poses challenges to this objective. As EU directives for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) are rolled out, Europe’s hospitality sector will have to comply with these requirements. The Nearly Zero Energy Hotels (neZEH) Consortium was created to assist hotels to save energy, reduce their carbon footprint and build a more competitive and sustainable hospitality sector. It supports hotels to reach Nearly Zero Energy levels, in response to the EU’s commitments on energy efficiency and climate change (2020 and 2050 targets), specifically its policies of transforming Europe’s building stock into Nearly Zero Energy Buildings. The neZEH initiative provides hotels with tailored technical advice, shares good practices and undertakes capacity building related to energy renovations. The project offers sound, adapted guidance, practical training and useful tools such as the neZEH e-toolkit. This free online tool assists hotels to identify appropriate solutions in the area of energy efficiency. The toolkit and the overall neZEH project build upon the Hotel Energy Solutions (HES) initiative, used by over 1,540 hotels to improve their competitiveness through resource efficiency. To date, renovation projects have been implemented in seven EU member states, with 16 Nearly Zero Energy Hotels supported between 2013 and 2016. Championing an approach can lead to a 70% reduction in energy consumption, these innovators serve as an inspiration towards a more sustainable hospitality sector.

Dubai Sustainable Tourism Initiative

15-10-2018

Tourism is one of the strongest pillars of Dubai's economic growth. With the aim of attracting 20 million visitors by 2020, Dubai has set clear targets for sustainable development. These are in line with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the United Arab Emirates (UAE) into a ‘Green Economy for Sustainable Development’. Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) is a public-private partnership, with the involvement of civil society, that aims to contribute to Dubai’s broader clean energy and sustainable development targets by embedding the principles of sustainability into all aspects of the tourism sector. DST brings together all economic stakeholders involved in tourism and hospitality – from tour operators to hotel developers and operators. Its holistic approach builds on common goal to achieve the long-term objective of a sustainable economy. The initiative’s structured approach to achieving sustainability identifies four clear targets – energy efficiency; environmental protection; awareness and education; and sectoral engagement. These fall within the overall context of environmental protection, social development and economic enablers, which will enable tourism in Dubai contribute to the overall journey of mitigating climate change and promoting sustainability by using four working streams or delivery platforms.

Global Himalayan Expedition

11-10-2018

Ladakh, located in the Indian Himalayas, boasts rich cultural heritage due to its location on the ancient silk route. Tourists from around the world visit the area to meditate, explore its mountain valleys and its traditional heritage. Local communities were largely dependent on kerosene lamps for lighting, which emitted toxic fumes and caused health problems. In 2013, the Global Himalayan Expedition initiative (GHE) was founded by Paras Loomba in Ladakh to expand access to electricity for the area’s remote Himalayan communities by leveraging tourism as a model to provide their villages with electricity. The GHE offers tourists the opportunity to travel to the most remote reaches of the Himalayas, while having a tangible, positive impact on the lives of local communities through expanded access to electricity. It offers a life changing experience for visitors and local indigenous communities through its three-step expedition approach: – A survey of the communities, involving the creation of an itinerary for the expedition which revolves around adventure and social impact; – Reaching out to tourists through social media, inviting them to be part of the impact expedition; and – Taking groups of 15-20 tourists from around the world to improve the lives of marginalized local communities. To date, GHE has conducted 37 expeditions which have provided 53 villages with access to electricity, improving the lives of at least 20,000 people. The initiative has formed partnerships with several global enterprises, which send their employees to serve as part of leadership expeditions and extend electricity to the area’s villages.

Sabyinyo Community Livelihood Association (SACOLA)

11-10-2018

Volcanoes National Park (VNP), a haven for the highest concentration of endangered mountain gorillas in the world, is situated in northern Rwanda, on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The region is characterized by its high population density – of some 700 people per square kilometre – land scarcity and poverty. These factors have prompted some locals to illegally access the Park’s resources to sustain their livelihoods – including water, meat, wood, medicinal herbs and honey. To enhance the Park’s conservation and protect its biodiversity, there was a need to actively involve the neighbouring community in protection efforts. SACOLA was created to contribute to Volcanoes National Park’s sustainable conservation, while improving the socio-economic conditions of the local population. The Association’s tourism project involved the construction and operation of a high-end community lodge – the Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge – marked by community participation and representation. SACOLA’s members include local leaders, key community representatives of the Rwandan Office of Tourism and National Parks (RDB) and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP). Its composition was guided by a desire to ensure the appropriate representation of the local community, and to ensure sustainability by involving RDB and IGCP. Responsibility for environmental conservation and strengthening community livelihoods is shared among all the institutions involved. The initiative is grounded upon Rwanda’s political will to link conservation to the principles of sustainable development.

ILUNION Hotels

11-10-2018

ILUNION Hotels is a chain of accessible hotels offering differently-abled professionals the opportunity to work in the tourism sector. The ILUNION Hotels project covers the entirety of Spain, with physical representation in the provinces of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, Seville, Zaragoza, Malaga, Huelva, Cadiz, Gerona, Menorca, Merida and Badajoz. One of its main objectives is to integrate persons with disabilities in a working environment where such professionals are lacking. Appreciating the great potential of Special Employment Centres (CEE) – where the vast majority of staff members are persons with disabilities – ILUNION decided to carry out a trial in one of its hotels. After a trial lasting several months, which verified the viability of this approach, ILUNION requested the hotel’s official classification as a CEE. Today, all of ILUNION’s hotels offer employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. Those classified as Special Employment Centres, where over 70% of employees have disabilities, are especially significant examples of labour integration. These CEEs offer all key hotel services, from accommodation to event hosting and catering, in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia. The success of this initiative has involved a range of actors alongside ILUNION, including its dedicated staff and management, and several foundations, like FSC-INSERTA, dedicated to working with persons with disabilities.

Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

11-10-2018

The region of Mopti in Mali boasts two prominent tourism destinations – Djenné, a flooding area, and Sangha, a non-flooding area. Women in Mali are highly engaged in the production of handicrafts, hotel services, restaurants, the supply of produce and product processing. In Mopti, many small camps, restaurants and eateries are run by women. Women also dominate several branches of handicrafts – including jewellery making, pottery and the dyeing of traditional fabrics like indigo and bogolan – as well as agricultural and processing activities like vegetable growing and the production of natural jams and fruit juices from local produce, such as tamarind, bissap and baobab. Nonetheless, great swathes of women in Mali are impoverished. In this context, a project by UNWTO’s Sustainable Tourism - Eliminating Poverty Initiative (ST-EP) worked to support women entrepreneurs in the Mopti region, enabling them to become integrated into the tourism value chain and related local supply chains. Targeting community groups and vulnerable women in region’s leading tourism destinations, the project structured, organized and reinforced several women’s associations and cooperatives. Beneficiaries included: – Women artisans in Djenné; – The Sevaré/Mopti Agro-Food Processing Women’s Network; – The Association of Women Produce Suppliers of Sangha; – The Women's Hotel and Restaurant Association of Mopti and Djenné; – Women tour operators, alongside food and beverage operators in the informal sector; – Women’s associations in the Mopti region involved in tourism, agro-food, arts and crafts, and produce; and – Tourism establishments in the Mopti region who support gender equality, especially in terms of job creation.

Las Terrazas Complex

11-10-2018

Cuba’s Las Terrazas Complex spans 5,000 hectares in the eastern reaches of the Sierra del Rosario UNESCO biosphere reserve, in the Candelaria municipality of the province of Artemisa. The area is traversed by several rivers, including the San Juan and Bayate rivers, and boasts natural pools of fresh, crystalline water. Situated in the area are the colonial-style Hotel Moka; the Casa del Lago, located on the shore of Lake San Juan; and the Ecological Research Centre, responsible for overseeing the well-being of forest ecosystems. The local community’s rich cultural life is showcased to visitors through workshops that specialize in painting, serigraphy (screen printing), ceramics, woodwork and plant fibres. The Las Terrazas Complex was created in 1994 as a tourism-based sustainable rural development project, giving continuity to the country’s Integral Development Plan, initiated in 1968. The Complex aims to rehabilitate and preserve the area’s environmental integrity through the reforestation of terraces, while achieving a balance between the local population and the environment. Since the founding of the Las Terrazas community, tourism has been their main source of livelihood through the Las Terrazas Complex. It is considered Cuba’s first eco-museum, serving as a national and international reference point. It strives not only to incorporate tourism as an economic facilitator, but also to ensure social and environmental sustainability through responsible tourism. This prevents negative socio-environmental impacts while creating links between tourism and the community, thus guaranteeing tourism’s compatibility with social development.

Kumarakom Responsible Tourism Initiative

11-10-2018

Kumarakom is situated on the banks of the Vembanad Kayal – the second largest lagoon in India – near the city of Kottayam, in the heart of the Kerala backwaters, a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Tourism is thriving as visitors are drawn to the area’s immense lake and lush green paddy fields, variety of migratory birds, farmers tending tiny plots of land inter locked with small canals, fishermen’s boats plying travellers across canals and lagoons, and rich culinary traditions. Although Kerala was doing well in terms of tourist arrivals, tourism projects were marked by a top-down approach that did not sufficiently take into account the voices of tourism stakeholders, local communities and local self-government. Tourism development often led to conflicts over resource use, employment and benefit sharing with the local community. In 2007, the Department of Tourism of the Government of Kerala established the Kumarakom Responsible Tourism project to foster sustainable tourism development in the state. Kumarakom was selected as a pilot destination for the initiative, as one of Kerala’s most globally renowned destinations. The project envisages that each stakeholder in the destination has a responsibility to make tourism sustainable, prioritizing economic, socio-cultural and environmental sustainability through responsible activities by all stakeholders. An institutional mechanism was created to lead the project. This destination-level Responsible Tourism Committee encompasses representatives from the local self-government (panchayat ), the tourism industry, NGOs and the community.

Club Med and Agrisud Contributing to Local Development

11-10-2018

The local development project spearheaded by Club Med and the NGO Agrisud supports local producers who are in precarious situations and live in the vicinity of Club Med resorts in Senegal, Brazil, Morocco and Indonesia. The initiative’s challenging aim is to organize a lasting match between the local supply of food products and the demands of Club Med resorts – meeting quality, quantity, diversity, regularity and price criteria. Its objective is also to ensure fair remuneration for producers and a strong distribution of added value, giving the poorest groups access to these markets. The project has trained 350 Very Small Enterprise (VSE) vegetable and produce suppliers in agro-ecology, as well as organizing these suppliers into commercial cooperatives. They have since been able to supply 92 tonnes of vegetables to Club Med resorts in these four countries. Overall, the partnership has benefited about 2,400 people – both local producers and their families. The project’s approach is comprehensive – spanning the entire supply chain from the producer to the end customer, in order to match the now-professional supply side with the high expectations of the demand side. Agrisud interacts with farming VSEs near Club Med resorts in order to: – Strengthen producers’ capacities in technical matters (e.g. agro-ecological practices), economic management (e.g. the development and analysis of operating accounts) and organizational issues (e.g. the bulk purchase of seeds, the maintenance of irrigation systems, etc.); and – Establish a sustainable local procurement system through the participatory development of the procurement protocol, as well as by grouping producers into commercial cooperatives.

Green Supply Chains

10-10-2018

As Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana, prepared to assume the title of European Green Capital 2016, a study among local hoteliers and restaurants revealed that two main obstacles prevented them from purchasing locally produced goods – price and complexity. In order to resolve these issues, the Green Supply Chains project was launched in 2015. It aims to increase the percentage of locally produced food and drinks available in hotels and restaurants in and around Ljubljana by offering these stakeholders the possibility of purchasing 100% locally produced foods and drinks via a uniquely managed, centralized and easy-to-use online system. By 2017, the initiative had spread to the entire region of central Slovenia, linking Ljubljana and 25 other municipalities. The project enables tourism sector stakeholders – specifically hotels and restaurants – to easily access local farmers, and vice versa, via a Rural Development Cooperative which acts as a linkage between suppliers and buyers. Farmers, hotels and restaurants who wish to participate in the project sign a formal contract with the Cooperative, obliging them to either deliver or purchase locally produced goods. Seasonal offers are available online (see: http://www.jarina.si/) , at prices negotiated by the Cooperative on behalf of its members. This site enables members to submit their daily/weekly orders. Goods are then delivered to their doorsteps. The Green Supply Chains project was initiated by Ljubljana Tourism, hand in hand with the Institute Factory of Sustainable Tourism, the NGO GoodPlace, the municipal Department of Rural Development and the Jarina Rural Development Cooperative.

Dahshour World Heritage Site for Community Development

10-10-2018

Dahshour is home to two of Egypt’s oldest and best-preserved pyramids. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprising five small villages, is located less than an hour from Cairo. Covering an area of 70 km2 between the river Nile and the desert, Dahshour is home to some 40,000 people. Many local community members maintain old customs, living in a traditional manner. Most of the population’s livelihoods are based on crops and livestock rearing. The region is marked by severe food insecurity, malnutrition, vulnerability and poverty. The Dahshour World Heritage Site for Community Development project (2009-2013) was a joint initiative by the Egyptian Government and five UN agencies – UNWTO, UNDP, ILO, UNESCO and UNIDO. To protect the area of the Dahshour pyramids, its ecosystem and communities, the project supported tourism-based sustainable development, cultural and ecological management, and opportunities for revenue generation. It focused on improving the livelihoods and working conditions of the local population through targeted employment-generation activities, with special focus on women’s and youth employment, as well as the development of locally-driven MSMEs. The development of community-owned and operated MSMEs enabled the community to access microfinance schemes. The project also provided the population with technical training and expertise in small business sector development. The initiative was based on the premise that a well-planned influx of tourists could benefit Dahshour so long as local stakeholders gained the necessary capacities to ensure sustainable community development through tourism-related opportunities. The pioneering initiative marked the first time national and international partners from the tourism, cultural heritage and natural heritage sectors came together to work with the Dahshour community to reduce poverty.

SDGs Study Program and “Youth for SDGs” Scholarship

08-10-2018

Travel around the tip of South America with the Peace Boat and learn about the UN SDGs in an experiential study program “Peace Education and the SDGs in South America,” taking place February 18-28, 2019 during Peace Boat’s 100th Voyage, sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile. Achieving the SDGs requires mobilization of young people through entrepreneurship, volunteering, research, education and other endeavors. Toward this aim, Peace Boat US is providing two full scholarships (program fee and travel expenses) and a limited number of partial scholarships under the “Youth for the SDGs” theme. Please visit http://www.peaceboat-us.org/programs/peace-education-and-the-sdgs-in-south-america-winter-2019/ for more information regarding application details.

SDGs Study Program and “Youth for SDGs” Scholarship

04-10-2018

Travel around the tip of South America with the Peace Boat and learn about the UN SDGs in an experiential study program “Peace Education and the SDGs in South America,” taking place February 18-28, 2019 during Peace Boat’s 100th Voyage, sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile. Achieving the SDGs requires mobilization of young people through entrepreneurship, volunteering, research, education and other endeavors. Toward this aim, Peace Boat US is providing two full scholarships (program fee and travel expenses) and a limited number of partial scholarships under the “Youth for the SDGs” theme. Please visit http://www.peaceboat-us.org/programs/peace-education-and-the-sdgs-in-south-america-winter-2019/ for more information regarding application details.

Jetwing UN SDG Forum

28-09-2018

A high-level forum held under the theme of “People, Planet, Profits — How the UN Sustainable Development Goals can Help Build a Stronger, More Sustainable Tourism Industry in Sri Lanka.” Aims to help senior management across the entire Sri Lankan travel & tourism industry better understand the UN Sustainable Development Goals and brainstorm ways to mainstream them into corporate agendas and business plans. The forum’s co-organized and partnered by one of Asia-Pacific region’s longest serving travel trade journalists, Mr. Imtiaz Muqbil (Bangkok-based Executive Editor of Travel Impact Newswire and The Olive Tree),; who will present a specially-designed simplified summary of the UN SDGs and outline how they are relevant to travel & tourism and, provide a comprehensive perspective of the state of play in the world and Asia as well the key issues, trends and challenges facing travel & tourism. The forum will also feature a panel discussion with the participation of leading industry members sharing best practices and their perspectives on how to mainstream the SDGs in Sri Lankan travel & tourism industry.

CTR Seminar Series 2018 - Tourism and SDGs –

26-09-2018

Tourism can contribute to the achievement of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ― Center for Tourism Research (CTR), Wakayama University under its mission aims to contribute to the development of a sound and sustainable society through the advancement of tourism research. Recognizing the importance of sustainability, the concept and related activities of SDGs are actively promoted through diverse range of research activities including the CTR Seminar Series ‘Tourism and SDGs’, CTR funding scheme and dissemination of UNWTO publications as an affiliate member.

'Overtourism'? – Understanding and Managing Urban Tourism Growth beyond Perceptions Report

19-09-2018

The management of tourism flows in cities to the benefit of visitors and residents alike is a fundamental issue for the tourism sector. It is critical to understand residents’ attitude towards tourism to ensure the development of successful sustainable tourism strategies. This report analyzes the perception of residents towards tourism in eight European cities – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Munich, Salzburg and Tallinn – and proposes 11 strategies and 68 measures to help understand and manage visitor’s growth in urban destinations. The implementation of the policy recommendations proposed in this report can advance inclusive and sustainable urban tourism that can contribute to the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Co2 compensation

18-09-2018

Climate change literally knows no boundaries, it affects every country. Consequences each country increasingly faces are droughts, extreme storms and floods. Travelling by plane creates prosperity and jobs worldwide, but also produces high levels of CO2 emission. In case of long journeys, the flight to the destinations is the largest part of the total CO2 emissions. The CO2 footprint of transport and stay at the destination is limited, especially if travellers make use of small-scale, sustainable accommodations, eat in local restaurants and do not travel too many kilometers. Better Places is initiative taker of a group of 13 Dutch tour operators compensating all the CO2 emissions of their travels. Better Places does not only compensate the on-land package clients have booked, but also the emission that is needed for the clients to reach the destination. In order to map these emissions, we make use of a carbon calculator that calculates the exact CO2 emission per travel item. Better Places makes journeys CO2 neutral by investing in (for example) more efficient cookers in Ghana and solar energy in Thailand. We work together with the Swiss South Pole Group that has selected these projects. Involved: Better Places, Aksja Reizen, Koning Aap, Shoestring, Yourway2go, Footprint Travel, Labrys Reizen, Riksja Travel, Sawadee Reizen, SNP Natuurreizen, SRC Travel, Thika Travel, Travelhome, Carmacal carbon calculator, South Pole Group

Travelife Certification

18-09-2018

Better Places is certified by Travelife since January 2017. Travelife for Tour Operators is a management, training and certification scheme and they aim to support tour operators in implementing sustainability practices in their operations by advising them on the latest trends and developments. The Travelife standard has been acknowledged as the first standard for tour operators by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). The sustainability standards created by Travelife include criteria that relate to internal management, product range, animal welfare, partners and suppliers, and client communication. Requirements include having a publicly available sustainability policy, buying sustainable and local products (FSC paper, green energy and fair-trade coffee), and stimulating partners and suppliers to also work sustainably. The main goal is for tour operators and destinations to sustainably develop themselves. After all, sustainable tourism is nothing more than celebrating holidays and having respect for the environment, people, nature and culture. Better Places has made agreements with the local travel experts in terms of sustainable operations. All our partners have followed the Travelife training and are either already Travelife certified or working on it at the moment. By stimulating this, we are creating a baseline of sustainability practices the whole Better Places network complies with and commits to in order to make the tourism industry more sustainable. Involved: GSTC, Travelife, Better Places, all local experts of Better Places worldwide (35)

Sistema de Indicadores de Turismo Sostenible para los municipios Tolú y Coveñas, departamento de Sucre, Colombia.

17-09-2018

El propósito central es diseñar un sistema de indicadores de turismo sostenible para facilitar y orientar la toma de decisiones por parte de los sectores público y privado en los municipios Tolú y Coveñas en el Golfo de Morrosquillo, departamento de Sucre, mediante el análisis y la adaptación al territorio de modelos exitosos y en funcionamiento, con el fin que se pueda mejorar la información asociada a la toma de decisiones. Se trata de un proyecto de investigación que identifica una batería de indicadores de turismo sostenible para implementar en los municipios objeto del estudio, cuyo desarrollo se presenta a lo largo de cuatro capítulos. El primero contiene el marco teórico y referencial del desarrollo sostenible, el turismo sostenible, los indicadores y sus sistemas. En el segundo capítulo se identifican y analizan varios sistemas o modelos de información turística y de indicadores de turismo sostenible, En el tercer capítulo se precisa la información requerida por los actores de turismo del territorio, priorizando los principales aspectos de su interés para que orienten la selección de variables del sistema de indicadores para que su información sea pertinente. El cuarto y último capítulo incluye la escogencia de indicadores de turismo sostenible, previas consideraciones, relacionadas con el número óptimo de indicadores para un destino, la tipología, los criterios de selección y el modelo de priorización escogido, y finalmente se presenta la batería de indicadores propuesta.

Red Rocks Success Stories

17-09-2018

Red Rocks Rwanda is a social enterprise that was established in 2013 in Nyakinama village, Musanze district. Our main mission is to harness tourism, conservation, intercultural exchange and community development through working together with local communities living around the Volcanoes National Park, which is among the homes to the last surviving mountain gorillas and other precious but endangered animal and plant species. We have a compelling desire to empower socially and economically the people living around the park so that they can see the benefits of conserving the environment and natural resources for the benefit of everyone and posterity. It is with this in mind that we created a physical space where talented artists, craftsmen and women, musicians, entrepreneurs, farmers and those supporting them, like cultural and social institutions, government agencies, corporate organizations, NGOs, private funders, volunteers, educational institutions and researchers among others can have a place they can get deeply involved to build a stronger society through bringing in their own local community development agenda, and to use tourism as a vital tool for community development. We envisage Red Rocks Rwanda to be a place where local talents can be tapped and promoted, and the youth can have enough training to secure their future through using their respective talents. We also envision that tourists, entrepreneurs, financers and corporate organization can come together so that we may ultimately succeed in creating positive impact in our community through supporting various community programs developments we have initiated. Visiting Red Rocks Initiatives is more than adventure. This is an experience and education of Rwanda’s rich cultural heritage, signifying how the local community can develop, and how the people can become even more responsible in protecting our natural environment and heritage.

Hilton Worldwide CSR Actions:

13-09-2018

Hilton Worldwide CSR Actions: Education - Awareness , Funds, in kind donations

13-09-2018

Hilton has a global commitment that aims to impact at least one million young people by 2019 by helping them to reach their full potential. This new initiative will open doors for young people by:

Connecting them to the world of travel by enabling them to experience new cultures, contributing to the improvement of the sustainability of the industry and shaping their future with opportunities in Hilton Worldwide's expansive supply chain.
Preparing them for success in the world of work, travel and beyond by supporting their basic needs and developing their life and professional skills with mentorships, appprenticeships and Hilton Worldwide's innovative career awareness program, Careers@HiltonLive; and
Employing them across all divisions of the business across more than 4,000 owned, managed and franchised hotels worldwide.

Hilton Worldwide issued an industry-wide call to action in collaboration with the International Youth Foundation (IYF) to help prevent a "lost generation" by building awareness and creating opportunities for young people in the hospitality industry. Changing perceptions of career opportunities in the travel and tourism industry is a key priority for Hilton Worldwide and the sector. The commitment builds upon Travel with Purpose^TM, Hilton Worldwide's global corporate responsibility strategy to create shared value for our communities, business and environment in which we operate. It brings together a range of existing programs and company resources around the world that connect, prepare and engage young people including:

Careers@HiltonLive, Youth in Hospitality Month: A month-long awareness campaign where hotels connect with young people via job fairs, career guidance talks, and job shadowing to learn about careers in hospitality. In 2013 hotels across Europe hosted over 320 events reaching more than 20,000 young people.
Bright Blue Futures: The program, led by the company's flagship brand Hilton Hotels & Resorts, encourages Team Members to donate their time and expertise to help young people achieve stability and bring hope to their communities, preparing them for a brighter future. The program launched last year at the World Economic Forum.
Apprenticeship Programs: Widespread skills and training programs at properties across Europe and Asia including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, China and the UK.
School Partnerships: Relationships with more than 50 hospitality schools and universities around the world to prepare the next generation of talent.
Professional Development Programs: Comprehensive hands-on accelerated training programs that help train the next generation of hospitality leaders.
Life and Soft Skills Trainings: Life skills training program leveraging IYF's Passport to Success. To date, the company rolled out the training program in Saudi Arabia and South Africa and plans to launch a version globally in 2014.
Teaching Kids to CARE: For more than a decade, DoubleTree by Hilton Team Members have connected young people to opportunities to learn about sustainability, encouraging them to be engaged global citizens.

More information about Hilton Worldwide's global commitment to open doors for young people is available at hiltonworldwide.com/youth

Tourism and youth development in Tanzania

12-09-2018

Why Can Tourism be an efficient tool to fight poverty and unemployment rate in Tanzania especially among youth?? (1). Tourism is Consumed at the Point of Production. (2). Tourism is a more diverse industry than many others. (3). Tourism is labour intensive, which is particularly important. (4). It creates opportunities for many small and micro entrepreneurs. (5). The infrastructures required by Tourism can also benefit communities and Youth activities. (6). Tanzania has a comparative advantage in tourism. (7). Tourism provides not only material benefits for the country but also cultural pride. (8). Tourism is taking an increasing importance in the economy of Tanzania. I believe that tourism is in a good position to contribute to the poverty alleviation and job opportunities among Tanzanian. On the other hand I think Tourism industry should be promoted by allowing young people to start their own businesses (Social Enterprises), as it happens in South Africa, Kenya and Ghana but regulations must be simple and easy in order not to discourage them. ( e.g Tourism Act 2008, TATO, Brela & TRA) Likewise I urge young people to create the culture of visiting tourist attractions found in Tanzania.

Wyndham Resorts and Hotel CSR Actions: Responsible purchases - diversity and respect policy

11-09-2018

Wyndham Resorts and Hotel have placed measures to improve practices related to diverse and sustainable sourcing. They have worked with suppliers to develop more environmentally friendly, diverse and socially- responsible products. They have reviewed suppliers doing business in high risk countries or offering high risk products or services and conduct due diligence on our existing and prospective suppliers on an ongoing basis to ensure their ethical conduct meeting Wyndham standards. Furthermore, they have continued to execute on targets to increase spend on Responsible and Diverse suppliers. This is exemplified during the fourth Wyndham Hotel Group Global Conference, where they invited more than 150 suppliers to participate and identified vendors with Green and Diversity designations. They have also recognised suppliers through the Vendor and Distributor of the Year as well as awarded ' Diversity and Green Supplier of the Year' award.

#GoGreenWeskus Responsible Tourism Outreach 2018

10-09-2018

Weskus Tourism is passionate about promoting Sustainable Living. Join the 4th Annual #GoGreenWeskus Responsible Tourism Outreach on 30 Oct 2018 at the West Coast Fossil Park. Entry is Free. Please book early to avoid disappointment. The “Responsible Tourism Outreach” has a vision of promoting sustainable living, as well as the Development of a sustainable Destination. We feel that we can learn and be inspired, about the development of Cape Town as a sustainable destination, with Environmental, Economic and Social Development. The Main Focus Areas of the Outreach are: * Promote Social Wellbeing * Stimulating the Economy * Preserving the Environment We invite tourism products and businesses to share their success stories and give encouragement and advice to SMME's on how to Promote Sustainable Living in the Cape West Coast.

Live the History

10-09-2018

My name is Negin Boushehri and last week I had the pleasure of spending two nights at Meymand troglodyte village. I am training to become a tour guide and I was there to explore what the area has to offer for future tours. I stayed at MeymandMoon Ecolodge with friendly and caring people who have themselves escaped urban life to seek refugee in the peaceful nature. What took me to the Cultural Landscape of Meymand was that it was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2015, confirming its outstanding universal value as a cultural and natural property which requires protection for the benefit of all humanity. What stands out for me is that the semi-nomadic villagers live in cave dwellings carved out of soft rock by their ancestors, an unusual form of housing in a dry, desert environment. The above picture is a troglodyte room in MeymandMoon ecolodge where I got to spend the night in an over 2000-year-old, man-made cave and fell sleep on its comfy beds reflecting on all the life that had happened there through out the years! I spent a few days away from city life experiencing three different settlements in the area: the caves in the ecolodge, Sar-e Aghol, and Sae-e Bagh/Abadi, where I joined the locals in washing and shearing the sheep, played fun, traditional games, and made the local "kornou" bread and other food, In Sar-e Bagh I was able to taste some great local wine as I watched the beautiful historical petroglyphs. I also had the opportunity to learn to make "namad", and other types of handicraft which I took with me as a souvenir. Current dwellers are mostly seniors with a decreasing population, which makes authenticity and integrity vulnerable within a generation. Thus, as a guest in MeymandMoon, I was introduced to appropriate sustainable development such as dredging canals and vaccinating livestock, while beautifully taking part in the authentic life to support the traditions and produce that make the village both attractive and sufficiently viable.

Tour ODS. Lomas de Ancón

10-09-2018

TOUR ODS es una innovadora propuesta que busca fomentar la participación ciudadana a través de la práctica de un turismo responsable, aplicando los principios de la Agenda 2030 y los Objetivos de Desarrollo sostenible. De esta forma, el turismo se vuelve un instrumento educativo, sumamente pedagógico, que sensibiliza y transforma la vida de los visitantes y comunidades receptoras. En esta oportunidad, tendremos nuestra primera salida de campo a la Zona Reservada Lomas de Ancón donde realizaremos un taller de sensibilizarnos en ODS, generaremos un impacto positivo en la localidad a través del voluntariado ambiental, y finalmente, practicaremos sandboarding con los participantes.

7 Million Jobs

10-09-2018

Bringing up to 7 million tourism related part time employment opportunities to citizens along the major corridors in Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. We implement the desired goals included in the PDF attached. Also available is online discussion forum at https://asianhighwaynetwork.com/forum for collaboration purposes.

Kondopina Community Based Tourism

07-09-2018

The initiative will consist of Cultural groups Orchid farms Arts and crafts The initiative aims to bring in cash to boost local economy within the community. The entire community will be involved in this project and participate actively in all aspects of the project

Red Rocks supporting conservation and community development

07-09-2018

Red Rocks Rwanda is a social enterprise that was established in 2013 in Nyakinama village, Musanze district. Our main mission is to harness tourism, conservation, intercultural exchange and community development through working together with local communities living around the Volcanoes National Park, which is among the homes to the last surviving mountain gorillas and other precious but endangered animal and plant species. We have a compelling desire to empower socially and economically the people living around the park so that they can see the benefits of conserving the environment and natural resources for the benefit of everyone and posterity. It is with this in mind that we created a physical space where talented artists, craftsmen and women, musicians, entrepreneurs, farmers and those supporting them, like cultural and social institutions, government agencies, corporate organizations, NGOs, private funders, volunteers, educational institutions and researchers among others can have a place they can get deeply involved to build a stronger society through bringing in their own local community development agenda, and to use tourism as a vital tool for community development. We envisage Red Rocks Rwanda to be a place where local talents can be tapped and promoted, and the youth can have enough training to secure their future through using their respective talents. We also envision that tourists, entrepreneurs, financers and corporate organization can come together so that we may ultimately succeed in creating positive impact in our community through supporting various community programs developments we have initiated. Visiting Red Rocks Initiatives is more than adventure. This is an experience and education of Rwanda’s rich cultural heritage, signifying how the local community can develop, and how the people can become even more responsible in protecting our natural environment and heritage.

Wyndham Resorts and Hotel CSR Actions : Water - new equipment and technologies

04-09-2018

Wyndham's water conservation programs strive to use products and implement services that promote cleaner water as well as more conservative and efficient consumption. Wyndham Worldwide locations in all business units globally, including franchise locations, are encouraged to use low flow showerheads, faucet aerators and consider other conservation programs, including low flow toilets, urinals and minimizing water loss due to poor landscaping management practices. They have developed a series of programs and engagement initiatives with their guests, suppliers and franchisees to support water conservation plan. Guest sustainability programs, in particular, are a priority for the Company. The towel and linen re-use program at the hotel, where guests can choose not to have their linens and towels laundered every day- helps reduce water and energy consumption. Furthermore, Wyndham Worldwide have made assessments on water risk from owned, managed and leased properties in their portfolio using the World Resource Institute's Aquaduct tool and the World Wildlife Fund's Water Risk Filter. Based on the location of their property, they consider a series of risks, which include water scarcity-, water stress, food occurrence, pollution and overall water risk, across thousands of properties. The results of the water risk assessment were presented to the Wyndham Green Council with the objective to develop targeted programs to address communities and properties with the greatest exposure to water risk.

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts CSR Actions : Recycling and waste - basic processing

03-09-2018

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts have embarked on a journey to minimize waste to landfill. Their waste reduction goal is to advance best practices and engage associates to reduce, re-use, donate and recycle waste from the resorts' properties and corporate facilities. Their strategy builds on Wyndham Green’s commitment to reduce its environmental impact by implementing innovative sustainable practices through its Wyndham Green program. The program focuses on all of Wyndham's relevant waste streams which include: glass, plastic, aluminium, paper, soap, food, organics, kitchen grease, lamps, batteries, e-waste, mattresses, furniture, linens and carpet In 2016 Wyndham expanded its national program with Waste Management in an effort to build a cohesive waste program and leverage their portfolio to deliver value to the properties while increasing diversion from landfill. This program is just one step in an effort to meet long term waste to landfill minimization, but it is critical to ensure all properties are on one common waste program to streamline reporting initiatives. Through this partnership, the enhanced reporting and transparency will ultimately result in an accurate baseline for which they can measure the diversion progress. The program includes enhanced reporting for organic collection, Landfill Gas to Energy, Waste to Energy, recycling and landfill trash. Currently 20% of the Company’s North America managed hotel locations are enrolled under the new program and as contracts expire new locations are added where applicable. For the properties enrolled in the program in 2016 the average diversion rate was approximately 40% and delivered almost $60,000 in value.

Wynn Resorts CSR Actions: Education - funds/in kind donation

31-08-2018

In 2017, Wynn Macau donated $10million to the University of Macau Development Foundation to support the long-term success of the University of Macau and its Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management. This effort plays a key role in developing local expertise and sharing talent throughout the region. To support the growth of neighboring countries and regions, the initiative will also provide diverse opportunities for local youth, allowing them to contribute to the economic development of the country.

Wynn Resorts CSR Actions: Local Enterprises: Responsible Investment

31-08-2018

Wynn Macau Community Engagement creates opportunities in business and education. Wynn Macau are committed to sourcing products and services locally to support the development of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In partnership with Macau Chamber of Commerce, their procurement team hosts meeting with local businesses to discuss potential partnership opportunities. This process has helped increased procurement from three types of SMEs, as identified by the Macau government: Local small and micro enterprises, 'Made in Macau' enterprises and enterprises by young entrepreneurs. In 2017, the Wynn Local SME Network, an initiative designed to further the development of local SMEs. Their network leverages support from the Macau government, chambers of commerce and community members to advance these enterprises. With this network, Wynn Resorts hopes that it will strengthen existing relationships and help establish long-term partnerships with even more local SMEs.

Wynn Resorts CSR Actions: Education- Awareness campaigns

31-08-2018

Wynn Las Vegas works with Green Our Planet, a nonprofit conservation organization that brings experiential learning through outdoor garden classrooms to student attending local Title I schools, which are defined by having more than 40 percent of students come from low-income families. Wynn Resorts sponsors Green our planet has enabled the organization to build four outdoor garden classrooms that impact more than 4,000 students in the Las Vegas area. Weekly garden workshops immerse students in science, technology, engineering ,art and mathematics (STEAM) education through the real-world application of growing local produce. The outdoor gardens give students and their teachers opportunities outside of traditional classroom garden. Students also learned about nutrition to complement their growing efforts in the gardens. Wynn's involvement beyond monetary investments, with employees also supporting the local missions. Professional Chefs from the resorts have held cooking demonstrations for students using fresh produce from the garden classrooms that emphasize health and wellness through a balanced diet. Wynn employee volunteers have also helped maintain and expand gardens at each of the schools.

Wynn Resorts CSR Actions: Recycling and waste - specific material

31-08-2018

Wynn Resorts have been working with Clean the World - a non profit organization that collects and recycles soap and other hygiene products discarded by the hospitality and similar industries daily and prevents millions of hygine related deaths by donating and distributing these products to people living in poverty. Wynn Resorts in Macau have worked with Clean the World for the past six years, resulting in the recycling of 13 metric tons of soap. More recently Wynn Las Vegas has been working with the non profit, as well. Clean the World has distributed more than 44 million bars of soap to over 127 countries with the help of companies like Wynn Resorts.

Wynn Resorts CSR Actions : Renewable Energies

31-08-2018

Wynn Resorts invests heavily in alternative energy with the aim to reduce environmental impact, ensure a reliable power supply, and reduce peak demand on local power grids. In 2017, the Wynn Solar Facility was completed, a 160- acre solar energy facility located in Fallon, Nevada, hat is dedicated to providing sustainable energy solely to Wynn Las Vegas. Created in partnership with Enel Green Power North America, one of the world's most advanced clean energy companies, the Wynn Solar Facility will begin delivering power in the first half of 2018. Since 2012, Wynn Las Vegas has reduced its energy use by more than 100 million kW through technologies such as LED lighting. Wynn Macau also began installing energy efficient LED lighting starting in 2016, a project that is about 80 percent complete and contributed to a nearly 10 percent reduction in GHG emissions at the resort from 2016 to 2017. Encore Boston Harbor is incorporating highly efficient lighting as well. At their Encore Boston Harbor resort, they are installing a rooftop solar array capable of producing 1.5 megawatts of power, which will be integrated into the property's conventional supply. Wynn resort, together with Tesla were awarded $1.1 million by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for the installation of utility scale battery storage. Encore Boston Harbor will be able to reduce its demand on the electrical grid and provide critical reliability during outages on the local power grid.

Wynn Resorts CSR Actions - Personal development - training

30-08-2018

Wynn Resorts provides employees with professional development and training opportunities to elevate their job, people and leadership skills. They also provide career development, personal performance, and leadership courses throughout the year at no cost to their employees. They require employees to participate in a responsible gaming course, which is offered biannually. These classes address how to identify problem gaming and prevent underage gaming and drinking. In addition, all employees who serve alcohol are required to participate in an online course to receive their Alcohol Awareness card. Among the professional training to improve job and leadership skills conducted by Wynn Las Vegas and Wynn Macau are the following:

Wynn Welcome - new employee orientation Leader Orientation - for new managers or newly promoted managers
ID Training - for all employees who are normally required to check guest identification
Leadership Acceleration Program - elevates employees to the next level of leadership
Alcohol Awareness - for all employees who serve or sell alcohol
Performance Management - mandatory for new and newly promoted supervisors
Anti-Phishing and Email Data Security - for all employees with Wynn email addresses and computer access
Communication and Smart Goals - focuses on setting realistic goals for teams
Responsible Gaming - focuses on problem gaming, policies on minors in the casino, prevention of underage gaming and drinking alcohol, and more True Colors Workshop - delves into different personalities and points of view
Service Standards - all employees undergo training on great guest service Team Building - focuses on understanding team members
Facilities Trainee Program - trainees build technical and engineering skills Situational Leadership - addresses leadership adaptability
Public Speaking - two levels focus on hands-on experience
Emotional Intelligence - helps leaders harness emotional intelligence
Career Advancement Program - management training

TUI CSR Actions - Ecosystem - waste treatment

30-08-2018

TUI Cruises is committed to supporting its implementation through targeted measures. Examples of these are comprehensive wastewater treatment systems for the entire fleet, the self-imposed obligation to not discharge any untreated wastewater into the sea and the zero-discharge target for pupled food waste. In order to increase the previous extend to 100%. TUI Cruises will further raise the efficiency of its drying systems for food waste, thus enabling the incineration process to be optimized. The section on Emissions contains a detailed description of the closed-loop operating mode that TUI Cruises uses voluntarily in the whole of the Baltic Sea on its newbuilds equipped with a scrubber. This is also a measure to protect the oceans and seas, as disposal of the scrubber water produced during the exhaust gas treatment takes place on shore. Like all newbuilds Mein Schiff 5, which entered service during the reporting year, is also equipped with a Wastewater Purification System (AWP) for treating all the effluent generated on board. measure to protect the oceans and seas, as disposal of the scrubber water produced during the exhaust gas treatment takes place on shore. Like all newbuilds Mein Schiff 5, which entered service during the reporting year, is also equipped with a Wastewater Purification System (AWP) for treating all the effluent generated on board (see diagram on p. 29). In this system, the wastewater from the various collection and generation points on board is fed into a mixing tank. After the mixing process, larger solids and impurities, such as plastic or paper, are removed from the effl uent in a coarse prefi ltration step. The next treatment stage takes place in a bioreactor with the aid of bacteria, which settle on a membrane and break down the organic constituents of the wastewater. Afterwards, the AWP pumps the effl uent into a fl otation tank. There, the addition of oxygen and polymeric compounds causes the remaining solids to rise to the surface, where they can be skimmed off for subsequent incineration or disposal. The wastewater then passes through a so-called polishing fi lter, which removes even the ultrafi ne solid residues. The fi nal purifi cation stage is the UV disinfection to kill all germs and bacteria. At the end of the process, the purifi ed effl uent meets very high standards and is either discharged overboard on the high seas, outside the three-nautical-mile zone or disposed of on shore. … Control is better TUI Cruises adopts a similarly careful approach to disposing of water from the engine room contaminated with oil. The company discharges this so-called bilge water into the sea exclusively outside of the twelve-mile zone. Prior to this, de-oiling equipment is used to separate the oil and treat the bilge water. Using a multistage monitoring process, TUI Cruises ensures compliance with its self-imposed limit of 5 parts per million (ppm) for water discharged into the sea.

Wynn Resports CSR Actions - Diversity Management

30-08-2018

In early 2018, Wynn Resorts established an expanded Culture and Community Department. The department supports diversity and inclusion, gender equality, fair treatment in the workplace, and employee charitable efforts in the communities Wynn Resorts serves. One of the department's first major initiative is the Women's Leadership Forum. The forum is designed to close the gender gap in management, provide career growth opportunities for female employees at all levels, create pay and title equity, and ensure a safe workplace. To better understand to accomplish these goals, focus groups, studies and surveys have been commisioned to identify inequities and pinpoint areas where female employees could be advancing faster. The 2018 Initiative of the Women's Leadership Forum includes the following:

Pay Equity Study
Women’s Leadership Evaluation Opportunities
Sexual Harassment and Safe Place to Work Survey
Focus Groups
Women’s Leadership Forum Town Halls
Women’s Leadership Panel Discussions
Mentorships for Women
Diversity and Inclusion Training

Empowering Women in Myanmar’s Hospitality Sector

29-08-2018

Swisscontact, financed by SDC and in partnership with hotels in four of Myanmar’s tourism hotspots, started the Hotel Training Initiative in September 2014. Part of the Vocational Skills Development Programme, the courses offer disadvantaged women and men a chance to learn needed job skills, while supplying much-needed skilled workers to the areas’ hospitality industry. This story is about three women who are full of perspectives for their lives thanks to the training.

Tourism Impacts in Labuan Bajo, Flores, Indonesia

28-08-2018

Like so many other places before it, Labuan Bajo on the Indonesian island of Flores is undergoing the metamorphosis from a quite harbour and fishing town to a busting tourism destination. Vastly growing numbers of tourists travel to Labuan Bajo in order to hop on a boat and take a trip to Komodo National Park. Indonesia’s central government has recognised the potential of the destination and is determined to boost its development. It wants “10 new Balis” to rise until 2020 and Labuan Bajo is supposed to be one of them. To reach this goal visitor numbers are targeted to grow to 500,000, which is a fivefold increase within four years. The intense plan of the central government is based on a common conception of tourism as a driver for development and poverty reduction. However, experience over decades of tourism growth all over the world has proven that the expected ‘trickle-down-effect’ does not actualise. Undeniably tourism development is a double-edged sword. This impact assessment aims to put the governmental development plans for Labuan Bajo in perspective by describing the current state of development and emerging trends as well as existing benefits and pitfalls along the triple bottom line of sustainability.

Comunity-based Tourism in Flores Impacts and Carrying Capacity

28-08-2018

The research of this report describes the perception of the tourism development in three communities in different locations across the island of Flores in Indonesia. Two of the communities are traditional villages. The third is a typical Flores farming community. The research answers the following questions: Which impacts are important to the communities and how is the current situation with regard to each of these impacts? How sustainable is the tourism development and did the communities become depend on the new benefits? What can the people not tolerate to happen in their communities? Has the carrying capacity in terms of visitor numbers, acceptance of changes and livelihood transition been overstepped? The study considered 44 different factors in order to evaluate the impact of tourism development on the communities.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN TOURISM

28-08-2018

The training based on Digital Transformation in Tourism. People involved are the Youth of United Nation Association and United Nations Chapters Tanzania from 24th September to 28th September. As we celebrate the World Tourism Day 2018 by Visiting Historical sites in one region known as Tanga.

African Responsible Tourism Awards

28-08-2018

The African Responsible Tourism Awards were established in 2014 to celebrate and inspire change in the African tourism industry. The awards rest on a simple principle – that all types of tourism, from niche to mainstream, can and should be organised in a way that preserves, respects and benefits destinations and local people. Our ambition is to showcase great examples of responsible tourism in practice and to use them to educate others about what can be achieved and to challenge others to do as well or better. We are also keen to see businesses which can report their initiatives and document their impact, both increasing positive economic, social and environmental impacts and by reducing negatives ones. So the awards also includes a category for Best for Global Goals Reporting. This category is awarded to a tourism organisation that leverages tourism to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and then transparently reports on the impacts.

RED ROCKS TREE PLANTING PROJECT

28-08-2018

Rwanda forests and woodlands can be classified into four categories, including the natural forests of the Congo Nile Ridge comprised with Nyungwe National Park Gishwati, and Mukura ; the natural forests of the Volcano National Park , the natural forests in savannah and gallery‐forest of the Akagera National Park. Most of the plant species found in these forests are used in traditional medicine and some plants reveal important biochemical extracts. With more than 104 flower species, wetlands and aquatic ecosystems are also rich in biodiversity. Red Rocks Initiatives supports a local Women Association called IGIHOHO PROJECT Cooperative which promotes sustainable forest management, balancing social, environmental and economic concerns to meet today’s requirements. We launched the project to support the conservation of endangered tree species around the volcanoes national park. The project will contribute towards the aims of the United Nations sustainable development goal number thirteen – to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.

Green Key National Operator Meeting

28-08-2018

Every one to two years, the Green Key National Operators from all around the world gather to exchange best practices, discuss latest trends in tourism ecolabels and build a strategy to involve more tourism establishments in sustainability. Green Key is a voluntary ecolabel for hotels, hostels, campsites, holiday parks, small accommodations as well as conference centres, attractions and restaurants. The Green Key award is based on compliance with strict criteria in the areas of environmental management (water, energy, waste, cleaning, etc.) and sustainability education (staff, guests, suppliers, etc.). Compliance with the criteria is confirmed through a rigorous application process and verified at on-site audits. The award is valid for one year at a time. Currently, more than 2,900 establishments in 57 countries are Green Key awarded. The programme is managed by the international charity, the Foundation for Environmental Education. Green Key is endorsed by the World Tourism Organization and its hotel criteria are recognised by Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

African Responsible Tourism Awards Ceremony

28-08-2018

Winners of the African Responsible Tourism Awards will be announced at the awards ceremony to an audience of tourism ministers, destination managers, industry professionals and media. Winners will include the winner of the category for Best for Global Goals Reporting. This category is awarded to a tourism organisation that leverages tourism to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and then transparently reports on the impacts.

The 1st UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition

27-08-2018

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in partnership with Globalia, launched the 1st UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition, the world’s largest initiative dedicated to identifying the startups that will lead the transformation of the tourism sector! ‍ Tourism is one of the best positioned sectors to drive inclusive growth, create jobs, reduce poverty, and foster sustainable development and peace. Accounting for 10% of the world GDP, tourism has a significant impact on exports, job creation, investment, development of infrastructure, and the promotion of social inclusion. Moreover, given its cross-sectorial nature, tourism’s wide reach also stimulates entrepreneurship and growth of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which along with start-ups, are an important driver of innovation and job creation. Furthermore, tourism engages all sectors to collaborate and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The objective of the programme is to select the best solutions and the most disruptive projects. The search will focus on finding pioneering proposals for implementation of emerging and disruptive technologies, as well as on startups based on new business models, such as the circular economy. In this regard, one of the pillars of this competition is to give visibility to projects that are committed to enhancing sustainability in tourism. The startup search process is as ambitious as it is complex: identifying the best projects in all corners of the planet. For this, UNWTO and Globalia have enlisted the innovation consultancy firm Barrabés.biz, which boasts more than 20 years’ experience in the creation, connection and activation of entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems. To broaden the scope of the competition and to facilitate the registration of interested startups, the programme will be implemented through the digital platform YouNoodle, a leading Silicon Valley company in the startup evaluation space at the global lev

Kenya Airways CSR Actions - Education funds/in-kind donations

23-08-2018

The Kenya Airways Corporate Social Responsibility program aims at delivering sustainable educational programs to support future generations. Some accomplishments related to education projects are:

Putting up school infrastructure such as: a dormitory at Esageri School for the Deaf in Baringo County; science laboratory at Songeni Mixed Secondary School in Makueni County; two classrooms at Ongora Primary School in Rongo County; and a dining hall at Namunyak Girls Secondary School in Narok County.

Education is also one of the Core sustainability Pillars of Kenya Airways Corporate Social Responsibility program, which include but not limited to below: 1. Education 2. Water 3. Environmental conservation 4. Resource Mobilization projects 5. Health and Sanitation 6. Disaster Response 7. Sports & Cultural engagements

How botanical gardens help to conserve the environment around Volcanoes National Parks

21-08-2018

To conserve and educate people on the value of plants, Red Rocks Cultural Centre started a botanical garden around the Volcanoes National Parks in 2016. The main aim of the gardens was to make environmental sustainability a priority and to protect endangered species of plants. So far, Red Rocks botanical gardens have played a great role not only as resource for the study and cultivation of plants with healing properties but also as key component for environmental conservation. The botanical gardens are also starting to play a role in the mitigation of the effects of climate change, and could be vital to the survival of the planet as they are perfectly placed to help ecosystems to adapt to new climates in the Volcanoes National Park and the Virunga massif. We have hosted many researchers and students from various universities and other institutions in Rwanda who are doing botanical studies. They come and we teach them about the scientific names of various plants together with their medicinal value. Red Rocks botanical garden project has become a useful resource for various national and international researchers. Apart from helping in environmental conservation-which was the key objective of establishing the gardens, they have also become a significant component of tourist attraction, saying ‘many tourists visit the gardens to see some species of plants for the first time that can only be found around these areas.

Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard

21-08-2018

The Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard provides a broader insight into how the sector is contributing to the SDGs by tracking indicators across a range of relevant sustainability dimensions.

Solar electrification of trans himalayan homes

21-08-2018

Offbeat Tracks is an experiential travel company that promotes experiential and sustainable travel across India. We work with rural communities to encourage homestay based experiential travel with a focus on rural micro entrepreneurship and skill development. All our projects are set out to promote sustainable and responsible travel in alignment with the Sustainable Developmental Goals set out by the UN. " Think global and act local" is the motto that we strive towards. Tourism is one of the largest revenue generators all over the world and we at Offbeat Track's aim to promote sustainable development across the Himalaya's via tourism. Keeping that in mind we have identified 3 SDG's as mandated by the UN that we would adopt in all our travel related experiences. These are as follows: Affordable and clean energy (Goal 7) Decent work and economic growth (Goal 8) Responsible consumption and production (Goal 12) Affordable and clean energy: The Trans Himalayas (Ladakh and Zanskar) are an arid, high altitude region with a lot of settlements having limited or zero access to electricity. People living in these regions traditionally depend on Kerosene and firewood as sources of light and energy. These traditional sources of energy have adverse effects on the health of the community leaving the young and elderly extremely vulnerable to Carbon monoxide poisoning. These regions are essentially high altitude cold deserts with nearly 300 days of abundant sunshine. Keeping this vital asset in mind, we realised that Solar energy harnessing units would be an ideal clean energy solution to people of this region. Vision: We have envisioned solar powering 1000 homes in the Trans Himalayas over the next five years. We plan to use tourism as a tool via which we can bring clean energy access to rural and nomadic communities living across the Trans Himalayas. Our first expedition last year had the team successfully solar electrify 10 rural homes in Ladakh that were off the grid.

Say HI to Sustainability

21-08-2018

Say HI to Sustainability is a HI (Hostelling International) Sustainability Exchange project. This is a cooperation between HI Norway and HI Brazil, funded by the Norwegian governmental organ FK Norway, which is a part of the Norwegian foreign affairs ministry. The aim of Say HI to Sustainability is to foster sustainable travel, gathering and sharing valuable tools and ideas to create a Sustainability Strategy around the Hostelling International network. focusing on the importance of local products, services and activities. The project will run over a 3-year period and each year two participants from Brazil and two from Norway will have the opportunity to work and learn about sustainability in the partner country. Thus, the project is a mutual exchange of knowledge between the participants and hostels. It is important for us to always learn about, as well as promote and educate as many people as we can about sustainability. We do this by presenting our project to the hostels we travel to, as well as participating on events that might be beneficial to the project, such as for example World Travel Forum. This gives us the ability to reach several businesses and people at once, as we are always looking to expand our network. Since this is a project funded by FK Norway, mutual exchange between countries is a large part of our project. Therefore, all participants are actively trying to understand and grasp our new host countries, learning the language and customs, to bring back this knowledge to our home country upon return. To share our gained knowledge, we are actively using social media as well as this website. We keep ourselves updated on what other hostels in and outside the HI network do towards sustainability all around the world. On this website we gather all the great ideas hostels have given us throughout our travels, frequently posting tips and blogposts about our quest to make the hostelling world more sustainable.

TRIANGLE - Building a European Knowledge Alliance for Sustainable Tourism

21-08-2018

Within the framework of the EU’s Erasmus Knowledge Alliance programme, the EuropeanECOTRANS Network for Sustainable Tourism Development has teamed up with leading universities and businesses with core ICT and tourism interests to create an innovative European wide collaborative online learning delivery system for Higher Education Institutes to offer quality tourism sustainability training to destination administrators, SMEs and workforce individuals linked to tourism activity in Europe’s protected areas. At the heart of the Alliance will be a collaboratively-managed ICT Portal - the TOURISM2030 platform - containing online training tools for b2b or b2c use, including: A knowledge alliance of universities wishing to manage their sustainable tourism offers in a collaborative framework. A collectively-managed tourism knowledge base configured as an applications database engine, supporting: A Competence in Sustainable & Responsible Tourism Certification online course (graduate level with ECTS credits) A Sustainable Tourism Development Handbook and Online course A Travel Green Europe Mapping App for certified tourism businesses to reach out to responsible consumers A Certification Quickfinder to help businesses choose the most suitable certification process A Tourism Sustainability Best Practice Browser for evidenced-based decision taking A Europe-wide student intern placement system offering in-situ and online certification & auditor skills training.

5th FERIA NACIONAL DE PUEBLOS MAGICOS

21-08-2018

Beautiful colonial city of Morelia, located in Michoacan State, Mexico, will host the 5th Magical Towns Fair, which will gather the 111 localities that have obtained this denomination. A Magic Town is a small town, located mostly in rural but accessible areas, which offers its visitors unique experiences based on its historical, cultural and natural assets, making them live truly magical moments. This edition will also include the participation of Latin American countries interested in joining eforts to develop a regional LATAM product from the sum of communities with similar characteristics. Visitors will find an exhibition area, local products and handcrafts fair trade, local food tasting, training seminars, learning talks and art shows based on the cultural heritage of each participating town. The Magic Towns program was created in 2001 and fosters roots by creating employment linked to tourism; reinforces the values of identity; contributes to reduce poverty and inequality. It is managed from the local level by empowered civilian committees that work together with the acting governments in turn to guarantee their continuity.

International Symposium "Meeting of History and Geography" Concón, Chile.

21-08-2018

The International Symposium "Meeting of History and Geography" maintains an open call to the historical debate and related sciences, which does not reduce its issues to the national limits of Chile. Advances in the investigation of history, geography and related sciences such as archeology, botany, zoology, heritage management and tourism, for example, encompass an ever broader subject of specialties that escapes the very borders of its discipline, provoking the necessary interdisciplinarity; especially for "Special Interest Tourism", which requires a solid historical base that supports the cultural discourse that is offered. The event, which has its beginnings in 2014, has had as main stage the Historical and Archaeological Museum of the city of Concón; an excellence tourist destination, standing out for being the Gastronomic Capital of Chile; which form part of a great regional axis united by history that goes back thousands of years behind. In previous years, the event attracted the attention of great Chilean experts, as well as outstanding scholars from Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Panama. In 2017, the event was considered part of the global activities of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017. Two of the lectures of the year 2017 were published in Issue Number 20 of the Historical Bulletin of the same company. In the same way, the 2016 and 2015 editions have also obtained a space in this outstanding magazine.

Red Rocks Cultural Tourism Week 2018

20-08-2018

31st August – 04th September Join our exhibition on this date to have a hands-on experience of how Red Rocks is keeping our cultural heritage alive. There will be a show of how local community benefits from tourism activities together with the ways we can preserve our pristine culture for the benefit of future generation. Visitors will participate in different cultural expressions like basket weaving (The AGASEKE), Pottery and the process of making the banana beer (URWAGWA) among others. Conservation & Community Success Stories 05th September The local community will be happy to share their success stories concerning harnessing tourism as a means of socio-economic and sustainable development. Apart from celebrating viable conservation efforts that the local community has undertaken, you will also have the chance to meet different tourism and conservation players from a broad spectrum in the industry who will provide you with salient details about the history of ecotourism around the Virunga massif. Football & Arts for Conservation, plus Crazy Gorilla Night 06th September Our key mission is to promote art for conservation. Consequently, we have scheduled an event on this date where you’re going to be introduced to conservation-themed art exhibits, live painting demos, and you too are going to actively take part in the demos by doing your own painting and taking it with you home as a souvenir. This is an event you cannot afford to miss. Furthermore, our host of activities will include also a football tournament organized with conservation education in mind. Kwita Izina 07th September The Kwita Izina annual event has become a must-attend ceremony. Now in its 14th year, this year’s event promises to sparkle just like it has done before. It has also played a significant role in conservation of the rare mountain gorillas. This year, 23 baby gorillas are to be named. But we have organised a party for you at Red Rocks Rwanda where you will join our local people

Centro American Community Based Tourism Encounter

20-08-2018

Networking event for CBT entrepreneurs, responsible travel agencies & tour operators, academia, NGOs and public offices representatives. First two days are for workshops and forums related to relevant topic for CBT Second two days are for market and business rounds to promote selling alliances between attendees. General public is invited since there will be cultural activities and tours.

East Africa Community Based Tourism Encounter

20-08-2018

The East Africa Community Based Tourism Encounter (EACBTE) is a Project that aims at promoting networks between Community Based Tourism initiatives and other relevant stakeholders in order to create business opportunities, collaboration alliances, capacity building and promotion of CBT as a sound means for local sustainable development. This is a two-year project, rotating in countries of East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania) which actively work in Community Based Tourism.

Igihoho Support Cooperative helping kick out plastic seed-bags.

17-08-2018

Red Rocks support the local women associations who came together under Igihoho Support Cooperative to seek ways on how to promote environmental conservation but also sustain community development.

ONE PLANET – SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROGRAMME ANNUAL MAGAZINE 2017/2018 – Lead Innovate Finance Empower (LIFE)

17-08-2018

In this third annual edition, the One Planet - Sustainable Tourism Programme magazine presents the highlights of the network’s activities from 2017 to 2018. Please find more information from the link.

Carbon offsetting and responsible tourism

17-08-2018

Since our launch 20 years ago, low impact, responsible tourism has been at the heart of everything we do.

United Against Waste

14-08-2018

United Against Waste is a national sector network across the whole value chain of the out-of- home consumption. Together we will halve Food Waste in the hospitality sector!

International Conference on Sustainable Mountain Development & Tourism

14-08-2018

In order to raise some un-addressed yet fragile mountain development issues, GEA is organising 1st International Conference on “Sustainable Mountain Development & Tourism (SMDT)” at Kathmandu/Nepal, by supporting the philosophy & mission of UN-SDGs (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org & UN WTO (http://tourism4sdgs.org) collectively. We seek support from everyone or anyone, who is really concerned abt Mountain issues by promoting n supporting thiis Campaign thru SMDT Conference. Nepal

Adventure Junky App

09-08-2018

The Adventure Junky App is 'earth's sustainable travel game'. Adventure Junky uses the proven tool of gamification to engage the world's biggest demographic - Millennials - to travel more sustainably. With literally billions of travellers circling the planet every year, the travel industry has a significant impact on the well-being of people and planet. Adventure Junky is working in partnership with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), and its membership to create a more fairer, inclusive and sustainable future for global tourism, through the support of the adjacent values. The app will be a showcase for leaders in sustainability, be they destinations, operators, gear suppliers or apparel companies. Equally the app will promote the importance of the values below to its adventurers in order to raise the awareness and adoption of our guiding principles and responsible adventure travel.

Aventure Colombia CSR Actions - Fight against sexual exploitation in tourism - awareness campaign

08-08-2018

Some difficult situations in Colombia may lead to the development of cases of sexual exploitation of minors. Aventure Colombia fights against this sexual exploitation by supporting the national campaign and sensitizing its collaborators, travelers and service providers via the publication of articles on its blog, the signature of engaging contracts and of the internal regulation by its collaborators and service providers. Furthermore, Aventure Colombia respects and only works with service providers that respect the Colombian laws that indicates the sentences for anyone who develops suspect activities with minors

BCD Travel CSR Actions -Ecosystem - pollution reduction

08-08-2018

BCD Travel engage employees in resource efficiency efforts. A dedicated team of CSR coordinators in their global locations oversees the implementation, tracking and improving of local environmental initiatives. Some of the 2016 initiatives are as follows:

Green teams were organised in countries that previously did not have this engagement
Offices ran local campaigns encouraging employees to create personal sustainability plans or otherwise incorporate sustainability into their everyday lives
Global promotion and participation in Earth Day, Earth Hour and World Environment Day events to engage and educate employees.
Employee award and recognition programs that reward measurable environmental improvements or demonstrations of best-in-class practices.
Six percent increase in work from home opportunities for U.S employees, resulting in reduced gasoline and CO2 emissions, cost savings on office space, and better work-life balance.
Implemented a Global Energy Saving program to help reduce operational energy usage by 11,661,915 kilowatt-hours (KWh) and CO2 emissions by 18,460,810lbs. ISO 14001 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that BCD travel has used to enhance its environmental performance in a systematic manner that contributes to long-term environmental goals.

Plan Estrategico de Turismo Sostenible para Ibague

06-08-2018

El objetivo principal del presente documento “Memoria Diagnóstico del Destino”, es el de servir de documento de referencia para el posterior proceso de auditoría y consecuente certificación de Ibagué

Tourism & the SDGs: Papua New Guinea

06-08-2018

Three day intensive workshop on tourism and the SDGs for PNG. Developed and led by Steve Noakes.

The Macedonian Experience

06-08-2018

The Macedonian Experience is a 1 week Tourism Program which kicks-off the start-up of our Cooperative Movement Changemakers4all (www.changemakers4all.com). In the program we work with the local community, often small farmers, shop-owners or individuals which are very involved in offering a different Touristic Experience. Lazar Stamkov is one of the key figures in this respect who has a massive experience in all kinds of Adventurous Sports Activities and Programs with respect for the environment.

Sustainable Enterprise Sonoma

06-08-2018

With the 2018 theme “Play, Work, Live for a Sustainable Future,” the conference will explore sustainability on the personal, business, and regional scale. The program is designed through the use of the One Planet Cafe to give plenty of opportunities to join the conversation and find new collaborators. The goal of the conference is promote sustainable operating practices, kickstart regional collaborations, and build a network of professionals working for more sustainable and resilient communities

Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals Conference 2019 (Tourism4SDGs19)

06-08-2018

Tourism4SDGs19 offers the opportunity for a wide range of scholars and tourism stakeholders to discuss and debate both (i) challenges to tourism contributing to the SDGs, and (ii) ways in which tourism can deliver on its potential to be more inclusive, equitable and sustainable, in line with the values embedded in the Global Goals. CFP open now : https://tourism-sdg.nz/call-for-papers/; due date 16 Sept. Visit the website for information about keynote, speakers, programme and registration

Día Mundial del Turismo: El Turismo en la Era Digital

06-08-2018

El Turismo en la Era Digital En la actualidad, las empresas y las personas están conectadas, intercambian información y realizan transacciones de formas que nunca habíamos imaginado. La combinación de plataformas digitales, las opiniones y contenidos creados por el usuario, la integración de las redes sociales, los sistemas de posicionamiento global y el uso de los macrodatos y la inteligencia artificial han transformado nuestra forma de gestionar, consumir y compartir la información.

Kalpak Travel: Our commitment to sustainable, responsible tourism

06-08-2018

The UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) is an opportunity for all of us — tourists and tour operators alike — to think about how we can travel in a way which not only minimises the damage we cause to the environment, but we can also positively contribute to realising the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). So what does that mean in practice? https://kalpak-travel.com/blog/central-asia-sustainable-responsible-tourism/

Language Games Festival

06-08-2018

languages are invited to form clubs and participate in the games. thereafter, the surplus will be channelled to building a global language centre that will introduce LANGUAGE TOURISM & preserve langu

Circuitos icultural

06-08-2018

The plan is develop one day tours that will provide guide trips and visits to the process of every handmande crafts in the city of Ita, located in the Central Department of Paraguay.

Festival de las Lomas de Mangomarca

06-08-2018

El domingo 22 se llevó acabo el "Festival de las Lomas de Mangomarca" en el cual participamos como promotores en el cuidado de las lomas #Innpulsaturismo contribuyendo al cuidado del medio ambiente.

Fair Voyage

06-08-2018

Conscious travel platform promoting exclusively certified socially & environmentally responsible local tour companies, accommodations & projects.

Rural women and girls master farmer empowering; smart farming program - Rural women and girls master fishing program & climate smart fisheries; aqyaculture programe

06-08-2018

Working in Sustainable Development by Resilient Climate Creativity making sustainable business & Civic Media through AI & the 2030 Agenda

22nd UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, China

02-08-2018

Sustainable tourism is increasingly relevant in national agendas for its role in fostering economic growth, social inclusiveness and the protection of cultural and natural assets. This is now also recognized at the highest international level with the UN General Assembly having adopted several resolutions acknowledging the role of tourism in sustainable development, including the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This calls for evidence to support policy and track progress. UNWTO recognizes that, apart from being a technical exercise, the development and implementation of a statistical framework for sustainable tourism is very much a strategic endeavor that will require stakeholder engagement, inter-institutional coordination and political leadership. Participants had the chance to discuss methodological advances, explore emerging issues and learned from pioneering country experiences in this area of measurement. The Manila Conference gathered for the first time Ministers, Statistical Chiefs, Policy experts and statisticians dedicated to sustainable development, environment and tourism.

TUI Cruises - Recycling and waste

30-07-2018

TUI Cruises place special focus on the issue of food waste through the launch of the project supported by Futouris entitled “Food Waste – Reduction of food waste on cruise ships”. The aim of the pilot project is to make efforts to tackle the tremendous waste of food around the world. The project launched in September 2016 has a duration of 18 months, during this time the causes of food waste on board the Mein Schiff ® fleet will be identified with the aid of the project partner United Against Waste e. V. and processes relevant for reducing food waste will be optimized. After the first analysis phase on board Mein Schiff 4, TUI Cruises is working with United Against Waste e. V. and Futouris in a second project phase to develop specific measures from the results and is set to conduct trials of these measures on board as from the summer. These measures are intended to organize the processes involved in the preparation, presentation and disposal of food on board more efficiently. The aim is to use the resources employed to the best possible effect, reduce the consumption of resources and food waste as well as create awareness for this topic amongst the crew and guests. The company will then prepare a catalogue of actions from the final results and carry out targeted training for the employees on board. TUI Cruises will implement the effective measures within the entire Mein Schiff ® fleet. The results of the project will be published via Futouris and thus made available to the cruise industry as a whole. This will enable far-reaching stimuli to be given in the form of specific proposals for measuring food waste and best practice measures for reducing waste. This is intended to promote greater sustainability in managing food on cruise ships.

TUI Cruise CSR Actions - Wildlife and Ecosystems - animal protection

30-07-2018

TUI Cruises cooperated with several environmental protection organizations, whose campaign goals include the conservation of whales. Through donations from the Green & Fair excursions, for instance, the company again supported the organizations MEER e.V. and Pottwale e.V. The latter organization mainly uses the donations for information activities for the population on Dominica and, in particular, the newly created Marine Education Program, which is particularly aimed at children. In 2016, TUI Cruises also successfully continued its important awareness campaign on whale conservation for guests. As part of its more than two-year collaboration with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the company created a flyer called “Meet us don’t eat us”, which informs guests on the Nordic routes about the threat presented to whales and the concerns of consuming whale meat. In the summer of 2016, the subject of whale conservation featured strongly in the media in connection with whaling on the Faroe Islands, a destination which TUI Cruises served once during 2016. TUI Cruises expressly distances itself from worldwide whaling. If the company encounters practices that raise concerns about species protection at its destinations, it consistently seeks a dialogue with the authorities, environmental protection organizations and its local partners. This was also the case in connection with the whaling on the Faroe Islands, which was criticized most strongly by TUI Cruises. In a meeting held at the destination, TUI Cruises was able to convince itself that the company’s tourist attractions on the Faroe Islands had nothing to do with whaling and will continue to actively inform its guests on the route about the local situation and thus create awareness of what is happening in the region.

TUI Cruises CSR Actions - Wildlife and ecosystems - landscape protection

30-07-2018

TUI Cruises contributed to the conservation of biodiversity on the high seas and in the global destinations in a variety of ways in 2016, especially in sustainable coral conservation. Many species of coral are threatened by extinction due to the destruction of their habitats, which is leading to a loss of diversity in species and to a deterioration of ecosystems. In collaboration with zoo aquaria, scientists and local lobby groups, the non-profit foundation SECORE International (“SExual COral Reproduction”) is pursuing new procedures in nature and species conservation and ismaking efforts to find innovative strategies to recultivate coral species threatened by extinction and to restore the functionality of coral reefs. One of the SECORE projects, with which TUI Cruises has been involved since 2012, is coral conservation off of the coast of Curaçao. In addition, TUI Cruises and SECORE as part of the collaboration with Futouris e. V. have developed a campaign on the subject of sustainable snorkeling and diving within the coral conservation project. All over the world, inattentive or unwitting visitors cause severe damage to coral reefs and have had an alarmingly adverse affect on their condition. Against this backdrop, the campaign provides targeted information for tourists on excursions and trains local diving schools and their guides in the Caribbean. TUI Cruises has integrated a Code of Conduct into its contracts with the diving schools, which lay down sustainable diving standards. The campaign entitled “Sustainable under water” focuses the awareness of tourists and local divers on sustainable conduct during the dives and thus promotes environmentally acceptable dive trips. As a result, it makes an additional contribution to the SECORE recultivation projects for coral conservation.

EXO Travel -

30-07-2018

EXO Travel developed guidelines with the support of environmental NGOs (TRAFFIC,WCS,WWF, EARS) and other specialists to inform travellers and travel agencies. These guidelines include The Global Standards for Animals in Tourism and address in particular issues concerning elephants, tiger, primates and monkeys, marine life, turtles. EXO Travel works only with elephant camps that treat their animals properly and help them in the future to shift towards more friendly activities for elephant. They consulted several experts from EARS, WPA, Elefantasia, Traffic and developed their own specific evaluation check list for elephant camps and a rating scheme. They developed guidelines with the support of environmental NGOs (TRAFFIC, WCS, WWF, EARS, etc.) and other specialists to inform travellers and travel agencies what are the issues at stake and how to behave properly. These guidelines include The Global Standards for Animals in Tourism and address in particular issues concerning elephants, tigers, primates & monkeys, marine life, turtles. EXO Ethical code directs the way that EXO is not, as some other tour companies, willing to cease all elephant rides abruptly as this means a serious loss of revenue for local communities whose livelihoods depend on it, as well as elephants. They prefer to raise the issue and continue working only with those who treat their animals properly and help them in the future to shift towards more friendly activities for elephants. They consulted several experts from EARS, WPA, Elefantasia, Traffic and, developed their own specific evaluation check list for elephant camps and a rating scheme. SC have started conducting inspections. - Within the frame of Travelife certification the EXO Foundation reviewed the EXO Responsible Travel Policy and elaborated a range of key documents outlining policies, guidelines, check lists to assess their suppliers, etc. All these are meant to facilitate the implementation of the certification process by over 500 staff, as well as inciting their suppliers & clients to join their march towards sustainability. - EXO Ethical code directs the way that EXO Travel conducts its business. It was designed to fight against corruption and ensure EXO fair relationships with all interested parties: customers, competitors, staff, destinations and suppliers. It guides every step of decision making in line with their ethical commitments and those that are important for a healthy and sustainable business. - Since 2013, EXO Travel has made the decision to cease visits to schools, orphanages and other children’s centers following reports on the numerous unseen negative impacts of such visits from child welfare organizations such as Friends International, Save the Children, UNICEF, which work closely with disadvantaged children and families.

TUI CSR Actions - Ecosystem - Pollution reduction

30-07-2018

TUI Cruises attach particular attention to the environment-friendly mobility of its employees. Following a review of the current situation and needs analysis, a comprehensive mobility program with short-term and long-term measures was developed. In order to optimize level of emissions, TUI Cruises conducted an employee survey with an analysis of their place of residence. It then realized the potentials revealed by implementing measures such as promoting use of the public transport network and rail discount cards. The company implements measures such as promoting the use of public transport network, rail discount cards and offer of company bicycles. In addition, the company created a section called “Nachhaltig Unterwegs” [Sustainable Travel] on the intranet in which it provides employees with information on offers of sustainable mobility, ranging from the Profi Card for employees from the HVV (the Hamburg public transport network) through to car sharing schemes.

Curso de Turismo sostenible y desarrollo local en áreas rurales

27-07-2018

El curso está basado en el concepto del turismo como motor para la creación de actividades económicas y de empleo decente en las áreas rurales. Durante las fases a distancia y presencial se examinarán en detalle las claves necesarias para que el turismo pueda ser una alternativa socioeconómica sostenible, y cuáles son los elementos a tener en cuenta para diseñar una estrategia de desarrollo rural basada en el turismo.

Tourism & the SGDs in Mongolia

27-07-2018

Tourism and the SDGs - a 3 days training program conducted in December 2017. A total of 150 specialists from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Ulaanbaatar City Tourism Department, the Development center of Tourism, specialists in charge of tourism from districts and 21 aimags, other private organizations and entities attended the training.

International Adventure Conference

27-07-2018

The International Adventure Conference attracts a truly worldwide audience, from a range of different specialisms. The challenging ideals and targets of the United Nations’ SDGs go way beyond environmental concerns and emphasise human interaction with the planet, with nature and with each other. Our delegates carry with them stories related to all seventeen SDGs. The event will open up critical discourses about these powerful new goals – economic, social, cultural, philosophical and physical.

Halt Poverty supporting sustainable tourism

27-07-2018

Halt Poverty was launched as a project in 2015 in response to the needs to empower human capital in tourism-based activities. Based in Madagascar. Halt Poverty is now officially registered as a social venture that support local communities with sustainable tourism initiatives. Our actions encourage sustainable tourism experience in Madagascar including relieving pressure on overcrowded tourist areas. Inappropriate actions can be damaging to the destination. Tourism has direct linkages with other businesses. It has a broad resource from which many new businesses may emerge. Economic survival and from tourism demand communication and education as prerequisites.

Reduce use of plastic bags

27-07-2018

The Choose Honduras team is fully committed to sustainable tourism practices. Since 2003 we’ve worked closely with many of the regions of Honduras we operate in, with an eye toward helping the host communities and inhabitants become active participants in the travel industry and not just spectators. We believe that responsible travel must be beneficial to everyone involved; the travelers, the local service providers, the host communities, and the natural environment where it takes place. When local people benefit from tourism and participate in its value chain, they become committed; and local commitment helps maintain the cultural experiences truly authentic and helps protect the natural landscapes. As an initiative to support responsible and sustainable tourism, Choose Honduras is providing travelers with reusable shopping bags that are crafted and hand painted by local artisans, with the aime of reducing the consumption of plastic bags.

EXO Travel - Professional development

23-07-2018

EXO Travel started a series of trainings to all staff to raise staff awareness on issues related to office consumption and their environmental and social impacts, and to raise awareness on the importance of considering the consequences of their actions, which is a major Buddha teaching making it even more relevant in our destinations. To shift from a didactic training to a more fun and accessible learning tool and to find a away to get their staff to be more familiar with sustainability principles and aware of all the new policies and guidelines, they have launched a game : EXO Sustainability Game. In September 2015, EXO Foundation launched a monthly sustainability game to improve staff knowledge on sustainability. The game includes a quiz and/or a mission with a specific theme, such as: responsible tourism, environmental management in the office, local communities, climate change, etc. Questions are specifically relevant to tourism and EXO Travel. Winners are rewarded with 'responsible' gifts. This game has been proven quite successful and was recognized by Travelife as an outstanding tool. The game has created a dynamic learning process, stimulating initiatives and creativity of the staff.

Wilderness Scotland CSR Actions -Wildlife and ecosystems - pollution reduction

23-07-2018

Wilderness Scotland have taken significant steps to deliver meaningful action on climate change. In accordance with the advice of The Carbon Trust, their climate change strategy is based upon the following business actions:

To encourage clients to access the start/end point of their trips by public transport
To deliver a low carbon holiday experience, relating to the activity, transportation, accommodation and other services used.
To elsewhere reduce energy consumption and consequent carbon emissions throughout our business, wherever possible.
To work with suppliers to reduce carbon emissions and to develop new low-carbon products, wherever possible.
To focus on trips to parts of Scotland where tourism will deliver positive socio-economic and environmental benefits.
To financially offset all unavoidable carbon emissions which are generated by the company.
To make clients aware of these issues and encourage them to offset their own carbon emissions arising from air travel

G Adventures CSR Actions - Funds/in kind donations

20-07-2018

G Adventures strongly believes that tourism is a force for global good, and we’re committed to promoting sustainable solutions in communities around the globe. G Adventures and their non-profit arm, the Planeterra Foundation deliver the greatest impact for disaster relief by supporting local communities year-round through their commitment to responsible tourism and social development. Established in 2003, Planeterra is G Advantures non-profit partner dedicated to ensuring communities touched by tourism benefit from the opportunities it provides. Planeterra helps empower local people to develop their communities, conserve their cultures, and create humane and supportive systems for their endeavours. Planeterra manages over 50 social enterprises on all seven continents, that benefit women, at-risk youth, and rural and indigenous communities Women make up over half of the tourism workforce and yet they are often underpaid and have limited opportunities to move into higher positions in their jobs. Planeterra helps women redefine their roles in society by providing life-changing access to education and job-training. To discover more of Planeterra' projects in helping empower local people to develop their communities, click here

Light up Borneo

20-07-2018

xxxxx

The Value of Human Rights on the Camino de Santiago: harnessing the power of tourism to promote cross-cultural dialogue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

20-07-2018

The International Project "The Value of Human Rights on the Camino de Santiago: harnessing the power of tourism of tourism to promote cross-cultural dialogue and achieve the SDGs" is a project for university students to study and analyze tourism and the human rights and their reflection in the Camino de Santiago as vital elements that shape the global identity and culture, as well as the relation between tourism, the Camino de Santiago and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition, the project will incorporate the UNWTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics as a guiding principle. The forum achieves the international commitment of the participating universities to work continuously and tirelessly towards the fulfillment of the SDGs and the achievement of sustainable tourism practices. It is a platform for benchmarking tourism on cultural routes, exchanging best practices, learn from each other and gather knowledge that can later be applied to other cultural routes worldwide.

LA HEROICA: YO VIAJO RESPONSABLE

20-07-2018

La campaña LA HEROICA: YO VIAJO RESPONSABLE fomenta el impacto positivo que el Turista ejerce en el medioambiente, la cultura y la economía del lugar que se visita, a través de BUENAS PRACTICAS

Experience Travel Group CSR Actions - Responsible Investment

20-07-2018

Experience Travel Group is working with all parties affected by their business, including clients, colleagues, suppliers, industry partners and local communities, to ensure that the experience they offer cause minimal disturbance whilst providing the utmost enjoyment for the client. They also increase focus of sustainable options throughout their destination countries and encourage suppliers to improve their product with regards to making it more sustainable. Through continued correspondence with all parties involved, products will be developed accordingly in an effort to ensure that not only the experiences provided to the client are authentic and enjoyable, but that the impacts caused by such experiences do not negatively affect the local communities or environment. Local community perceptions will be periodically garnered via a community survey, to receive information from communities on how the group can work more effectively and positively for them. Wildlife and nature product will be continuously reviewed based on the latest information in the press and scientific literature to ensure not only the experience is enjoyable for the client but that it is not negatively affecting the wildlife involved and that the practice is not encouraging unethical/illegal activities such as poaching. As an action to increase focus on sustainable options throughout their destination countries, a review of safari drive operators and the production of guidelines for all safari drive operators used by Experience Travel Group. We also aim to review the experiences offered with regards to tribal trekking, particularly in relation to the tourist heavy areas of Sapa in northern Vietnam, and Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, and the employment practices of hotels and ground handlers. This initiative has already begun with the removal of excursions to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and continues to develop through the review of elephant riding activities throughout their destinations countries. Experience Travel Group will also raise awareness of sustainable travel practices to their clients to reduce negative environmental impact, for example through promoting the use of filtered water bottles to replace single use plastics.

Experience Travel Group CSR Actions - Wildlife and ecosystems animal protection

20-07-2018

Experience Travel Group is committed to animal welfare, both for captive animals and those you observe in a wild environment. They commit to continuously work with suppliers to ensure compliance with relevant national and international welfare legislation and best practice. The Group is committed to upholding and enhancing the minimum standards of welfare for animals whose lives are impacted by tourism, and to protecting animals from exploitation, neglect and cruelty at the hands of the tourism industry. They commit to abiding by the Five Freedoms adopted by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as a benchmark for animal's physical and mental well being. These are:

Freedom from Hunger and Thirst: nutritious food and clean water
Freedom from Discomfort: a suitable living environment that provides shelter, opportunities to rest and considers the species-specific needs of wild animals
Freedom from Pain, Injury and Disease: preventative and curative health care
Freedom to express Normal Behaviour: living space that encourages natural behaviour
Freedom from Fear and Distress: appropriate areas to seek privacy and limit human contact

As a member of ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) and AITO (Association of Independent Tour Operators), they work closely with these groups as well as animal welfare NGO’s worldwide in order to better understand and identify practices which may pose a risk to animal welfare and our client’s health and safety in our destination countries. They provide the following guidelines to clients for responsible wildlife viewing:

Do not feed wild animals – this can have severe consequences for an animal’s welfare as well as your own personal safety
Do not touch wild animals – you can unwittingly pass on diseases that the animal has no immunity against, as well as placing yourself at risk.
Do not smoke when close to animals
Do not tease or provoke animals
Do not shout of make loud noises when close to animals
Do not drop litter – please dispose of it responsibly
Do not support the use of animals as photographic props
Do not support animal performances where animals are trained to perform tasks that have no basis in their natural behavior – for example riding bikes, cleaning teeth, elephants doing headstands. These behaviours are unnatural and may involve adverse training techniques which can have serious animal welfare implications.
Do not purchase souvenirs made out of wildlife products or other threatened natural materials e.g. coral, shells, starfish. Wildlife products may include but are not limited to: skin (handbags, belts, and drums), ivory, bush-meat, bones, feathers, quills, teeth etc., traditional medicines, good luck charms, tortoiseshell or plant parts.

In their commitment to wildlife and ecosystems - animal protection, they provide clients with information on animal welfare issues as they arise through the Experience Travel blog, and employ customer feedback mechanisms to provide clients with a platform to inform of new issues.

Experience Travel Group - CSR Actions - Host community involvement

20-07-2018

Experience Travel Group has in place The Experience Travel Group Sustainable Travel Policy that is about continual improvement, monitoring and evaluation. The Group is committed to maximizing the positive impacts of monetary and cross-cultural exchanges between clients and the local communities in their destination countries. They aim to be completely transparent the Sustainable Travel Policy and ensures wealth is spread around the community and not concentrated on small sections and interest groups by avoiding taking shopping/food commissions, doing their best to ensure drivers not to pressure guests to use particular shops where they can earn commissions, and encouraging a tipping policy to encourage excellent service and discourage over-reliance on commissions. The Sustainable Travel Policy also ensure guests are well-informed travellers through the provision of comprehensive pre-departure information on tipping, begging, cultural norms etc., as well as an in-country welcome pack with information on major sights, activities, local eating, shopping and language.

EXO Travel CSR Actions - Responsible purchases

19-07-2018

EXO Travel raises awareness about sustainable-sourced goods amongst staff. For example:

Clients are given welcome pack which includes a Shan bag made by local people in Ywa Ma Village near Inle Lake and a fan made from natural palm materials. These are practical items which travelers can use during their stay in Myanmar that also showcase the work of local artisans:
Employees are encouraged to purchase local coffee for consumption in the office
The company has implemented using chemical-free office cleaning materials. (mixture of one or more of water, vinegar, baking soda)

EXO Travel CSR Actions - Recycling and Waste - specific material

19-07-2018

EXO Myanmar is taking responsibility for setting an example by ensuring as little waste as possible is wasted:

All pantry waste is separated according to the following categories: wet waste, dry waste, instant coffee packets, plastic bottles, aluminium cans.
Used individual coffee packets are sent to the Mary Chapman School for the Deaf on a monthly basis. The school uses these as raw materials to create handicrafts in their training workshop_
Used aluminium cans are sent to Pomelo on a monthly basis. The social enterprise sends these to its suppliers who use them to create innovative products.
Staff have been sensitized about the negative health and environmental impacts of polystyrene and are requesting caterers for private office events to bring reusable plates rather than polystyrene.
Housekeeping staff sell accumulated used plastic bottles and paper to informal waste collectors who recycle these products. This raise awareness that 'waste is not waste' and in fact has a value.
Begin monitoring our monthly recyclable and non-recyclable waste production
Identify further options for recycling/'upcycling' izr waste to reduce our production of non-recyclable waste
Install paper towel dispensers in all small office bathrooms to help staff use just one paper towel every time they use their hands. They have also trainedstaff to use the 'shake and fold' method which involves shaking one's hands 12 times after washing and then folding one paper towel to dry the hands.

EXO Travel CSR Actions - Professional Development

19-07-2018

EXO Travel invest in training to empower their employees. They promote a culture a culture of passion, innovation, sharing and caring, life-long learning in EXO Travel. This is underlined by the company's annual EXO Academy training conducted by Mekong Train Coaching Agency . The training is customized every year and based on various topics such as teamwork, time management, planning, productivity, etc. EXO also provides sustainability training and in Responsible Tourism. They undertook the Travelife certification process to motivate employees to think about sustainability throughout all aspects of business and raise awareness of key issues to consider.

In 2013 and 2014 a presentation was given by the EXO Foundation to all Yangon staff members about Responsible Tourism and how EXO is getting involved with the Travelife certification scheme.
50 members of Yangon office staff (including ALL managers) passed the online Travelife training in October 2014.
All key documents such as Responsible Travel Policy, Ethical Code, Guidelines for Wildlife Viewing and Protection, and EXO Saving Tips (discussed in 'Internal management: Environment and community relations') are clearly communicated to staff via email and the EXO 24 intranet service.
Since 2015, new staff are introduced to Responsible Tourism and Travelife during the induction training provided by HR.
STeam was set up in April 2015 and consists of at least one staff member from each department. At present,there are 28 members of the team. Meetings are arranged twice per month and the objective is to empower team members and make them more familiar with sustainability concepts. They become ambassadors for sustainability within the company and convey their knowledge to fellow members of their department. Examples of topics discussed during STeam meetings: Saving energy, reducing paper usage, reducing waste, recycling and 'upcycling'

Cox and Kings CSR Actions - In kind donation for education

18-07-2018

Cox and Kings believe that many of societal issues including poverty, unemployment and gender violence can be addressed through timely intervention through education. The company is committed to the cause of education and support the education of under privileged girls in India. Cox & Kings Foundation has facilitated quality education to students including both pre-primary and primary schools in Pune and Nashik. n 2013, Cox and Kings adopted the Amrutdham NMC School in Nasik, where they supported the education of 200 girls per year from Std II - VI. The donated amount is used for the school's academic support. The Nanhi Kali Kit includes uniforms, notebooks, stationary and hygiene material. It is also used for social and moral support like sports, competitions, celebrations, communication, consumables, stationary and for personal cost. Besides facilitating education for girls and children from economically weaker section of the society, Cox & Kings Foundation has also been enabling the 'Education for Life' project that gives educational and nutritional support at 7 schools under Children's Aid Society. Under this project, our association with Ojus Medical Institute has given a platform to many vulnerable children to seek support. Nutritional support of egg and banana is given on a daily basis or as per need based at Chembur Children’s Home, Bal Kalyan Nagari, Additional Observation Home, New Observation Home, Dongri Observation Home and David Sassoon Industrial School. The foundation continues to eliminate the societal evils through education in conjunction with NGO partners, Nanhi Kali, Ojus Medical Institute and the Mamta Trust.

Cox and Kings CSR Actions - Health awareness campaigns

18-07-2018

Every human has a right to a healthy life. However, the wide socio-economic gap in society denies large populations access to accessible and affordable medical care. The underprivileged and those most at-risk are also those most unlikely to receive timely healthcare interventions. Cox & Kings is committed to bring quality healthcare to the lives of everyone. With our partners we also work to improve the lives of children facing multiple disabilities, thus enabling them to lead an independent life. In the year 2016-17, Cox & Kings Foundation has implemented the following health care projects -

Providing Iron chelators (medicines to control iron overload) to Thalassaemia patients: Iron overload is an undesirable outcome of the regular blood transfusions. Conditions arising out of iron overload are the main cause of fatalities among thalassaemia patients. Cox & Kings Foundation ensured seamless flow of iron chelators to the thalassaemia patients belonging to lower-income families. Patients belonging to various centres in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar, Pune Loni, Srirampur, Dhule, Solapur and Kolhapur were benefitted due to the availability of Iron chelators.
Upkeep of Ashray and Ankur Asmita Centres: Cox & Kings Foundation supports Ashray and Ankur Asmita, temporary Crisis Intervention Centres (CIC) set up by CCDT to ensure the protection of children, especially those who are orphaned and vulnerable. CCDT along with the Cox & Kings Foundation has been able to positively impact the lives of children by way of nutritious food, timely medical care, psychosocial & recreational support and counselling and attention to their developmental needs.
Making wishes come true: Cox & Kings Foundation supports Make a Wish Foundation in fulfilling ‘To Have’ wishes of the critically ill children. With this money, MAWF buys the child a gift of his or her choice, such as a toy car, computer, a doll house, digital camera and so on. The Foundation also supports the 'to go' wishes wherein we fulfill travel wishes of these terminally ill children. Cox & Kings Foundation sponsors the trip of the child to any destination of his choice, within India. With this initiative, we have created happy memories at the children’s dream destinations such as Delhi, Goa, Ajmer, Agra, Kulu Manali and so on.
Gifting vision: Cox & Kings Foundation believes that sight should be a gift everyone should enjoy - regardless of their socio-economic status. Our efforts are to bring advanced healthcare and eye treatments to the millions who are denied it. Cox & Kings along with Poona Blind Men's Association has undertaken cataract surgeries of needy and economically weaker patients.
Beating cancer: Cox & Kings Foundation stands shoulder to shoulder with its NGO partners in supporting children suffering from cancer. They continue to hold awareness programmes and sponsor treatment as they enable hundreds of children to beat the fatal disease. Cox and Kings also celebrated International Childhood Cancer Day with Make a Wish Foundation and CanKids KidsCan in different states of India.Whereas, CanKids KidsCan organised the Go Gold India – for Warriors and Angels campaign that aimed at creating awareness about the central message that childhood cancer is curable.
Special therapies to children with multiple disabilities: Each child with multiple disabilities is unique. He/She has his/her own set of experiences, medical condition, style of learning, likes dislikes, etc. Cox & Kings Foundation believes in assisting these kids to make them independent in their daily lives as much as possible. Our association with Muskan Foundation has yielded impressive results year on year. For the overall development of the child facing multiple disabilities, therapies are extremely important. The apt therapy is selected and complemented with special education. Keeping the child’s age in mind, he or she is enrolled in an early intervention program or the special education program. Based on the needs of the child, therapies like Vision Rehabilitation, Occupational, Physiotherapy, Sensory Integration & Speech Therapy are executed.
Clean Drinking Water: The famous tourist destination of Gujarat, known for its serenity, has been facing a severe problem - water salinity. Water in Kutch is excessively saline, with TDS levels well above the permissible limits of WHO (World Health Organisation). This has caused deterioration of health of the young kids in schools. The steady fall in the number of school children coming to school and severe water salinity affecting their health prompted Cox & Kings Foundation to set up RO filters in association with Centre for Desert and Ocean and Green Works Trust

Cox and Kings CSR Actions - Funds/in kind donations

18-07-2018

Cox and Kings have been working in partnership with local NGOs and communities through different agricultural programmes and sustainable models. Cox & Kings aims to provide easy and implementable solutions to rural areas in order to address problems of poverty, education, outdated farming techniques and social welfare. Cox & Kings Foundation teamed up with Pragati Pratishthan to provide sustainable solutions to the water scarcity and farming crisis by donating materials to set up drip irrigation and water conservation projects in Jawhar, India.

Cox and Kings CSR Actions - Awareness campaigns and education

18-07-2018

Women in India are disproportionately affected by poverty and discriminations; and suffer abuse and violations in the realization of their rights, access to resources, and opportunities for a better life. Experience shows that, when equipped with proper resources, women have the power to help entire families and communities overcome poverty, marginalisation and social injustice. Cox & Kings believes that the empowerment of women is the key to progress as a society. Through skill building and employment programmes, they aim to make women self-reliant and poised for success.

In partnership with Ojus Medical Institute, the foundation has empowered women living in the slum areas of Ghatkopar, Mumbai through the Damini Project. The special vocational training has enabled self-employment and employment in local institutions. This has improved their socio-economic status which has impact their families positively. Courses including Tailoring, Mehendi and Beauty classes are organised to empower the underprivileged background, marginalized women, students and dropout students from Municipal schools.
To save the girls from getting abandoned or killed, Cox & Kings Foundation with Maa Bhagwati Sansthan has facilitated installation of 65 cradle points throughout the state of Rajasthan. This initiative encourages parents to not abandon their daughters and simply place the unwanted children in these cradles. The Sansthan then adopts the children and takes care of them.

American Express Global Business Travel CSR Actions - Diversity Management

17-07-2018

American Express began to formalize its commitment to diversity and inclusion nearly three decades ago with the official launch of an Employee Network, the Black Employee Network. In addition, the company introduced a Diversity Council, a diversity awareness training and the inclusion of diversity goals in its Performance Management Process. Today, American Express continues to evolve and grow our diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives. Our goal is to create an employee base that is as diverse as the customers and communities we serve. Through the diverse insights and experiences of our employees, we can better serve our customers. Since 1987, Employee Networks at American Express have provided opportunities that support personal and professional development, skill building and career growth. Completely employee-driven, they bring value to our company in many ways, from creating an inclusive workplace to driving product innovation. Employee Networks encompass the full spectrum of diversity at American Express, including disability, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender identity, generations, sexual orientation and veteran’s status. In 2015, with 15 networks and nearly 100 chapters worldwide, our Employee Networks ran many career-focused events including panel discussions, speaker series, leadership spotlights, clinics, career fairs and virtual forums.

American Express Global Business Travel CSR Actions - Professional Development

17-07-2018

American Express Global Business Travel invest in research to help identify potential barriers to women’s advancement in the workplace and created programs designed to develop and promote high-potential women at American Express. These programs include Pathways to Sponsorship and Women Rising at American Express, which focus on: gender intelligence training, strengthening talent pipeline; building a global network; and sponsorship. In addition, they also offer an online learning module to help encourage more effective relationships between high potential women and executive sponsors. More than 1500 employees have completed the module since it was introduced in June 2015. In addition, American Express have joined with several Fortune 500 companies as inaugural members of Blue Circle Institute’s ‘Transformational Leadership’ program to address the lack of representation of multicultural women in managerial, senior or executive jobs, and on boards. The nine month program gives high-potential, mid career women of colour the resources they need to get to the next level, including tailored and self paced leadership development guides and live web-based discussions.

Amadeus CSR Actions - Education - Funds/in kind donations

16-07-2018

Building on years of skills training for young people by Amadeus country offices, Amadeus initiated a pilot programme with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Ministry of Tourism in Kenya to increase access for women and youth from underserved communities to employment and entrepreneurship in travel and tourism. This project addresses two global challenges:

the need for more skilled professionals in the fast-growing sector of travel and tourism, and
the dire situation of millions of unemployed youth who, though educated, lack the sector-specific skills required by businesses.

To achieve this, we will be encouraging multiple stakeholders in the travel and tourism sector in Kenya – including hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, and airlines - to support the project’s development and implementation. This industry-wide collaboration is necessary to ensure that these young people gain experience with businesses throughout the travel and tourism sector during training, and develop the practical skills needed to enter the job market or the supply chain.

Accor Hotels CSR Actions - Eco design

16-07-2018

The development of urban agriculture provides a response to growing urbanisation – the growing gap between agricultural rural areas that produce food for cities and consumers. Recent years have seen the emergence of new innovative approaches to bring these two worlds together including urban gardens, educational peri-urban farms and direct sales models. Locally, AccorHotels has set a target of 60 hotels with vegetable gardens by 2020. In order to be valid, gardens need to meet certain criteria, including a minimum cultivation area of 20m2, production of plants for food consumption and regular maintenance. Each garden will be adapted to the context of the hotel and relevant space constraints. In 2017, a review was conducted of properties which identified 16 Australian hotels with existing herb and vegetable gardens. A number of hotels have well established productive kitchen gardens, for example:

PULLMAN REEF HOTEL CASINO Pullman Reef Hotel Casino has brought to life unused roof and balcony space with the installation of two Ebb and Flow (flood and drain) hydroponic systems which produce a range of herbs and edible plants for hotel guests food and beverage outlets. The hotel has also set up two bee hives hosting a total of approximately 20,000 bees on the hotel’s rooftop. All honey produced is passed directly onto the hotel’s award winning Tamarind Restaurant.
NOVOTEL CAIRNS OASIS RESORT Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort successfully relocated and replanted their existing herb garden to make it closer to the kitchen and accessible to guests. The Hotel has expanded the variety of planted herbs which are used in the menus and the hotel bar has come up with a number of herb infused cocktails using basil, rosemary and min

AccorHotels have also participated in the Univative program which involves giving university student teams real world problems in a hackathon style event run over four weeks. Four teams from University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney, University of Wollongong and Macquarie University took on the AccorHotels project which focused on how best to expand the use of vegetable gardens across the Australian network. Teams were asked to consider garden design, cost, productivity and guest engagement in developing their solutions. University of New South Wales won the challenge based on their innovative 3D printed modular design concept and plant selection.

Southwest Airlines CSR Actions- Human rights awareness,diversity and respect policy

16-07-2018

Southwest offer a wide array of professional opportunities through internal training programs, and they encourage employees to extend their knowledge through external training engagements in their respective fields. They have enhanced Leadership courses to include sustainability content. In these courses, they discuss sustainability, their fuel usage and its impact on their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, their initiatives to decrease emissions, and their recycling programs. Annual environmental training for operational groups that includes storm water pollution prevention, proper waste disposal, air permit compliance and aircraft drinking water compliance are also provided to employees. In 2014, they collaborated with Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and its aviation maintenance department, where they donated actual aviation equipment so their students could acquire hands-on experience and become better prepared to enter the airline industry. This collaboration has led to an increase of Lewis University graduates working at their maintenance facility base at Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW).

Emirates CSR Actions -Education - Awareness campaigns

16-07-2018

In 2013, Emirates launched a new environmental initiative called ‘A Greener Tomorrow’. The aim of the initiative is to support not-for-profit environmental or conservation organisations by providing a funding award of up to $150,000. ‘A Greener Tomorrow’ is an outcome of Emirates’ commitment to sustainability and environmental conservation. The money for ‘A Greener Tomorrow’ is raised through various recycling programmes across the Emirates Group. Winners of the initiative:

South African Wildlife College Trust: provided three scholarships and two bursaries for their certificate programmes in nature conservation to students who already work in the conservation area but who do not have formal educational qualifications to advance their careers. These qualifications will help students move into roles such as wildlife area managers, park rangers and senior field rangers, working to protect wildlife parks within southern Africa.
African Parks: used the funding from ‘A Greener Tomorrow’ to support educational development within the Barotse community who live within the Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia. African Parks provided educational tablet computers and employ additional teaching assistants within the schools in the park. Improved access to education is expected to decrease the pressure on the wildlife and natural resources of the park

Emirates CSR Actions - Wildlife and ecosystems - animal protection

16-07-2018

In 2013, Emirates launched a new environmental initiative called ‘A Greener Tomorrow’. The aim of the initiative is to support not-for-profit environmental or conservation organisations by providing a funding award of up to $150,000. ‘A Greener Tomorrow’ is an outcome of Emirates’ commitment to sustainability and environmental conservation. The money for ‘A Greener Tomorrow’ is raised through various recycling programmes across the Emirates Group. Through ‘A Greener Tomorrow’, Emirates is able to support organisations that work at the grassroots level in engaging with communities to conserve their environment.As part of the 2016 'A Greener Tomorrow', Emirates selected three not-for-profit organisations working in wildlife protection and environmental conservation in Africa as recipients of a funding awards. The winners were selected from a global pool of applicants working towards environmental sustainability and conservation in their respective regions. One of the winners is The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), an international body dedicated to seabird rehabilitation. The fund will support SANCCOB’s rehabilitation, protection and chick- rearing programmes. SANCCOB is recognised internationally as a leader in the field of seabird rehabilitation with veterinary staff working around the clock to provide the best care to the ill, injured, abandoned and oiled African penguins and other seabirds that are admitted to its two centres annually.

Emirates CSR Actions - Energy- New equipment and technologies

16-07-2018

To improve local air quality emissions, Emirates operates modern, low emissions aircraft that meet applicable international engine emissions standards, using ground- supplied power where available, instead of aircraft auxiliary power unit. Emirates employ electric and low-emissions ground equipment and vehicles. For example, Dubai National Air Transport Association (dnata) continued to expland its fleet of green vehicles and ground service equipment, including in:

Dubai (86 hybrid or electric vehicles),
Switzerland (electric forklifts, vehicles and stairs)
Singapore (pallet jacks and forklifts)

Emirates also acquired an electric Bollorè Bluecar for ramp operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Emirates flight catering trucks all operate on low-sulphur diesel.

Club Med - Responsible purchases - diversity and respect policy

16-07-2018

Club Med has a role as an assembler of various services, in which purchasing plays an active part approximately 75% of the business volume. Responsible purchasing thus fits naturally into the Group’s strategy of responsible performance. Since 2007, raising the buyers’ proficiency in sustainable purchasing has been the focus of regular workshops, especially during annual international conferences. Sustainable purchasing concerns everyone, and is addressed based on the degree of maturity of the geographical regions. The Group obtained in 2014 OEA/AEO customs certification. This customs procedures and safety/security quality label is a measure of the confidence invested in Club Med by European customs which recognizes the company as a reliable international trading partner. This internationally recognized certification accords certain privileges in terms of customs procedures and controls relating to safety and security. Stages of the purchasing process Sustainable development actions are incorporated at each stage of the purchasing process:

In defining the purchasing policy: managing risks and developing responsible purchasing is one of the four pillars of the policy;
In sourcing criteria: certifications and/or the implementation of good environmental and social practices are one of the questions asked of any potential new supplier through the dedicated website;
In the main operating specifications and the selection criteria for tenders and contracts;
In reporting on sustainable purchasing: monitoring methods and computer tools have been developed; their use should continue to increase;
In improvement processes requested by the buyers from their suppliers.

Club Med CSR Actions - Local supplier prosperity- local purchases

16-07-2018

The vast majority of Club Med's purchases of goods and materials for the villages is from local suppliers in their countries of operation (ranging from 83% in the North America to 100% in China, with an average of 89.7%)14. If a portion of these purchases consists of imports by the local supplier (which is very difficult to assess), this rate nonetheless reflects Club Med’s intention to work as much as possible with local partners, producers and distributors. Supporting and developing local farming: a unique partnership with Agrisud Finding that in some cases local supply was inadequate to meet its villages' demand for fresh produce, Club Med decided to help strengthen this network, thereby playing an active role in the economic development of the regions where it operates. This decision led to a partnership with the NGO Agrisud signed in late 2008, to enable local producers to supply Club Med villages, and to guide them towards more sustainable land use, based on the principles of agro-ecology. The benefits of this are multiple and contribute to several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):

helping farmers to escape poverty (SDG 1 & 8) by training them (SDG 4) towards a market economy (SDG 10 & 11) and sustainable use of their lands (SDG 2, 9 , 12, & 15);
contributing to the relocation of subsistence farming (SDG 2 & 8); - buffets offering customers fresh produce that is local, eco- friendly and meaningful (SDG 3);
securing supplies of fresh produce (SDG 3) and increasing the share of local purchases in Club Med's procurement process (SDG 9);
securing water supply for farms (SDG 6) with solar energy (SDG 7);
affording women equal rights to economic resources (SDG 5) in the Senegal the project is specially focused on the women vegetable producer - about 13.3 tons of carbon sequestered by market gardening and arboriculture and reducing the CO2 impact of transporting such produces (SDG 13) ;
more firmly rooting the villages in their host communities (SDG 16); - involving diversified actors everywhere: customers (SDG 17)

In 2017, the projects, including Agrisud-Club Med were :

the early cropping of production (two months earlier than normal), improved diversity and higher quantities tripled VSB income at Cap Skirring (Senegal). Completion of the project to install solar powered pumps has provided easier access to water for 179 market gardeners, enabling them to cut their fuel consumption by 30%
the startup of agro-ecology production and sales to Club Med from the newly-supported project at La Palmeraie in Marrakesh, Morocco
the second year of agro-ecology production and the doubling of production supplied to the Village by the Bali project in Indonesia
closer involvement of Club Med teams and a strengthening business relationship with confirmed weekly purchasing commitments at Rio das Pedras, Brazil.

Club Med CSR Actions - Health prevention program, Customer security and health prevention and facilities

16-07-2018

The profession of G.O (Gentil Organisateur) was invented by Club Med 60 years ago. The G.O is the ambassador of the Club Med spirit and upholds the company's values. In addition to their professionalism and know-how is added a way of being, which brings them close to customers and produces moments of happiness, kindness, conviviality, friendliness and humour. Club Med commits itself to the welfare and fulfillment of its employees in offices and agencies and in villages, where particular living and working conditions call for attention and specific actions adapted to them. Backed by an independent organization that specializes in studies of internal opinion, Inergie, Club Med deployed “GO®-GE Voice”, its first worldwideinternal barometer in 2014. The purpose of “GO®-GE Voice” is to listen to the voice all GO®-GEs around the world in order to improve their wellbeing at work. It is based on an on-line questionnaire dealing with subjects such as pride in affiliation, integration, personal development, sharing, overall satisfaction, confidence, management, working environment, conviviality, recognition and respect. The questionnaire is personal and is accessible for everyone; it has been translated into 20 languages and has an innovative audio version adapted to people with a lower level of literacy. The survey is conducted every two years, the most recent being in 2016. The participation rated up by 10 points in villages with very high GE mobilization (a 69% participation rate, +14 points) and a 73% participation rate in offices.

Club Med CSR Actions - Health prevention program, Customer security and health prevention and facilities

16-07-2018

Club Med has developed a high degree of expertise in preventing risks related to the health and safety of its customers and employees. All employee training stresses the safety of employees and customers as a top priority. Club Med also puts a special focus on prevention and on providing medical support and assistance to its teams whenever necessary. The Health and Safety (HS) department and its networks of coordinators are vital to this effort. In 2017, the mechanism to track professional moves of office GO® (Club Med staff are called "GOs", or Gentils Organisateurs ) abroad using the tool, SSF Locator, selected in 2015 by the Department of Human Resources, Safety-Hygiene and Health, is being deployed in all agencies that the Group calls on. This tool enables to better anticipate, react to and communicate with those traveling, if needed. It integrates bookings made by the various booking agencies and notifies travelers prior to departure about the security situations at their destination. It also enables the traveler to be contacted during their trip if necessary.

Club Med CSR Actions Fight Against Sexual Exploitation in tourism - awareness campaigns

16-07-2018

Respect for host countries and their inhabitants is one of the founding principles of Club Med and is an essential condition for the local acceptance of its villages. Fighting against sexual exploitation of children in tourism This concern for respect relates to all of the riches of the country hosting a village, starting with the most precious of them: its children. The actions defined in the partnership agreement signed with ECPAT in 2005. ECPAT is an international organization with a presence in over 70 countries worldwide. Its aim is to fight against child prostitution, child pornography, and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. Many tourism professionals are committed with ECPAT to fight against the sexual exploitation of children in tourism. The partnership was renewed in 2017, with the further distribution of the joint Club Med – ECPAT leaflet that ties in with the NGO’s communication campaign. These leaflets are sent to the homes of French, Belgian and Swiss customers heading to sensitive countries. Outreach is also conducted via the commercial website in several countries, including France and the US. In 2017, more than 43,400 leaflets were sent to French, Belgian and Swiss customers, ringing the total number sent since 2005 to more than 800,000. Furthermore, a procedure intended for use by Reception staff of risked destinations to identify underage guests has been updated in 2014

Club Med CSR Actions - Diversity Management

16-07-2018

In 2012, Club Med introduced a set of dedicated measures to promote the principle of workplace gender equality and enable all employees to fulfill their family duties more easily. This commitment is built around three action areas:

hiring
promotion
work/life balance

The measures in place include:

Monitoring the hiring process for village GO® and GE with a position-based analysis of gaps in the breakdown of me and women between applicants and those hired;
Setting progress targets on the proportion of women promoted to service manager in village Mini Clubs, Events and Bars;
Mechanisms to strengthen support during lengthy absences, such as interviews with a manager both before and after maternity, paternity or parental leave;
Aligning the treatment of paternity leave to that of maternity leave; - Extending the right to exceptional “sick child” leave (five days a year) to cover the period of adaptation to child care arrangements (institutional child care, home-based child care, nanny, etc.) or entry into preschool;
Considering the family and marital status of service managers and GO® in village hiring and assignment decisions

Club Med operates a gender-transparent hiring policy, and offers the same salary to men and women of equivalent experience and job profile. In 2017, 44% of Club Med Leadership Committee members were women; a figure slightly above the average for CAC40 listed companies (42% - Source: Deloitte survey – Women in the boardroom, A Global Perspective - 5th edition). In the villages, women benefit somewhat more than men (in FTE) from occupational and geographical mobility, as well as from training. The proportion of women managers is slightly lower than that of men among village managers and Service manager.

Club Med CSR Actions - Customer security and health - prevention and facilities

16-07-2018

Disabled access in Club Med's Villages Accessibility agendas were filed by the statutory deadline of January 1, 2015. Work on compliance upgrades was launched in successive phases. To date, rooms have been made compliant in 82% of villages (vs 62% in 2015) and are scheduled in 2017/2018 for 14% of the villages and, on communal areas, compliance upgrades have been completed in 14%, nearly finished in 5% and started in 45% of villages and scheduled in 36% of the resorts. In accordance with French legislation, Club Med has introduced accessibility registers and trained all its hospitality staff working in its French vacation villages and offices in how to welcome disabled customers and employees. A project spanning all the villages around the world has also been launched to improve the provision of Club Med premises and activity accessibility information to all customers. Lastly, a training module called ‘Extending a warm welcome to disabled customers’ has been rolled out for reception teams in France, as part of the in-house receptionist training program and in preparation for the opening of new villages. This training is led by physicians from the village health network.

Club Med CSR Actions - Diversity Management, Non discrimination values in staff recruitment and training

16-07-2018

Equal Treatment related to disabilities The company is continuing its commitment to integrate Club Med SAS handicapped employees through the fourth agreement running through to year end 2018. Club Med is also an active contributor to a network of companies working for the positive development of disability employment policies. It also contributes to the working group formed to define the key indicators for monitoring these policies. Civil year 2017: 42 hirings and 133 salaried workers employed (fixed-term, permanent contracts), at the end of December 2017 In 2017:

the actual level of disabled employees hired was significantly above the committed level: up 25% on 2016
Club Med has introduced accessibility registers and trained all its hospitality staff working in its French vacation villages and offices in how to welcome disabled customers and employees
the number of voluntary recognition of disabled worker status cases has risen significantly
the opportunity to opt for teleworking four days per month (rather than two for other employees) is greatly appreciated by disabled employee

American Airlines CSR Actions - Responsible purchases- diversity and respect policy

16-07-2018

American Airlines prioritize diversity and inclusion. Their Supplier Diversity Program, established in 1989 adds value to their supply chain by proactively seeking out diverse suppliers, such as women , the minority , or LGBT- owned businesses as well as small businesses that are owned by the disadvantaged, veterans, service-disabled veterans and those with HUBZone certification. The process includes:

Evaluating products and services on their merits, giving fair and impartial consideration to all suppliers
Awarding contracts based on highest quality and best delivery combined with most competitive cost to us
Reviewing performance of suppliers and contractors to enhance their ability to provide products and services that exceed industry standards
Ensuring inclusion of diverse companies in procurement opportunities

In 2017, American spent 18 percent more with small and certified-diverse suppliers over the previous year. They participated in 43 supplier diversity events around the United States, which provided networking opportunities through matchmaking sessions, business fairs and other events supporting diverse and small business connections. For example, at the Rainbow Coalition Conference in Chicago, we presented a seminar on “How to do Business with American.” For Black History Month, our African-American Diversity Network EBRG worked with our Supplier Diversity team to put on a business fair at American’s headquarters. The business-to-business portion of the event allowed small local suppliers to sell their products and services to team members. The business-to-consumer portion featured invited local certification organizations that spoke about the pathways to successfully becoming certified.

American Airlines CSR Actions - Education - Funds in Kind

16-07-2018

American Airlines support several community education programs, including the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, the nation’s oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships to military children. In 2015, American honored 210 children of employees, including 40 first-generation college attendees, with $560,000 in scholarships through the combined American Airlines Education Foundation. They also donated an MD80 aircraft to Oklahoma State University to serve as a learning laboratory for the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program.

Amadeus CSR Actions - Education - Funds/in kind donations

16-07-2018

Amadeus has a global partnership with Computer Aid International that came to fruition in a pilot to tackle the digital divide in Sierra Leone. Amadeus contributed computers to equip e-classes in rural primary and secondary schools in the country. This project ensures that all students, regardless of learning ability, location and social or financial background, are able to access the e-classes. With further contributions in 2017, Njala University became the first accredited International Computer Driving License center in Sierra Leone. In the project’s next stage, Njala University will be able to train 30 teachers across 10 schools and impact over 5,000 students in 1 year.

Air Nippon Airways CSR Actions - Diversity Management

16-07-2018

In February 2017, the Air Nippon Airways (ANA) Group signed the CEO Statement for Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). This initiative, which is promoted by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and UN Women, bolsters gender equality in high-level corporate leadership. The company cooperated in the test operation of the WEPs GAP Analysis Tool, a self-assessment tool intended to foster understanding of WEPs. In addition, the Group is working to support the success of women on a Group wide basis through ongoing network building and information exchange through ANA-WINDS, which is composed of female managers among the Group. ANA has also formulated numerical targets in such areas such as the number of female officers and the ration of female managers.

Air Nippon Airways CSR Actions - Diversity Management

16-07-2018

ANA is embarking on a number of employee initiatives to support its diversity and inclusion policies. These include the establishment of a new consultation service for LGBT employees, an expanded program to improve awareness of and education about LGBT issues, starting with training for management personnel, and a review of the airline’s welfare and benefits arrangements based on the premise that a same-sex partner is equivalent to a spouse. In March 2017, the ANA Group was awarded with the highest level of Gold in the ACCESS 2017 Index of the Accessibility Consortium of Enterprises (ACE), a general incorporated association. The group aims to establish workplace environments that make it easy to work, regardless of challenges and promotes the adoption of the 36K – Employee Kickoff approach to the employment of people with disabilities and working to systematically expand employment of people with disabilities. In a further move to underscore its commitment to diversity and inclusion, ANA is re-labelling multi-purpose lounge toilet facilities at Haneda, Narita and Osaka Itami airports to make it clear that they are available for the use of passengers of either sex and also transgender passengers.

Air Nippon Airways CSR Actions - Wildlife and ecosystems - Animal protection

16-07-2018

The rising temperature of seawaters is causing bleaching and a large-scale outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish that threaten Okinawa's coral with extinction. Air Nippon Airways participates in the Coral Restoration Project Team Tyura Sango, working to restore and protect the critical coral community near Onnason, Okinawa Prefecture. Team Tyura Sango is a project formed in 2004 as a partnership among government, academia and business to restore and protect the coral community near Onnason, Okinawa Prefecture, in a bid to support the restoration of coral reef ecosystems.

Volunteer divers plant coral by hand after it has been grown at onshore facilities. Since the project began, more than 1,200 volunteers have helped in the restoration, and more than 1,600 heads of coral have been planted. In addition to continuing these preservation activities, ANA ensures that the hand-planted coral continues to grow and spawn to increase in size and number. They want these activities to inspire as many people as possible with an awareness of the importance of the beauty of the seas.

Air Nippon Airways CSR Actions - Recycling and Waste Management

16-07-2018

The ANA Group is working to realize closed-loop recycling of waste that is generated on board aircraft, at airports, and at offices in order to reuse resources. The Group recycles used paper generated by office equipment and also recycles old inflight magazines, etc., into items such as timetables, envelopes, and business cards for use in its offices throughout Japan. Used cabin attendant, ground staff, and flight crew uniforms are broken down into fiber and reused as automotive soundproofing material. In addition, the uniforms themselves are made from materials produced from plastic bottles and other recyclables.

Accor Hotels CSR Actions - Recycling, Efficiency technologies for energy and water

16-07-2018

Accor Hotels commits to offer guests a true culinary experience through high-quality, healthy and sustainable food, all the while contributing to the transformation of the agricultural model and fighting against food waste. Through the Healthy and sustainable food charter, Accor hotels are reducing food waste in the restaurants by 30%, by weighing, monitoring, analysing and making every effort to reduce consumption at every stage: at the time of ordering, storing ,serving and prepping in the kitchen. They also encourage their hotels to donate unsold food, subject to local regulations and health rules. They are also reducing the quantity of packaging used. For example, by eliminating individual portions, favouring large-sized bottles of water and dispensing with bottles of water smaller than 33cl. Where the technical and health conditions allow, Accor Hotels offer filtered water or bottled water coolers. In its restaurants, Accor Hotels is committed to:

Reducing food waste by 30% by 2020
follow their charter on healthy and sustainable food
65% of waste from hotel operations will be recovered and reused by 2020
5% reduction in energy consumption per room per night by 2018 (owned, leased and managed hotels).
5% reduction of water consumption per night by 2018 (owned, leased and managed hotels)

Accor Hotels CSR Actions - Local supplier prosperity- local purchases

16-07-2018

During 2016, AccorHotels Australia rolled out the Healthy and Sustainable Food Charter to all hotels. The goal of the Charter is to offer guests a true culinary experience through high-quality, healthy and sustainable food, all the while contributing to the transformation of the agricultural model and fighting against food waste. AccorHotels Australia has made the following commitments in line with the Charter:

Preference products and ingredients supplied from Australian producers to avoid transportation impacts
Ban the use of overfished species.
Offer one or more fish options from certified sustainable fisheries or aquaculture.

As part of AccorHotels commitment to serve consistently healthy and safe food for our guests, the business has adopted the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Food Safety Methodology. HACCP provide a methodology to ensure that all raw materials, products and services that are purchased,handled and processed conform to specified requirements and provides traceability throughout the supply chain.With an initial focus on luxury and upscale brands, hotels across the Australian network are receiving certification, in addition to the suppliers engaged by National Procurement. All other hotels are required to implement a comprehensive and compliant Food Safety Program that meets the needs of their operations.

Accor Hotels CSR Actions - Eco design

16-07-2018

In order to roll out ecological design on a large scale, AccorHotels has defined sustainable development criteria for the 10 families of products that are key to its business. The criteria identified include prohibiting the use of certain chemicals, using recycled materials, green labelling of products and using wood or paper products that do not result in deforestation. In 2015, 98% of Accorhotels were already using at least one ecolabel product for floor coverings, paints or cleaning products. 94% purchased certified sustainable paper. Novotel, a hotel within the AccorHotels Group lead the way by taking eco-friendly action to another level, especially with the "Live N Dream", Novotel’s 100% sustainable bed. In 2014, Novotel created "Live N Dream", the bed system that resulted from an eco-design scheme that also addressed other sustainable development concerns. To date, about 14,000 beds have been introduced in some fifteen countries, mostly in Europe. Accorhotels also have adopted the use of innovative pillows and duvets filled with bedding fibers made from 100% recycled PET; materials chosen for their low environmental impact (a bed base made with wood from sustainably managed forests); less packaging material and end-of-life product recycling solutions. Furthermore, with the involvement of ergonomists to create a design that limits the risk of musculoskeletal disorders for housekeeping staff; training videos to teach them the right bed-making gestures and postures and how to use the hydraulic Levly® bed-lifting system.

Accor Hotels CSR Actions- Diversity Management

16-07-2018

AccorHotels has a strong commitment to gender equality. It has signed the UN's Women's Empowerment Principle and is an Impact Champion in the HeForShe Program. The Goal is to have 35% of hotel managers to be women by 2017. (This commitment was realised during 2017 with the total reaching 36%. AccorHotels Australia has now committed to target 50%). In 2016, the business started reporting on gender balance of department managers across the business. In 2017, 45% of department managers were female. The Strategic Leaders Development Program, facilitated by AccorHotels Académie, is the Group's high potential female leadership program designed to accelerate the development of female department managers. Department managers are a major source of new General Manager appointments. The Woman at Accor Generation (WAAG) is a global program focused on providing leadership training and networking opportunities for female managers and executives at AccorHotels. The program is also supported by the Australian Inclusion and Diversity Committee. AccorHotels globally supports the United Nations’ HeForShe program. The program promotes women’s empowerment and gender equality by inviting all members of society to make a commitment to actively increase gender equality – especially in the workforce. The program has been actively promoted across the hotel network. In Australia, 636 AccorHotels staff had made the pledge as of November 2017, up from 328 at the same time in 2016 (source: http://www.heforshe.org/en/accor-hotels)

Accor Hotels CSR Actions - Customer Security and Health

16-07-2018

Accor Hotels offer their customers healthy and high quality food. They place great importance on the quality of their meat and livestock products by including a piece of high-quality meat on the menu, at a good price and if possible of local origin, the meat do not contain hormones and milk comes from cows raised without growth hormones, and eggs from free range hens reared outdoors. Trans fatty acids are limited, and where solutions are available, for example, palm oil is replaced with other non hydrogenated fats. They favour processed products that do not contain palm oil in particular for sandwich bread and crisps. The hotel also limit the presence of sugar in the food offered. For example, they work to ensure bread, pastries, and cakes contain lower quantity of glucose-fructose syrup, or even none at all. During 2016, AccorHotels Australia rolled out the Healthy and Sustainable Food Charter to all hotels. The goal of the Charter is to offer guests a true culinary experience through high-quality, healthy and sustainable food, all the while contributing to the transformation of the agricultural model and fighting against food waste. AccorHotels Australia strives to source the best, freshest, seasonal produce from local markets nationally. Locally, AccorHotels Australia has made the following commitments in line with the Charter.

Club Med CSR Actions - Diversity Management

16-07-2018

As a signatory to the Diversity Charter in 2004 (the year of its launch), Club Med has long been sensitive to issues of diversity in the workplace. By tradition and especially considering the countries where it operates, Club Med promotes pluralism of origins and seeks diversity through recruitment and career management. The principles of diversity and non-discrimination have been reaffirmed in the ethics charter since 2009. Among the elements that illustrate and help to ensure nondiscrimination are the importance placed during the recruitment process on relational skills and on the objective assessment of associated skills. Measures taken to promote equality between women and men. In 2012, Club Med introduced a set of dedicated measures to promote the principle of workplace gender equality and enable all employees to fulfill their family duties more easily. This commitment is built around three action areas: - hiring - promotion - work/life balance Club Med operates a gender-transparent hiring policy, and offers the same salary to men and women of equivalent experience and job profile. In 2017, 44% of Club Med Leadership Committee members were women; a figure slightly above the average for CAC40 listed companies (42% - Source: Deloitte survey – Women in the boardroom, A Global Perspective - 5th edition). In the villages, women benefit somewhat more than men (in FTE) from occupational and geographical mobility, as well as from training. The proportion of women managers is slightly lower than that of men among village managers and Service managers. Hiring diversity for GO® and GE is reflected today, for example, by the number of different nationalities represented in each village:

105 nationalities represented;
90% of Club Med villages have eight or more nationalities among their employees;
55% of villages have 15 or more nationalities among employees;
some villages can have up to 25 different nationalities (average of the 5 villages with the greatest spread of nationalities)

NTF IV Myanmar: Inclusive Tourism development with focus on Kayah state (consolidation) and Tanintharyi Region (extension)

13-07-2018

Following the success of the "NTF III Myanmar: Inclusive Tourism focussing on Kayah state" project, ended in July 2017, Myanmar authorities asked ITC to extend activities to other parts of the country. ITC conducted a feasibility study on the potential of the destinations and the feasibility of an ITC inclusive tourism project. The studies included destinations prioritized by international and national Tour Operators, namely Tanintharyi, Kayin, Mon and Shan. Thanintaryi stood out as the destination with most potential. Tanintharyi has relavant revenue generation potential becasue of its pristine beaches and easy accessibility both from the capital Yangon (by flight) and from Thailand with three border crossing open to tourists. The three-and-a-half-year project is part of the fourth phase of the Netherlands Trust Fund (NTF IV) portfolio of trade development projects, which started last December 2018 with funding from The Netherlands. It will seek to bolster tourism capacity at the national and regional levels building on the results of NTF III by expanding tourism product development to Tanintharyi region and further consolidating the achieved results at national and at Kayah state level. The same successful value chain approach, from product and service development over association strengthening and destination branding to market linkages will be adopted. The project aims to improve livelihood of local village stakeholders and expects an increase in income generated by tourism of 20% and 200 jobs created/supported and an increase in international tourist arrivals to Tanintharyi Region by at least 35%.

NTF III Myanmar: Inclusive Tourism focussing on Kayah State

13-07-2018

Recently opened and with a diverse ethnic culture and history, Myanmar offers tourism experiences that cannot be found elsewhere. Myanmar’s tourism sector can, if managed correctly, contribute to spur socio-economic progress and support local provision of products and services for sustainable livelihoods. Nevertheless, the country’s annual increase in international visitor arrivals has slowed down, calling for a diversification of Myanmar’s tourism offer. The industry cannot rely any longer solely on the country’s main tourist attractions (Bagan, Mandalay, Yangon and Inle Lake) and activities. Beyond these known destinations, there are still many authentic places to discover, Kayah state being one of them. Tourism in Kayah State holds great potential for growth, particularly for cultural and eco-tourism. Located south of Inle Lake, it is endowed with pristine nature and cultural diversity. At the same time, it is one of Myanmar’s poorest states. The Myanmar NTF III project, funded by The Netherlands and implemented between August 2014 and July 2017, addressed the whole tourism value chain by overcoming bottlenecks at each point from product development over market linkages to destination branding, bringing all stakeholders together towards sustainable tourism. One single project that truly connected all players in a sustainable manner with the aim of enhancing Myanmar tourism industry as a way out of poverty. The NTF III project built skills across the tourism value chain and maximized benefits to local businesses and communities. In four traditional villages ITC helped develop respectful cultural tourism tours, creating jobs and increasing incomes for the ethnic minority residents, who in many cases were post-conflict returnees. Over the project duration (2014-2017) income for Kayah’s SMEs and providers of tourism products and service increased by 83% and jobs supported (formal and informal) by 28%. Between 2014 and 2017 the number of international tourists in Kayah state grew by about 230% and domestic tourists by almost 200%. Client spending in the state almost quadrupled over the same period. Next to financial indicators, the project is generating important intangible impact, namely facilitating the peace process in Kayah state by enforcing cooperation between all stakeholders, including government authorities, private businesses and local communities. ITC built capacity on three levels—(1) tourism products and service providers in Kayah state and tour operators in Yangon, (2) tourism sector associations and (3) national and state government enhancing Myanmar’s tourism sector and linking it to international markets.

Manual on Tourism and Poverty Alleviation – Practical Steps for Destinations

10-07-2018

With the aim of contributing to the understanding of tourism as a tool for poverty alleviation and sustainable development, UNWTO jointly with SNV has produced this publication, which outlines some practical steps that can be taken in tourism destinations to shape and manage tourism in ways which deliver more benefits to disadvantaged individuals and communities. The manual looks at the process of analysing a tourism destination in terms of current contribution of tourism to the poor and planning how this could be strengthened in the future. It proposes the establishment of a tourism strategy and action plan based on this analysis which embraces pro-poor concerns and actions and provides guidance on planning monitoring and evaluation. Furthermore it contains an indicative programme of training sessions, including handouts, using the material contained in the manual.

Tourism Driving Trade, Fostering Development and Connecting People

10-07-2018

This brochure discusses the importance of tourism as a force for driving trade, fostering development and connecting people. The publication explores tourism's economic and social benefits; it's resilience as an industry; the opportunities it builds for succesful partnerships; the role of politics and its effects on the industry, and the necessity to close the aid gap in regards to tourism.

Tourism in the Green Economy

10-07-2018

Over the past years, and particularly since the start of the global economic crisis, a widespread consensus has emerged on the need to build a new economic paradigm. Multiple crises – in climate, biodiversity, fuel, food, water and the economy as a whole – have led to calls for a new development model: a “green economy”. The UN Green Economy Report demonstrates that the greening of economies is not a constraint on growth, but rather a new engine of development, able to create decent jobs, reduce poverty and address major environmental challenges. Tourism, finds the Report, is one of the ten economic sectors best able to kick-start the transition to a sustainable and inclusive green economy.

EU Guidebook "Sustainable Tourism for Development"

10-07-2018

Tourism is a major activity with characteristics that make it particularly valuable as an agent for development. Developing countries however face a particular fragility in their natural, economic, social and human environments which could jeopardize the sector’s dynamism and beneficiary qualities. With such a significant potential for development, the need for a sustainable approach to tourism in developing countries to promote growth in the long term while maintaining a balanced use of resources is imperative… The Guidebook “Sustainable Tourism for Development” has been carried out by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) with the financing of the European Commission Directorate-General Development and Cooperation, within the framework of the project “Enhancing capacities for Sustainable Tourism for Development in Developing Countries”. The European Commission (Directorate General Development and Cooperation – DG DEVCO/ EuropeAid) requested UNWTO to prepare a Guidebook on Sustainable Tourism as an engine for development, trade in services, job creation and poverty reduction. The Guidebook seeks to enhance the understanding of tourism in all its dimensions and describe how the sector relates to the EU Agenda for Change. This enables EU services in Brussels and the EU Delegations in 180 countries, as well as other development institutions, to include sustainable tourism development in their programme cycles. The guidebook was tested in six developing countries (Botswana, India, Kenya, Vietnam, Senegal and Timor-Leste) and was publicly launched on the 27th of June 2013 in Brussels, Belgium. The Guidebook takes a comprehensive approach to tourism, covering a wide range of topics relating to its planning, development, management and impact. By working through the whole document, users can identify priorities for intervention across a spectrum of issues.

Sustainable Cruise Tourism Development Strategies – Tackling the Challenges in Itinerary Design in South-East Asia

10-07-2018

The cruise industry is one of the fastest growing segments of tourism. Although a recent development in Asia and the Pacific as compared to the traditional destinations in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, cruise tourism has been growing at double-digit rates in the region fuelled by the increasing demand from the North-East Asia markets, namely from China. In this context, South-East Asia has gained particular relevance as its ports account for around 45% of all port calls in the region. The exponential growth of cruise tourism in Asia, and particularly in South-East Asia, presents a major opportunity, but also an undeniable challenge to ensure that the policy, planning and development of cruise tourism is done in a sustainable and responsible manner. Indeed, cruise tourism, though still an emerging segment in Asia, has an immense potential to contribute to the region’s socio-economic progress while enhancing regional integration as many itineraries include ports in different countries. Yet, as highlighted in the present report “controlling tourism demand and mitigating its impacts will be the 21st century challenge. Cruise tourism will be one of the focal points of this shift in the way we experience the planet”.

Highlights of the 1st UNWTO Conference on Accessible Tourism in Europe

10-07-2018

UNWTO’s commitment to accessible tourism is guided by the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, a fundamental frame of reference for responsible and sustainable tourism development. Article 7 of the Code recognizes that “direct and personal access to the discovery and enjoyment of the planet’s resources constitutes a right equally open to all the world’s inhabitants”. As such, UNWTO collaborates with Disabled People’s Organizations to mainstream accessibility throughout the tourism sector. In 2013, the UNWTO General Assembly adopted Recommendations on Accessible Tourism for All to guide stakeholders in implementing universal accessibility in practice.

Case Studies of Traditional Cultural Accommodations in the Republic of Korea, Japan and China

10-07-2018

Cultural accommodations are emerging as a form of tourism product with a great potential to attract tourists combining traditional lodging services with authentic cultural experiences based on the traditional way of life of the host community. With a view to further support governments and other institutions in their endeavours, this UNWTO and KCTI joint publication presents 13 cases from three North-East Asian countries – Republic of Korea, Japan and China – as good practices in cultural accommodation approach for sustainable tourism development.

Mekong River-based Tourism Product Development

10-07-2018

It is hoped that this report will support further product development and assist the public and private sectors in planning and expanding the breadth river-based tourism activities along the Mekong River. The report is divided into four sections. The introduction outlines the approach to the study and defines river-based tourism. This is followed by the situational analysis, which explores the current product, market and policy dynamics of the Mekong River region and highlights opportunities and challenges for the development of river based tourism. Section three of the report provides a strategic framework and action plan for improving the quality, quantity and breadth of river-based tourism along the Mekong River. In section four of the report, river-based tourism development zones are mapped with complementary itineraries. And finally, the appendices provide a detailed implementation plan, summary of existing cruise products, and an indicative monitoring framework.

Benchmarking Methodology for the Development of Sustainable Cruise Tourism in South-East Asia

10-07-2018

Benchmarking Methodology for the Development of Sustainable Cruise Tourism in South-East Asia follows the 2016 publication on Sustainable Cruise Tourism Development Strategies – Tackling the Challenges in Itinerary Design in South-East Asia. Both reports were prepared in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Tourism Exchange Center (APTEC).

This second publication aims to support data-driven collaboration by encouraging information exchanges related to sustainable cruise tourism in South-East Asia. The report presents a methodology for policymakers and stakeholders to evaluate the impacts of cruise tourism at the destination level. With this methodology, destinations can benchmark their progress compared to that of their neighbours and, ultimately, enhance their regional collaboration.

Manual on Accessible Tourism for All: Principles, Tools and Best Practices: Module V: Best Practices in Accessible Tourism

10-07-2018

The Manual on Accessible Tourism for All: Principles, Tools and Good Practices, co-produced with the ONCE Foundation for Cooperation and Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities and the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), is intended to provide stakeholders with a useful tool to understand the needs of the tourism sector in terms of accessibility, the competitive advantages of tourism for all, and the methods for its implementation. Module V: Good Practices for Accessible Tourism provides an overview of case studies and good practices which have proven a successful implementation of universal accessibility in different spheres of tourism, such as promotion, market research, travel agencies, transportation, accommodation, training and capacity building and destination management. The examples analyze a wide spectrum of conditions which were decisive in making accessible tourism a reality and are meant to inspire the key stakeholders to engage in similar initiatives in their respective areas of influence. The manual´s objectives are to provide stakeholders with a useful tool to understand the needs of the tourism sector in terms of accessibility, the competitive advantages of tourism for all, and the methods for its implementation.

Tourism and Culture Partnership in Peru – Models for Collaboration between Tourism, Culture and Community

10-07-2018

The publication Tourism and Culture Partnership in Peru: Models for Collaboration among Tourism, Culture and Community analyses the importance of collaboration among three essential elements for the sustainable development of tourism destinations: tourism, culture and the community. Starting with a general framework, this book explores the subject by studying the case of Peru, as a country that has distinguished itself in its links to cultural tourism and in the tourism management of its heritage.

5th Global Summit on City Tourism: Cities – Local Culture for Global Travellers 1–2 November 2016

10-07-2018

The 5 th Global Summit on City Tourism as a follow up of the previous four Summits once again aims at providing a comprehensive understanding of the new opportunities, challenges and the dynamics of city tourism in urban areas by exchanging knowledge, experience and expertise on the above mentioned areas.

Practical Guidelines for Integrated Quality Management in Tourism Destinations – Concepts, Implementation and Tools for Destination Management Organizations

10-07-2018

The Practical Guidelines for Integrated Quality Management in Tourism Destinations offer a comprehensive and pragmatic approach to the improvement of quality of tourism destinations. The handbook is a perfect tool for tourism managers, planners, academics, professionals, entrepreneurs and decision-makers. It clarifies tourism concepts developing basic tools for improving quality at tourism destinations.

Second Global Report on Gastronomy Tourism

10-07-2018

In 2012, UNWTO Affiliate Members Programme launched the Global Report on Food Tourism outlining the state of gastronomy tourism. The report presented various examples of tourism and gastronomy professionals with extensive experience in international organizations, destination management, in both tourism enterprises and training schools. The 2nd Global Report on Gastronomy Tourism proviodes recent trends in gastronomy tourism, in addition to experts’ analyses and case studies suggesting best practices. The report, developed by the UNWTO Affiliate Members Programme with case studies from 60 contributors including UNWTO Member States, Affiliate Members and partner organizations, showcases how gastronomy tourism can be a driver for modern tourism in creating authentic experiences while promoting sustainable tourism. The report offers an introduction to a variety of themes related to gastronomy tourism, such as case studies on product development and experience in gastronomy tourism, challenges, communication and branding, good practices as well as training and skills in gastronomy tourism. In essence, the 2^nd Global Report on Gastronomy Tourism provides a holistic perspective of the state of gastronomy tourism today and an outlook for the future of the sector.

Affiliate Members Global Reports, Volume 15 – Second Global Report on LGBT Tourism

09-07-2018

Following the success of the first UNWTO Global Report on LGBT tourism published in 2012, UNWTO and International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, a UNWTO Affiliate Member, decided to embark in the preparation of the Second Global Report on LGBT Tourism, offering a more extensive analysis of LGBT (lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual) tourism. The Second Global Report on LGBT Tourism focuses on providing a set of recommendations to tourism stakeholders interested in attracting LGBT Tourism and maximizing the benefits associated with LGBT Tourism. Among others, the diversity and complexity inherent to the LGBT consumer are explored, providing the corresponding set of recommendations to tourism stakeholders to better understand the LGBT traveller. The publication is also enriched by a comprehensive compilation of case studies that provide valuable examples of case studies of tourism stakeholders who have benefited from their outreach to LGBT travellers. The Second Global Report on LGBT Tourism represents thus an excellent reference for all tourism stakeholders and destinations in particular, interested in engaging in LGBT tourism and fully harness the potential LGBT tourism has to offer.

Tourism for Sustainable Development in Least Developed Countries: Leveraging Resources for Sustainable Tourism with the Enhanced Integrated Framework

09-07-2018

Tourism is a key sector for trade development for many LDCs as highlighted in 45 out of 48 Diagnostic Trade Integration Studies analyzed for this joint UNWTO-ITC-EIF report. This report provides concrete guidance on how to better harness the role of tourism for sustainable development and realize the 2030 Agenda for the prosperity of people and the planet through trade policies. It provides hands-on guidance to design trade related technical assistance directed at the tourism sector making the report a must-read for the development community, particularly as 2017 marks the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

International Rural Tourism Development – An Asia-Pacific Perspective

09-07-2018

This publication released on the occasion of the International Year for Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, focuses on community empowerment and poverty alleviation through rural tourism development. The report shines a light on rural tourism development in the Asia Pacific region with fourteen specific case studies that show how communities have adapted a sustainable approach to rural tourism that stimulates economic growth, creates employment and improves the livelihood of communities.

Maximizing the Benefits of Mega Events for Tourism Development

09-07-2018

A mega event benefits a host destination in terms of attracting visitors to the event and drawing global attention to the destination. However, in addition to such short-term benefits, it can be a catalyst for longer-term tourism development in various aspects from economic to social. This publication on Maximizing the Benefits of Mega Events for Tourism Development provides practical references on what a host destination can do to fully leverage the event opportunity for tourism development with a variety of illustrative cases. Although the report refers to insights from mega events, the practical references can be applied to any scale of events in any destination.

Managing Growth and Sustainable Tourism Governance in Asia and the Pacific

09-07-2018

This publication released on the occasion of the International Year for Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, focuses on sustainable-tourism governance approaches that have helped to realize tourism’s potential to contribute to economic growth and improved livelihoods in the Asia and the Pacific region by providing tangible examples demonstrating that growth and sustainability are not at odds. The case studies presented in the report cover 13 countries and 17 destinations in the region and highlight issues related to growth and sustainable-tourism governance, providing approaches from both the private and public sectors in one of the most promising and successful tourism regions in the world.

New Platform Tourism Services (or the so-called Sharing Economy) – Understand, Rethink and Adapt

09-07-2018

This report aims to gain a better understanding of how new platform tourism services, or the so-called Sharing Economy, is shaping the tourism sector. It seeks to identify the specific opportunities and challenges it poses across destinations, how these are being addressed, and the way forward. Drawing on the responses of a UNWTO survey, this exploratory study offers a global overview of the current situation, impact and future importance of these services in five main areas of tourism – information, accommodation, transport, food and tourism activities.

Regional Statistics Capacity Building Programme - Second Workshop

09-07-2018

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Ministry of National Planning, Tourism and Handicrafts of Algeria are organizing jointly the Regional Statistics Capacity Building Programme (RSCBP) in Algiers, at the kind invitation of the Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. The selected countries to participate in this programme are: Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Cote d'ivoire, Egypt, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sudan, Togo and Tunisia.

Official Celebration of World Tourism Day 2018 - Tourism and the digital transformation

06-07-2018

Digital advances are transforming how we connect and inform ourselves, transforming our behaviour, and encouraging innovation and sustainable, responsible growth strategies. We must better understand the growing economic, societal and environmental impacts of technology and innovation in tourism if our sector is to sustain continuous and inclusive growth in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. “Tourism and the Digital Transformation” is the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day (WTD).

International Seminar on Women’s Empowerment in the Tourism Sector

06-07-2018

The importance of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls has been underscored in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5- Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030. Gender equality implies a society in which women and men enjoy the same opportunities, outcomes, rights and obligations in all spheres of life (UNPFA, 2017). A critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women full autonomy to manage their own lives. Women’s empowerment is vital to sustainable development and the realization of the human rights for all. Moreover, evidence shows that promoting equality will speed up the progress towards the achievement of the SDGs, (UNICEF, 2011) and must be a central part of any strategy to create more sustainable and inclusive economies and societies (OECD, 2014).

International Conference on decent work and socially responsible tourism

06-07-2018

As part of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are pleased to invite you to the International Conference on Decent Work and Socially Responsible Tourism to be held in Madrid on 20 October 2017, from 09h30 to 14h00, at the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda (MINETAD), address Calle Capitán Haya, 41. The Tripartite Conference will address the intersections between tourism and employment, as well as issues of governance, corporate social responsibility, responsible production and consumption patterns, universal accessibility and equitable redistribution of benefits generated by tourism sector. The thematic orientation is being defined by the Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Objectives (SDGs), in particular the SDG 8, 12 and 14, and also as a general framework the UN Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (1999), whose conversion in the International Convention has just been approved by the UNWTO General Assembly, and the ILO tripartite document Guidelines on Decent Work and Socially Responsible Tourism, agreed at the meeting of tripartite experts and constituents (Geneva, 20-24 February 2017).

8th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism

06-07-2018

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Tourism of Greece and the Region of Central Macedonia have partnered together to organize the 8^th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism in Thessaloniki, Greece on 10-12 October 2018.

Following the success of the previous two editions in Dunhuang (2013) andXi’an (2015) in China, this international Silk Road meeting will be hosted for the very first time by a European Silk Road Member State, and focus on the overarching role and relevance of the Silk Road within a globalized tourism framework. To count upon the participation of Silk Road Member States, UNWTO Affiliate Members and international partner agencies, interested stakeholders from around the globe, both public and private, are invited to attend an event that will count upon a ministerial roundtable and specialized sessions focused on assessing the role and relevance of the historic Silk Road routes within a globalized setting. Together with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), a joint session assessing the Silk Road's role in bridging Europe with Asia will take place, after which a B2B session aimed at strengthening business ties between European and Asian stakeholders will be held during the second day of the event. Primarily focused on tourism partnerships, but open to all business sectors, stakeholders interested in exploring the vast opportunities of trans-continental exchange are encouraged to make the most of this networking opportunity. Participation in the B2B session is free of cost; only registration for the event is required.

Event partners: UNWTO is pleased to partner with Aegean Airlines, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau, the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization, and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in organizing this event.

Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism

06-07-2018

The Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of Jamaica, the World Bank Group and the Inter-American Development Bank aimed to set a new collaborative framework for tourism moving towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. An official event of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, the events gathered 1500 participants and over 150 speakers in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 27-29 November 2017. The conference brought together world leaders from the tourism industry along with governments, donors, international development and finance organizations to design and coordinate an international road map and foster collaborative relationships for inclusive economic and social development via tourism. Organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Tourism of Jamaica and the World Bank Group, in collaboration with Chemonics International, a leading international development firm, this conference helped identify successful models and initiatives of public-private partnerships (PPPs) that will contribute to sustainable tourism development globally. To achieve tangible results, the conference yielded practical plans to guide future development initiatives building on the United Nations 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, including specific development proposals and opportunities related to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (MDG) 17 which calls for revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development.

6th International Conference on Tourism Statistics: Measuring Sustainable Tourism

06-07-2018

On the occasion of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017, the Government of the Philippines and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) organized the 6th International Conference on Tourism Statistics held in Manila from 21 to 24 June 2017 with the objective of addressing the issue of the Measurement of Sustainable Tourism. Sustainable tourism is increasingly relevant in national agendas for its role in fostering economic growth, social inclusiveness and the protection of cultural and natural assets. This is now also recognized at the highest international level with the UN General Assembly having adopted several resolutions acknowledging the role of tourism in sustainable development, including the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This calls for evidence to support policy and track progress. A core component of the conference was the presentation of the first draft of a new statistical framework for tourism —one that integrates the various dimensions of sustainable tourism (economic, environmental and social) and across relevant spatial levels (global, national and subnational). UNWTO recognizes that, apart from being a technical exercise, the development and implementation of a statistical framework for sustainable tourism is very much a strategic endeavor that will require stakeholder engagement, inter-institutional coordination and political leadership. Participants had the chance to discuss methodological advances, explore emerging issues and learned from pioneering country experiences in this area of measurement. The Manila Conference gathered for the first time Ministers, Statistical Chiefs, Policy experts and statisticians dedicated to sustainable development, environment and tourism.

2nd UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture

06-07-2018

This Conference is a sequel to the First UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia in February 2015 and will provide the platform to reflect upon the Siem Reap Declaration that pledged to explore the synergies of the tourism and culture sectors to work in harmony for sustainable development. The United Nations has declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, thereby offering a unique opportunity to explore and highlight tourism’s potential to help transform the world into a place of prosperity and wellbeing for all. In this context, the second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture features prominently as one of the official events on the calendar of activities of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Gathering tourism and culture stakeholders from all world regions in Muscat, Oman, the Conference will address a wide range of topics, including governance models, tourism development and protection of cultural heritage, culture and tourism in urban development and creativity, and exploring cultural landscape in tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development in destinations worldwide.

Measuring Sustainable Tourism: Report of the 6th International Conference on Tourism Statistics

06-07-2018

Over 1000 leaders and practitioners from 88 countries convened in Manila, Philippines, at the 6th International Conference on Tourism Statistics: Measuring Sustainable Tourism (21–23 June 2017). Ministers, Statistical Chiefs, policy experts, statisticians, private sector and academics dedicated to sustainable development and tourism united to lay the groundwork for an expanded statistical framework for Measuring Sustainable Tourism (MST) in its economic, social and environmental dimensions. Global leaders spoke strategically, and politically, on the need for statistics to credibly substantiate tourism in national and international agendas, and as a lever for sector viability. The outcome "Manila Call for Action on Measuring Sustainable Tourism" represents a global commitment to sustainable tourism and the need to measure it through a consistent statistical approach, recognizing that effective sustainable tourism policies require an integrated, coherent and robust information base.

Regional Conference on Investing in Tourism for an Inclusive Future: Challenges and Opportunities Petra, Jordan, 26–27 October 2016

06-07-2018

This report synthesizes the rich insights of the first Regional Conference on Investing in Tourism for an Inclusive Future: Challenges and Opportunities (26–27 October 2016, Petra, Jordan). Jointly organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan, the event advanced understandings of how investments in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region can harness tourism’s potential to foster inclusive growth and sustainable development in the broadest sense – economically, socially, culturally and environmentally. The report highlights the Conference’s discussions on three priority areas, and the role of finance in achieving these priorities: access to training and employment opportunities; supporting local micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises; and resource and energy efficiency. By identifying challenges, lessons learned and key recommendations, the Conference culminated in the Petra Declaration – a call to action to build a more inclusive, sustainable tourism sector.

10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme Annual Magazine 2016/2017 – Advancing towards a Clear North

06-07-2018

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are guiding our common action towards a better world. The key role of sustainable tourism is explicitly mentioned in three of the 17 goals, yet the contribution of the tourism sector to the 2030 Agenda is much wider. This year of 2017, declared by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, recognizes the potential for sustainable tourism to advance all 17 Goals, from gender equality to the fight against climate change or the end of poverty. With international tourist arrivals forecast to reach 1.8 billion in 2030, the greatest challenge for the tourism sector is to shape this growth so it contributes to environmental conservation, resource efficiency and cultural preservation while creating inclusive economic opportunities. In response to this challenge, the Sustainable Tourism Programme of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production was created in 2014 to blend the expertise, technical capacity and reach of governments, NGOs, international organizations, business, academia and consumer organizations. The programme’s principal aim of accelerating the shift to sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns represents a new North for the tourism sector, enhancing its contribution to the SDGs on water, energy, climate change, oceans and land as well as its direct contribution to SDG 12 on sustainable consumption and production.

UNWTO/GTERC Annual Report on Asia Tourism Trends, 2017 Edition – Executive Summary

06-07-2018

The UNWTO/GTERC Annual Report on Asia Tourism Trends, 2017 Edition, the fourth annual report in the series, highlights the rapidly growing tourism sector of Asia and the Pacific . This growth has been influenced by technological developments and the digital revolution. Regional collaboration with its many challenges and opportunities is also highlighted as one of factors shaping tourism development in Asia and the Pacific.

UNWTO.Themis Foundation course on Tourism Strategy

05-07-2018

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the UNWTO.Themis Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Artisanal Promotion of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea jointly organize a "Tourism Strategy" course in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 24 to September 28, 2018. The objective of this course is to provide participants with knowledge, tools, skills and opportunities to discuss and put into practice issues relevant to the tourism strategy. The working language of the course will be Spanish and French *By invitation only

Postgraduate Diploma in Mountain Destination Management at the University of Andorra

05-07-2018

The Postgraduate Diploma in Mountain Destination Management, offered by the University of Andorra, in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), its UNWTO.Themis Foundation and Pallarsactiu, has been created to ensure excellence for professionals aiming to occupy positions in organizations and tourism companies geared towards improving the competitiveness and sustainability of mountain tourism destinations. This Postgraduate Diploma has been designed to provide students with the necessary methodological tools to confront the challenges that mountain destinations face in the XXI century and, consequently, become professionals with the capacity to analyse those challenges in a global context with special emphasis on mainstreaming sustainability in the development of their professional activity. Format: Online with two onsite sessions (March and June) Participants: Graduates and professionals from public and private tourism sectors with expertise or a direct role in strategy, management policy, planning and promotion of mountain tourism destinations. Access requirements: A degree in tourism or professional experience in the tourism sector. Duration: October - June (1 academic year = 9 months) Credits: 30 ECTS credits Structure:

Introduction to the Sustainable Management of Mountain Tourism Destinations
Mountain Tourism Destination Planning
Mountain Tourism Destination Marketing
Two mandatory on-site sessions
Final project

Collaborating Universities: Colorado State University (USA) & Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Switzerland) Accreditations: Postgraduate Diploma in Mountain Destination Management by the Universitat d’Andorra Credits within Colorado State University (CSU) “Ski Area Management” Graduate Certificate Programme

UNWTO/GWU University Online Course on “Tourism as a Path to International Cooperation & Sustainable Development”

05-07-2018

This intensive course trains university graduates, industry professionals and government official in subject areas related to international cooperation and development through tourism, with the threefold objective of: (a) providing participants with the latest knowledge and tools for leveraging tourism as a tool for sustainable development; (b) foster practical application of UNWTO’s principles and guidelines for sustainable tourism; and (c) present innovative approaches that contribute to the 2017 United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. REGISTRATION & REQUIREMENTS Candidates wishing to apply for the University Course on “Tourism as a Path to International Cooperation & Sustainable Development” should be university graduates, industry professionals or government officials from disciplines relevant to tourism and interested in planning international cooperation and sustainable development projects related to tourism. Candidates should have an excellent command of English, as the Course will be conducted in this language. Candidates interested in taking part can read all additional information about the ONLINE part of the course by downloading the Brochure and fill out the application form and upload the supporting documents as soon as possible. Documents must be addressed to: Omar Valdez Executive Director UNWTO.Themis Foundation SELECTION Please note that applying does not mean that the candidate is automatically accepted as a participant. All candidacies will be considered and evaluated, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted. A final selection of participants will be carried out and those selected will be informed via email. We would like to thank all applicants in advance for their interest and trust. COURSE FEES The Online Course fee is $1,225 USD. Candidates interested in taking part can read all additional information about the ONLINE part of the course by downloading the Brochure and fill out the application form and upload the supporting documents as soon as possible.

UNWTO/CTO Workshop on Sustainable Tourism Destination Management & Marketing in collaboration with GSTC

05-07-2018

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the UNWTO.Themis Foundation in collaboration with Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) are jointly organizing a workshop in Saint Lucia on Sustainable Tourism Destination Management & Marketing, from 27 to 31 March 2017, for tourism officials and professionals from the host country as well as from the region. This workshop will examine the critical activities companies and destination communities must address to ensure they maximize the economic benefits of tourism throughout the value chain, while ensuring both the unique heritage and natural environment of the destination are preserved. The programme will also address the key trends in the marketplace to ensure participants meet the needs of ever more sophisticated consumers. The ultimate objective of this workshop is to contribute to the sustainability and competitiveness of the Caribbean tourism industry. Knowledge, skills, tools and experiences will be shared, enabling participants to apply triple-bottom-line management approaches to ensure that tourism experiences are both globally competitive and sustainable. Mr. Carlos Vogeler, Programme Director for Regional programme for America and Executive Director for Member Relations at the UNWTO stated that: “We need to keep working in making the world understand that tourism, when well-designed and well-managed, can contribute to the three dimensions of sustainable development: social, economic and environmental and consequently to the 17 Universal Sustainable Development Goals”.

English 2014 University Course Tourism and International Cooperation for Development

05-07-2018

This intensive course trains university graduates and professionals in subject areas related to international cooperation and development through tourism. Participants are given an opportunity to achieve specialization in this area of work in order to take advantage of international development opportunities including the UNWTO.Volunteer Corps which supports UNWTO international technical assistance projects and those of other agencies of the UN System. The objectives are as follows: - To provide participants with basic knowledge and tools to take part in international cooperation projects or development programmes through tourism. - To disseminate UNWTO's principles and guidelines, especially tourism's role as an instrument of development and poverty alleviation; - To disseminate the ideals of service and solidarity rooted in the essence of volunteerism; - To foster opportunities for networking and community building between course participants, industry professionals and key tourism stakeholders COURSE STRUCTURE Part 1: On-line From August 18 to September 26, 2014 Estimated hours: 90-100 hours Part 2: On-site George Washington University (GW), Washington DC, USA From October 4 to 16, 2014 Hours of instruction and field studies: 100 hours The on-site component of the course follows a practical methodology based on specific knowledge on issues relevant to tourism and international cooperation for development, so that the participant acquires hands-on tools used in tourism related International Development projects. The on-site course includes the development of a concept design for a sustainable tourism project as well as a rapid-destination assessment fieldwork in the DC Metropolitan area. Case studies and best practices will be presented by GW professors, tourism experts from international cooperation or development agencies, and UNWTO/Themis officers. Also, a briefing will be provided on PM4SD-a new methodology and qualification developed in Europe for designing and managing successful tourism projects. A detailed agenda and outline of the course content will be provided before the GW on-site component begins. Participant Profile University graduates, young professionals and early retirees from disciplines relevant to development cooperation, over 21 years of age, demonstrating interest in participating in projects of international cooperation for development related to tourism. A basic introduction to tourism module will be provided for participants with no academic or experiential background in tourism. ADMISSION PROCEDURE The official on-line application form of the University Course on Tourism and International Cooperation for Development must be submitted and the required documentation must be sent in PDF or JPG format to cigw@unwtothemis.org, with subject: "CoopInt14GWU-Surname", before 31 July 2014. Documentation required: - Copy of your highest academic degree. - Professional resume. - Photograph. - English certificate for non-native speakers only (TOEFL and IELTS are preferred). - One letter of recommendation (Professional or Academic). - Letter of motivation stating why you want to participate in this course. - Copy of your passport (biographical page). *Visa formalities are the sole responsibility of the participant. COST OF THE COURSE The total cost of the course is US$2,900. This fee will cover costs for the on line and on site portions of the course, and the provision of course materials, lunch and refreshment breaks during the course. Costs of travel to and from Washington, DC, additional meals and accommodations are not included. GW will provide information to assist participants in finding appropriate accommodations as needed. Payment Deadline: Tuition fees, for all admitted participants, must be paid before 31 July 2014 directly to the Themis Foundation located in the Principality of Andorra. The admission of the participant will be formalized with the payment.

UNWTO Course in Paraguay on “Tourist Routes for Community Development”

05-07-2018

A group of forty qualified tourism officials, professionals and university professors of tourism of UNWTO Member States from both the host country and representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Peru and Puerto Rico, will meet in Asunción on the occasion of this course that aims to provide participants with the knowledge, tools and opportunities to reflect, discuss and implement the relevant issues addressed in the development of tourist routes with integration of communities; the creation and design of a tourist route, its development and implementation, its management and monitoring and its promotion and commercialization. This course, like all the initiatives of the UNWTO.Capacity program, has a theoretical-practical approach and is structured in modules and by processes and the contents are based on concrete facts and are presented through presentations, the analysis of real cases, debates, works in group and practical activities, in order to share with the assistants as much theoretical knowledge as tools and capacities that allow them to make a practical application in their own destinies. This methodology contributes to the achievement of a highly interactive learning experience and, therefore, indisputably more enriching and productive. As a finishing touch, SENATUR kindly invites the attendees of the course to participate in the inauguration of the 14th edition of the International Tourism Fair of Paraguay (FITPAR), on 13 October, a space where products, services and tourist destinations of the region are presented to the professional market and the general public. "Every time we travel, we use a whole chain of services provided by different actors, whether transportation, gastronomy or the purchase of products in a local market. This is what we know as a multiplier effect of tourism in the economy, a whole made up of various suppliers that constitute a long chain of value to create employment, empower local communities and contribute to improving the living conditions of local people, opening up new opportunities for a better future, "said Carlos Vogeler, Executive Director of UNWTO. He adds that "tourism can only thrive if it integrates the local population by encouraging social values such as participation, education and improvement of local governance. At the same time, there can be no true development of tourism if that development works in any way to the detriment of the values and culture of the receiving communities or if the socio-economic benefits it generates do not come directly to the communities. "

Anáhuac-UNWTO Master Degree on Tourism Destination Management

05-07-2018

OMT-Anahuac Master's Degree in "Management of Tourist Destinations" The Anáhuac México Norte University (Mexico), in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), offers the OMT-Anahuac Master's Degree in "Management of Tourist Destinations" with the purpose of training professionals in the sector to train professionals with high technical specialization. , with a broad and comprehensive vision of the most important issues of tourism development in general and of destination management in particular, with emphasis on strategic thinking, competitiveness and innovation on the one hand, as well as on ethics and responsibility social on the other. Important information - Course conducted in Spanish - Online, with only one face-to-face week per year - Participant profile: professionals from the public and private tourism sector - Participants must have an official certificate of undergraduate studies completed in ourism or other related disciplines that have work experience in any of the fields of tourism development. - Duration of the course: a year and half and starts every year in July Structure - 15 online subjects (one subject is taught per month) - 1 semi-face-to-face subject - 4 face-to-face courses (the first week of the first and fifth trimesters are taught and are taught by international professors of the UNWTO) Authors and teachers Outstanding international experts, representatives of the public, private and academic sectors, which guarantees a broad, multisectorial approach applicable to all tourist destinations in the world. Information at: http://ww2.anahuac.mx/turismo/plan-de-estudios

World Conference on Tourism and Future Energy – Unlocking Low-carbon Growth Opportunities

05-07-2018

For tourism to be based on low-carbon growth, the accommodation, air and land transport clusters need to be fully engaged. Innovation in energy use and sources such as renewable primary energy, transport to and within destinations, and a change in consumer behaviour are all part of the solution. This will require substantial investment that takes into account the imperatives of sustainability without hampering competitiveness. As part of the Astana EXPO 2017, UNWTO and Kazakhstan held the World Conference on Tourism and Future Energy to discuss new opportunities and innovative solutions that could help the global tourism sector to contribute to low-carbon growth. This report details the key takeaways from each discussion. The conference concluded that there is great urgency but also great opportunities for tourism to become a leading sector by reducing its CO2 emissions and become part of the decarbonized economy of the mid-21st century.

3rd International Congress on Ethics and Tourism – Enhancing the Sector’s Sustainability through Shared Responsibilities

05-07-2018

The 3rd International Congress on Ethics and Tourism, held in Krakow, Poland in April 2017 under the theme ‘Enhancing the Sector’s Sustainability through Shared Responsibilities’, tackled issues of governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR), responsible consumption patterns and universal accessibility, as well as effective management models for natural and cultural resources. This report details the key takeaways from each discussion and the conclusions of the congress. Amongst these, it was recommended that governments should create an enabling environment for multi-stakeholder cooperation towards ethical tourism, aimed at advancing resource efficiency and shared value and accountability.

1st UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition

05-07-2018

World Tourism Organization and Globalia announce the first and largest worldwide competition for tourism startups

This pioneering initiative for the tourism sector reaches out to 164 countries to find startups aiming to transform tourism.
Whether tech-based or non-technological, early-stage or more mature, any startup with innovative ideas capable of revolutionizing the way we travel and enjoy tourism is welcome to participate.

The tourism sector took a giant step into the future. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in partnership with Globalia, the leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America, announced the launch of the 1st UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition. It is the world’s first and largest initiative devoted to identifying new companies that will lead the transformation of the tourism sector. In order to find the best projects, the call for competitors will be launched in 164 countries.

The objective of the programme is to select the best solutions and the most disruptive projects. The search will focus on finding pioneering proposals for implementation of emerging and disruptive technologies, as well as on startups based on new business models, such as the circular economy. In this regard, one of the pillars of this competition is to give visibility to projects that are committed to enhancing sustainability in tourism. The startup search process is as ambitious as it is complex: identifying the best projects in all corners of the planet. For this, UNWTO and Globalia have enlisted the innovation consultancy firm Barrabés.biz, which boasts more than 20 years’ experience in the creation, connection and activation of entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems. To broaden the scope of the competition and to facilitate the registration of interested startups, the programme will be implemented through the digital platform YouNoodle, a leading Silicon Valley company in the startup evaluation space at the global level. “Innovation and tourism investment are not ends in themselves; they are means to develop better tourism products, to improve the governance of tourism and to make the most of the proven sustainability of tourism, by creating jobs and generating opportunities," said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. For his part, Globalia CEO Javier Hidalgo confirmed his company’s support for this new initiative emphasizing that “as a global tourism group, we want to offer the winners the opportunity to work with us and transform the sector together”. Who can participate? To participate in this global competition, startups must present business models that are related to at least one of four main areas:

The future of travel
The tourism experience
Environmental impact
Community development

Those interested in participating can find more information and submit their applications through the programme's website at www.tourismstartups.org. Applications are open from 26 June to 3 September 2018. The projects will be evaluated according to five criteria: uniqueness and viability of the solution, potential impact, business model, scalability and team profile. A jury will evaluate the entries and select the best projects as semi-finalists to be announced in September 2018. The winners of this competition will have the opportunity to be part of the leading companies in the tourism sector. About UNWTO The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a United Nations specialized agency, is the leading international organization with the decisive and central role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how. About Globalia Globalia is the number one tourism group in Ibero-America, with a turnover of over 3.57 billion euros in 2016. With a presence in more than 20 countries and 15,000 employees, Globalia Holding provides services to all sectors of the world of tourism. It comprises a number of independent companies that are leaders in their markets, including Air Europa (airline), Halcón Viajes (travel agencies), Travelplan (tour operator), Be Live (hotel chain) and Groundforce (airport handling).

First Professional Experience Project

05-07-2018

The original initiative has grown in approach, focus and scope, setting a challenge to improve the employability of 35 young people at risk of social exclusion. JP Morgan also joined the project as a sponsor and the Accenture foundation provided technological support and language skills. We believe that the initiative deserves recognition. Thanks to the efforts of all of our partners, we are promoting an innovative social-work model that helps youngsters get their first job opportunity in a professional environment, providing them with experience, personal development, maturity and the skills to help them in their search for employment. The project is part of the Meliá Hotels International CSR strategy and is a social initiative for the development of employability whose main mission is to improve the conditions of young people at risk of exclusion, by increasing the quality and stability of employment, promoting equal opportunities and enhancing self-awareness and self-improvement in a real-life environment. Meliá is listening to the new generations that require a more responsible attitude from leading companies.

World´s First 100% Electric Tour Bus

05-07-2018

When the company Switchbus GmbH was set up in 2013, there were no electric busses with a long-range available for tourism, that were suitable for mountain excursions. As a result, the company invested significant private effort and financial resources to convert a regular small 16-seater IVECO Daily bus to be 100% electric. The project was successful and since the summer of 2014, “Switzerland Explorer Tours” offer a variety of day and multi-day tours based on sustainable tourism principles. The bus called “Switchbus” has a range of 200-300 km depending where it travels. It is also supplied with renewable energy by the local Lucerne utility company “Energie Wasser Luzern”, making all tours zero-emissions (and so no emission compensation required). The successful innovation of Switzerland Explorer Tours is related to two public-private stakeholder collaborative initiatives, both initiated and coordinated by the company. These included the: a) Development of a 100% electric tour bus, and b) Design of sustainable tour experiences.

Bali Beach Clean-up

05-07-2018

The ocean sustains us with the basic elements of life -it produces half of the oxygen in the air we breathe, and it is an essential part of the water cycle, helping to provide the water we drink. However, we face difficult challenges when it comes to preserving clean oceans, but one problem is simple to understand: rubbish. Rubbish is one of the most widespread pollution problems facing our oceans and waterways. We all know waste in the water compromises the health and livelihoods of humans and wildlife, and threaten the tourism industry that depends on it. Unfortunately, even in world famous beaches, such as those in Bali, we have all noticed the “tsunami of trash” on the beachfront these past few years during the wet season. During this time, which usually occurs between October and April, tons of rubbish will pile high after having been washed out by the monsoon rain and brought back by onshore winds, leaving the island in a horrendous condition. That’s why since 2012, Garuda Indonesia joined forces with Coca Cola, Amatil Indonesia (CCAI) and Quiksilver Indonesia (QS) through Bali Beach CleanUp program – a bold action founded by CCAI and QSin2008 – that aims to minimize the impact of waste on the beautiful beaches of Bali, strengthen the tourism industry which will help improve the welfare of the local people, and support Bali’s government’s program.

Treetop Walking Path

05-07-2018

The Treetop Walking Path was opened in Anykščiai Regional Park in this summer. It became a sensation. This Path is the first among Baltic and Eastern Europe lands. The annual number of visitors in small Lithuania’s town Anykščiai, which belongs to Anykščiai Regional Park, is about 9,000. After the Path’s opening (in less than 3 months) around 150,000 visitors visited the Treetop Walking Path! Abundant number of visitors from various countries proves that it has been a successful project and a great move in strategy of Anykščiai educational tourism development. The success is due to: - An innovation in Baltic States and Eastern Europe. - An extremely carefully and thoughtfully chosen place. The Path is located in relatively small but extraordinaire forest. It is widely known because of the poem “The Forest of Anykščiai” written by famous Lithuanian writer Antanas Baranauskas. The poem reveals (some quotes are in The Path’s information stands) particularly close relationship between man and nature. Moreover, this place is an intersection of hiking, cycling, water and motor tourism routes. In addition, Anykščiai forest with a lot of natural and cultural heritages is preserved in the Anykščiai forest’s landscape reserve. - The possibility to combine different types of tourism and recreation: active, educational, health and cultural tourism. The visitors can order the educational program and learn interesting facts about the forest’s biodiversity. - An original architectural solution: the folk band’s motifs from Lithuanian ethno-cultural region called the Highland. - Special attention for people with disabilities. The Path is the only place in Lithuania where people with disabilities can be taken this high.

Responsible Tourism and Crime Free in Medellín

05-07-2018

The Office of the Under Secretary of Tourism of the Mayor's Office of Medellín has been working tirelessly since 2012 to fight against the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) associated with travel and tourism by promoting and implementing actions among entrepreneurs in the tourism sector and among the city's public and private agencies in order to work together towards responsible tourism. As a result of the executed activities, an average of 12,000 people have been reached by the CSEC program, and 41 public and private agencies have signed agreements to continue working to prevent sexual offenses. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) works with governments and the civil population to prevent drugs and crime from threatening the citizens' safety, peace and development opportunities. Its work mandate in Colombia is directly related to promoting the update of the best international practices through contributions related to the generation of knowledge about the nature, scope and trends of the drug and crime problem, the support of the implementation of international conventions on the matter, the orientation and accompaniment for the development and implementation of national policies and strategies to fight drugs and crime, and the development of national abilities to address and prevent the production, traffic and abuse of drugs and other manifestations of organized crime. As a concrete result of the identification of sexual exploitation activities in the city, and with the previous knowledge of the administration, the UNODC signed an agreement with the Office of the Under Secretary of Tourism of the Mayor's Office of Medellín, whose aim is to train local authorities and tourism services providers of the City of Medellín to identify the risk of behaviors related to human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents associated with travel and tourism.

Green Certifications Programme

04-07-2018

The initiative hereby presented by the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC) is the Green Certifications Program. The PRTC encourages the development of new modalities such as ecotourism, agrotourism, cultural, religious, and medical and wellness, among other niche markets. For this development to be ongoing, it should be framed under the elements of sustainability. In accordance with Puerto Rico Law 254 of November 2006, known as the “Public Policy Act for the Sustainable Development of Tourism in Puerto Rico”, the Sustainable Tourism Division was created. The Division focuses on the planning and implementation of several projects and programs, such as the Green Certifications Program, which comprises the Sustainable Tourism Facilities Program, the Ecotourism Program, the Agrotourism Program, and the Community Based Sustainable Tourism Program. The PRTC would like to highlight that Puerto Rico is one of the few islands in the Caribbean, with its own certification programs. These voluntary, government operated programs represent no cost for hotels, haciendas, farms, and tour operators endorsed by the PRTC. The auditing process is undertaken annually with a recertification process every two years. Our criteria certification includes, but is not limited to, energy efficiency, water saving, appropriate disposal of waste products, indoor air quality, landscaping practices, recycling program, establishment of an environmental policy, including service providers, as well as a green team, involvement and benefit of the local community, education and outreach, a green fleet of vehicles, reduction of toxic and hazardous substances in the whole property.

East Africa Tourism Platform

04-07-2018

The East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP) is the private sector body for tourism in East Africa, working towards promoting the interest and participation of the private sector in the East African Community (EAC) integration process. EATP is the first regional tourism apex body put into place, able to lobby at the EAC level and at the level of national governments. The vision of creating and promote a vibrant and diverse single tourism destination is the driving force. EATP promotes intra and inter-regional tourism though advocacy, marketing, skills development, research and information sharing. The main strategic objectives of EATP are to: - Intermediate and reduce obstacles to intra and inter-regional tourism - Promote an intra and inter-regional tourism marketing approach - Facilitate continuous skills development in the tourism sector - Promote harmonized standards and codes of conduct of tourism facilities and services - Facilitate access to finance and risk management services - Share information and provide networking opportunities Providing positive and results oriented policy advocacy is the core objective of the platform. EATP enhances East African’s tourism competitiveness through effective dialogue for policy reforms and regulations, improved tourism services export capabilities and strengthening tourism private sector’s capacity and sustainability. Since its launch EATP can be credited for advocating for the single tourist visa, use of national IDs as travel documents for citizens between Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, free movement of tourism services, partial liberalization of EAC air space and joint marketing initiatives which is mainly under the East Africa Northern Corridor. These initiatives have already started having positive effects on regional travel. Other initiatives such joint marketing initiatives, technical support for national associations or harmonization of standards and codes of conduct of tourism facilities and services are ongoing and will enhance the regional destination competitiveness.

Re-inventing the Government in Tourism

03-07-2018

Before 2012, the regency’s name, Banyuwangi, was barely heard especially among foreign visitors. Despite its strategic position, next to the mecca of Indonesian tourism of Bali Island, and its wonderful natural assets from white sandy beaches to volcanoes, culinary products to cultural performance and sacred rituals, Banyuwangi remained a sleepy neglected small town. Within three years, the regency on the eastern tip of Java Island has won about 70 awards, with six of them on tourism sector, thanks to the radical transformation of the local government. Defying the usual negative perceived stereotypes of the local government officials, the local government has made a strategic move of reinventing the government. The decision includes, among others, blending its traditional functions to serve in areas of education, health, and social and to take care of the infrastructures, with a more goal oriented and powerful-branding-machine team and speeding up the decision making process and mutual inter-dependency among government officials. Armed with a simple communication technology such as Whatsapp and Blackberry Messenger, the usual three to four days of exchanging papers for administration has been cut into minutes of useful decision making process. This paper provides four key strategies made by the local government of Banyuwangi, the extent to which re-inventing the local government with ICT in a developing country can provide opportunities in establishing its tourism industry.

ILUNION Hotels

03-07-2018

The pioneering policies of ILUNION Hotels in the area of universal accessibility carry an enormous potential to change attitudes, break down social barriers and make the accommodation sector more inclusive. ILUNION Hotels has developed a specific business model of universal accessibility that comprises not only customers with disabilities and specific access requirements, but also its employees and suppliers. All the hotels of the group have obtained the Universal Accessibility Certificate from Bureau Veritas (UNE 170001-2), which guarantees that the hotels provide environments, rooms, and technical aids which ensure universal accessibility for all. ILUNION’s workforce of 568 people includes 18,31% of employees with some form of disability, but if we consider both direct and indirect employees, the percentage reaches 40%. Furthermore, specific training plans in accessibility awareness guarantee a standard of excellence in the interaction between employees and customers. As the constant improvement in the area of accessibility is key part of the company’s mission, specific plans are established every year to upgrade and improve the accessibility of the group’s infrastructure and services. For these reasons, ILUNION Hotels’ innovative approach to accessibility represents a virtuous, innovative and replicable best practice of corporate social responsibility. For more information, please visit the website.

Encyclopedia of tourism, Ulysses Foundation, Spain

03-07-2018

The Encyclopedia of Tourism is a directory which gathers comprehensive and up-to-date tourism knowledge, offering access to over 700 publications. It is available in hardcopy, eBook and online. The project also fosters a knowledge community where experts are invited to share their expertise and the community, together with editors, can revise publications.

Tourism 4.0, Turismo de Portugal IP, Portugal

03-07-2018

Tourism 4.0 is an initiative developed by Turismo de Portugal that aims at promoting entrepreneurship, support travel and tourism startups as well as foster innovation in tourism in the country. Under this initiative, Turismo de Portugal acts as an advisory body and coordinator by promoting the establishment of alliances and partnerships between the different agents, facilitating the access to funding and offering training and strategic advices to SMEs´. As a result, several initiatives have been launched since the creation of the programme, contributing to the fostering of an active entrepreneurial environment in Portugal.

Carmacal carbon calculator for travel packages, Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (ANVR), The Netherlands

03-07-2018

Carmacal is an innovative tool developed to measure the carbon footprint of tourism activities through the analysis of the involved modes of transport, accommodations and other activities. This user friendly and web-based carbon calculator provides a useful solution for all tour operator, travel agency or destination interested in reducing their carbon emissions and benefiting from both the economic and environmental benefits linked to it.

A Sustainable Tourism Supply Chain - FundaciónTropicalia, Dominican Republic

03-07-2018

The project “Inclusion of Micro-and Small Enterprises in the Sustainable Tourism Supply Chain” was developed in 2013, providing a solution to the non-existent tourism structure faced by the town of Miches, Dominican Republic. The new business model enhances regional market access to local farmers and microenterprises by including them in the sustainable tourism value chain designed to supply Tropicalia, a sustainable luxury development of Cisneros Real Estate. FundaciónTropicalia further develops the supply chain by promoting trade among farmers, assisting them in the access to funding and offering technical assistance and training. The programme is supported by the Inter-American Development Bank’s Multilateral Investment Fund (IDB/MIF).

Culture heritage: Tools for sustainability of a World Heritage Site, Petra National Trust, Jordan

03-07-2018

Petra National Trust’s Education Outreach and Awareness (EOA) program is a unique and innovative educational program launched to promote the preservation and sustainability of Petra Archaeological Park (PAP).PNT works with local communities to raise awareness among children and youth about the cultural and natural values of Petra by underscoring the links between good practices in cultural heritage management, sustainable tourism development, and long-term economic gains.

Govardhan Eco Village - Eco Tourism as a Catalyst for Rural Development, Govardhan Eco Village, India

03-07-2018

Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) is a community located in Maharashtra, India, that has developed an innovative tourism model combining both tourism and the promotion of sustainable development. The community offers the travelers the possibility of receiving training in various areas including rural development, environment conservation and organic agriculture. Furthermore, through the training institutes developed by GEV, best practices learnt from their experience in organic agriculture are shared with surrounding local community.

Ecobnb: The community of sustainable tourism, Ecobnb, Italy

03-07-2018

Ecobnb is an innovative start-up offering a network of eco-sustainable accommodations, recognized today as an important Italian Community of Sustainable Tourism and a growing community in Europe. Through the establishment of sustainability requirements for all selected accommodations, Ecobnb has managed to offer an alternative tourism experience to travelers, while bringing together a community of responsible tourists that contributes to the preservation of the environment and the promotion of sustainable tourism.

Adding Color to lives, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Belgium

03-07-2018

“Adding Color to Lives” is a global social action art project launched in 2015 by the midscale hotel brand, Park Inn by Radisson. This innovative project brings together youth in difficult life situations allowing them to express themselves through art and have a lasting impact on their communities while embracing their cultural heritage.

Innovative use of e-tourism - Egypt´s strategy 2020, Advisory Council of the Tourism Ministry, Egypt

03-07-2018

Egypt´s E-Tourism strategy was launched to help rebuild the country´s image and recover from the significant decline in tourism since 2011. The new promotional strategy was built around the development of a digital campaign and the implementation of e-marketing tools in the tourism sector. The success of this innovative and fully inclusive strategy lies in the use of a 360 degree feedback mechanism between travelers and tourism agents and the development of capacity building programmes to all tourism stakeholders in virtual marketing.

Invat.Tur, Valencia Region Tourism Board, Spain

03-07-2018

Invat.Tur is the branch of Valencia Region Tourism Board specialized in the generation and transfer of tourism knowledge through the development of R+D+i projects and adaptation to new trends in tourism. Bringing together all tourism stakeholders, it serves as an efficient platform that contributes to improving the competitiveness of the region while also enhancing collaboration and advancing knowledge in tourism.

Social progress index in tourism destinations in Costa Rica

03-07-2018

The Social Progress Index (SPI) is a tool developed to measure the well-being of individuals living in tourism destinations. Incorporating the use of a new methodology and multidimensional indicators, this instrument successfully assesses the sustainability of tourism destinations, paving the way for benchmarking between territories. Most importantly, it serves as a guide for the development of new tourism policies and the launch of public-private collaborations that have a positive impact on local communities and foster the role of tourism as a catalyst for sustainable development.

Strategies for development of sustainable tourism in Guanajuato, Guanajuato Ministry of Tourism, Mexico

03-07-2018

Recognizing the important potential of tourism as a catalyst for development, the Government of the State of Guanajuato in Mexico took a step ahead in setting tourism as a priority in the agenda through the implementation of the 2013-2018 Guanajuato State Tourism Plan (GSTP). The complex structure of the State Tourism Program is structured around five sectorial objectives and more than 90 actions and 8 goals distributed in all 7 regions of the State of Guanajuato, all aligned to reinforce the competitive advantage of the region and position the destination as one of the top Mexican tourism destinations.

Eurpoamundo Vacaciones

03-07-2018

Europa Mundo Vacaciones, a Spanish Tour Operator, has created in 2011 a Foundation which has achieved remarkable results in the implementation of the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism in its worldwide activities, particularly in its contribution in the area of community wellbeing and sustainable development of tourism. In six years of activity, the Foundation has invested a total of EUR 1.5 million to support 104 projects in 27 countries in the areas of education, health, creation of companies and infrastructures, directly benefitting 186.849 individuals. Recent examples of community development projects include those creating and consolidating self-sustaining health systems in the most populated and unprotected areas in countries, such as in remote provinces of Bolivia, Colombia, Morocco and Nepal, and consisted in the provision of basic health education and training to the local communities by qualified medical volunteers. Other outstanding projects supported by the Foundation were focused on the promotion of a sustainable development of tourism in disadvantaged areas, as the one carried out in Nicaragua, where the creation of jobs for the local communities was facilitated by a local foundation through the development of a sustainable tourist route in rural areas. A similar project in Lebanon was specifically addressed to the socio-economic inclusion of local and refugee women in isolated provinces. The Foundation also strongly collaborates with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department of its company Europa Mundo Vacaciones in organizing social and environmental awareness campaigns and volunteering programs involving its employees, providers and clients. For more information, please visit the Europa Mundo Foundation Website.

eVisitor - Croatian national tourist information system, Croatian National Tourism Board, Croatia

03-07-2018

eVisitor is a unique online information system that provides insight into tourist traffic and accommodation capacities (commercial and non-commercial) in Croatia. It generates statistical reports and marketing indicators in real time (i.e length of stay, location, gender, age, country of residence, type of facility, destination, etc), which enables more efficient monitoring of tourist traffic and revenues, allowing better control over the collection of accommodation fees creating a synergistic effect of all Croatian tourism stakeholders and contributes to ensuring their competitiveness.

EarthCheck Building Planning and Design Standard (BPDS), EarthCheck, Australia

03-07-2018

BPDS set out a holistic sustainability framework that enables undertaking an integrated assessment of the expected environmental, social, cultural and economic performance of a project. Projects that adopt the BPDS can quantifiably demonstrated significant operational cost reductions, regenerative environmental outcomes and positive social and cultural values. The benchmarking and certification software at the core of this initiative is leading the way in the sustainability movement within the tourism sector.

Smart Tourism System (STS), SEGITTUR, Spain

03-07-2018

Smart Tourism System (STS) is a crucial element in the Smart Destinations project as it allows different data sources to be analyzed, selected according to the destination’s needs, and for information to be gathered, processed, and analyzed, transforming it into knowledge. The STS offers the necessary information for the decision-making process of companies and administrators at the destination.

IT.A.CÀ – Migrants and Travelers, Festival of Responsible Tourism

03-07-2018

IT.A.CÀ is the first festival in Italy dedicated to responsible tourism involving about 250 organizations working in the fields of responsible tourism. The festival is composed of more than 300 free events such as guided tours and itineraries, workshops, meetings and seminars, 0 km lunches, expositions, and concerts.

Educating and empowering local communities for sustainable tourism futures, The Sumba Hospitality Foundation, Indonesia

03-07-2018

The Sumba Hospitality Foundation is initiating a sustainable tourism development plan for Sumba through the concept of full boarding permaculture school and green hotel for underprivileged Sumbanese youth providing vocational education, focusing on practical and soft skills, nurturing environmental awareness and cultural identity and empowering local communities to promote responsible tourism.

Strengthening Community Tourism in the Sierra Gorda, Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda, Mexico

03-07-2018

Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG) was founded in 1987 by Martha Ruiz Corzo and her family with local citizens to save the forests they call home. 97% of approximately one million acres in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is the private property of 100,000 inhabitants living in 638 rural poverty communities. GESG´s on-going programs include environmental education, skills for a conservation oriented economy, forest and soil regeneration, payment for environmental services, and community owned and operated tourism. Widespread civil participation and inter-institutional partnerships are key to the success of 75 micro and mini enterprises participating throughout the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, owned and operated by mostly rural women. The unique brand of genuine rural tourism experiences are reflected in the social integration and on-going nature conservation activities. The official operator is Sierra Gorda Ecotours since 2004.

Connecting community, local friends, and visitors to a unique experience and happiness, Triponyu.com, Indonesia

03-07-2018

Triponyu.com is a booking application that offers unique tours of the local communities in the Solo and Central Java area. These offers are not only unique but also contribute to job creation, preserve the community’s heritage, environmental landscape, and the sense of well-being that is felt by locals. The tours are designed and conducted by the locals who are now become active players through this scheme as they receive 93% of revenues that derived from this initiative.

Great Plains Conservation: Conserving and Expanding Natural Habitats, Great Plains Conservation and the Great Plains Conservation Foundation, Botswana and Kenya

03-07-2018

Great Plains Conservation owns and operates nine luxurious, sustainable safari camps and products across Botswana, Kenya and soon Zimbabwe, conserving nearly one million acres of land outside of national parks and employing almost 600 people. All profits are invested back into supporting the conservation of the wildlife through the implementation of direct conservation actions and the engagement of local community.

Three-Pillar Innovation Initiative, Balesin Island Club, Philippines

03-07-2018

Launched in 2012, the Balesin Island Club was designed to function in perfect harmony with nature, as demonstrated by its strategy which was intentionally developed around the three pillars: the use of technologies to achieve sustainable practices, a sustainable consumption of resources and the local community empowerment. The integrated eco-friendly planning, along with the various campaigns and actions led by the hotel represent a successful example of an entity committed to promoting sustainable tourism.

Community and Resilience: two villages tackle depopulation, Valle dei Cavalieri, Italy

03-07-2018

Cavalieri community-based cooperative was created to counter the depopulation of the village of Succiso in Italy, whose population passed from over 1,000 inhabitants in the 1950s to 64 inhabitants some years ago. Thanks to the strong involvement of the community, innovative and authentic tourism attractions were developed resulting in the development of the tourism activity and the enhancement of the unique cultural identity of the village.

Conservation and Livelihoods: Community managed Ecotourism at Mangalajodi, Mangalajodi Ecotourism trust, India

03-07-2018

Mangalajodi, a picturesque village located in northeast India at the borders of a vast wetland, is home to over 200 of birds´ species. Once associated with poaching of birds, the villagers stand today as true defenders of wildlife thanks to a coordinated effort in implementing a solid awareness campaign on the importance of preserving natural species and the benefits associated with wildlife tourism.

Longmen Grottoes “Internet + Longmen” action plan

03-07-2018

The “Internet + Longmen” action plan was launched three years ago to further enhance the beauty of UNESCO World Heritage Grottoes of Longmen, one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. The sophisticated incorporation of technological elements such as intelligent application center contributed to the creation of a more pleasant experience for the visitor and raise awareness on the necessity to preserve the richness of the cultural site. The Longmen Grottoes site is the first “Internet + Smart scenic area” in China and is in line with the smart tourism development plan developed by the China National Tourism Administration.

MiBarrio - Mercado de Hacienda Applied Research Project, Ente de Turismo del Ministerio de Modernización, Innovación y Tecnología del Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina

03-07-2018

The MiBarrio initiative represents an excellent example of urban planning strategy aimed at improving the livelihood of the communities through tourism development. The extensive screening of the different neighborhoods allowed the city of Buenos Aires to identify less touristic urban areas and develop, in collaboration with the local inhabitants, new tourism products to specifically tackle the economic and social issues faced by the inhabitants. The resulting tourism experiences contribute to give a voice to the communities enhancing their unique identity while fostering social inclusion, entrepreneurship as well as the economic development of the area.

Art and tourism painting a new future for women

02-07-2018

I am Swarna Chitrakar, and this is my story…. I belong to the village of Naya that is around 160 kms away from the city of Kolkata, in India. Our village has found a place on the cultural map of India because of its thriving tradition of Pata-chitra, or traditional scroll painting. I went through the hardships of daily life like any other woman of my community. But I wanted to break free from social shackles and taboos, especially those that prevented painting and singing by women. I settled down at Naya with my husband and daughters and started painting Pata-chitra, encouraged by my father Amar Chitrakar and my uncle Dukhushyam Chitrakar. Traditionally this art form was practiced by the menfolk. Men primarily painted and sang while the women helped in making colors from minerals, fruits, flowers, seeds and leaves. Women were not supposed to paint the pata themselves. All this has changed now. Naya was once a poor village, but today it is an active settlement of around 60 families of Patua – the community of scroll painters, many of whom are women. The community is called Patua and all of them have their last name as Chitrakar, meaning painter. I belong to this community of painters. Naya is now a flourishing hub of Patachitra painting and a year round cultural and tourist destination. At one point of time, this art form was dying as electronic media made inroads into the village community. It was tough to sell the paintings and our survival was difficult. A social enterprise www.banglanatak.com started working in our village to revive the tradition with support of the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre in 2005. There were only around 20 painters and hardly anyone knew the songs. Veteran painters like Dukhushyam, Shyamsundar, Rani Chitrakar trained the young people on painting. Dukhushyam taught singing. Audiovisual CDs were published on our painting tradition. The lost art of the use of natural colour was revived. In 2010, www.banglanatak.com organized POT Maya a three day fair in our village. They also set up a resource centre. The resource centre provided us much needed space to practice and showcase our art tradition. The fair and the resource centre created a new tourism culture. Tourists and visitors began to pour in with great interest and I could now have a direct communication and interaction with the collectors. POT Maya held in the second weekend of November celebrated its fourth edition in 2014. Our art has found appreciation among the local people as well as across the country and the globe. More and more artists and mainly women are now involved in Patachitra and there are more than 300 painters in our village. It has opened up a new world of freedom for womenfolk particularly. The women who had restricted mobility, are enjoying a new freedom and are travelling across the country. Patuas have now travelled to countries like France, Germany, the UK, Italy, China, The US, Australia and Japan. Today Patachitra has become a vibrant folk media telling stories not only from epics and mythology but also on new contemporary subjects. We paint on themes like climate change, violence against women, human trafficking or events like 9/11 and tsunami. Collectors and buyers travel all the way to our village to see and buy our paintings. My village Naya has now become a most important tourist destination. The Department of Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise and Textiles is now supporting development of comprehensive infrastructure as our village has emerged as a successful Rural Craft Hub. Today, I feel so happy to see children in the village taking up brush and color on weekend mornings anticipating visitors. I feel proud and happy that I am a part of this renewed culture.

A home for tourists

02-07-2018

My name is Virginia ‘Virgie’ Deocareza Negrite, and this is my story… I am thirty-two years old, and a mother of two. I have always had my feet rooted in nature’s ground. I grew up in Brgy. San Roque, Bulusan, Sorsogon situated at the foot of the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park (BVNP). During my growing up years, my family used to occupy a piece of land within the park for slash-and burn-farming to augment their income and provide for daily sustenance. Poverty made life difficult. My dreams to fulfill my aspiration of becoming a public high school teacher became so out of reach. To attain my dreams, I migrated to Metro Manila where I applied, and was hired, as a factory worker for a year. Then I worked as a House Help or ‘Kasambahay’ in return for my schooling. I was enrolled and finished the 1st year of college for the course of Bachelor in Secondary Education (BSE) in the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay (PLP), until I faced the crossroads of my life to choose between financial support for my family or fulfill my dreams of becoming a teacher. I sacrificed the latter. After years of struggle, my whole family bonded together and decided to contribute for the continuation of my education. That was the year 2000. Every ounce of contribution for my education was sourced out from hard labor, from selling tilapia fished from Bulusan Lake and farmed products harvested from their clan’s kaingin in BVNP and portions of salaries of my siblings serving also as household workers in Manila. As years passed and while I was grappling with poverty, AGAP Bulusan, Inc., a community-based multi-sectoral environmental NGO, started to operate ecotourism services of Bulusan Lake. The BVNP in Bulusan Area is endorsed by the LGU of Bulusan, the Province of Sorsogon and BVNP Protected Area Management Board (PAMB). Partnerships were done with AGAP Bulusan’s Mission to protect and conserve the biodiversity, as well as to develop ecotourism products and services. As a lake fisher, I was one of the beneficiaries trained as an Eco Guide in 2010 and during these initial stages started earning money from tourism-related services. In a spate of luck, in October of 2011, the Bulusan Area Biodiversity Conservation and Ecotourism Support Project was granted funds by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) under the Small Grants Program (SGP) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The project was done in partnership with six barangays bordering BVNP and Bulusan LGU and the Provincial Government of Sorsogon, together with National Government Agencies (NGAs) such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and Department of Agriculture (DA), and the academe such as the University of the Philippines - Los Baños (UPLB). The project involved fifty-hectare reforestation of the denuded area of BVNP due to slash-and-burn farming and illegal cutting of trees; establishment of six community-based nurseries in six bounding barangays of BVNP; organization and mobilization of People’s Organizations (PO) in the said barangays and environmental education and as a form of advocacy known to the communities as ‘Dalaw Turo’. In addition, training to the beneficiaries was conducted for them to serve as Naturalist/Mountain Guiding and Wildlife Enforcement Officer (WEO). Likewise, technologies where introduced in Sustainable Agriculture on Organic Vegetable Farming, Beekeeping, Handicraft, Pili Pulp Oil Production and Aqua-culture. In return, beneficiaries serve as Volunteer Environmental Stewards as deputized WEO by DENR and Emergency Responders to Tourists in times of need and to their communities during calamities such as typhoons and volcanic ash explosions. Moreover, agricultural products will be developed using new technologies to form part of the fusion of Agriculture and Tourism, also known as Agri-Tourism. Life has come a full circle for me and Noel. From a shabby nipa hut that had a kitchen on bare ground, our family of four now lives in a semi-concrete structure with two rooms and a toilet and bath. Before we used to throw waste into the fields around the house. Now we take greater care, because now we have found home. Tourism indeed means jobs. Keeping a job means being able also to reach out to others. Tourism pays, and it pays to protect and conserve the environment.

From natural water flows opportunity

02-07-2018

My name is Tihamér Horváth and this is my story… I was born near Lake Balaton, often called ´the Hungarian sea´, which is one of the main tourist attractions of Hungary. I lived, and I am still living, in Gyenesdiás where my forefathers had lived all their lives. Hopefully my descendants will also live here as I firmly believe that the spirit of our antecedents provide us especially strong roots and inspiration in unexpected crossroad situations in our life. Though my family never worked in the tourism business, the atmosphere surrounding us had great influence on our everyday life. Warm and devoted hospitality was something my mother and my family taught me. The love for pleasant, peaceful and emotional togetherness with kind people, as well as the mission for improving the life and the environment of our community was the most valuable heritage I received from my parents. Having finished my secondary school studies I became a pipe- fitter. Later on I learnt all kinds of crafts connected to it. I thought the construction business would be a lifelong career for me. I with my brother founded a company that soon became quite prosperous. One day we started refurbishment works in the public utilities of a very little village, called Kehidakustány. At that time, this tiny settlement was a poor, sleepy place whose inhabitants worked in the fields. This village had an old thermal medical bath with special curing water inside: very hot sulphurous hydrogen carbonated water for rheumatic and muscular disorders, gynaecological diseases and skin ailments. One morning I woke up and thought: there is this special natural resource that could cure thousands of people. By developing it into a ‘fun-and-spa resort’ it could be a new tourist destination in the region, providing hundreds of jobs for the local community in tourism. I was so excited to share my medical tourism idea with my brother but he was quite sceptical as tourism, and especially spas and wellness, were totally unknown to us. But we were professionals in the construction business, and we had all the resources necessary for reconstruction. In a few years’ time, partly supported by government development funds, we built our dreamland – a beautiful spa complex in the middle of an earlier agricultural area. The people living in the village were extremely excited about putting their settlement on the country’s tourism map, and started to study tourism. As supplementary service providers, some of them built accommodation; others opened restaurants or shops around it. The picture of the village changed completely. More and more inhabitants became our employees, while others established their own entrepreneurships and started to work in tourism too. One day, I looked around and felt astonishingly happy to see how beautiful this little village has become, to see how the complete economy of this community changed. Now I am 64 years old and retired, and still I work hard every day. However, I am consciously preparing for slowing down my life soon. Tourism also helped to make this in a happy, comforted mood, by finding new goals for myself. Every day, strength is given to me by this environment, and visitors also get a slice of it, because the goods produced here are served for them in the restaurant of the resort. My children also work in Kehida Termal. They are educated tourism experts who will continue the business. I am so proud to see that besides learning about tourism, their attitude to the community’s life, their sense of responsibility for local matters and economy, is just like the pattern inherited from my parents and ancestors. Now I know that the tourism I introduced to my family’s life is a perfect field for expressing our social responsibilities, and our loyalty towards the community we belong to.

The elephant's friend

02-07-2018

My name is Sokhem Kuon and this is my story... When I was born, my parents named me Sokhem. In English, it means Hope. This name puzzled me, as at that time there was no hope. The Khmer Rouge had destroyed Cambodia. In 1980, when I was a small boy, we had no food, no land, no money, no schools, and no doctors. My father found work as a woodcutter around Chi Phat, a village hidden in the Cardamom Mountains. We cleared land for ourselves and lived off the forest; we planted corn, trapped animals and tapped resin to sell. That is when I learned about the forest. My father was very skilled, and taught me all he knew. The first time I saw elephants, the most dangerous of all the animals, I cried in fear. My father put his hat on my head, saying, “Wear this magic hat. It will make you invisible to elephants, if you stay still and quiet”. At ten years old, I learn all about the forest, and how to respect Neak Ta, the guardian spirit of the forest. My father was never afraid of the animals, but he was fearful of Neak Ta. “Do not anger Neak Ta. He is powerful, and will make you sick and die,” he told me. “What angers him?” “Taking what is his,” said my father. “What is his?” “Everything in the forest is his. If he favors us, he will show us wild fruit trees, and lead animals to our traps. We may take what we need to live, but no more, and whatever we take, we must share with him.” It was never easy to survive on what we could collect from the forest, but year by year, we managed. I grew to be skilled in forest life. With the end of war, roads came and our lives became harder. Loggers and traders moved in, buying our wood and animals to sell on. People took more than they needed to survive. The forest had survived the war, but could not survive the peace. We hated those people; we were just trying to survive. My father aged, and fell ill: Neak Ta was angry. He stayed home, while I went to the forest with friends. One day, while checking my traps, soldiers arrested me. They took me to see a foreigner who was sitting on the forest floor, crying. Nearby, a mouse deer lay dead in my trap. She asked me why I had killed the deer and I explained that we needed food. “Why don’t you work?” she asked. I explained that there was no work. I did not know it yet, but that day, my life changed. One month later, the village chief called us to a meeting. The soldiers were there, and the foreign lady. She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen, but I was more afraid of her than of Neak Ta. The lady, Suwanna, was the leader of Wildlife Alliance. Suwanna said she would give us jobs as part of an ecotourism community. No one believed it would work but it did. Suwanna helped us to set it up. We elected a management team, and I became the leader of the forest rangers. I still live and work in the forest, but now I remove traps and put out fires. Every year, more visitors come to Chi Phat to enjoy its beauty. Now, 250 villagers are guesthouse owners, guides, cooks, boat drivers, bicycle mechanics, waste collectors, or rangers like me. We all still earn a little income from farming and fishing, but when times are hard, or our children are sick, we have an income, and no longer need to go to the forest. I no longer fear Neak Ta. I am his ally to save the forest. I am still afraid of elephants. Deep in the forest, we hear them, and we see them. When they come close to our camp at nighttime, the ground trembles, and we shake with fear. I miss my father’s magic hat. Truly, I am the elephants’ friend, but I fear the elephants forget this. These days, my future is bright. My children are healthy, and go to school. I can look after my parents. Life is not easy, but I am hopeful. Maybe my parents chose my name wisely after all.

On the Palace doorstep

02-07-2018

I am Rusaila Derat from the village of Nuwe’meh, and this is my story… I am from Jericho. I was born near the Hisham Palace. My family were farmers who planted the land around the Palace. I grew up with those beautiful ruins around me. We planted and herded the sheep. My father was a visionary, and he also held a small canteen at the entrance of the Palace where we learned to deal with tourists. This built in us the base on which we work today. When my children grew up and I had some time, I decided with a few women to start a project that was different from all those around us, and that could change our situation. Jericho is the land of tourism, the land of the 10,000 years, we are in Nuwe’meh, the place of Hisham Palace in Jericho, the land of archeology, tourism and mosaics. I had the idea to combine the beautiful mosaics I saw growing up around Hisham Palace and we started making small items in mosaic as well as silver and mosaic jewelry. As we did not have the chance to complete our education, we looked forward to have this project be a success. We got together, and each one of us put in some seed money so as to buy some equipment and get training. We started at home, under the tree, and slowly we realized that we need to plan and make sure that every tourist who comes to Palestine goes home with a handicraft from our work. We received lots of moral support from the Ministries and the organizations. When we started, we thought that this would be an immediate goldmine, but then we realized that the challenges were big. To reach what we wanted, we needed perseverance, patience and determination. The challenge was to distinguish ourselves from other products. We learnt how to do fine artifacts, and also learned how to sell our products to the tourists and local communities. Since we started, the project has given us so much power, in our families, in our society and in our education. Today people look up to our group if women who are slowly building this organization. Four of our colleagues have just started university; they started feeling that the project challenges them and offers them the means to continue their university education. Being part of this project gave us so much self-confidence. My children and all our children also gained so much self confidence. We transformed our homes to such a better situation. Most of all, we are confident that our future is safe for our families.

Turning a home into hope

02-07-2018

I’m Regina Martinez, and this is my story… My husband, a sportsman, and I are living here in Ayolas. He works here and I’m retired. We both are seniors. After a delicate health problem that I went through, the doctors recommended me to do occupational therapy. In Ayolas we found a house that was for sale and although the house was in a state of neglect, we asked for a bank loan and bought it because it was near the river and my husband and I really like the river, nature and green spaces. It also has a church in the corner. This house is in the neighborhood San Jose-Mí in Ayolas City. I myself was in charge of many of the tasks of repairing the house. For example, I painted doors and walls. These occupations were part of my therapy. A Senatur official came home to introduce me to the program ‘Posadas Turísticas’ (Tourist Lodges). I loved it, and I agreed to join this program because I like to receive and give attention to the people in my house. Senatur offered lectures and workshops to enable us to focus on guests. I was fortunate that most of my guests were families. Since I started getting people in my lodge I was very lucky because they come from various parts of the country. For me it is a very positive experience because it keeps me constantly busy working at home. By nature I like to put everything in order, I work to keep everything clean at all times and offering attention to my guests. Although it is my husband who does public relations for pleasure, and that’s why he has so many friends. I deeply recommend people to dare to enter this program ‘Posadas Turísticas’. Especially for women, and even more if they want to help their husbands to also bring an income of money into the economy of the family. For me, it gave me a job in my own house, comfortable without having to meet timetables or public transport mobilization that I cannot do anymore. I receive an interesting income through my lodge. And all the money I make I reinvest in improvements to the lodge. With most of my guests, I have an almost family relationship and we are in touch thanks to the technology of today. We send greetings and messages by cell phones. Since the very beginning of my Tourist Lodge, we have always given opportunity to work to all who we contracted for the construction, and so far I have hired someone to help me in cleaning. Senatur helped me a lot, providing me with blankets, curtains, tablecloth and other items handed over to me. For me Senatur is already like my family.

Historical trails on two wheels

02-07-2018

My name is Paco, and this is my story… I am 34 years old now. Italy is my home – it is who I am, what I love, where my future lies. Here I have lived, loved, dreamed. When I talk with people and friends who know what I do, they say I made a dream come true. Well, maybe yes, maybe not. All I know is that I do what I like most: be with people from all over the world and cycle every day. I had the idea to build a company when I was 26. I found the right partner – Adriano, 33 years old, who already was a friend of mine. Together we brought the rickshaw businessto Apulia, South Italy. Our idea was simple: give visitors the opportunity to see the places we loved from the seat of a bicycle. Make it possible for them to feel all of the textures, hear all of the sounds, breathe in all of the scents and enjoy all of the energy of the places we love, by being in them. Why not? Something incredible happens when you get people to slow down, look, listen and feel. What better way to make this happen than on a bicycle. As mad as it seemed at the time, little by little we made people think that this is a real job. Today our company, veloservice, counts more than 25 guys working in Bari and Lecce who are proud to show the best we have in our land on board our bikes. Our offering is simple. As we say on our website, since 2008 we have been engaged in promoting a conscious and responsible lifestyle called bike concept. We address zero-emission sustainable mobility by organising activities and events that go beyond the use of a bicycle. We believe in small and good daily habits that lead to great changes.

Creating opportunity over a cup of coffee

02-07-2018

Hi. My name is Na and my name is Yai and this is our story… We live in Ban Nong Luang, Muang Paksong, Champasak province. The main income of our family is from coffee planting and also I do pets feeding. My sister Yai works in a cooking group. She cooks food for guests. My main job is working in the coffee field. I think that my family will be better and I will get more money if I work for tourism, so now I am also working as guide. I know that this helps me very much, now I have two ways of income from coffee planting and tourism. In the past, the village’s only work was in the coffee field. It was the only way to have an income. But now there’s tourism as second income. Although it is not much, as we are still growing, this can help us to get a better life. We are so happy that there is tourism in our village. Almost everything is going well, but only one difficulty is communication. I don’t know English yet and tourists don’t know Lao. Since tourism came to Laos, people have gotten jobs, more income, and have better living. As for me working as guide, I can have more money for the family. This gives me a feeling of doing the best I can to take care of my family. I am not the only one that is happy to have tourism. Others in my community work as chefs, cooking food for guests who come to visit the coffee fields. We also have homestay, and unique Laos massage, ‘Nuad Phan Bou Han’, that guests are happy to experience. Some of the guests buy our coffee as souvenir. We see the importance of ecotourism, tourism for nature conservation, so all the villagers are taking care of our home. I am so proud of this. All the villagers here now have income from tourism. I think that in the future more tourists will come to visit. This makes me so happy.

Sowing the seeds of tourism opportunity

02-07-2018

My name is Milutin Prascevic, but everyone knows me as Mico. This is a story about me… I am a retired biology teacher. I have four daughters. I have worked in the local school as biology teacher for many years. The school, this place, is my home. I love my home. Since I was a boy I have been passionate about climbing mountains, and I know every corner of the Prokletije mountains. They have recently become a protected zone of the national park Prokletije. While teaching my students about plants I realized that it would be easier to show them. My students loved the idea. As I spent every spare moment in the mountains, I decided to start bringing plants. I would carefully take the plants from their home in the mountains, making sure their roots were protected, and bring them to the school. That is how my 20 years long work of creating a botanical garden was initiated. Today, I have 350 plant species that are typical for Prokletije right here in my garden. Initially, this garden was just a place where my students got practical education, and the place where I tried to ‘infect’ them with love for plants, biology and nature in general.Then biology students, botanists and nature lovers from surrounding countries started to visit, for scientific purposes. When a national park was declared, couple of years ago, this garden became a favourite point on a cultural route of Plav, a place visited by tourists passing by. Because all of this was the product of my enthusiasm, and main goal was to get students and everyone else to respect Prokletije biodiversity, I never wanted to charge anyone for visits to the garden. But my family and I have realized that we could offer other services, especially when the number of visitors started to grow, and maintain free entry policy but still have additional income. We offer different services – I guide groups who want to see natural habitat of these plants, we have built a wooden cottage where we offer accommodation, we prepare meals for visitors, and since we have an orchard, we make jams, preserves and brandies, which are my specialty, as I add various aromatic herbs to them. We package these products and we sell them. As the number of visitors to our zone has just started to grow, we have not yet had significant income from these activities.But we know this will come. What we have created is too special for tourists to miss out on. We are still beginners. But I have no doubts we will be successful. Our garden has been declared as zone of particular importance for natural heritage of Polimlje area. By doing the work we do, we contribute to the tourism offering, we raise awareness on Prokletije biodiversity, we educate about relicts and endemic species, and we generate additional income for our family. And it all came to be as a combination of my education and my hobbies, at time when I was coming to the age that I thought no real work is ahead of me! I am sure that the work I do keeps me healthy. I keep my plants healthy, they keep me healthy, and as my daughters will continue in my footsteps, my plants will keep my children healthy.

Conservation protecting all lives

02-07-2018

My name is Memory Ganuses, and this is my story….

I will try and see how I can write this. After I completed my grade 12 in November 2002, I did not have a clear idea of what I want to do next. As I could not go for further studies due to lack of funds, I opted for going to Swakopmund to look for a job, just to keep me going, for starters…

After a tough life of two years in Swakopmund, in and out of jobs, from being a domestic worker as a young lady just out of school, and then as a cashier at PEP, a local clothing store, and then as assistant Chef at de Kelder Restaurant, I felt I had enough of city life so I decided to go back home to the farm.

After a tough life of two years in Swakopmund, in and outof jobs, from being a domestic worker as a young lady just out of school, and then as a cashier at PEP, a local clothing store, and then as assistant Chef at de Kelder Restaurant, I felt I had enough of city life so I decided to go back home to the farm.

I returned to the farm for some time, eventually learning about the Khoadi-Hoas Conservancy and Grootberg lodge. Back then I was not so well informed about the conservancy and all its endeavours. I took my CV to the conservancy head office, hoping for a job at Grootberg Lodge. I was employed as a baby sitter for the Managers at the Lodge – it was the only job available by then, so I took it. Then later I got a job as a waitress the lodge, in 2009. That was the beginning of a bright future for me…

This is where it all started. I learned about the conservancy and how the lodge and the conservancy works together, which was quite amazing. I also learnt about how to live with the wild animals, such as elephants for example, learning things like what to do when you have an encounter with an elephant, and also a very important one is not to shoot an elephant when it comes and damages your water point, but to in fact report that to the conservancy, and they will compensate you in a way that in the end leaves both parties happy.

I slowly grew fond of the nature and what it has to offer. Then in 2013 I was very lucky to have received a bursary from the African safari lodge foundation to go and study for a certificate in small accommodation establishments in Graaff Reinet in South Africa.

My studying experience in South Africa was quite fun. I learnt many more interesting things about tourism at the college all thanks to the SACT for having showed me the right direction. We were trained how to deal with guests in a more professional way, and many more. Upon my return I was granted a job at Grootberg lodge as an Assistant Manager.

My life has changed tremendously. Some years ago when I was finished with school, I did not picture myself where I am standing today. I am no longer the young girl that had no ambition when she had finished school, but I am now a grown lady who is aiming towards success in tourism, all thanks to everyone who played a role in my transformation. It has also affected my family and my community in a very productive way as now I can tend to the needs of my family, and I am also like an ambassador for my community.

I play my part in the development of the Khoadi-Hoas Conservancy in a way, which makes me very proud. The conservancy is grown from strength to strength as with increased conservation awareness the wildlife numbers have grown, and the conservancy has a compensation scheme in place for human and wildlife conflict, this shows that the community is not left in the dark but is well taken care of.

Taking pride in our heritage

02-07-2018

I am a Santo Domingo native from the department of Sonsonate in El Salvador, here I live with my family. I am the President of the Cooperative Association of Agricultural Artisanal Production for Tourists ‘Huitzapan´, which is the Nahuatl name of Santo Domingo; in Spanish it means ‘River of Thorns’. Tourism has changed the lives of the families of Santo Domingo since we joined with the Ministry of Tourism in 2011. That was when they were forming the Nahuatl-Pipil Route with five other municipalities of Sonsonate through the project Strengthening Entrepreneurial capabilities of Indigenous Communities of Sonsonate through Ecotourism. It was funded by the Organization of American States (OAS). Today there is much more tourism-related activity available to tourists, and we have linked to 170 handicraft workshops in red clay and wood to create ‘The Path of the Red Clay’. There you can find a variety of objects for decoration, others for use in the kitchen, and tourists can also learn how to handle the mud and create some traditional figures. The second group of tourist attractions is more physical and involves the Salto El Escuco, the Salto Tepechapa and the Poza Encantada. The easiest is the Salto El Escudo, a few minutes’ walk from the village to a natural site where the ancient cosmological energy can be felt. The jump is 83 meters high and its waters are crystal clear and icy. The more intense option is the long walk to the Salto Tepechapa, along a nature trail that tests fitness and which ends in a wonderful waterfall of 90 meters high. Before arriving at the waterfall, tourists can take a break at the Enchanted Poza, about halfway, where it is said that there lives a golden fish that appears in the pool. When people try to catch it, it hides in a cave inside the pool. Locals say that once a couple of men tried to catch it but they drowned, and that it makes an appearance at midnight. What I like about my job is that it combines tourism with the crafts and the Nahuatl language. In our community the majority of people speak Nahuatl. Thanks to tourism, we have been able to diversify the local economy and conserve our natural and cultural resources Tourism has become our way of keeping our traditions alive, our people secure, and our community proud.

A jewel box of rich possibilities

02-07-2018

My name is Martina Plesnik and I am the owner of the Hotel Plesnik. I was born on 28th October 1947 in Logar Valley in Slovenia. The experts say that this is one of the most beautiful valleys in Europe. On this small portion of territory, numerous natural pearls have accumulated. Peaks covered by woods, high peaks over 2000 meters. and various waterfalls create the harmony of the landscape. Even as a child, I encountered tourism, as we had a guesthouse at home with five rooms, a restaurant and farm. Today I live in Velden in Austria. Before World War II, my parents had, until 1939, a hotel with 60 rooms and a restaurant. To make the hotel of appropriate standard they built a power station and water capture in order to get electricity and enough water for the guests. Unfortunately, my father was unable to fulfill his great vision for tourism. He had fully prepared plans for a tourist centre in the Logar Valley with a cinema, bus park and recreation centre. World War II put a spanner in his works. During the war, the hotel and all the farm buildings were burned down, leaving only ruins, one typewriter, a radio and plans that my father buried. In most cases, the land was nationalized. My father was only allowed to build a house for his parents, then the guesthouse with five rooms and a restaurant, where we later lived – my parents, five children and our grandmother. After the war, times were not easy and during socialism the personnel was quite restricted, so we all worked in the restaurant and on the farm. At that time, tourism was quite different. The tourism season lasted only three months, but hiking was of great importance. In 1952, we even received a visit from the president of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito. With my grandfather, Franc Plesnik, they went on a hunt. That’s where I got my start in tourism, which has not had the opportunity to develop since a small pension would not be able to support a big family. I left for Munich, where I met my life partner Koulen Horst and created my career in the cosmetic field with international trade names and my own decorative line, mainly in the eastern markets. In 1992, Slovenia became independent and we were successful in having our land in the Logar Valley returned to us. I immediately saw the opportunity to fulfill the wish of my beloved father, who sadly died during this period – that is to re-build a hotel with 32 rooms, a restaurant and wellness centre. Later, we also bought the Villa Palenk with 11 rooms and upgraded the complex with a conference centre. The hotel was opened in 1995 and luckily it soon attracted wealthy guests and many international politicians. Tourism has connected the whole family – that is, five children with their heirs – and we have developed a small tourist centre. My brother Darko and his son Gregor are engaged in tourism on the Plesnik farm, my sister Dragica and her son Primož at the Na Razpotju guesthouse, while my nephew Franci is at the Ojstrica guesthouse. My sister Marjana and Darko are connected to the hotel successfully run by my niece Nina Plesnik and her life partner Nenad Brdar, who is also chef in hotel restaurant. Even my brother, who lived in Kranj, opened a bar, which is now led by his son Darko and his life partner Tedeja. Tourism has accompanied me all my life. During my activities in my beauty career, I was constantly on the road between Paris and the East and Far East, where my life partner Horst worked. I had the opportunity to travel much of the world and I always tried to stay in well-organized hotels so I could observe their activity. I have never forgotten the stories told by my grandmother Taja, who often visited the luxury hotel Negresco in Nice before World War II, which has become my dream as well. Since then, tourism has changed a lot in all areas. Today, guests are much more demanding, which means a completely new challenge. However, this does not mean that tourism has lost its charm. The economic crisis in Slovenia has also affected us, but we did not lose our will and our vision. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, we would like to improve our quality by training our staff, while we strive to make our guests satisfied with the services we provide and happy while visiting us. This year we renewed our wellness centre and built an outdoor natural pool. For the future, we have plenty of plans, which will be continued by the next generation. Tourism forms the life of our whole family. Our heart beats for tourism.

The spirit of Istria

02-07-2018

I am Manuela Hrvatin, and this is my story…

Four years ago on the Istrian peninsula, a small tourism revolution began. Project Istra Inspirit was set by the Region of Istria, the Istrian Tourist Board and the Istrian Tourism Development Agency to make our rich cultural and historical legacy the cornerstone of the authentic Istrian tourist experience. Together, we wanted to bring tourism in Istria to life in a way that would keep our history and community alive.

We knew that globalization is threatening the traditional identity of the community and that tourists today want authenticity and they want to experience it with the local community.

Strongly disliking the term ‘event’, we decided to create ‘experiences’ interactive performances based on Istrian stories, myths and legends taking place on authentic locations linked to the stories and enriched with thematic dinners prepared with local ingredients. The journey through the history of Istria began!

Proud of our tradition and culture, we started with our stories throughout the peninsula, with the support of the local community as a part of Inspirit. We thought that our wish to preserve traditional heritage would be acknowledged and that it would be easy. We thought that everybody in the Istrian tourism sector would share our vision. However, we soon realized that in tourism development there are two options: the first, using local communities and cultural and historical heritage solely to make profit, and the second serving the community and promoting new investments to revitalize the cultural and historical heritage. Although the second option is more difficult and pays off only in the long run, it was the only right choice for us as a place and people. Together, we set up our principles the rules of conduct from which we do not deviate and followed them through. Four years later, writing about our beginnings and dreaming about the future, we are happy to say that we are achieving our goals. Inspirit experiences grew in numbers, the fourth generation of tourism and culture students are actively involved in the project, local producers of souvenirs, family farmers, craftsmen, artists and others want to join us and offer their products to guests of Istria. We are preparing for the new season. We are already thinking about torches that will light up the darkened streets of the abandoned medieval town of Dvigrad, already imagining expressions on the faces of our guests when they enter the cold depths of the Rasa mines. In our fantasies, we already laugh and rejoice with guests of a typical fisherman’s tavern Spacio for whom honest working Rovinj fishermen will prepare dinner. Looking at the sun from our office, we imagine a romantic sunset at the archaeological site of Vizula, where a true Roman drama took place, or the sun which warms the hands of working people from Buzet who will prepare homemade bread for Inspirit guests, teach them to play traditional Istrian games and try to get them to help wash laundry in the old way. There are more and more stories; there is more work to be done. So be it. Istria deserves it, tourists deserve it, my culture, history and traditions deserve it.

Handbook on Marketing Transnational Tourism Themes and Routes

02-07-2018

One of the tourism areas with high potential to empower travellers to make a positive change on their surroundings is that of transnational tourism, whether based around cultural or natural thematic threads. This diverse and novel phenomenon appeals to the emotions, intellect and senses of the modern-day visitor, who desires to live the culture and character of a place, connect with local communities, and pursue challenges and discovery as they travel. The UNWTO Silk Road Initiative, gathering today 33 countries, is a contemporary example of a pioneering project in this field. The marketing of such routes and networks is complex, with transnational tourism products facing several potential administrative and cultural challenges. However, overcoming these obstacles to create transnational networks can bring significant benefits to all stakeholders, including in terms of marketing, trade, education and community development. With this Handbook on Marketing Transnational Tourism Themes and Routes, the European Travel Commission (ETC) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) aim to provide an overview of six varieties of transnational tourism themes and routes, as well as practical guidelines both for managers of existing transnational routes and networks and for those seeking to create new ones. This ETC and UNWTO Handbook on Marketing Transnational Tourism Themes and Routes aims at acquiring a deeper understanding of the transnational tourism themes and routes that are already proposed to travellers. Through illustrative case studies it furthermore provides practical guidance – especially for NTAa and NTOs – on the the creation and implementation of tourism routes, on marketing thematic tourism, including its development, management and promotion. The handbook will enrich UNWTO’s tools for innovation, and feed into the ETC’s ‘Destination Europe 2020’ strategy, contributing also to the development and promotion of its VisitEurope.com Internet portal.

European Union Short-Term Tourism Trends, Volume 1

02-07-2018

This release of the European Union Short-Term Tourism Trends presents an update of the analysis of preliminary results for international tourism in the European Union (EU-28) for the first ten months of 2017 based on arrivals data reported by destinations. Furthermore, this issue includes an analysis of cruise tourism. According to available data, 13 of the 28 countries of the European Union recorded double-digit growth in arrivals. Overall, EU-28 destinations recorded a strong 8% increase in international tourist arrivals through October 2017, compared to the same period last year. Within the EU-28, growth was strongest in EU-28 destinations in Southern and Mediterranean Europe (+10%). These robust results reflect the sustained demand for travel around the world, in line with the improved global economy and the rebound of destinations that suffered declines in previous years.

Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals – Journey to 2030

02-07-2018

Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals – Journey to 2030 serves as a guide to how the tourism sector can contribute towards the implementation and achievement of the 17 SDGs. It aims to inspire governments, policymakers and tourism companies to incorporate relevant aspects of the SDGs into policy and financing frameworks as well as business operations and investments. The publication’s recommendations are based on an analysis of 64 countries’ Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on the SDGs – submitted to the United Nations High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2016 and 2017 – as well as eight Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support (MAPS) country roadmaps and the CSR activities of 60 global tourism companies. The publication aims to inspire governments, policymakers and tourism companies to incorporate relevant aspects of the SDGs into policy and financing frameworks as well as business operations and investments.

Western Silk Road Roadmap

02-07-2018

The Western Silk Road Roadmap is a summary of work conducted by UNWTO and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG Grow) of the European Commission (EC). The work included research into the existing usage of the Silk Road identity, connections between key destinations through tangible and intangible heritage, and the potential of a Western Silk Road tourism brand. Concepts were developed to strengthen the use of such a brand to bring benefits to destinations and two capacity building workshops were held on how to progress from theory to practice in developing the Western Silk Road as a transnational tourism route. This roadmap aims to present a common tourism development plan for the route. his roadmap aims to present a common tourism development plan for the route.

2nd International Congress on World Civilizations and Historic Routes

29-06-2018

Jointly organized by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria and UNWTO, the2nd International Congress on World Civilizations and Historic Routes will be held on 14-16 November in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Cultural heritage lies at the very heart of the collective memory and identity of the citizens of the world. Destinations that boast archaeological sites, ancient architecture, folklore traditions and arts and that find themselves along these ancient routes can assume the role of catalysts for exchange of experience between peoples and cultures through tourism development, and thereby promote sustainable growth, prosperity and peace in their own regions. Recognizing the above, the Congress will explore the possible ways in which world civilizations could be brought to life through tourism, in particular by making use of the networks developed along historic routes. The congress will also focus on adressing how tourism along these routes can play a leading role in creating new socio-economic opportunities for development at local, regional and national level while safeguarding and promoting tangible and intangible ancient heritage. Participants will have the opportunity to build upon the great cultural wealth spanning along the ancient routes, learn from different experiences and generate synergies among themselves and between several networks developed alongside the ancient cultural routes.

First Meeting of the Working Group of Experts on Measuring Sustainable Tourism

28-06-2018

UNWTO Conference on City Breaks: Creating Innovative Tourism Experiences

28-06-2018

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the City of Valladolid, the Municipality of Valladolid and Affiliate Member Madison MK are pleased to inform you that theUNWTO Conference on City Breaks: Creating Innovative Tourism Experiences will take place 15 to 16 October, 2018 in Valladolid, Spain. Taking place in a unique city with great historical importance, the conference will address different areas of specialization that can contribute to the successful positioning of urban destinations as City Breaks. Valladolid has been chosen as the venue for this first conference because it is a benchmark destination that is committed to a clear strategy in active, oenological, cultural and domestic tourism, by leveraging the unique elements the destination has to offer, such as sports, music, theater, cinema, literature and gastronomy. These will be addressed in the different panels, with special emphasis on governance and public-private collaboration models that allow for their proper implementation.

Building a new future

28-06-2018

Hello! We are the Makey family from Belarus, and this is our story…We want to share with you a story on how tourism drastically changed our lives. Most of our life, we have been living in a traditional Belarus village. Our work was on our plot of land, growing crops, and selling part of it. We have travelled seldom and have never thought that we could receive visitors, although we have a spacious private house. Today life without tourism is inconceivable for us, and we can hardly imagine how we could have lived without it earlier. How did it happen? It was in the beginning of 2000 when in Belarus they just started to speak about agro-tourism. In truth, even today there are people who have no idea about this type of tourism, and 15 years ago only few knew about it. We also belonged to the unaware majority until we saw an announcement in the newspaper, posted by volunteers (today this is the main agrotourism promotion Belarusan Public Association ‘Recreation in the village’), inviting all people interested in agrotourism to make a training visit to Ukraine. New things are usually attractive, and since everything was running smoothly in our household and the trip was cheap, we had agreed to take part in this, as it seemed then, adventure. There we became acquainted with Mrs. Klitsunova (today she is the Chairman of the Public Association ‘Recreation in the village’) who, having learnt about our potential, advised us to turn our house and land plot into an agrotourism center without delay. In order to motivate us further she paid us a visit together with high-ranking visitors. We were eager to show our best side. From then on, everything started to move forward. Demand for recreation in the Belarus village, among our compatriots and visitors from far-flung countries, continues to grow day by day, but we do not limit ourselves to simple provision of a roof over a heads. We have expanded our kitchen. We have since invited neighbors to earn extra income by working as cooks during seasons when the manor is fully packed. Today it has 40 beds and our café has 120 seats. Here it is possible to hold a banquet or festivity. In Belarus one can see a constantly growing interest of young couples in organizing weddings in a national style, i.e. in a village. The majority of visitors expressly come to us to see the distinctive ‘feature’ of our manor a beautiful arboretum, boasting more than 250 kinds and varieties of trees and bushes. By the way, we do the landscape design without professional help we design a composition on our own and then implement it. Every night before going to sleep, we prepare a plan of activities for tomorrow: plant a new tree in the garden, make a slide at the children’s playground, restore a ship replica... plenty of things to be done. However, since the moment when tourism became part of our lives, we have never had the slightest desire to quit. On the contrary, when you get acquainted with new fine people, see their animated eyes it inspires you to move further, it makes your life brighter, beautiful and happy.

Turtle hunter turns into turtle saviour

28-06-2018

My name is Landing Jatta, from Kartong, Gambia, and this is my story…After working as a primary school teacher for 15 years in my home village of Kartong with a very modest monthly salary, I became a turtle hunter in the year 2000. The work was not difficult. Our coastline has been home to turtles for as long as I can remember. As a child I played with turtles, and grew up knowing how they live, where they hide, when the breed, the cycle of their lives. I started earning more than seven times more than in my previous job. What I knew was that I had found a way to take care of my family of 17 people. What I did not know was that I was endangering the existence of rear marine species in Gambia. When I realised this, when realised the damage I was doing to my own home, I was not happy. So, in 2014, I transformed from a turtle hunter to a turtle savior. It was all thanks to a turtle project hosted at the Sandale Eco Retreat beach in Kartong beach which was supported by the World Wild Fund (WWF) and the British Embassy in Gambia. Following some sensitization and education on the importance of turtles in marine biodiversity as well as in human lives by the WWF and the COAST project, I started to fully understand the damage I have been causing and promised to immediately stop the hunting activity, forever. In order to overcome my fears of not having enough money to feed my family, Sandale Eco Retreat offered me a job as a conservationist and a guide in the turtle population recovery project, wherein turtle eggs laid on the beach are protected and hatched, and the babies released in the sea. So far, over 4,300 turtle eggs have been collected and hatched, producing over 3,000 baby turtles. I take personal pride in knowing I have a direct impact on the wellbeing of the turtles in my country, that they are protected. The project is very popular with the visitors to Sandale Eco Retreat. I take on conducted tours during their stays. Thanks to tourism in general and this form of responsible tourism in particular, I and my people are able to find good ways of making a living, and playing a part in growing our country. I no longer have to hunt for a living. Instead I am able to contribute to the protection of biodiversity in Kartong, making it a safe place for turtles to live, and a better place to visit. The turtles and I are one. Today, through protecting our turtles, and growing our turtle tourism, together my turtles and my people know the future is safe

Sharing the the love for sands and spirits

28-06-2018

My name is Khaled Al Took, and this is my story… I am from a middle class family. My father is retired from the military. I am the oldest son of five brothers and five sisters. I am 47 years old. I am married. I have two sons and one daughter. I am from the south of Saudi Arabia, from the Aseer region – Dhahran Al Janub. I live now in Khamis Mushayt. I have been a freelance tour guide for more than 12 years all over Saudi Arabia and recently I started a new business in camel back trips. I established my own tour called WSL. We create adventure trips following the steps of ancient trade caravans. I am also a certified trainer from the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA), and in coordination with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), I train tour guides skills for new applicants for licenses. I love working in tourism because of my desire to travel and discover. In addition, I learned more about customs and traditions. This kind of work provides me with a source of income. Moreover, it has enabled me to practice my hobby of travelling, and keep in close contact with people from various nationalities and ages. Seasonal changes pose the biggest obstacle to my work. There are long periods throughout the year that pass without demand for tourist guides services, and because this is my only source of income that is the only challenge. Tourist guiding for my family and me has become a way of life. We have friends from all around the world, they visit our house and become close to our hearts. I can see the happiness in the eyes of my children when they meet guests from distant lands. I see the joy when they learn something new about other nations. My older son became eager to become a tour guide like me; now he joins me in many trips and we have something to share together as well as the rest of my family. This business gives my family confidence in the future. And it makes us proud of our past.

Brewing up tourism opportunities

28-06-2018

My name is Juan Melendez, and this is my story… I am married to Naomi Gomez, and we have three girls: Mary, Angelica and Victoria. We come from the village of Gurráo, but we originally are from Cauas, and are currently residing here at Adjunta, Puerto Rico. We work in the coffee industry. Apart from the coffee we are also offering tours on our farm, we have a visitor center and we have a coffee shop. Our project is called Hacienda Tres Angeles. The name comes from our three daughters - Maria de los Angeles, Angelica Noemi and Victoria de los Angeles. We produce premium coffee, especially the Caturra variety. We actually used to work in the air conditioning industry. But once, while we were having a cup of coffee in the neighboring village of Ayuya, we saw a bag of ripe coffee. It was so precious that my wife and I considered agriculture as an alternative way of life, with the upcoming economic and food crisis already announced long ago. Coffee was something that inspired us, and we decided to make our lives of it. We came into the coffee industry from the complete unknown. So we dove into the subject: we visited a lot of places, we met some important people, and we researched a lot. When we began farming, we were concerned about how much time it took us. Because we believe we carry out another major work in our lives: God has for us a mandate to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do this through our coffee and tourist business. We preach the gospel to tourists from all over and they take back home their holistic experience. Through this tourism project, we have transformed and impacted lives. We are the first agro-tourism company endorsed by the Tourism Company of Puerto Rico. The tourism sector is the main channel of arrival of our clients. The Municipality of Ajunta also sends us many visitors. In fact, we are practically the only agro-tourism experience they recommend to visitors. We have received tourists from all over the world. We reach all parts of the world through the Tourism Company. During the harvest we create up to 85 jobs on top of the jobs created in the process area and in the tourism activities, we have created 100 jobs. Hacienda Tres Angeles offers guided tours. When they arrive here at 9 in the morning, we give them a short introduction in the visitor center. Then we go to the farm and teach them about practices and agricultural economy, the coffee economy, maintenance of coffee plantations, the different varieties of coffee, flora, fauna of the area, about hydrology and geography and secondary areas. Then we go to the visitors´ center, where we show them the coffee making process. Then visitors come to the coffee shop where we teach them the roasting process, which consists of the toasting and tasting. We offer different grains, different roasts, all of exquisite quality. The tour ends there, and many people decide to stay longer; have lunch, or spend the afternoon at Hacienda. Coffee fascinates me. The process is an extreme sport, many workers processing the coffee earn up to 25 pounds in a harvest. It is a very physical job. It sometimes takes up to 22 hours and workers start working the next day at 6 am again. This work keeps you fit, healthy. You also get to meet a lot of people in the tourism sector. We try to have an impact on people’s lives, and motivate them. It is great to see our workers finishing their days satisfied. We put love and dedication in everything we do here, from the agricultural part to the tourism part. We are all involved in this, giving our best to Puerto Rico.

"Changed Hand", changing lives

28-06-2018

My name is Josefina Klinger Zúñiga, and this is my story… I am a part of Mano Cambiado. We work together to develop tourism to build appreciation, knowledge and understanding of the ways of seeing and living life in the Nuquí community. We like to say: “‘Mano Cambiado’ is a dream of the soul that we make real everyday”. Our vision of sustainable development in the territory has created opportunity for our whole community. Ecotourism has won us our autonomy – the local economy is diversified, we maintain and make responsible use of our natural and cultural resources, we promote shared benefits investments, we control the environmental and social impacts, and we design strategies to strengthen cultural identity. We create partnerships with communities, developing productive projects and improving the quality of life. We have had the opportunity to perform and carry out projects in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, the National Unity of National Parks, the Red Colombia Verde and the Fund for Environmental Action and Childhood. We have also been fortunate to attract the interest and financial support from international agencies and governments, such as USAID. A few that we are most excited about are the work with the Ministry of Commerce, Industryand Tourism, through the Vice Ministry of Tourism, which has provided infrastructure in areas of influence of Changed Hand. They have seen the potential for eco and natural tourism in the region; the work with the National Parks of Colombia which are a key ally in the process of environmental conservation and social work developed for the National Park Utría and with ProColombia, which has provided us strategies to promote tourism in Nuquí-Pacific. Our work is recognised as doing good for both our community and our environment. On the premise that “it is not possible to create sustainable tourism in areas with unsatisfied basic needs”, Changed Hand has led a peer relationship with state institutions, inviting them to be active in their role to equip the destination for the welfare of the community and the tourist experience. This relationship has been based on maintaining the values and principles of open and direct communication, and giving results based on the agreed commitments. One of our greatest achievements was in 2008 when we were granted the tourism administration of the Utría National Park, publicly recognizing our dedication and our relationship with public authorities, communities and local service providers. We know we must prepare the next generation of leaders to inherit this model. This is why Changed Hand directs its resources to support children and youth, through bands, dance, photography, painting and the peaceful Migration Festival, an event that involves young people in the operation of the Utría Park and encourages them to visit the park and enhance their relationship with nature. As I said earlier, and I am committed in my heart, Changed Hand is a dream of the soul that we make real every day. I cannot imagine where we would be without it.

Tourism invitation with island spirit

28-06-2018

My name is Jean Baptiste Hortere, and this is my story… My story, the story of Jean Baptiste Hortere, is popularly known in Seychelles as Batista a young boy from a small village in Mahé, Seychelles’ principal island, who made good. I was born in 1953 and I started from humble beginnings in the small village of Takamaka in the rural south of Mahé, where I grew up in a family of four sisters and three brothers and where my parents worked on a coconut plantation. First attending primary school in Takamaka, I continued my education in the nearby town of Anse Royale before entering in 1972 as a kitchen helper in Mahé Island’s Reef Hotel situated at Anse aux Pins. After one year, I was promoted to the position of assistant cook, gaining valuable experience as I was rotated through various departments. In 1977, I left Seychelles to work in a hotel in England’s Isle of Wight, going on to follow a maritime course in Bretagne, France, after which I became employed as cook aboard the vessel, Aldabra, which was the first tuna fishing vessel ever to fish in Seychelles waters, soon returning to France to bring yet another tuna fishing vessel to the islands. Despite my success and varied experiences, I always dreamed of opening my own restaurant. Mingling with tourists in Seychelles had shown me the kind of experiences they were seeking and in my next career move, I set about supplying exactly that. I consider myself very in touch with the spirit of tourism, and with the kind of experience we should be offering. Perhaps it is because of my simple upbringing and the fact that I have had to work hard to achieve what I have, that for me there is no need to embellish the Seychelles experience. We are blessed with such natural beauty and unique attributes that, in my opinion our tourism offerings need to flow from those things in the most direct and genuine way possible. That was the inspiration behind my decision to start small – grilling fish caught in my own fish traps for tourists in true Seychellois island-style. First, I would bring the fish to shore and clean them on the nearby granite rocks adorning this magnificent strand before serving them to my clients in banana leaves with a side-salad of palmist, the heart of the coconut palm, and a serving of coconut water. This proved to be a winning formula and soon I had people coming to my Chez Batista restaurant straight from the airport. This same way of doing things has allowed me to expand from six rooms and a rustic restaurant to 18 rooms today, a staff of 20 and room for 300 diners. I have enjoyed good support over the years from family, friends, and especially from my trusty chef of 18 years, Agnes Raoul. Together, we carved this business out of the soul of the countryside, treating our tourists and the locals looking to a grand variety of Seychellois Creole dishes to be enjoyed, at the water’s edge by one of Seychelles’ most stunning beaches. Reflecting back on what has been achieved, I am proud to have been able to offer a well-rounded service which reflects the beauty of Seychelles, its authenticity and its Creole soul. It’s a service, after all, that takes me back to my roots in the rural south of the island. I’m doing what I know, where I belong. I don’t think you can ask for more than that. I hope to be able to carry on providing a soulful service which introduces my clients to the very best that our islands have to offer: fine Seychellois Creole cuisine served against a backdrop of awesome natural beauty and genuine hospitality. My dream continues to come true and I hope I can keep living it for a long time to come.

Stitching together tradition and tourism

28-06-2018

My name is Hamoudi Hassan Al-Abayagi, born in the city of Al-Najaf, and this is my story… I was born in Iraq in 1952. Today, I am a seller and maker of Al- Najafiah cloak. I inherited this craftsmanship from my father, who inherited it from his father, Haj Mahdi Al-Abayagi. Our family was famous for doing this craft in the Al-Najaf province, the oldest place making the men´s cloak in Iraq and the Arab world. Al-Najafiah cloak is considered as the best in quality and folkloric art as this craftsmanship dates back more than 130 years. It is not only famous in the provinces of Iraq, but also expanded to most of the Gulf and Arab countries. Al-Najafiah cloak can be divided into different types according to the seasons. Summer cloak fits the high summer heat and is light, and Spring and Autumn cloaks fit the moderate weather, and the Winter cloak suits cold weather and is heavy. We also make cloaks customized according to the occasion; sad and happy occasions. Our cloaks are woven with silk thread extracted from silkworms, and embroidered with French or Japanese golden threads obtained from Jordan and Syria. The price of cloak rises due to its difficult weaving. Since I was little, I have worked in this craft, which is considered as one of the folkloric traditional crafts that attracts tourists. Today I have achieved my dream. I own a shop for selling folkloric cloaks and I participate annually in Arab and international exhibitions specialized in folklore. I have participated in the Iraqi Heritage Exhibition, held in the annual Baghdad International Fair by a special invitation from the fair administration in the department of Al-Najafiah cloaks. Our cloaks are characterized by their originality and genuineness, and have received many certificates of appreciation. We offer foreigner and Arab visitors of the fair deluxe cloaks as gifts, especially golden ones because it gives golden appearance. We get ready early every season for this event by purchasing wool, threads and other items to be shown in the market which is visited by many customers from all over Iraq and the Arabian Gulf Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The most important visitors of this market are Sheiks of Arabic tribes in villages and countryside because they are more commonly considered as their official costumes. Our cloaks are still, at heart, about this folkloric craftsmanship which is considered as a part of the history of our holy city. Our great wish is to ultimately expand the project of the folkloric cloak, showcasing the legacy of this profession to the entire world.

A community of custodians

28-06-2018

My name is Geovanny Rivadeneira and this is my story… I am the representative and coordinator of the tourism operation at the Napo Wildlife Center. We began organizing our community in the seventies. Before, we lived all over the place. To create a community, well, you need a source of livelihood. In 1998 – with our own ideas and our own resources and our own design – we constructed the Napo Wildlife Center. The whole community volunteered. Even the grandparents. The grandparents didn´t work directly on the project, but they passed their experiences and knowledge onto us. And they have received a blessing for being part of the community. All of the young people are working in the service of the community operations. All of the children receive food from it. It doesn´t cost a cent for any member of this community. It is very mature, the community, the organization. They have a source of work, you can see that the quality of life has improved and our children are in university, thanks to that group of people that in 1998 saw the opportunity in tourism to help this community. The Napo Wildlife centre is run completely by the local community. We have accommodation, food and guides. We have a set of rules; we have to conserve our roots. Where we are from and who we are. And the rules are very clear, first our language and our food. Of course we can learn the western cultural aspects, especially in education and technology, but we are always focused first in our roots. The success is, well, we think that if there is a good organization, everyone can promote sustainable projects. It doesn´t have to be in tourism, it just has to diversify the region. It could be in the cultivation of plants, bird conservation, or growth of the local fish population. And of course if you have a beautiful place, a lagoon, a waterfall or a good forest and you protect the fauna, yes you can promote the inclusion of the community. All of the communities can take part in community tourism. The zones that are very rich in petroleum in our territory, we decided that is territory they cannot enter. This way the community can promote local tourism without having a detrimental impact on the rainforest. The Napo Wildlife Center is located in the Yasuni National Park and I invite you to visit the beautiful and diverse country of Ecuador.

A passion for preservation

28-06-2018

My name is David Ahadzie and this is my story….I was born at Feyito - a village that is about 14km from Ada Foah in Ghana. When I was young my dream was to become a pilot but as I grew up, that dream faded and I instead wanted to be an entrepreneur. The entrepreneurial spirit grew stronger and became inevitable after schooling. I searched for jobs in Accra and other cities in Ghana for over seven years, but could not get anything permanent. In June 2010, I relocated from Accra to Ada Foah where there are many tourism offerings. It is one of the holiday destinations in Ghana where I could work as a tour guide in order to enhance visitors´ experience and earn some income. Using my entrepreneurial spirit, I designed ecotourism packages, produced a local tourist guidebook, and started guiding visitors. I began to earn income in a less stressful manner. I also networked with the tour operators union of Ghana to sell more tour packages. More local guides were needed especially during holidays, so I began to form tour guides team called Island Tour Services. We were initially six in number. Now we are 28 tour guides. They are trained by the Collaborative Actions for Sustainable Tourism (COAST) Project and Tour Guides Association of Ghana. We guide visitors to about 16 communities around Ada and even beyond where natural attractions are and tourists buy local products from the rural folks. After adding value to myself through workshops, learning more about what tourists wanted and how my work could make their holiday in Ghana even more interesting, I begin to attract extra income from visitors. I remember I used to get GH¢20 from one trip but after eight months I was getting not less than GH¢70 per an hour and half trip in my first year of tour guiding. As we grew, we formed an association called Ada Tourism Stakeholders Association made up of local boat operators, hotel/guest house operators, local gin and vegetable growers, culture dance group and tour guides. Association activities such as organizing clean up exercises or regulating prices from a common office, enable us to address concerns and interests of various groups for mutual benefits. I have acquired a new sense of direction. I am more environmentally conscious as I know that our visitors are coming to us mainly because of the unique natural and cultural attractions, and are environmentally conscious too. I fully participate in awareness and conservation activities to protect our culture and natural heritage. Already, our community have planted 600 coconut trees over one season at the beaches of Lolonyakorpe and Azizanya villages to serve as source of income, windbreaks and to check erosion. I love tourism. Tourism gives me real opportunity to prove my creativity and innovativeness. It opens wider doors to the world for me as a tour operator and a tour guide through continuous meeting and interaction with all types of people, with different cultures and academic disciplines – making me more sociable and flexible than I used to be. My community largely benefits also as tourism has created hotel chains where many youth work for secured income. Thanks to volunteer tourism we are able to grow even stronger. Some volunteers even financially support school building and toilet facility projects, and teach practical ICT in the schools, to bridge technological gaps in addition to exchanging good cultural practices in Ada. My dream of having my own business is becoming a reality. Now I can hear people say “Thank you, David”. Some years back it was almost the reverse, as I had not much to offer.

Lahij’s languages of opportunity

28-06-2018

My name is Dadash Aliyev. I am married. Have two children. Currently, I mostly teach in Lahij. I’m teaching the Azerbaijani and Russian languages. But, I consider the tourism both as an additional source of income, and amazing pastime. I occasionally guide excursions in the Azerbaijani, Russian and English languages and host guests at my home. Lahij is one the most beautiful parts of Azerbaijan with its high promising tourism capacity. I haven’t always been interested in tourism. Thirteen years ago, a tourism workshop in Georgia supported by the World Bank changed my life. After I came to my country, I started to have conversations among people about issues related to the tourism and its benefits. Soon, we established a public union in order to revive the tourism sector together with the local authorities. The Public Union got registered after 2 years of the decision. Representatives of the ministry and famous guidebook authors began to show interest in our work as they learnt about our tourism development plan in Lahij. I fall in love with the tourism and participated at a number of really informative workshops organized in Georgia. The creation of the Tourism Information Centre in Lahij was one of the most challenging periods of my career. It was very difficult to convince local people about the importance of Information Centre. The first prepared project was approved by the World Bank, but we couldn’t find a place for the Tourism Information Centre. There were many people, including my relatives who created obstacles for us. In spite of all those challenges, the Centre was opened in 2006. In a very short period, majority of tourism companies and guests in Lahij learnt about our information centre. The operation of the Centre was very remarkable, capturing the attention of the “Lonely planet” guidebook that praised our Centre as the most effective Tourism Centre of Azerbaijan. We created a database on Lahij here, entering information on a host of tourism related services. The Centre has its own webpage and advertisement board in place. We placed signs with its location all over Lahij. We offered high quality and affordable services to guests addressing to our Centre. In accordance to the pre-arrangement of service providers, we received small interest fees on guests referred to them by the Centre. That income was sufficient to sustain the Centre. Tourism utterly changed my life. Lahij, one of the most beautiful places in Azerbaijan, is experiencing its real tourism life. Our initial focus was the mobilization of people in the tourism and explaining its benefits. Now we try to further improve the level of services provided and attract much more tourists in the region. It’s impossible not to be excited with the development of the tourism in Lahij. We approach poorer families and help them reestablish their homes as potential tourist accommodation, giving them the opportunity to make tourism their main source of income. Searching for accommodation for guests visiting Lahij, providing guiding, horse riding, transportation, picnic and other such kind of services led to acquaintance with many new people, while considerably adding to my income. The tourism helped me to make many friends in Azerbaijan and from different parts of the world. I tried to contribute to earnings of poor and underprivileged families, bearing in mind that every person should do his/her best to further promote Lahij and satisfy each guest.

From Benedicta to Pope Benedict, with love

28-06-2018

My name is Benedicta Alejo Vargas, I’m from San Lorenzo, in the municipality of Uruapan, and this is my story… My dad was a farmer and my mother used to wait for my dad to return from the field with rabbits, quelites, coal and wood. My mother waited happily to make rabbit stew, or quelites – or to prepare a atápakua, or make a mushroom dish. My grandmother taught me how to cook. I was three when my father died, and my mother started working longer selling pork and animals. I didn´t like it because my mother always prepared meals from pure meat, sometimes atápakua or meat churipo, she loved all of that. My mother was selling barbecued meat often. She would tell me to fetch water. San Lorenzo has a spring, and there I met my husband. He is also called Lorenzo. He stole my heart and I stayed with him ever since. My husband, a farmer, helps me work. I have gone many times to the USA. The first time was scary getting on the plane. Today I go to the USA for work, but I wanted to get to know the place before. I didn´t have any money. When they asked me if I wanted to go I said yes. I always talk to God, I speak with my flowers and trees and my herbs when I go to the hill. I tell my quelites not get mad at me when I cut them because I’m needing to cook, I tell them I cut them to let people try their taste, to see that they are so delicious. I ask them to not be angry with me when I cut them because it helps me move forward with my children. Today I bring you flowers, because I am a cook, and I always have something to distinguish me, because I’m so used to it, I feel like my heart could be a flower. When I get up at five in the morning, I say “Dear God, I am getting up by your great power that you are giving us at this time and this morning, here I give you these eyes, hands, everything that I have is yours. I am nothing, it is all yours, now help me and bless me nothing more than today, not in the evening or tomorrow, only today.” For me it is a blessing of God, and because God never leaves anyone. He sees how our hearts feel, and how it dawns. God sees everything and if there is no money, no one suffers, because God is great, and God gave me the gift to work. He gave me the gift of knowledge. My grandmother taught me 10 or 15 dishes and today I have added more meals, and everything is God, because he never leaves me. He has never let me go without food. It was thanks to Roberto that I was invited to the Vatican to cook. When I met Roberto, Roberto told Cynthia to take me to the Vatican and she said yes. Thank God he thought of Roberto and he had me in mind. When I realized this is where the Pope was, I felt faint and I said to my husband, “Roberto and Cynthia told me that I will go to the Vatican, where is it?” And my husband didn’t know because he doesn´t know much; he also grew up on the hill. There I was sitting in an office in the Vatican, I was with my daughter Elvira, when men arrived with helmets and a swords. They grabbed me, one on each side. Elvira was crying because she wanted to go with me. But they only led me to go up there to greet the Pope with Roberto. Roberto said to the Pope “she’s your namesake, also called Benedicta”. I almost didn´t hear them. I wanted to cry. I felt joy, nervousness, trembling, and with great emotion I felt, as if I no longer had bone strength. I felt well and I blessed the Father and all the rosaries I had. My family works together, we are a chain. I am the pillar of my family, the woman in my home is the most important element, in a community where man is the traditional head of the household. I am a brave Purepecha woman who is moving forward, thanks to God who gives me strength to move forward with my children, doing what I love from my heart.

Building a new tourism destination, naturally

28-06-2018

My name is Asadsho Zoolshoev, and this is my story…I am from Tajikistan, and am now living in the eastern part of the country in a beautiful mountainous town of Khorog, the administrative centre of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). Currently, I am the Executive Director of Pamir Eco-Cultural Tourism Association (PECTA), a non-profit organization aiming at promoting and developing sustainable and responsible tourism in the mountainous areas of Tajikistan. Tourism is a new and promising sector of the economy of Tajikistan. Sustainable tourism development brings benefits to the region not only in economic and social terms, but it also brings ecological efforts to protect the mountain environment for future generations. PECTA was established in 2008 with great support from the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP), a project of the Aga Khan Foundation. Currently PECTA has 21 members: 13 Tour operators and eight services providers. In addition, PECTA is working with home-stays owners. In total up to 86 home-stays are operating in the region; 90% of the home-stay owners are women, who can generate some income for their families from this business new to the region. Bringing local people to business has been among our main challenges. Because of the lack of knowledge in market economy it has been a very challenging task to adapt local people to the hospitality business. Therefore, it took quite a time to attract local people to the tourism business. Nowadays we are focusing on capacity building for all tourism stakeholders on such topics as quality of the services, marketing and promotion. As PECTA’s Director, I liaise with the local and central government to lobby the promotion and development of tourism in the region and nationwide. I try to promote an understanding of how this sector of the economy, which has not been promoted in the region for long time, has become very important for the local economy. Tajikistan lacks in natural resources, such as oil and gas, hence tourism presents the only real immediate profit generating sphere. I have been attending various workshops and conferences in and outside Tajikistan, where I present my organization, my region and my country. I recently participated in the International Tourist Fair annually held in Berlin, where I had the honor to represent Tajikistan. There were many tour operators in the Fair, who expressed their interest in responsible tourism and approached me with various questions about our country and region. Bringing more tourists to Tajikistan is our end goal, since this not only improves the lives of individual persons working in this sphere, but also will develop the overall economic situation of our beautiful mountainous country, our Tajikistan.

Tourism protecting people, predators, prey and place

28-06-2018

My name is ‘Mama’ Anna Pallangyo, and this is my story… It all started with micro enterprises initiatives by the local not for profit organization FAIDA opening their door to my predicament in 1994 then grappling with a life full of disadvantages and lack of meaning. They sponsored me to train in entrepreneurship skills and milk processing. I then proceeded, with the help of FAIDA, to be introduced to the idea of promoting cultural activities in my village. It encouraged an integrated approach to cultural tourism in which I convinced seven other women to join and we founded the Agape Women’s group, and later developed income generating projects, through the Mulala Cultural Tourism Enterprise. With the help of SNV and the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) in facilitating our promotion we finally received a first group of 20 tourists in the first quarter of 1998. Life has since grown in leaps and bounds; I have found a meaning in life and living, enabling me to pay for school fees for my three children up to the university level, including building a new house, owning a motorcycle and a small car. Seeing the great need there was in pushing the education agenda further in the village, I was able to raise funds and donations to support the kindergarten, primary and secondary schools with critical items meant to add value to the quality of education. In addition, I have pioneered the setting up of a school with four classrooms and drilled a bore hole to supply water initially to the school and later to the whole village. Today, all the stress of life has passed and my family and I are happy that several partners came on board to help me change my family’s lifestyle, other group members and our village.

Serving up local customs and cuisine on a global table

28-06-2018

My name is Anthony Rahayel and this is my story… I was born in Beirut in 1983, a time when Lebanon was going through a period of intense political struggle and turmoil. For much of my youth there was always something happening in the country that affected people’s wellbeing, from violence to political deadlock or war. As we emerged from crisis after crisis we Lebanese proved to the world that we are survivors and no matter what happens we will always be looking forward. We continue to face challenges, but I have faith that the Lebanese will soldier on. As I grew up something inside me kept calling… I wasn’t satisfied with what I was doing and I only realized what really inspired me after I graduated from university and started my day job as a dental surgeon. I realised Lebanon is a survivor and we Lebanese are always coming up with new things, new places, new restaurants, importing new franchises, creating our own and exporting them to other countries… But then I thought, this is all great, but are we experiencing the very best food available to us… I came up with the idea for www. NoGarlicNoOnions.com, a means to express my thoughts, how I feel and what I taste every time I go out for a meal… I became a representative for the average person, people who enjoy going out and want their money’s worth. As a result of the great feedback I receive I feel I represent many Lebanese. I never expected the blog to pick up so fast. For the past three years, NoGarlicNoOnions has been scouring Lebanon and beyond, to discover and share the very finest culinary creations with its audience. However, I still wasn’t satisfied. I realized with time that we as Lebanese, especially my generation, have lost touch with ourselves – our diverse culture and what makes this country special. I wanted to get acquainted with my own country, its variety of people and culture. Food was the tool. I started travelling around different parts of the country from Tripoli, to Sidon, Tyre, Beirut and beyond. With a video camera in hand I started roaming around the country’s streets, meeting amazing people making amazing food. I discovered various ways of preparing the same food in different regions, starting with the simplest thing as the thyme mankoushe… I wrote reviews about my discoveries and my videos became a huge success as people travelled around the country with me discovering cities, towns, and delicious bites. NoGarlicNoOnions allows me to bring unite people in a divided country. Lebanon isn’t an easy place to live in, but creating something like NoGarlicNoOnions has brought all sorts of issues to my mind. Prices are high, so people really want value for money, businesses come and go, so we have to support the good ones and, put quite simply, people want to be able to relax and have fun whenever they get the chance. It’s important to help people explore their own country, to tell them the very best it has to offer, in a country as stressful as Lebanon helping people get out and about, and forget their troubles for a while, that’s a service. I am now part of a huge community, one that continues growing where we live, who we are. We’re from all walks of life, from all religious and political backgrounds, and that’s really important in Lebanon. We don’t discriminate; we’ll travel anywhere, anytime. I’m amazed by the conversations I have with the NGNO community, we discuss cuisine, talk about new places and learn from one another. I love knowing that I’ve touched people, that they understand what we’re trying to do and that they enjoy hearing our stories. Most of all, I love that people love food.

Keeping history and community rock solid

28-06-2018

I am Ali Heydari, fifth and last child of my family, and this is my story…. In fact, we are three families living together. I am from Iran, Khuzestan province, Dasht Azadegan, Bardye village. I am a member of the Iranian ecology network and active in tourism. So much of who we are is reflected in the buildings around us. This is why this place matters to me. The type of structure called Mozif dates back to Sumerian age. Unfortunately, this is the last exact construction. It was destroyed thirty years ago. For the past eight years we have thought of rebuilding it. It was built by residents of this area so long ago, and until today, and it has been visited by many people. Knowing it had a special meaning, we prepared it as a tourist attraction. We worked hard to make sure that the stories of its history, its traditions, were preserved. Slowly, we started to introduce it to our countrymen and people from abroad and make them familiar with an old structure. The building is unique in the province, its construction having been ceased long ago in southwest Iran. Our activities include providing lodging for tourists, local food, traditional music and dance and Arabic coffee. We do what we can to make their visit to this area comfortable, wishing them to stay as long as possible, to learn as much as possible. Cup custom, which is unique and complex, is also presented. We prepare Arabian coffee with traditional equipment and serve it to our visitors. Besides all of this, we can arrange for visitors to visit three international wetlands Shadegan, Hour-al-Azim and Hour- al-Hoveyzeh. We can also have bird watching tours and ecotourism tours in the desert and protected area. Our greatest challenge is the skies. There is no specific problem that we face except the weather. It is hot with high humidity five months a year. For this reason, in that period we cannot serve our visitors inside Mozif. The Mozif has revived as a place to see, and has become one of the greatest tourism destinations our country has to offer. Mozif is listed as a national site. We are happy that we introduced it. It is because of Mozif that I am a tour guide. Tourists are conscious of change after they visit our area. They get better and clearer ideas about the locals and their ways of life. Many tourists from abroad prefer to find residence here instead of five star hotels. We are glad that sustainable tourism is developing in this area. Tourists’ satisfaction is our best happiness. Our goal is to be friendly to them so that they can rest and enjoy their visit.

7th Global Summit on Urban Tourism

28-06-2018

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is pleased to inform that the 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism will take place from 16-19 September 2018 in Seoul, at the kind invitation of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, the Korea Tourism Organization and the Seoul Tourism Organization. The provisional programme, general information note and registration online will be available shortly.

Building a future in the community

28-06-2018

I am Sandra Perang, and this is my story...I was born 30 May, 1969. I am one of seven children. I grew up in a little village called Prensekraal outside of Wupperthal. We had a small two bedroom house with no electricity and no water. We made use of candles and oil lamps, an Agga stove and water from the river. I went to school in NuwePlaas which is about three km from home. I finished grade 6 and then went to Wupperthal until grade 8. Wupperthal is about 15 km from home. We used to walk to school every day, in every season. My dream was to be a nurse. This was all I ever wanted to do but circumstances didn’t allow me to pursue my dream. As soon as I was old enough to go and work, I had to leave school to help my parents and also to keep my younger brothers and sisters at school. I started working on a citrus farm where I picked citrus. This was the most challenging time in my life. The worst was the working and living conditions at the time. I had to get up early in the mornings to make sure that I had something to eat for the day and then go to work in the cold winter. I then decided to go to Cape Town and try to find something better. I walked for days from door to door to find work as I had no money for transport. The life in Cape Town was just too intimidating and fast for my liking. I then returned home worked on a vegetable farm and then inside a packing store. This was a little better but it was still hard labour for little money. Then I heard of Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Nature Retreat – I heard there were some job opportunities there. I started as a scullery worker. There was the light at the end of the tunnel. I started taking interest in helping the chefs whenever I had a moment. I helped with breakfast and as soon as the opportunity arouse I applied for the breakfast chef position. From there on I grew within myself by leaps and bounds. Today I am a Sous Chef, and I am so proud. It was tough and not always easy, but I made it to the top. It was not my dream but I found another passion on my journey. I am so proud. Bushmans Kloof has opened many doors for me, it has given me a chance to grow and improve my life. Bushmans Kloof is owned by the Tollman family, just the most amazing people. They have built a community for us, with so many benefits. Our living conditions are so much better than anywhere else I had worked before. I have my own little two bedroom house with a kitchen and bathroom. My little ones can go to the crèche and I know that they are safe while I am at work. Bushmans Kloof takes care of our children’s school fees, they cover our doctor’s bills, they provide us with transport when in need, and they give us incentives. I had the opportunity to fly to London for ten days and experience the most amazing ten days of my life. I now earn a decent salary that gives me the opportunity to provide for my family’s future. If I wasn’t here, I might still be working on a vegetable farm for a minimum wage. I would definitely not be as successful as I am now. I suppose life is what you make of it but if you don’t have an opportunity then life could only be what it is. Bushmans Kloof changed all of this for me. Through hard work and dedication I have become something in life. I never would have thought that one day I would become the Sous Chef of a 5 star Hotel that was ranked number 1 in the world in 2009! I have learned and experienced so many things, and I have travelled overseas which is a major opportunity for someone from my community. Above all this, I can provide for my family, no one has to go to bed on an empty stomach.

True ability

28-06-2018

We are Patrick and Carine Van Bogaert-Pijkels. We live in Sint-Niklaas, and this is our story…We met at Zigzag. And last year, we got married. We got married in May. Zigzag is a meeting place and a centre for mental health care. It is now located at the Knaptandstraat. But soon they will return to the Hazewindstraat. They will be just around the corner, so this will be easier for us. Zigzag is an organization for people who stayed in a psychiatric institution or are still in a psychiatric institution. Or people in need for mental health care. Or people who just visit a psychologist or psychiatrist on a regular basis. These people are all welcome at Zigzag. My centre for mental health care sent me to Zigzag. And there we got to know each other. We do volunteer work. At Zigzag we serve drinks and we write for the Zig en Zo-newspaper. I can be creative there. My main hobby is music. I’m the DJ of the house. We started going on holidays when we went to the Holiday Participation Forum. We went there to celebrate their 5th or 10th Anniversary? The 10th. Well, when we came to the Holiday Participation Forum to celebrate its 10th anniversary, we shared our story. We described our dream to go to Austria someday. We did not go on holidays immediately after our marriage. Eventually we went from the 25th of July until the 2nd of August, though we got married in May. We took our time to look for what we wanted to do and how much everything would cost. Since that time, we have been on holidays to the seaside six times. And this year we will return to the seaside. Our next holiday will be at the seaside, in Blankenberge, in the Holiday Centre Floreal. In the very beginning, we didn’t have a plan. We packed our stuff, we went for so many days, so we need some pair of socks, some of this, some of that and that’s it. But then we found out, also because of my autism, that you really need some things on holidays, that you can’t forget. Because of my hobby – crocheting – I can earn a little bit extra. And with everything I earn from crocheting I would like to go to Disneyland someday. Because I proposed to Patrick in Disneyland. And I would like to go back once. So, every time I sell a cuddly toy, I put a small amount in a jar to save for Disneyland. We haven’t set a date yet. It could be in two years, in three years. On the Molly Brown (attraction in Disneyland). That’s where I asked Patrick to marry me. We are very happy that we got to know the Holiday Participation Centre a few years ago. I understand that going on holidays has an impact on other parts of your life. You’re not just going on holidays, it’s something special. For example you ask someone to marry you. If you want your vacation to be achievable, you have to set your goals long in advance, I think. We set our goal. For example, we want to go to Rome. My niece went to Rome last year, and she can’t stop talking about it. But our goal is not next year going to Rome, because we know, we can’t make that. But we are saving our money to go to Rome. We set aside a small amount of money, that doesn’t have to be each month. For example when we receive a lot of bills. Or when something breaks, you never know. But we always try to keep a fixed amount of money aside each month. Because we know we can do something fun with it, we can go on holidays with that money. Going on holidays is important because I don’t want to give up on activities because of my autism. People with autism often avoid busy situations because they overwhelm them. But I don’t want to give up on that, I want to do all those activities. Even though I know I’ll have to lie down the next day, because it was too much. But we always try to plan for an empty day, the next day. A day out of the house, out of the daily routine, to get to know a nice area, to get a breath of fresh air by the sea for a few days, so that you can do some nice activities there. It’s a whole other atmosphere than when you’re stuck at home. When you’re on holidays, you notice that it’s a totally different feeling.

Diving into the future

28-06-2018

I am Noumeri Nasr, and this is my story… I am from Nubia, this is in Aswan. Since I have been diving, I live in Hurghada. Hurghada is in the north of Qena and it is approximately 300 km north of Qena, which is 500 km north of Aswan, approximately. Hurghada started with the diving industry, and now is famous for diving. I am proud to say I am the first Nubian diver, or let me say, the first Nubian instructor. I grew up in Aswan, in the river Nile. We are a big family – we are eleven – six sisters, three brothers and my parents. When we were children, we used to swim in the Nile, but we never thought about diving really. That’s why, at that time, there was not much of Nubian divers. Actually, I was working in a hotel as a waiter. I have seen thousands of foreigners; they come to spend a lot of money to do scuba diving. I wanted to discover that, to try it once. Since this day, I am addicted. And I am lucky. In the Nile, there was no diving. It was just swimming, kids playing in river Nile. In my first water dive, it was scary, because I have always lived above the water, I mean, swimming and kids things. But, since I put my mask on, it was a surprise for me. A wonderful surprise. In the summer holiday, I was working in Alexandria to help my family. After I tried diving, and became an open water diver and a dive master, a lot has changed. I had more income. Enough income for me and my family; I am proud of myself. And also, the people, all the people I have been teaching diving to, when I see the smile on their faces, it is great. I never thought that someone could come and say ”thank you for teaching me that”. My family in the beginning did not understand my love for diving. My mom, she was very afraid for me. She feels safe when she sees me above the water but when I am down, she misses me. She can’t see where I am, and she doesn’t have the knowledge to follow the bubbles…she thinks she lost her son. The first time she was really like ”my son has survived”. And from this day on, she trusts me. She knows it is not that difficult. If Noumeri can do it, anybody else can. There is so much to see under water. We know the fish because we eat them. I teach my students to see the fish differently, not just for eating. It is better to show them something they never have thought of or never tried before; and I will be so proud to show them those things. Today almost all my family works in tourism. My younger brothers are divers as well; they are diving instructors. I have three kids: Marwa, Yehia and Luqman. Marwa is already a good swimmer. When she was six months old I put her in the water and she was for a couple of seconds underwater. Yehia, for sure will become a diver, like my teacher Yehia. That is why I put Yehia to my son. Luqman is only three months old, but of course he has the blood of a diver. I will never be able to thank enough my teacher, Yehia Safwat. Actually, I met him after I was a dive master, but really not understanding what diving, or safety diving, meant. But after I met him, he really taught me how to be safe and make people around me safe. Right now, I am a master school trainer. I was planning to make more, but unfortunately, after January 2011, the political problems stopped me continuing my education. But I keep going. I study a lot. I have a lot of knowledge about diving. And I hope tourism can come back to Egypt, and I make more money. And I would then do my courses, for sure. And after that, I would call my diving center the ‘Nubian Diving Centre’. My friends around me, they are also very proud. That’s why there are a lot of friends that have already certified as professional divers. Today, I think that more than 600 Nubians are diving, and they are diving professionally. I am sure there are thousands of guys that want to do it and I think that after they have seen me, they believe it is not this dangerous. I wish, and I dream, that after the revolution things will end and tourists will be back again to Egypt and that I can get back to my life again, I mean, diving.

Viet Nam’s ladies of the river

28-06-2018

My name is Nguyen Thi Ba, and this is my story… I am 57 years old. I was born and grew up in the Truong Yen commune, in the Hoa Lu district, in the Ninh Binh province. My family life was really difficult; my husband abandoned me for another woman when I was three months pregnant of our second child. Before, it was very hard for me to bring up my children; we lived mainly on cultivating several rice paddies and breeding pigs and poultry, so I had to stay up very late to make embroidery. I only wished to earn enough to bring up my two sons, I had no other dreams. In recent years, besides the farm work and breeding pigs and poultries, I also row a boat for tourists in Trang An. I saved enough money to build a new tiled roof-house with an area 100 m2 that can protect me from the rain and storms. Above all, my sons both have good lives, so I am very pleased. I am still working so I can save some money in case I get sick. I row a lot of tourists across this river, some are easy, some are hard to please, but I always tell and encourage other boat rowers to be friendly and hospitable with the tourists. During the trips, we often introduce to our tourists the natural beauty as well as the culture and the history of Trang An. This work is very suitable for me, so I want to work for a long time. Rowing the boat requires good health, I am afraid that in next few years, when I grow old and somewhat weaker, I won’t be able to work as boat rower and when that time comes, I will work on the farm and look after my grandchildren. My two sons will take good care of me and they will continue this work for me. This work gave my family a more prosperous life than before. I saved money to build my house. Before, when I did not row the boat for tourists, my income was mainly from rice paddies; I earned about 300.000 VND a month. But when I was recruited by the Xuan Truong enterprise to work as boat rower in Trang An, I earn from 2 to 2.5 million VND a month. In the festival time, I can earn more than 3 million VND. Moreover, I meet many people and obtain knowledge in the field of tourism, particularly different cultures. I have delightful and good memories with the visitors.

Business through Bedouin community development

28-06-2018

My name is Mohammad Daifallah from Jordan, and this is my story… I am living with my family at Wadi Araba – this is my home. I was born in 1980 in a Bedouin family in a cave. I grew up in a place that is called today Dana Nature Reserve. When I was a little boy I went to a school. My school was one room. A small place. But it was school, and it was good to study, and I saw my friends every day at school. I spent ten years there. After that I left to go to the next school. I liked school, I liked to learn. After that I went to the Mutah University to study Arabic Literature. It was a big challenge for me because I was the first one to leave this area to study outside, and there was no example for me to see what the people need to do. I was alone. I was the first one. I was scared, but also happy. I was the first. After that, I had to start to make money, to take care of my family. I came to this place. I hoped I could find work – this is my home, I know this place. I could learn. They gave me a job. I was so proud. I worked at Fenyan Eco Lodge in different jobs, and later as an Eco Guide. The work here helped me because the work was close to my family. It was a good chance to stay close with my family, not going outside looking for a job. Today, I still work at the lodge. But now I am married, and I have a house, and I have two children. My work is close, so I can see my family every day. This makes me happy. What I love of my work is I am working in nature, and I am working with the tourists. I meet the people, and I tell them about my culture, and also teach them about my traditions. And also I learn about them and their culture. When I tell my friends, they are jealous of my job and they like what I do. This work gives me a good chance because I learn from this work a lot, and get many ideas about the future. If I do anything in my future, I will say thank you for this place. If I was not working here, probably I would have to live away from my home, from my family. Probably I would go and work in Aqaba (200 km away), and I would be far away. This work helped me to build a nice house, also to take care of my children. Also to use technology like the internet and the computer. And everyday I learn a lot. There is also more for me to learn. I am happy when I learn, and I can tell my family about my job. Maybe my children will work here one day. Probably in the future I will be a famous person in this place, because many articles are written about this place, and I am in these articles. People see my picture. I will become a famous person in this place, not a simple person.

Desert daughter

28-06-2018

My name is Mariam Abu Rkeek and this is my story…I am from the village of Tel Beer Sheva, in Negev. I was born in my grandmother’s tent to a very large family of 20 brothers and sisters. Growing up, I remember watching how my grandmother made natural beauty products and medicines from the natural sources available to her. I remember how she helped the people who came to her for treatment. I always had a dream to do something different from my grandmother. When I completed my studies in Tel Sheva I received a scholarship to travel to the UK to study a BA program. Being in Britain showed me that the world today has an awareness and knowledge about protecting the environment. I began to compare modern living and my life. I started to compare what I knew about the old traditions and saw how the modern world is searching for natural cures, beauty and well-being. This all made me think differently – I understood that the old ways could actually be preserved and help modern day living. As the world is changing, many look to the old ways as solutions in tune with society’s needs. So, when I returned to the Negev, I made a decision that I was going to preserve the traditions of my grandmother. I started making soaps from olive oil and camel’s milk, and other wild desert herbs. I also started to produce aromatic oils. I sold my products to local women, as well as to tourists who would visit Israel and wanted to try my natural products or take them home as gifts. It wasn’t easy for me as a woman coming from a rather conservative society. In my community, people would look at me as someone who didn’t have the ability to do such a project. No one took me seriously. For seven years I was under a lot of pressure from my family to give up my dream, especially because I chose to make business instead of marrying and raising a family. I held my strong belief that I could succeed. My small business is now ten years old. At the beginning it was only my closest sisters and neighbors who gave me some support and helped me get started. Slowly but surely, I invested in this project and turned it into a real business. My dream is to turn my small business into an international beauty company. This will give me the opportunity to employ many more women from my community. Today, at Desert Daughter I work with five other women who are the treasure of this business. In my village, there is a lack of jobs available to women, so as my business grows I will be able to employ more and more women from the village and help them provide for their families. I hope that Desert Daughter will tell a story that can be an inspiration to women all over the world. If I, a Bedouin woman without any means or resources can start a successful business, then I believe anyone, anywhere in the world can succeed. I hope my story will be useful to others and inspire them. I hope others will follow my example of preserving heritage and traditions and at the same time, offering solutions for employment. Life is not worth living without a dream.

In my grandmother's home

28-06-2018

My name is Katie Charalambous, and this is my story… ‘Kalosorisate’, Welcome! This is Vasilion, which means Kingdom. Here is where my grandmother and her sisters lived. In those times, Polis Chrysochous was the center town of the small villages in the Akamas area. Nowadays, the Polis area became one of the main touristic resorts in Cyprus. As a child I used to visit my grandmother to spend my Easter and Summer vacations. Life was slow in those years, I was the first grandchild and I had all the attention, I was spoiled but in a good way. I feel nostalgic of those days. I remember the afternoon walks with ‘giagia’ (grandmother) Katerina. The sea is very near to our property and I used to love this promenade. I think of the August nights, listening to aunty Persa’s parables. She used to tell us that the sky opens during the August nights and the stars fall so we could make our wishes – but we must be very careful what we wish for, as our wishes always come true. As I grew older, I used to wish to have my own business. I never thought that my wish would come true – that my vacation childhood house would be converted into my own accommodation business. It all started suddenly when I was working for many years with our local airline. I left the airline when an early retirement scheme was offered. My grandmother’s house was already mine. I inherited it, but it was nearly a ruin. I needed a huge budget in order to restore it. At that time, I was lucky as there were some European structural funds and that was the beginning. Since the property was listed, I needed to go through many formalities, rules and regulations, especially as we found Archaeological remains of three eras in our garden. The more I did, the more the urge of completing the project grew stronger day by day. I was so excited that ideas and dreams grew bigger. This is a traditional Cypriot accommodation business. This business is all about relaxation, a retreat back to our roots. Through this business I am transferring to our guests warm sentiments of my past world. We live in a modern world. It has become so fast, so much pressure. For this reason, technology and comfort is a must. Every little detail had and has to be taken care of, to make it possible to rest, but still feel in control. Since most of us live a daily hectic life, I thought of an escape, a return to our grandmother’s house which for me means a warm protected place, a garden full of roses, home grown vegetables, fruit trees, and of course a homemade orange cake. Whatever I do is with pleasure. When you are dealing with traditional houses, you need to have strong sentiments and most of all a big heart to be able to stand by any difficulty. I love being in the garden taking care of my roses; this brings me peace and I do enjoy our guests’ positive reaction to the flowers and the scents from my garden. I also love cooking. The houses are self-catered, but when our guests want to taste and experience the Cypriot gastronomy I gladly cook with them. I mostly prefer to let them relax; privacy is all that matters when you enter Vasilion. For me it is my business but also it is my refuge, I cannot imagine doing anything else as this is what I enjoy most. Vasilion is part of my history, is part of my life; we two are bonded together. I continue to dream… and to make wishes during the August nights.

In the footsteps of Santiago's pilgrims

28-06-2018

My name is José Antonio de la Riera, and this is my story… We are in a small village at the edge of Finisterre, Santiago de Olveiroa. My life is largely devoted to the recovery of places like this; in this case the Route of Santiago, in a work of research that is part of all my life. The Route has suffered centuries of neglect. It was a real challenge for us to recover those old traces. Apart from the historical research and field work we had to do, we found an almost universal skepticism. How could a medieval pilgrimage from ancient times be recovered at the dawn of the 21st century? How could we recover the road towards a distant grave in the west through hundreds of villages like Olveiroa? And yet the dream came true because of common values: with brains, heart and hands. Today man no longer seeks the forgiveness of his sins. Yet, if there are any common values to the nomadic man, it has always been the restlessness of the human being. We often say that the Route of Santiago is like the thread of an old rosary. The beads – the great cathedrals – are there, but what gives it life, is the thread of the rosary – the small villages like this one of which there are hundreds on the road. Small monuments, ‘cruceiros’, small shrines, churches – they form an impressive, tangible heritage. We have valued this heritage; the legends, the traditions and the old music. All this has exploded in the late 20th and early 21st century. At the start, there was nothing more than ruins in a region usually isolated, and yet the best of all Europe is coming here. It is all thanks to the recovery of the old roads to Santiago and Finisterre. And with the pilgrimages came cultural tourism, surrounding the whole phenomenon of the recovery of the old medieval environments. In 2010, the Holy Year of Compostela, over 272,000 pilgrims came to Santiago de Compostela to do a traditional pilgrimage meaning covering the trail on foot, horseback or bicycle. The road is a space of freedom, solidarity, adventure seeking, spirituality and a way to go. Many of them covered hundreds of kilometers, others thousands. Along the trail, a tourism sector that is respectful to the surroundings and respectful to the natural environment and the historical ethnography has grown. There is respect for the pilgrims, and economic benefit for the villages that were otherwise doomed to virtually disappear. But now with the Route of Santiago and the cultural tourism that has formed around it, we have seen a comprehensive and harmonic recovery. What I have learnt from this? That the traveling nature of man is immortal. The ‘Camino de Santiago’ completely distinguishes itself from the so-called religious tourism for many reasons, the main ones being its multiculturalism, its ecumenism, and above all because it retains the legends from the 5th century, such as the stoning in front of the old hospital of Roncesvalles. Here “the door opens to all.” This is my ‘workplace’. For centuries, thousands of pilgrims have passed on this ground we are treading, and I certainly do not know what my life would have been like without this ‘work’. We are now a cultural association – the Friends of the Camino de Santiago. In the future, this old passage of pilgrims, will be kept up for the next generation. I hope it will benefit all of these villages not only culturally and personally, but also in their social and economic development. They deserve to be reinstated in the modern era. The Route of Santiago certainly changes the lives of all who work on it. At this point, it would be difficult for me to imagine a life without this work.

Man and mountain gorrillas in natural balance

28-06-2018

My name is Jean Damascene Hakizimana. I’m the head ranger in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. And this is my story…I was born in 1972, and I live near the Volcanoes National Park. I grew up seeing that the park was facing some illegal activities, such as poaching, so I grew up wanting to be a guide or a ranger. I wanted to be a ranger or a guide as I loved so much the gorillas.I explain to my family and to my friends that I am doing activities related to park protection – coordinating activities of protecting the park, organizing routine park patrols, short patrols, camp patrols and cross-border patrols that are coordinated patrols. Our cross border patrols are done with our neighboring country Uganda because this park is trans-boundary. On one side, we have the Mgahinga National Park and, on the other side, we have the Bwindi Park, so for protecting this park, we do a joint patrol. We have to make sure all equipment to enter the park is available, such as radio for communication, binoculars which helps us to observe the things very far from us. We have guns for protection. We monitor all of our activities in the park. We face some challenges related to the few number of rangers we have in this park. We collaborate with the community in order to monitor all activities that are being done by surrounding communities outside the park. Because I love so much gorillas, I also made some environmental clubs to help protect the gorillas and the whole environment. Doing this work, I am able to continue my studies, improve my communication skills, and I also benefited from many trainings related to the conservation of the park. Now, I am able to do mapping and use some software that helps me to do reports which are used in park management. My children and my family are very very happy of the job I am doing, and they support me very very much.

Sanctuary for tradition and travellers

28-06-2018

My name is Faisal Al Halabi, and this is my story…I was born and raised in this beautiful village, Aammiq, which is renowned for its peaceful and friendly people. I grew up loving to hunt. I was an expert game hunter. A few years ago when nature reserves started appearing in Lebanon, I met some of the young people working at the Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve. They began giving lectures on hunting methods and seasons. I became quite interested in these issues and started working in tourism. Through this, I met a young who explained to me what environmentalism was about and offered me a job. I became a true believer and went from being a hunter to an environmental activist. I worked with them at the reserve, as a team member, four or five years ago. Then I transferred to the Aammiq reserve. The Aammiq reserve was known for hunting, cattle grazing and logging; however, all activities were unregulated and environmentally harmful. Fortunately, when the Skaffs returned to their lands after the war, they took the initiative to create a reserve to protect the area. I moved from the Shouf biosphere reserve and started working with them in Aammiq. It’s an impressive initiative. I hope that all Lebanese officials and landowners would also take the initiative to protect the land. This has become a beautiful area with plenty of trees and wildlife. Many environmental projects are being carried out here. This is all thanks to the Skaffs, who greatly contributed to protecting the environment. The area has turned from a private land into an oasis of exemplary reserves. It is also a key stop for migratory birds as it features the largest freshwater wetland in Lebanon. Getting my family and friends to understand what I do was a challenge. Education is definitely the first step to persuading people. I began with my friends and family. Gradually, they all came around to the idea. The benefit is clear. Through our work, we have managed to turn 60% or more of the residents into advocates of the environment. Many young people embraced the idea and each began working within their preferred field, but always with a view to protect the environment. If I did not do this job, I think I would have become a farmer, although I don’t particularly like that line of work or find it satisfying, despite it being useful and beneficial to the environment – but it’s not my passion. I was offered many jobs but I feel most comfortable in this one. This is what I was meant to be doing. And it is part of tourism. I began working with my family in tourism almost 12 years ago. We offer tourists room at our family home; my wife handles the meals. We started with five or six people, and now we are hosting groups of up to a hundred – and that was before we opened the restaurant. Preserving the environment is not only good for tourism, it also creates jobs. This building has been under refurbishment for eight years in association with the Shouf reserve and A Rocha. It was supposed to be a hotel for tourists. But studies showed that the hotel would only benefit one family or two at most. So, they developed the project as an eco-restaurant – the first of its kind in Lebanon. All the food is organic and cultivated on the reserve. The restaurant has created jobs for 15 families. The restaurant and touristic services it offers have certainly increased the number of visitors to the area. Tourists can now enjoy high-quality meals in addition to hiking in the mountains. For me personally, my job has allowed me to meet people of different nationalities, and that is in itself extremely important. This is what I was meant to be doing.

Opening hearts and minds through homestays

28-06-2018

My name is Dato’ Haji Sahariman bin Haji Hamdan and this is my story… At the age of 25 I got married, now I have nine kids. I used to be a rubber tapper. In 1995, when I was in my early 30s, I started this program – the homestay programme. I began with my house first, then with my mother’s house and my mother-in-law’s house. Thanks to the government, especially the Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Malaysia who contribute to this homestay programme, now I’m like a boss to the rubber estate. From the early stage of five houses in this village, now we have 162 houses to welcome people from all over the world and also from Malaysia. We can meet many people, we can meet Japanese, we can meet Europeans, we don’t have to go there. There are around 151 villages throughout Malaysia which are part of the homestay programme with the help and support from the government. I started a business with one room, and now I have about 34 rooms. I have nine kids and four of them are working with me. I have more than 12 youngsters in this village also working part time with me. The homestay is very good as it gives a lot of revenue to the villagers. People come to the village, we treat them as part of the family – we stay together, we cook together, and do many activities together. A lot of money is coming to all the villagers. When we talk about tourism, there’s a lot of money and revenue coming from this tourism. We get money from accommodation, food and meals and from activities. There are a lot of activities in the villages – tapping rubber, fishing, elephant sanctuary; we have bird watching, and so on. This all creates revenue; a lot of money from the outside now comes to the villagers. I think it’s very good. We thank a lot not only to the Ministry of Tourism. We also thank the Ministry of Rural Development and Entrepreneur. They helped us with training and seminars on internet and technologies. We also have the Plant a Tree Programme. All the people who come to the village plant a tree, and now we have more than 100,000 trees that have been planted by the people who visited our homestay programme. When we talk about achievement, every year is a success story. We started in early 1995, we developed less than 50 villages and now there are already 159 villages. We started with about 5% of occupancy. Now, at the end of 2012, we have about 33% of occupancy. We started getting revenue only about RM 5 million and we already achieve RM 18.6 million. We have about 325,000 people who have visited us in 2012. As I look to the future, I would like to transform this homestay programme. I would like to transform this business into a bigger business in the city and in beach areas. I think the time is now to grow this tourism from small to bigger, so that all the villages can achieve what people in the city can achieve.

A cultural hotel, a community haven

28-06-2018

Hola. My name is Alonso Bermúdez Paniagua, and this is my story…I am from the area of Islita. I have been working for the hotel Punta Islita for 14 years already. I grew up in a nearby town called San Francisco, it’s only 25 km from here. It’s a very simple town, like any other town in the area. I was born there and I was raised there, however I went to school to another town because the school there was very basic. When I was young my family encouraged me to go to a better school so I could get better prepared. My community has no more than 200 people, with basic services such as a soccer field, church, school, bar, you know, things like that. But very, very basic. My dream was always to have a better job or to have different opportunities than the ones that I could have over there. Where I was growing up you could only work in cattle raising, farming or construction. And so my dream was always to go to school, be better prepared and get a better job. I never thought about working in the hotel business, but it was something interesting, and the tourism sector gave us good opportunities. And my family had a little restaurant so we were always related to service. It was different to what I do here, but in some way it was related. Here in my job there are a lot of challenges. The main challenge is to make the employees and the guests happy. And so we always raise the occupancy – we give more authentic experiences to our guests every day. So, that is our challenge – to keep people happy every day, and to translate it to different things. I always say that the sector that I work for is all about service – to the client, the staff or the customer. And it is important. I explain it in a very easy way – we are here to make people happy. Happy people will come back and give more jobs, give more opportunities, and open other things to us. If I was not working here? Maybe I would be working in construction or in a cattle raising farm, with a very limited salary. When I started working here at the hotel it was a huge thing for us – for me and for my family. It opened a lot of opportunities. I started working here 14 years ago. Since the moment I came here, I worked hard at the front desk. And then along the years in different areas; I worked in tourism activities and in customer services and then I became the resident manager; now I am the manager of the hotel. The hotel offers a lot of opportunities. Then it depends a lot on us, if we take them or we don’t. I was one of those persons that always wanted to grow in the company, and get more opportunities, visit different places and get more knowledge of things. So it was very nice that this sector has offered me the opportunity to grow, not only as a human being, but also as a professional.

Where travellers learn from Australia's traditional teachers

28-06-2018

My name is Brian Lee, and this is my story… I was born in Broome, I grew up in Derby, and at the moment I live in the Djarindjin community. Djarindjin is on the tip of the Dampier peninsula. We are about 2000 miles from the nearest capital city. I’ve been out there since about 1992. It’s my grandmother’s country. It’s where my mother was born as well. I’ve gone out there, away from here, to find my roots. As a teenager, going over to Queensland, meeting different people with different attitudes and opinions, and learning how to live out of my comfort zone was an experience for me. It taught me how to live with other people, that it was ok to have a different opinion than others, and to respect opinions of others as well. So coming back to Western Australia, back to Derby, I had a job on a pearl farm on the peninsula. Slowly from there, I moved back to my mother and grandmother’s country, and reconnected with all the family members I had there. I learnt what it was like to be part of a community, and I learned about leadership roles in the community. I have taken that up and become one of the young leaders. Djarindjin has a lighthouse. It was built in about 1911. Local people there manned it at various stages of its lifetime, until about 1986 when the lighthouse became automated. The freehold title was given back to the Bardi people, and the Bardi people made a decision to start up a tourism resort there. It has since evolved into an eco-friendly tourism resort and wilderness camp – Kooljaman. It has been operating as such for the past 15 years. This is a special place. What makes Kooljaman so unique is the surroundings. It’s based on a peninsula so you can wake up and watch the sun rise on one side of the ocean, and then watch the sun set on the other side of the ocean. It is a place that is recognized around the world. I have been on the Board for the last 16 years. I have seen it grow from its humble beginnings, to what it is today – a multi award winning wilderness camp. It has given me a purpose. It’s showed me that there is a way to share knowledge, to share experiences, and to share a country. It has made me I think a role model for the younger people in the community, to see that there is a career in tourism. And you can make a comfortable living from that. But I think for me it is more of a lifestyle, more of a desire to impart knowledge and share experiences. I have started my own tourism business that I operate out of Kooljaman, and I think it’s getting people to know or recognize that there is a place that no one else has seen, but everyone else who comes here can share what we have. My main dream for the future is to see young community people stepping up and doing what I do, learning from myself and others up there who are leaders in the tourism sector in the peninsula, and hopefully one day seeing them be managers of our resort, to bring other young Bardi people along with them on the ride. Our people have been a part of this land and of this country for thousands of years. I think we see ourselves as teachers. I feel that what I have to offer to people outside our country, our state, and indeed Australia, is a knowledge base that evolved around the country, around tradition, around culture, and keeping that alive for me is something that I am striving to achieve, and hopefully I can do that through a job that I get great enjoyment out of.

The floating hotels on the islands of Los Uros

28-06-2018

I am Cristina Suaña, and I live in the floating islands of Los Uros Khantati. This is my story… I was actually born on another island further away from here. When I was young I did not know of tourists – I was very afraid of them. When I married my husband, I moved into this area. Like all women here, my work was weaving crafts and taking care of the house and my children. A Dutch couple suggested I set up a cottage, where people can spend the night on the island. I thought it was a fantastic idea. So, we started with the first, very small room, and in the first year we received two, four couples. We are already in our tenth year now. Those tourists gave us tips on how to advance our work. We are always waiting for a tourist or a friend to come and for them to leave very happy with our business, our home. We hope that they enjoy the floating beds at our small venture that we call “Hotel with floating beds”. In the beginning, some people in the community said that we were crazy, even my husband. No one believed that anyone could stay here because it is quite cold, there is no electricity, and there is no water. But we pushed this project forward, and now more tourists are coming to stay. Now, when tourists are coming or leaving in our small boats, the community can see that a project like this is possible. Today, the whole family is involved in this work. Now, I work mainly in the kitchen. My sisters and my cousins are also learning to manage the kitchen so that I can travel and do other things. My daughter is in charge of bookings. She decided that to be succesful in this business she needed to study. So, she studied tourism. Having her return home after her studies is my greatest satisfaction as a mother. She is already working in our project as the boss. My son is working with the transfers; he goes where the tourists are. My husband takes the tourists out in the boat for fishing. My sister shows tourists our handicrafts, and teaches them how to do it. During the evenings, my nephews play music and bring joy to the party. The kids have also become interested in continuing their studies. So, I am very happy because now the company belongs to the entire family. We are a very big family; ten brothers and sisters. Two have died, so now we are eight. We have gone through very difficult times in my family, with my parents. I think if it wasn’t for this project, maybe I would have continued living on my island far away, working with fishing. There were days when we caught fish and had something to eat, and days when we didn´t. But with this venture, I have learnt how to organize my family in terms of food, and have my children studying as well. I call this a sustainable project as it is about caring for our environment and respecting our people. It is also about valuing our identity. Now, we talk with our elders and ask them about where we came from. This helps me understand where I have come from. I am always telling our fellow brothers in other communities to invest time in training, in learning how to manage this type of business. With each client, you will gain something every time and keep expanding, like we did. Now we already have ten rooms with 20 beds, and we have also bought this platform to expand our kitchen and dining room. We bought solar panels. So I am always telling my brothers to invest their time in training, invest their money to buy and implement their business. I want to create a small travel agency so that tourists can come directly from their country to our houses in different parts of our country. It can be in different places, wherever our communities can receive tourists. This is our dream.

UNWTO Regional Conference on Human Capital Development in Tourism: New Perspectives

27-06-2018

The Conference brought together high-level policymakers, industry leaders and prominent academicians to lay the policy and strategic groundwork and identify innovative solutions for the development of human capital in tourism in the Middle East and North Africa region and advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 8 on economic growth and jobs, in the region. Building on the roadmap set by the UNWTO Study ‘Tourism Labour Market in the Middle East and North Africa Region’, the conference featured an update on the region´s tourism labour market performance. It is evident that up-to-date reliable data is needed for monitoring impact of existing interventions, tracking progress and for informing policy-making. For this reason, a key objective of the Conference was to set the framework for a comprehensive and regular monitoring mechanism of tourism labour market performance in the Middle East and North Africa region. Participants discussed policies and strategies to address key issues in the region such as the creation of quality jobs and closing the decent work deficit, skills development, the stimulation of youth employment and women participation in the tourism labour market and supporting tourism MSMEs for economic growth and job creation. The Conference shared ample good practices that can be implemented across the region. Finally and in the spirit of fostering partnerships, the Conferenc provided a high level platform for discussions on joint projects and transnational cooperation.

UNWTO, Government of Zambia International Conference on Promoting Sustainable Tourism, a Tool for Inclusive Growth and Community Engagement in Africa

27-06-2018

In the framework of the 70th United Nations General Assembly in December 2015, the year 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This achievement is an important milestone in the 2030 UN Agenda and in the progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and recognizing tourism as a pillar of development. The Republic of Zambia being part of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation joins the rest of the world in commemorating 2017 as a special year dedicated to tourism by undertaking activities that promote tourism as one of the key drivers of responsible and sustainable development. The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, 2017 (IY 2017) presents a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the contribution of sustainable tourism for development among public and private sector decision-makers and overall the public. This is further achieved while mobilizing all stakeholders work together in making tourism a catalyst for positive change. Further, the IY 2017 provides the opportunity for destinations inter alia: a) To increase the visibility of the tourism sector by highlighting its potential to contribute positively to sustainable development; b) To maximize the positive and minimize challenging sides of tourism and how the positives can be enhanced and the challenges being addressed; c) To raise awareness about the huge potential of outbound and inbound tourism and how this can be converted to the benefit of Africa in general and Zambia in particular. In the context of the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behaviour towards a more sustainable tourism sector that can contribute to the SDGs.

Tourism training talent (TTT), Turismo de Portugal

26-06-2018

The Tourism training talent (TTT) programme implemented by the national Portuguese tourism organization represents an excellent example of capacity building programme developed to prepare the future generations of tourism workforce. The comprehensive training programme is strategically built around the National Tourism Plan and takes into consideration the future needs of the sector. This project contributes to the improvement of the competitiveness of the sector and to the positioning of Portugal as a leading tourism destination.

new dbi project

01-06-2018

test

hhh0000

30-05-2018

dfgdfg

hhh12345678910

30-05-2018

dfgdfg