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WTM Latin America launches its own Responsible Tourism Awards to bring light to the best initiatives for the sustainable development of the continentÂ
Since its first edition in 2013, WTM Latin America has been carrying on the Responsible Tourism Programme as in its fellow events in London, Cape Town and Dubai. A team of specialists, tour operators, associations and consultants from across the continent came and brought valuable information on how to tackle some of the emerging themes the Latin American travel and tourism industry has been facing.
2019 sees the launch of the WTM Latin America Responsible Tourism Awards, which will be part of the prestigious family of World Responsible Tourism Awards launched in 2004 and now awarded globally and in Africa and India.
The launch counted with the presentation of businesses which have previously won the World Responsible Tourism Awards and explained why the entered and what the benefits were for them. The categories for 2020 match some of the most important topics for the continent, including conservation of wildlife and cultural heritage and poverty reduction and inclusion. Â
Other panels added the responsible tourism programme in São Paulo. The issue on certifications and labels, a hot topic landing strong in Latin America, was discussed among a group of certification organisations, among them Teresa Llusa from Green Tourism, Erica Lobos from Earth Check and Alexandre Garrido from ISO - these last 2 working on labels for destinations as a whole. Â
The carbon emission made the panel for day 3. Prof. Dr. Marcos Buckeridge from the University of São Paulo - USP and partner researcher at IPCC brought a lecture with the most recent information on climate change, the level of responsibility the travel and tourism industry has for the current levels of CO2 emission and the consequences for destinations in the next few years if action is not taken among all. Â
Mr. Buckeridge was followed by tour operators and travel associations that are working on internal solutions to develop awareness among their suppliers, clients and associates. Â
From June the WTM Latin America Responsible Tourism Awards entries will be open at latinamerica.wtm.com . First awards will be presented at the 2020 edition in São Paulo, Brazil.
