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Each year there are around 2000 participants in the Responsible Tourism Programme at WTM. On Tuesday there are panels on Local Economic Impact, Reducing Energy and Water Consumption, Using Responsible Tourism to Drive Sales, Social Inclusion, Wildlife Tourism and Animal Welfare. On Wednesday a panel of freshwater cruising and the World Responsible Tourism Day Debate on whether the tourism industry is doing enough to protect children. On Thursday there are panels on volunteering and employment conditions, 55 speakers over 12 events – details online and here http://www.crtmmu.org/our-links/wtmrt/wtmwrtd-2014/ and If you want to join the discussions the Twitter addresses of the speakers are online
17:00 – 18:00 The Responsible Tourism Networking Event hosted by WTM
18:00-20:00 reponsibletravel.com/ ICRT/ Responsible Tourism Partnership Reception
Both events are in Platinum Site 1 at Excel
Celebrate the World Responsible Tourism Award winners with the ICRT (International Centre for Responsible Tourism) and responsibletravel.com at our annual networking event on Wednesday 5th November sponsored by New York State Division of Tourism.
Join us and enjoy some hot and cold canapés whilst catching up with old friends and colleagues all passionate about responsible tourism and find out more about what New York State has accomplished through the online guide to the Bigger Greener Apple. Cash bar.
This panel presents a unique opportunity for senior managers in outbound tourism to discuss with those responsible for sustainable destinations management how the outbound industry in source markets can best partner with destinations to make tourism better. Martin Brackenbury, will chair the panel, and will be quizzing the participants about how they can best co-operate as partners in developing better tourism. Panellists include senior industry figures from TUI, ABTA, UNWTO, Mallorca and Barcelona. Monday 3 November 2014 15:30 – 16:30 in the Travel Tech Theatre – TT390 more
Simon Press will open World Responsible Tourism Day at 10:00 on Wednesday 5th November in a new venue down on the show floor: WTM Global Stage - AS850. The Stephen Sackur interview is about poaching and conservation – see next news item. The Stephen will present the 2014 World Responsible Tourism Awards, the event will be live streamed and full details of the Gold and Silver winners and the judges’ reason will be available on line from noon
We have invited Charlie Mayhew of TUSK back to discuss how to improve and progress anti-poaching action in Africa with Colin Bell. Colin Bell co-founded Wilderness Safaris in 1983, sold his shares in 2005 and co-founded Great Plains Conservation in 2006. Now completely independent, Colin is campaigning for a Green Safari model. He believes passionately that allowing the trade in rhino is no way to stop rhino poaching. The two of them will be interviewed by our sponsor BBC World News Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur on Wednesday morning about what the tourism industry could do that would make a difference. It promises to be a lively and hard hitting interview. WTM Global Stage - AS850, Wednesday 5th November at 10:00.
The winner of the Irish Responsible Tourism Awards will be announced at RTD9, The 9th International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, which will be held in Dublin on 11th March Conference details Awards details Make your nominations now, only those nominated can win.
Until relatively recently people who have volunteered abroad, and had a bad experience, have tended to give the operator the benefit of the doubt. They have either taken the blame up on themselves or given the organiser or operator the benefit of the doubt. That has begun to change as, mainly through social media, awareness has been raised about some of the issues. Read more The WTM panel is designed to enable universities, colleges and individuals to make better choices and to help the providers identify the issues and to address them responsibly. Thursday 6th November 12:30-13:30 SG 21-22 more
The City of Cape Town is hosting a two-day Responsible Tourism (RT) in Cities Conference to engage the Tourism industry and other key Tourism stakeholders active in South African cities in a robust dialogue about moving Responsible Tourism practices more firmly into the mainstream. 28 November 2014 more details
An analysis of 1800 sustainability messages on the websites of 2009-2012 World Responsible Tourism Awards winners shows sustainability is communicated as something passive and not experiential, distant from customers. If Tuesday’s panel “How can you use Responsible Tourism to drive sales?” (SG 19&20, 13:00 - 14:00) leaves you wanting more, Wednesday 5th November you can benefit from a free 20 minute consultation on stand AS370 from Dr Xavier Font, Leeds Beckett University, to consider new sustainability marketing strategies and more persuasive communication approaches. Book your slot with Xavier Font
The NOAA, the US National Climatic Data Center, reported that with “records dating back to 1880, the global temperature across the world's land and ocean surfaces for September 2014 was 0.72°C (1.30°F) higher than the 20th century average of 15.0°C (59.0°F), marking the warmest September in the 135-year period of record. … With the exception of February, which tied as the 18th warmest February in the 135-year period of record, every month to date in 2014 has been among its four warmest on record, with May, June, August, and September all record warm.” more
Global warming continues. There is early evidence that the ozone hole that appears annually over Antarctica has stopped growing bigger every year. Scientists say the recovery is entirely due to political determination to phase out the man-made CFC gases destroying ozone. more
This demonstrates that when governments act we can begin to repair the damage. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate was commissioned by seven countries - Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Norway, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom - as an independent initiative to report to the international community. Their report concludes that economic growth and action on climate change can now be achieved together: “it is possible to have better growth and a better climate. It is possible to create jobs, reduce poverty, and reduce the carbon emissions that threaten our future.” more
