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Introduction to World Responsible Tourism Day video
WTM Responsible Tourism Brochure
The WTM RT Advisor is Harold Goodwin he can be contacted at harold(at)haroldgoodwin.info
There is a Responsible Tourism stand this year - a good place to meet others focused on RT: Stand number - AF568
Monday 15:30 -16:30 Video
Location: Travel Tech Theatre TT390
Destination Partnerships Panel: Barcelona & Venice, coping with success
Industry leaders, outbound tour operators and destinations, discuss how the industry can work with others to realise the aspiration of using tourism to make better places to live in recognising that great places to live in are great places to visit. Using the experience of Barcelona & Venice the industry leaders on the panel will discuss how positive change can be achieved for the benefit of destination communities, their natural and cultural environment and the tourists. Barcelona and Venice are major successes as tourism destinations but they are experiencing the problems of success and residents are demanding change, both cities have growing numbers of staying tourists and day visitors arriving by coach and cruise-liner.
Chair Martin Brackenbury, Director, Classic Collection Holidays, formerly President, International Federation of Tour Operators
10:15 - 11:15 Taking Responsibility for Wildlife and National Parks Video
If well marketed and managed tourism can contribute to the maintenance of natural habitat and the species which depend on it. Tourism can generate revenues for national parks and protected areas and for local communities. But tourism can also damage habitats and disturb species; if not carefully managed tourism can do more harm than good. Your panellists will address the question - what contribution can tourism make to the conservation of wildlife? How can we avoid doing more harm than good?
Chair Professor John Swarbooke Manchester Metropolitan University
11:30-12:30 Child Protection Video
In last year’s debate we learnt much about the scale of the challenge for the industry of child protection. Child abuse and neglect occurs in outbound families and the industry risks being used by paedophiles. How should staff be supported when confronted by child protection issues? This year we are focusing on what the industry can do to address the issues of child labour, orphanages and to prevent its facilities being used for trafficking or the sexual exploitation of children. Where are the paedophiles active and how can we counter them? What can be done to tackle begging?
Chair Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor and Manchester Metropolitan University
13:00 - 14:00 What is the role of Government in Managing Tourism in destinations? Video
This panel focuses on the challenge of managing tourism in destinations the places where tourists and local communities interact. How can local communities and their governments maximise the benefits of tourism while minimising negative impacts? How can we ensure that local people feel that they are using tourism to make theirs a better place to live in, rather than that their place is being used by tourism? The management of tourism is about more than marketing. Effective management at destination level requires a whole of government approach. What should be the relationship between government, the private sector and communities in developing tourism and spreading its benefits?
Chair Professor John Swarbooke Manchester Metropolitan University
14:30 - 15:30 Carbon Resource Efficiency good practice Video
Carbon efficiency is a major issue for all parts of the tourism industry, how can the greenhouse gases emitted by airlines, road transport, accommodation and cruise lines be reduced? In Paris, in December, there will be another attempt by governments to agree an effective regulatory framework to bring carbon pollution under control and to reduce it. What can the industry do now, with known technology, to reduce its emissions and improve the efficiency of its use of fossil fuels?
Chair Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor and Manchester Metropolitan University
15:45 - 16:45 Increasing the local economic benefits of tourism Video
Generally the success of ministers of tourism is judged by the scale of the increase in international visitor arrivals on their watch, sometimes account is taken of length of stay. The economic value of tourism is reported in satellite accounts but these have little traction at the destination or business level. Your panellists will present four different examples of initiatives to measure and/or increase the local economic benefits of tourism focusing on wages, local procurement and yield.
Chair Professor John Swarbooke Manchester Metropolitan University
17:00 - 18:00 Taking Responsibility: Change Makers Video
Individuals make change, it is individuals in companies, NGOs., communities and government who take responsibility for making tourism better, more sustainable. .It is individuals who see an issue that they can do something about, who take responsibility and win the support of others to make change. Four people who have contributed to making real change in the industry, in businesses or in destinations, will talk about how they did it.
Chair: Martin Brackenbury, Director, Classic Collection Holidays
WTM RT Speed Networking 09:00 - 10:00 Enter through S10
Responsible Tourism Speed Networking is a not to be missed initiative helping to drive business and add value to both responsible tourism buyers and Exhibitors. The Speed Networking format allows for Responsible Tourism buyers and exhibitors to meet for 6 minute mini meetings to discover whether they have similar business interests that they would like to pursue during WTM. On the show floor the sellers take the booths and the buyers visit. In the speed networking the buyers have the tables and the sellers visit them.
Download list of buyers and their interests
WTM Global Stage enter through S9 or 10
10:30 Opening Video
10:40 Key Note Speaker: Professor Kevin Anderson
Kevin Anderson is Professor of Energy and Climate Change in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at the University of Manchester. He is Deputy Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and is research active with recent publications in Royal Society journals and Nature. He engages widely across all tiers of government; from reporting on aviation-related emissions to the EU Parliament, advising the Prime Minister's office on Carbon Trading and having contributed to the development of the UK's Climate Change Act.
His presentation will spell out the challenge of greenhouse gas emission and the climate change which results, setting the context for the Stephen Sackur round table interview which follows.
http://kevinanderson.info
Kevin Anderson's presentation at WTM is here
Anderson's article on Duality in climate science
His presentation at RTD8 in 2014 can be viewed here
10:55-11:45 The Stephen Sackur round table interview
This year the interview focuses on how the industry is responding to climate change, initially looking at the practical steps the industry can take and then at the major international policy issues :
11:45-12:45 The 2015 World Responsible Tourism Awards Video
The 2015 World Responsible Tourism Awards Gold and Silver Winners list and citations
14:00 - 15:00 Gender Equality in Tourism: How can it be achieved?
South Gallery Rooms 15 & 16
There are major challenges involved in achieving gender equality within the tourism and hospitality sector In this session, Equality in Tourism will focus on strategies for addressing these challenges and overcoming disparities drawing on lessons and experiences from around the world.
Chair: Dr. Stroma Cole, Director of Equality in Tourism and Senior Lecturer in International Tourism Development at the University of the West of England
15:30-16:45 Carbon Debate - is the travel and tourism industry doing enough to address climate change? Video
Platinum Suite 1
The industry and its critics will explore what the industry is doing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, to improve it carbon efficiency and to reduce its contribution to climate change. In Paris in December governments will try yet again to reach agreement of a strategy to avoid a damaging increase in average global temperatures and the extreme weather events which is making earth less habitable for us and other species. We’ll be debating what the industry could do to reduce emissions and asking why so many are lagging so far behind what the leaders are doing.
Motion: This House believes that the tourism industry could do a great deal more to take responsibility for reducing carbon emissions and urges it to do so.
We’ll take a vote at the beginning and end of the session
Chair Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor and Manchester Metropolitan University
[17:00-18:00 Louis D’Amore’s 30th anniversary event for IIPT on Wednesday 5 -6pm in Platinum suite 1] Video
17:00 -18:00 RT Networking Platinum 3 & 4
18:00 - 20:00 Festivals on the show floor
A special Nepal NOW Festival at Nepal Stand AS 150, where guest & invitees will be educated with destination highlights in a post-earthquake situation with latest facts and figures and real time stories. The Festival will be spiced up with unique cultural performances, Nepali special snacks and a cocktail reception.
Nepal is a land of contrasts, a land of breath-taking beauty and a land of unrivalled diversity. The recent earthquake about six months ago challenged the tourism industry, but its given it the strength and resilience to bounce back better. The ever smiling and hospitable Nepali people are ready to welcome travellers and share the bounty that nature and culture has bestowed upon them.
All session in South Gallery Rooms 19&20
10:30 - 11:30 Responsible Tourism and Snowsports
Skiing, snowboarding and sleigh rides are growing in popularity, in this panel we’ll look at some of the environmental and social impacts that the development of snow based tourism has in the mountains and frozen places visited in winter by tourists The four panellists will describe what their business or destination has done to reduce the negative impacts of snow based tourism and to enhance the positive and discuss what more the industry and destination managers can do.
There is an excellent video which Daniel Elkan woudl like to have shown during his presentation but we do not permit videos - available here
Chair Dr Xavier Font, Leeds Becket University
11:45-12:45 Freshwater and Marine Cruising
The cruise sector has been growing rapidly, there is some good sustainability practice but there is also a great deal of criticism of the negative social, economic and environmental impacts of cruising. The four panellists will describe what their business has done to reduce the negative impacts of cruise based tourism and to enhance the positive and discuss what more the industry can do.
Chair Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor and Manchester Metropolitan University
13:00-14:00 Can you taste the difference?
Food and drink are major parts of the experience of being somewhere different, an important way of savouring and appreciating another culture, and for many learning how to cook it. The consumption of local food and drink, the added value which tourism can bring to the farm gate or local producer, can play a significant part in maintaining local traditions and growing the local economy. Fairly traded coffee is purported to taste better, it is argued that you can “taste the difference” when you enjoy a Responsible Tourism experience or facility. Local authentic food and drink is of growing importance as holidaymakers and travellers increasingly expect the food and drink that they are offered to offer a real local flavour.
Chair Dr Xavier Font, Leeds Becket University
