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The Responsible Tourism Cafe
10:15– 11:45 Tourism a Strategy for Development? [debate]
ME & Africa Inspiration Zone AF285 WTM
How effective is tourism as a development strategy? Which forms of tourism can create inclusive growth contributing to growing a diversified local economy, creating local employment and raising the standards of living of local people in a sustainable way? Can tourism bring local economic benefit and conserve the environment? What kinds of tourism can be used by local people for their economic development? This panel presents a wide range of ways of using tourism for development.
Moderator: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Paul Rogers, Co-Founder & Director, Planet Happiness
Jay Rosen, Head of Finance & Investments for The Red Sea Development Company.
Krissy Roe Head of Values, Responsible Travel
Cillian Murphy CEO CillianMurphyConsulting
Hon. Dr Memunatu B. Pratt, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Government of Sierra Leone
Adama Bah Chair, Institute of Travel and Tourism of Gambia
Glynn O'Leary CEO Transfrontier Parks Destination
Moses Ngobeni, Director: Tourism Planning and Development, Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism
11:45 - 12:30 Using technology to manage accommodation & tourism responsibly in Barcelona [solution]
ME & Africa Inspiration Zone AF285 WTM
The travel industry has been growing for decades and popular tourist destinations must manage the negative effects of attracting a large number of visitors. Barcelona is innovating with the use of information and communication technologies in order to address such negative effects. One of the main problems of leading destinations is the steady growth of illegal hosting. In Barcelona, a spider web has been created as a fundamental tool to fight against it. The designed processes and operations implemented in the city will be explained during this session.
Barcelona is also suffering the effects of overcrowding. Eurecat, the Technological Centre of Catalonia, is using Big Data and the Internet of Things to analyse them. Until now, these technologies have been used for understanding visitor mobility patterns at different scales, itineraries and flows around the city but the actual challenge in Barcelona is evolving from descriptive towards prescriptive analytics, to help make things happen. To overcome the overcrowding effects, the city of Barcelona is going one step further and it is currently designing, through Eurecat, a Flows Management Research Program in real-time to help to manage the influx of visitors at different places. This should reduce the tourist pressure at some sites at specific times bringing to tourists’ better experiences and helping to balance the social impact of visitors in the city.
Moderator: Martin Brackenbury, Managing Partner, Brackenbury & Partners
Joan Borras Nogués, Head of ICT and Tourism Unit, Department of Tourism Innovation – Eurecat
Eva Mur, Director of Inspection Services, Barcelona City Council
Eva Vidal Inspector, Inspection Services, Barcelona City Council
12:30-13:30 The Challenge of Building Sustainable Hotels [debate]
Europe Inspiration Zone EU80 WTM
The major hotel brands no longer own many hotels, they operate hotels using a variety of agreements: managed, franchised, or licensed. The operation of hotels has been increasingly separated from ownership. This creates a major challenge for sustainability. A developer builds a hotel for an owner, or for sale to an owner, who then looks for an operator. There is often little incentive for the developer to build a sustainable hotel, they are not going to operate it and neither is the person they are building the hotel on behalf of. With operation separated from ownership, there is little incentive to build sustainable hotels. Retrofitting is expensive and of course, hotels being built now will still be operating in 2050, by which time climate change will have created a much more difficult operating environment.
The ITP is launching new research, undertaken in collaboration with the IFC, on the case for building sustainable hotels. link
Moderator: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Allan Agerholm, Chief Hospitality Officer, CEO of BC Hospitality Group
Dimitris Manikis, President and Managing Director EMEA, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Madhu Rajesh Director - International Tourism Partnership at Business in the Community
Eric Ricaurte Founder Greenview
13:45-14:45 Taking Responsibility for Safety & Security
Europe Inspiration Zone EU80 WTM
For countries and destinations, reputational risks can be high when incidents happen whether they are caused by natural disasters, health scares, crime, conflicts, or actions by terrorists, so the protection of tourists, investments and livelihoods is essential. What can be done to minimise the risks and create greater resilience? What measures should be in place in destinations to provide reassurance to visitors?
No absolute guarantees can be given to visitors but balanced information should be available to them to make up their own minds about where to travel. What have visitors and those countries receiving visitors the right to expect from travel advisories?
Moderator: Martin Brackenbury, Managing Partner, Brackenbury & Partners
German Porras, former Secretary of Tourism For Spain, currently Secretary-General Mesa Del Turismo
John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife & Christian Religious Affairs, Sri Lanka
Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica
Amos Fish Mahlalela Deputy Minister of the Department of Tourism of the Republic of South Africa
Nikki White Director of Destinations and Sustainability at ABTA
14:45-15:30 Tourism for All - the business case for inclusive tourism
UK & International Inspiration Zone EU2080 WTM
At previous WTMs we have organised a number of panels addressing the challenge of accessible travel and accommodation. Few will forget the Campo and Parque dos Sonhos and Jose Fernandes Franco from Brazil talking about zip wires and rafting for quadriplegics in his resort. This year we want to push the agenda further and look at expanding the opportunities for adventurous travel for people with disabilities and to consider what can be done to enable those people with disabilities and low incomes to enjoy a holiday and travel. For more on the issue
Accessible tourism matters for everyone, not just the wealthy
Moderator: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Fiona Jarvis Blue Badge Style
Clare Jenkinson Senior Destinations & Sustainability Manager at ABTA podcast
Amar Latif Founder Traveleyes YouTube
15:30-16:15 Transparent Reporting [solutions]
UK & International Inspiration Zone EU2080 WTM
Transparency is a core value for Responsible Tourism. Businesses, destinations and communities determine the issues which need to be addressed. Businesses and destinations decide what they can do to address them. The industry needs to move beyond certification, consumers need to be able to choose hotels which are particularly good on carbon, water or labour conditions, according to their preference, and when the provider fails to deliver on the certificate they need to be able to secure recompense. We need to move to certification plus. Wouldn’t it be amazing if hotels and operators published their operational performance? More on the challenge.
Moderator: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Andrea Nicholas MD and Co-Founder of Green Tourism
Ian Corbett, Sustainable Business Manager for TUI UK & Ireland,
Susanne Etti, Environmental Impact Specialist, Intrepid
Anula Galewska Responsible Business Manager, Urban Adventures
16:15 – 17:00 Managing Crowded Sites [solutions]
UK & International Inspiration Zone EU2080 WTM
Last year we looked at the challenges of overtourism at the destination level. This year our focus is on sites which experience crowding either seasonally or throughout the year. We have invited three site managers to share with you their management objectives, say something about how they emerged, and to talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the methods of visitor management that they have used to protect the sites and enhance the visitor experience.
Moderator Caroline Warburton, Visit Scotland
Jordi Rabosso, Park Güell, Director of Licensing and Public Space Department of the District of Gracia, Barcelona City Council
Esther Dobbin Giant’s Causeway, Responsible Tourism Manager at National Trust, Northern Ireland
Cillian Murphy CEO Cillian Murphy Consulting
17:00 Youth Career Initiative (YCI) Celebration
UKI and International Inspiration Zone North Hall, EU 2080 WTM
Join us at a reception for International Tourism Partnership’s youth employment programme, Youth Career Initiative (YCI), to celebrate how the hospitality industry is helping young people to build better lives. YCI is a global programme that works with the hospitality industry to offer young people, particularly those who have faced challenges, the opportunity to gain the skills and experience to take the first steps in their career and the self-belief to reach for greater goals.
Join us for drinks and canapés to learn more about this life-changing programme and celebrate the impact that it’s had on the lives of over 5,000 young people around the world.
10:15 - 11:00 Water Security, an issue for business and the community [Solutions]
Asia Inspiration Zone AS980 WTM
Increasing population, rising standards of living and climate change are long term trends which exacerbate the problem of ensuring that everyone has access to potable water. Tourism happens in many water-scarce areas and in recent years Sao Paulo and Cape Town have experienced crises which had an adverse impact on arrivals. Tourism businesses will generally be able to pay more than most of the local community for water and this raises some major challenges. Water is essential to life, what can the industry do to ensure supplies for themselves and for local communities, save plastic and make local water potable. The other water issue is flooding and Kerala will talk about the impact of the floods there.
Moderator: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
P Bala Kiran, Director, Kerala Tourism
Enver Duminy CEO Cape Town Tourism
Nicolas Perin Programmes and Partnerships Manager at International Tourism Partnership
Eric Ricaurte, Founder, Greenview
11:00-11:30 Travel Broadens the Mind – can we do more? [debate]
Asia Inspiration Zone AS980 WTM
Tourists are increasingly demanding memorable experiences, opportunities for meaningful connections with local people, One of the great benefits of travel and tourism is the opportunities it creates for people from very different religions, cultures and backgrounds to meet and for the traveller or tourist to learn more of the history and way of life of the communities they visit. As Krippendorf, the founder of Responsible Tourism pointed out, “every individual tourist builds up or destroys human values while travelling”. What can those of us in the industry do to foster understanding and celebrate diversity? Videos
Moderator: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Aziz Abu Sarah, Co-Owner & CEO Mejdi Tours
Adama Bah, ITTOG, The Gambia
11:30-12:15 Child Protection – what is better than orphanages? [solutions]
Asia Inspiration Zone AS980 WTM
The issue of the exploitation of children in orphanages to create lucrative attractions for tourists was first raised at WTM London in 2011. There has been a session on child protection every year since raising awareness of the child trafficking and exploitation of children, many of them not orphans, to secure donations and visit fees from tourists and tourism businesses. This year we are focusing on what tourists and tourism businesses can do to support children in their extended families in the community and out of orphanages.
Moderator: Martin Punaks
'Luci' Gardner-O'Brien peopleandplaces
Damien Brosnan The Code
Mehalah Beckett, Regional General Manager for Sub Saharan Africa, Intrepid
12:45 - 13:45 Cities: Tourism, Sustainability and Resilience
Americas Inspiration Zone LA570 WTM
Tourism to cities is booming, facilitated by budget airlines and the increasing popularity of city breaks, particularly amongst millennials. Increasingly DMOs are focusing on the management of tourism growth using marketing as a management tool. Promotion is now less important than marketing as cities seek to attract particular market segments. Our panel has considerable expertise on how DMOs are evolving and about how to manage tourism growth sustainably, and to build resilience.
Moderator Martin Brackenbury
Joan Torrella, Managing Director, Turisme de Barcelona
Laura Citron CEO, London & Partners
Gillian Saunders Independent Tourism & Hospitality Adviser, South Africa
Liisa Kokkarinen Regional Partnership Manager, Visit Finland'
14:45 – 15:45 What can the travel industry contribute to the conservation of wildlife and habitats?
ME & Africa Inspiration Zone AF285 WTM
This year's wildlife and habitats panel reflects the wide range of ways in which tourism can contribute to conservation. Ol Pejeta has a new Technology lab focused on wildlife conservation and they are working to make a Northern White Rhino. Blood Lions campaigns with the industry against the lion trade. Tom Moorhouse will talk about the role of sanctuaries and their role in conservation, does tourism have anything to contribute? The Galapagos Conservation Trust is working to tackle plastic pollution and World Animal Protection is campaigning against cetacean captivity. What more can the industry do to throw its considerable weight behind the conservation of habitat and species?
Moderator Matt Walpole Senior Director Conservation Programmes, Fauna & Flora International
Richard Vigne Managing Director Ol Pejeta
Pippa Hankinson Blood Lions
Nick Stewart Global Head of Campaigns, Wildlife, World Animal Protection
Tom Moorhouse Zoology, University of Oxford
Andy Donnelly Galapagos Galapagos Conservation Trust
15:45 – 17:00 Plastic Waste – what should the industry do?
ME & Africa Inspiration Zone AF285 WTM
Attenborough has raised the issue of single-use plastic and many, but by no means, all, have stopped using plastic straws. The challenge is a bit bigger than that. Plastic is not the problem – single-use plastic is. This panel will address the practicalities of avoiding creating waste plastic and what might your business do to help your neighbours and the local communities tackle this persistent and poisonous waste product with a half-life of 450-800 years when it degrades in sunlight the remains pass into our food chain.
Moderator: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Andrea Nicholas Green Tourism
Colin James, CEO Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority
Sören Stöber Business Development Director ESG & Sustainability at Trucost, part of S&P Global
Jo Hendrickx, Founder at Travel Without Plastic
Catherine Dolton, Vice President, Global Corporate Responsibility, IHG
Dave Shanks Water to Go Ltd, C.E.O./ Founder
Nicolas Perin Programmes and Partnerships Manager at International Tourism Partnership
11:00 - 11:15 Opening of WRTD
Europe Inspiration Zone EU80 WTM
World Travel Market Means Responsible Business
Responsible Tourism is fundamental to the future of travel and tourism and the success of our industry. Simon Press, Director of WTM, London opens World Responsible Tourism Day reflecting on the 25 years of Responsible Tourism at WTM in the 40th year of the show. WTM, London is the world's biggest Responsible Tourism event and the programme has been extended across all four shows in the portfolio Africa, Arabia, Latin America and the global show in London. Simon will be announcing exciting new developments for all four shows
Five years ago Professor Kevin Anderson from the Tyndall Centre at the University of Manchester was the opening speaker on World Responsible Tourism Day in 2015. We have invited him to address us again
11:15 Decarbonising Travel and Tourism: is the industry doing enough?
Europe Inspiration Zone EU80 WTM
There is a growing awareness of the climate change crisis with school strikes and the Extinction Rebellion movement. Business, as usual, is no longer sensible and is increasingly recognised as a poor business strategy. Our panel will share with you their views about how we address the challenge of reducing our carbon emissions – we cannot continue to leave it to others. We have brought together a panel which includes a city, a tour operator, a travel agent, an airline and the hotel sector.
Moderator Tanya Beckett BBC
Albert Dalmau, Manager, Area of Economy, Resources and Economic Promotion, Barcelona City Council
Justin Francis CEO Responsible Travel
Madhu Rajesh Director - International Tourism Partnership at Business in the Community
Jane Ashton Director of Sustainability, TUI
Saskia Griep Founder and CEO of Better Places
12:15 - 13:00 The World Responsible Tourism Awards with interviews by Tanya Beckett
Europe Inspiration Zone EU80 WTM
The highlight of World Responsible Tourism Day with the presentation of the Gold and Silver 2019 World Responsible Tourism Awards. Again this year the Awards will be presented by the BBC’s Tanya Beckett who will interview the Gold winners and the Overall winner on stage. The Awards are designed to inspire, educate and challenge all of us to do more and to take responsibility for making tourism better. This year there are six categories: Best for Wildlife, Best for Transparent Reporting, Coping with Success, Best for Reducing Carbon, Best for Reducing Plastic Waste and Local Economic Benefit. Come along to hear their stories and join in the celebration of the good that tourism can do. For the first time at WTM, London there are two World Responsible Tourism Judges' Awards, these awards are rare and are used to recognise businesses which achieve in multiple categories and have been previously recognised a number of times.
This year's finalists are:
Who will get Gold and Silver? Who will be the overall winner?
13:00 - 14:00 Meet the Winners Reception
Europe Inspiration Zone EU80 WTM
13:30 - 14:00 Enhancing Employment in Hospitality
Americas Inspiration Zone LA570 WTM
The hospitality sector is often seen as providing low skilled low paid jobs. Can employment in hospitality be made more rewarding either by increasing pay or offering better progression opportunities within the sector or into other sectors?
Moderator: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Kevin Curran Vice-Chair of Unite London Hotel Workers Branch
Kate Nicholls, CEO, UK Hospitality
14:15 - 15:30 Decent Employment [solutions]
Americas Inspiration Zone LA570 WTM
The industry suffers from a reputation for low paid casual work. What can the industry do to counter this perception and to demonstrate the opportunities which exist within the sector for progression? Our panel includes people from hotels and tour operating who will share with you their initiatives, all designed to open the sector for employment and progression to those struggling to find employment. These are all great examples of our industry reaching out to give the vulnerable and excluded a helping hand into employment and promotion.
Moderator: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Kathryn Porter, Director of Youth Strategy, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Hilton
Priscilla Costa and Shiksha Khemani, YCI Partnership Managers
Zina Bencheikh, Regional General Manager for Europe, Intrepid
Allan Moussa, sharing his personal experiences as a participant in a decent employment program, BC Hospitality Group
14:30 - 15:30 The Future of Aviation [solutions]
Press Conference Theatre- International Media Centre WTM
The aviation industry has been described as the Achilles heel of the industry. There are challenges in all sectors of travel and tourism but the elephant in the room is aviation. Airlines emit 80% of our industry’s greenhouse gasses and air travel is growing at 5% per year. As other industries reduce their carbon emissions aviation will account for ever-larger shares of global emissions. We have brought together a panel of experts to share their views about the prospects for the decarbonisation of air travel.
Moderator: Moderator Tanya Beckett BBC
Peter Castellas CEO Tasman Environmental Markets
Neil Cloughley founder of Faradair
Angela Foster-Rice, Principal Aerial Consulting, LLC, Chicago
Justin Francis, CEO Responsible Travel
Chris Lyle Chief Executive, Air Transport Economics
