The 6th International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations (RTD6) will be held as an official side event of the Rio Earth Summit. RTD6 is taking place in Sao Paulo 18-20 of June 2012 in the run up to Rio +20 which runs 20-22 June. The conference is being co-chaired by Prof. Dr. Harold Goodwin, of Leeds Metropolitan University and the ICRT , and Prof Dr Eduardo Sanovicz, University of Sao Paulo and former president of Embratur. Central to the conference will be to discuss how much progress has been made in achieving sustainable tourism since 1992?
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Progress in Responsible Tourism, a new journal with academic articles, practitioner’s reports and case studies in the field has now been published. The first edition contents may be seen here.
Momentum is growing to support and apply the campaign of Responsible Tourism around the world. Tourism faces many challenges, set against the backdrop of UNWTO figures that indicate significant tourism growth our world’s finite resources continue to be used in an unsustainable way and the human cost of tourism is still of concern. This new journal provides practical examples and studies to tackle the issues of today, aviation, child trafficking and supply chain management. Progress in Responsible Tourism has been launched in time for World Responsible Tourism Day and the World Travel Market.
Global Eco Conference Sydney 7-10 Nov, the ICRT – Australia presents new paper.
The ICRT – Australia will be presenting the findings from its research into Australians green travel attitudes and indicate market opportunititnes for tourism businesses.
This survey, in part, benchmarks the Australian consumer response against previous international surveys. This provides the tourism sector with a wider picture of Australia’s international standing and the hurdles to be overcome if we are to achieve a more sustainable future.
Who would benefit from hearing this paper? Tourism Task Force, policy makers, state and federal tourism agencies, national parks, peak tourism boardies, regional tourism organisations, destinations managers, attractions managers and ecotourism accommodation operators.
The findings will also be of interest to operators as it will identify the level of consider awareness and interest in Responsible Tourism in Australia, the value of accreditations and the scope for Responsible Triggers to encourage greater Responsible consumer behaviour during their leisure time.
The Global Eco Conference is being organised by Eco Tourism Australia with the support of National Parks & Wildlife Services
The ICRT Australia has commenced a series of presentations through 2011 to raise awareness of Responsible Tourism and the businesses case for destinations and operators to take Responsible Action. Presentations include the Australian Institute of Tourism Officers and the New England North West Tourism Symposium.
The ICRT UK has just completed 6 months of research to determine the ranking of leading hotel chains and their performance. Read and download presentation
The World Travel & Tourism Council’s annual awards have short listed Australia’s Intrepid Travel in the Global Tourism Business category. The news comes at a time when Intrepid Travel has also announced that it is joining forces with TUI to establish a joint adventure travel business. TUI has wide reaching sustainable policies and Intrepid Travel a dedicated Responsible Tourism section with visitor guidelines, and company sustainable policies.
The Tourism for Tomorrow awards encourage responsible environmental and social actions. The judging process requires entrants to send a written submission. Finalists are selected for each of the four categories and visited by the judges.
Global Tourism Business category finalists are:
• Intrepid Travel, Australia
• Sabre Holdings/Travelocity Global, USA
• Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Hong Kong
Conservation category finalists are:
• Frégate Island Private, Seychelles
• Singita Pamushana, Zimbabwe,
• The Jane Goodall Institute/Budongo Ecotourism Development Project, Uganda
Community Benefit category finalists are:
• Agri Tourism Development Corporation, India
• Guludo Beach Lodge, Mozambique
• Pride ‘n Purpose – Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Destination Stewardship category finalists are:
• Alpine Pearls, Austria
• iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, South Africa
• Nurture Lakeland, UK
The organisers of World Responsible Tourism Day, the UNWTO sponsored event, claimed that the 2010 event was their most successful; expectations are that 2011 will record an even larger level of tourism support.
While this CSR event has captured the imagination of many tourism businesses worldwide it is still in its infancy in Australia. In 2009 there was only one entry, last year 6 organisations joined. Following the fires in Victoria in 2010 and the floods in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania in 2010/2011 will the Australia’s tourism sector now start to become more involved in this worldwide event?
World Responsible Tourism Day expectations for 2011.
A new consumer online tourism service, Responsible Tourism Australia will be launched shortly show casing industry best practice. Specialising in only Australian holidays it will provide both responsible travel and tourism information. Content is therefore expected to focus on consumer travel advice and a responsible traveller code. There will also be a consumer responsible resource providing definitions for sustainability terms. This may contribute to encouraging industry transparency and the avoidance of Greenwashing. Responsible Tourism Australia is encouraging tourism businesses to come forward now with their responsible accommodation, attraction, event, and destination or service for inclusion in the project. Responsible Tourism Australia is being developed by Warren & Associates.
Tony Juniper, former director of Friends of the Earth, called for tourism to take action as “we are caught in a vortex” between Climate Change, biodiversity conservation and development. Speaking at the World Responsible Tourism Day, the UNWTO sponsored event run during the World Travel Market in London, Juniper clearly stressed that everyone had a role to play in reducing poverty and maintaining the world’s biodiversity. But the challenges of Climate Change require immediate action. This set the theme for the Responsible Tourism Awards, where for the first time Australian tourism was recognised:
Booderee National Park (winner) – Best for Conservation of Cultural Heritage
Orion Expedition Cruises (winner) – Best Cruise or Ferry Operator
Kangaroo Valley Tourist Association (highly Commended) – Best Destination
The awards have been running since 2004, but until now no Australian entry had been awarded. Yet the 2010 awards were the most competitive with 1765 nominations and this year Australia was successful. This is significant and demonstrates that Australian tourism operators are now taking responsible action to become more sustainable, implementing policies at the highest level. There is still obviously much to do to resolve the “vortex” Juniper described. But some businesses are not waiting for government regulation, they are seeking to become more responsible now. Full list of winners.
A three day conference 9-11 November which covers: Tuesday 9th Social Responsibility, Taking Responsibility of the Supply Chain and Does Green Certification Makes a Difference? Wednesday 10th the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards and sessions on climate change in destination and what businesses can do. Thursday Sustainable Excursions, Sacred Sites and the role of the private sector in poverty reduction. Full programme details.
