Feast of sustainable tourism at ITB

Dozens of events cover a whole spectrum of interests including sustainable tourism marketing, climate change and gender equality.

Topics include tourist encounters with local residents, conflicts over water, a vital human resource, and protecting children from sexual exploitation.

Dr. Martin Buck, Director of the Competence Center, Travel & Logistics, Messe Berlin said: "Over the last four years we have used the CSR Day at the ITB Berlin Convention to place the topic of sustainable tourism centre stage. This is our response to the growing importance of corporate social responsibility. The wide range of topics shows that CSR has long ceased to be a niche market, rather it has become an integral part of the global travel industry’s modern corporate philosophy."

Dr. Kelly S. Bricker, University of Utah, Chair of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council GSTC and Chair of The International Ecotourism Society TIES, will deliver a keynote on "Sustainable Tourism and ‘Millennium Development Goals’". This will be followed by a discussion on gender equality and women at senior management level.

Another topic is the effect that strategic decisions made by female management have on tourism products. This year’s Studiosus meeting is about "holiday encounters". The discussion round will be talking about how to balance the expectations of tourists and local residents in a socially responsible way.

Among the panel members are travel blogger Johannes Klaus, Gopinath Parayil, founder of The Blue Yonder India, Peter Strub, Managing Director, Studiosus, as well as Dr. Dietlind, Laßberg, Deputy Chairman, Tourismus und Entwicklung e.V. Dr. Stroma Cole, Senior Lecturer, Geography and Environmental Management, University of the West of England, will be speaking about the potential conflict between tourists and local residents over water, a vital human resource, and its availability.

The German State of Baden-Württemberg is showcasing itself as a best practice example of a certified sustainable destination.

Another discussion round will debate the "Child Protection Code of Conduct: the challenges and problems of putting it into practice." The speakers at this event are Inge Huijbrechts, Director Responsible for Business, Rezidor Hotel Group, Matthias Leisinger, Chair of the Board of Directors, The Code, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Kuoni Travel Ltd., Bo Viktor Nylund, Senior Advisor CSR, PFP, UNICEF, and Jennifer Seif, Local Code Representative South Africa, Executive Director, Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA). ITB Berlin has signed the Code of Conduct and supports its implementation worldwide.

Dr. Roger Wehrli, Lecturer and Head of Research of the Institute for Tourism Management, University of Lucerne, will be explaining how to market brands in order to improve sales of sustainable products and will be releasing the findings of an international empirical survey at ITB Berlin.

The ITB Destination Days will also be focusing on CSR topics. On 8 March 2013, a keynote panel will be addressing the subject of "Barrier-free tourism for everyone: the quality and success criteria for ensuring the marketability of destinations." Other events on the same day include Kaza, which involves five nations in southern Africa and is recognised as a beacon project furthering development cooperation.

Tourism is making it possible for one of the world’s largest nature conservation projects to attain sustainability goals as well as economic and peace objectives. Ministers from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia und Zimbabwe will be reporting on this groundbreaking project. Bärbel Schäfer, a well-known German TV presenter, will be moderating the panel discussion.

The example of the Hizir Treetop Camp in Turkey, founded and managed by Ahmet Yazman of Sarikiz Gida Turizmve Danismanlik Tic. Ltd. Sti., demonstrates that luxury and sustainability can still go hand in hand. Egypt’s tourism minister, the Hon. Hisham Zaazou, will be providing an insight into the country’s Green Star initiative. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has examined ways of measuring and controlling sustainable tourism and compiled a criteria list, implementation concept and monitoring system that will be presented at the ITB Workshop on 8 March 2013.

More information on the CSR Day at the ITB Berlin Convention can be found at http://www.itb-kongress.com/program

Valere Tjolle

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