The key issue that emerged from Green Globe’s discussion forum at WTM was a firm conclusion that the tourism sector can play a much larger role in helping destinations achieve sustainable development than has been generally accepted.
Participants felt that the embracing of corporate social responsibility must be accompanied by concrete actions to inject funds into destinations in the world’s poorest countries.
There was also strong support for certification standards becoming the norm for tourism companies to ensure that csr positions are reflected in practice in a measurable way. There was also support for clearer indicators and reporting standards along the lines developed by UNEP.
Attendees welcomed the new development towards responsible tourism guidelines in South Africa as well as action by GREEN GLOBE to incorporate the UN Millennium Development Goals and the WTO Global Code of Ethics into its Awareness, Benchmarking and Certification System through its association with responsibletourism.com.
