Sustainable Tourism Masterclass to be repeated in spring 2012

Earlybird discounts announced for 2012 sustainable tourism masterclass

Last year our carbon guru accused the airlines of dissembling and forecast the possible end of the Kyoto Protocol  it couldn’t have cut a broader swathe of emotions if it had tried. And it was jam packed with a wide variety of sustainable idiosyncracies.

Let’s hope that Kyoto still survives until next March when you can be sure ALL the sustainable options will be discussed at an interim event on 16 March

Subjects up for presentation and discussion at the spring masterclass include:

1. Sustainable Tourism Certification,
2. Sustainable Tourism Mainstreaming,
3. Sustainable Tourism+ Destination authenticity (food and drink, artisans, SMEs, SMMEs, culture ),
4. Tourism & Global Warming plus
5. the current BIG ISSUE

To get in an earlybird booking for the next masterclass scheduled for 16 March 2012 CLICK HERE

Last autumn’s masterclass was thought to be the ‘best ever’ and kicked off with Mark Sainsbury interviewed by Valere Tjolle.

Although the "incredibly profitable" and successful Moro restaurant business was run almost entirely on sustainable principles – the word ‘sustainable’ appeared exactly nowhere.  "We really love all our staff" Mark Sainsbury said "and this love transfers itself to our customers". Obviously successfully.

A deliciously sustainable buffet lunch may have lulled participants into warm feelings of happiness.

But a typically fact-packed and straightforward presentation by Professor Stefan Gossling certainly poured cold water over it. The Carbon Guru lauded the UK Air Passenger Duty as being the world’s best government response to man made global warming; called airlines to account for being less than clear about their emissions and wondered why the man in the street felt he had to have an opinion without knowledge of the problem.

Said Prof Gossling "4% is on the cards" meaning world apocalypse soon. In his opinion any post-Kyoto deal would have great difficulties.

Presentations wound up with a mind-challenging offering from Roy Graff, based on his experience of working in China and with Expedia.

Last year’s masterclass discussions embraced all-inclusives ("how can they be sustainable by nature?") the Couchsurfers phenomenon ("what will happen when it’s taxed?") and touched on many other areas of passionate discussion.

Talking continued through supper at Leon (http://www.leonrestaurants.co.uk/ Sustainable Restaurant in the Strand). Finally silence reigned as ice cream was consumed at http://www.theicecreamists.com/

A full synthesis report has now been circulated to all attendees and all attendees have both joined the masterclass network and been invited to join the closed Linked in group.

The Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2012 is supported by: ITB Berlin, Discover Ltd.,Club Mediterranee, Innovation Norway, Thomas Cook Ltd., FourBGB, Cape Town Tourism, Bord Failte, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Green Tourism Business Scheme, MCI Business School Innsbruck