The TravelMole Responsible Tourism Insider, Issue 4

LATEST NEWS
1. Holidays Autos to offer electric rental cars in London
2. Trains not planes could be the way forward
3. Tribes scoops BA tourism for tomorrow award
4. UK government’s STI completes project in The Gambia
5. Pro-Poor Tourism programme pilots in Southern Africa
6. Fair Trade in Tourism SA to assess industry practices
7. Intrepid Travel launches ‘conservation/communities’ foundation
8. Travellers not ‘adequately prepared’, says FCO
9. WTO stresses importance of co-operation with EU
10. Upcoming sustainable tourism events on Planeta.com
11. Update: ‘Responsible Tourism in Destinations’, The Gambia

EDITORIAL COMMENT by Harold Goodwin

Being Green is Not Enough

Ten years on from Rio the travel and tourism industry is beginning to address the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental sustainability. At the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in September the World Tourism Organization launched its report on Tourism and Poverty Alleviation. The WTO placed tourism and poverty squarely on the agenda.

The Cape Town Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations wove together the three strands of economic, social and environmental sustainability – reflecting the broadening commitment to sustainable development which has been evident since CSD7 in New York in 1999 when the industry was criticised by Southern governments and NGOs for its narrow environmental focus. The Cape Town Conference, which preceded WSSD, reflected on the experience of South Africa in developing Responsible Tourism Guidelines.

In the next decade it will not be enough for the industry to focus on the narrow environmental agenda, it is increasingly important to address economic development and social responsibility. The Environment Day at the World Travel Market now looks very dated. The World Travel and Tourism Council’s session on Corporate Social Responsibility demonstrated how the larger companies are tackling the triple bottom line and making a contribution to development and the protection of our environment. Tribes Travel won the Tourism for Tomorrow global award – a company committed to economic and social responsibility and to fair trade principles. The debate has moved on and the development issues are now much more central to the future of the travel and tourism industry.

Harold Goodwin
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
University of Greenwich

TravelMole Announcement:
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As the primary online medium for this sector we will be devoting the coming months to gathering nominations, making announcements and promoting our sponsors, both on the site and in the various TravelMole newswires.

For more information about the awards, please contact Richard Lough: +44 (117) 915 8643, or mailto:[email protected]

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM NEWS ARCHIVE:
http://www.travelmole.com/news/sustainable

1. Holidays Autos to offer electric rental cars in London
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Car rental firm Holiday Autos has found a way to help its
customers avoid paying the congestion charge in the UK capital.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96928

2. Trains not planes could be the way forward
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A government-funded group has proposed that the government look into improving rail infrastructure in the UK and Europe before expanding the UK’s airports.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96853

3. Tribes scoops BA tourism for tomorrow award
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tribes Travel, an independent, Suffolk based travel company, emerged as the world’s top sustainable tourism organisation at this year’s British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow awards.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96864

4. UK government’s STI completes project in The Gambia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The UK Government’s Sustainable Tourism Initiative has completed its project in The Gambia, with an action plan to be implemented by the members of the Federation of Tour Operators in The Gambia, the Gambian Tourism Authority and members of the Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96927

5. Pro-Poor Tourism programme pilots in Southern Africa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Six leading Southern African tourism industry members have been announced as partners in a new Pro-Poor Tourism programme.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96924

6. Fair Trade in Tourism SA to assess industry practices
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) has announced plans for a unique workshop to train assessors to evaluate various tourism-related businesses’ commitment to fair trade practices.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96925

7. Intrepid Travel launches ‘conservation/communities’ foundation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Intrepid Travel has launched a foundation to support community and conservation programs throughout Asia.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96934

8. Travellers not ‘adequately prepared’, says FCO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office says that new
statistics show that over a third of British people travelling abroad to visit friends and relatives, especially during the holiday season, are not adequately prepared.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96929

9. WTO stresses importance of co-operation with EU
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization Francesco Frangialli has called for greater co-operation with the European Union and its member states.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96892

10. Upcoming sustainable tourism events on Planeta.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following is a list of some 2003 events on Planeta.com.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96931

11. Update: ‘Responsible Tourism in Destinations’, The Gambia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An International Conference on ‘Responsible Tourism in
Destinations’ is to be held in The Gambia in April 2003.
http://www.travelmole.com/item/96926

About the Responsible Tourism Insider

TravelMole would like to thank Samantha Way, Green Globe 21, for her help in producing this issue.

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