World-changing travel and tourism project unveiled

Opportunities outlined as new green growth & travelism path charted at Green Growth & Travelism Summer School.

World-renowned experts mapped out the future for green tourism from the UN process through the data revolution to responsibility in tourism – covering many other critically-related subjects.

And the ground-breaking Sun-Ark project was unveiled with its enormous global applications.

Said Professor Geoffrey Lipman, who convened the Second Green Growth and Travelism Summer School at Hasselt University, Belgium "We don’t have options, this is a societal change, we either join and shape or get left behind … the time for growth blinkers and sustainability cosmetics is over."

The school was focused on the post 2015 Transformation Agenda and the 3 pivotal Heads of State Summits on Development Financing, Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change. Said Professor Lipman "In 40 years of International Travelism activity and 20 promoting sustainable development, I have never seen a more focused transformation policy reality, nor potential for a genuine multi-decade paradigm shift to a more renewable energy based, resource efficient, sharing, caring world."

World Renowned experts on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Green Growth & Sustainability along with professors, parliamentarians and practitioners shared the current transformation in the Travel & Tourism sector with attendees.

The visionary Polish architect and creator of the Sun Ark, Jurek Kasperowicz, outlined the applications for this revolutionary ecological construction both as an initiative to provide desperately-needed care for refugees and as destination tourism observatories with particular applications in national parks.

As a part of the Sun Ark destination tourism project, the latest digital techniques for tourism management, distribution and marketing were revealed. The aim – to put destination communities in positions of power vis-à-vis the global distribution networks and the online travel agencies.

Key destination issues of tourism management and accessible tourism and mobility were discussed in depth.

The audience were treated to critical insights into the future of sustainable aviation within the European Union and on a global basis. This vision for the future of the airline industry against the background of emissions and critical agreements was delivered by world-class industry figures.

Integral to the conference was the issue of travelism, travel and tourism and its development in an era of dramatic change and major current and future sustainability issues. In particular the issues of energy, waste and corporate social responsibility – were discussed by key academics and consultants.

And the dramatic growth of smartphone applications in every area from crowdsourcing and tracking tourism to providing massive data were discussed and illuminated by experts.

Professor Harold Goodwin and Felix Dobbs delivered heavyweight presentations in the Maurice Strong ‘Reflections Lectures’ tracking the sustainability agenda, from 1972, its imminent outcomes and the critical need for responsible forms of tourism.

Presentations included:

• The use of behavioural based models to address the mobility problems of cities Professor Doctor Geert Wets
• Green Growth and travelism – an SDG and climate opportunity Professor Geoffrey Lipman
• Green Growth Roadmaps for tourism destinations case study Bali Dr Alexandra Law
• Corporate Visions – Dr Rebecca Hawkins
• Green Growth & Resilience – Nepal – Pankaj Pradhananga
• Linking Roadmaps with Data: The Green Economy Tourism System (GETS) – G Michael McGrath and Alexandra Law
• Mobility for all in a Tourism Context – Dr An Neven
• Sustainable Mobility – Dr Elke Hermans
• Aviation strategy & concepts – U.Schulte-Strathouse
• Big Data – Davy Janssens

The Maurice Strong ‘Reflections’ presentations were delivered by Professor Harold Goodwin,  Felix Dodds, Jurek Kasperowicz, Pankaj Pradhananga and Valere Tjolle

Valere Tjolle

@ValereTjolle

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