World Travel Market big sustainable tourism roundup

Multimedia report of sustainable tourism activities at WTM unmissable videos, links and comments

As a start meet a few of the more interesting participants:

The new minister of Georgia’s economy and sustainable development, 29 year old, Canadian-educated Vera Kobalia talked to Vision on Sustainable Tourism about what she was going to do to make sure that Georgia’s tourism industry was both big  again and sustainable.
SEE THE VIDEO HERE

The minister of tourism of Lebanon Fady Abboud (whose country gets a staggering 22% of its GDP from tourism) talked about his vision for tourism in the Middle East centre of culture and fun.
SEE THE VIDEO HERE

CTO Chair Ricky Skerritt puts his views about APD on the line with TravelMole UK.
SEE THE VIDEO HERE

Holland, Naturally was unveiled at WTM and Fred Witte, Projectmanager talks to about sustainable tourism in Holland, the Floriade 2012 and the great green tourism opportunities
SEE THE VIDEO HERE

Mariette du Toit Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, braving WTM with the remains of flu talks about the future after the World Cup.
SEE THE VIDEO HERE

Finally the overall winner of the Responsible Tourism Award gets to be interviewed by a previous winner and fellow award-winning hotelier.
SEE THE VIDEO HERE

UNWTO MINISTERS SUMMIT:

The UNWTO tourism ministers summit was attended by an astonishing 100 ministers of tourism and a bunch of tourism dignitaries – including the new UK minister, John Penrose – none of whom could know what they were in for!

The panel included: H.E. Mr. Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism and Aviation, Bahamas, H.E. Mr. Qiwei SHAO, Chairman, China National Tourism Administration, China, H.E. Mr. Zoheir Garranah, Minister of Tourism, Egypt, H.E. Mrs. Gloria Guevara Manzo, Secretary of Tourism, Mexico, H.E. Mr. Bernardo Trindade, Secretary of State for Tourism, Portugal, Mr. John Penrose MP, Minister for Tourism, United Kingdom, Mr. Sebastián Escarrer, President, Exceltur,  Vice Chairman, Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts, (Spain), Mr. Mike Greenacre, Managing Director, The Co-operativeTravel Group (UK), Mr. Christopher Brown, Managing Director, TTF (Australia), Mr. Johan Lundgren, Managing Director, Northern Europe TUI Travel (UK and Ireland) and Mr. Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President and CEO, WTTC (UK

The  UK’s APD was characterized as cynical and disingenous. The panel session involved a grilling by CNN’s Richard Quest  ("is there a lot of crap talked about sustainability?") a thoughtful commentary by Taleb Rifai (Secretary General of the UNWTO) and an acerbic summing up by Professor Geoffrey Lipman.

Lipman concluded: “Everybody here would like to follow China in understanding the benefits of tourism as a pillar of the economy and a driver for future growth… Sustainable tourism has been developing for at least 20 years…the debate about APD has become surreal”

RESPONSIBLE TOURISM AWARDS:

The big sustainable tourism event was the announcement of the Responsible Tourism Awards as follows:

Best tour operator for local economies, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Desafio Adventure Company, Costa Rica see: www.desafiocostarica.com

“This Costa Rican adventure tourism operator is awarded for an investment in local people that goes beyond the benefits to their tourism business. An income of £1.2 million annually from 15,000 passengers allows Desafio to support their staff in their own local entrepreneurial initiatives – helping their guides to buy photographic equipment, drivers to buy vehicles for their own business ventures, and even supporting the office manager in developing her own website. They demonstrate that the benefits of local tourism can have lasting effects on local livelihoods."

Best accommodation for the environment, sponsored by Tourism Western Australia
Winner: Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, Jamaica www.hotelmockingbirdhill.com

“Proof that indulgence doesn’t have to be at the expense of the environment, Mockingbird Hill is a small locally-owned luxury hotel that drives innovation, ensures that good practices are identified and monitored and add value to the local community. The judges were impressed by the scale and depth of their ability to measure impacts – including energy consumption, economic impact for local partners, and recording biodiversity. They list the short distance from their local suppliers down to the last kilometre – impressive in Jamaica where the reliance is typically on imports. They have driven innovation – conducting in-house recycling in an area without the infrastructure for it, and encouraging their suppliers to improve environmental performance.”

Best accommodation for local communities, sponsored by Kenya Tourist Board
Winner: Hotel Punta Islita, Costa Rica www.hotelpuntaislita.com

"Hotel Punta Islita is culturally embedded in the local community and fully Costa Rican owned. 60% of all hotel guests visit their Contemporary Art Museum, bringing in £100k to local artists. 52% of the money that the hotel generates stays in the local community, helps to combat urban migration, and has nurtured a steady growth of micro-enterprises including seafood processing plants, restaurants and cafes, retail stores, furniture workshops, and tour operators."

Best low carbon transport & technology, sponsored by The Quito Visitors’ Bureau, Ecuador
Winner: Seat61.com, UK

"No stranger to the Awards, Seat61.com has proved invaluable in the last year not only to those who knew they want to travel by train or ferry but also to those who didn’t. Strikes, airlines collapsing and volcanic ash forced many travellers to turn to Mark Smith’s remarkable site with up to the minute information for travellers. The site has grown from 6.5 million to almost 10 million users and been instrumental in the growth of rail travel bookings."

Best in a mountain environment, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Ecosphere, India www.spitiecosphere.com

"Ecosphere is a self-reliant social enterprise where the economic benefits to mountain communities are both clearly demonstrated and transformative. Ecosphere has moved from being donor funded to self-supporting, and 55 out of the 66 villages in the Spiti Valley have seen their incomes rise by up to 50% through Ecosphere’s trekking and homestay initiatives. Their carbon reduction programme is also comprehensive, citing a reduction of 520 tons of CO2 per year."

Best in a marine environment, sponsored by Tourism Fiji
Winner: Matava, Fiji www.matava.com,

"Matava is a beacon for responsible tourism and an example to other dive sites. They maintain a strong commitment to both the conservation of the marine environment and the development of the local Fijian community. All staff and dive guides are from local villages, they have signed an agreement with local villages designating three established marine reserves as 100% no-take zones, across large geographic areas, and even succeeded in getting marine conservation on to the Fijian National Curriculum."

Best cruise or ferry operator, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Orion Expedition Cruises, Australia www.orionexpeditions.com

"Orion Expedition Cruising is the only cruise company with Earthcheck certification, and shows a real commitment to the communities it visits. By acknowledging that authenticity can only be realised for their guests by working in partnership with communities, they conduct community research ahead of establishing new ports of call – helping protect cultural heritage and environment while offering real benefits to the places they visit. They have influenced suppliers to make positive changes like moving from plastic containers to cardboard and aluminium bottles over plastic. Cruise is a growth area and this small operator is one to watch."

Best for poverty reduction, sponsored by PromPeru
Winner: Nihiwatu, Indonesia www.nihiwatu.com

"Over 20,000 people living in 400 villages on the Indonesian island of Sumba benefit from Nihiwatu being their neighbour. 500 guests donating $400,000 annually at this remote 14-room resort support the Sumba Foundation in its remarkable work. Malaria has been reduced by 85% with at least 53 lives saved, five clinics looking after 18,000 people have been opened, and specialists have been brought onto the island to perform 263 life changing eye and 168 cleft palate surgeries. 14 primary schools are supported and the foundation has been able to bring clean water to the Sumbanese community as well as start a malnutrition project – with 327 children having benefitted so far."

Best for conservation of wildlife & habitats, sponsored by South Australian Tourism Commission
Winner: ZEALANDIA: The Karori Sanctuary Experience, New Zealand www.visitzealandia.com

"With a 500 year vision, Zealandia immediately stood out as an ambitious conservation initiative which engages with tourism to secure local support. But when you’re trying to return an area to a time before humans – over 80 million years ago – it is this vision that is required! This unique conservation project is already a safe haven for some of New Zealand’s most endangered native species. The ecological restoration of this urban wildlife sanctuary is well underway and through the removal of invasive species has enabled the successful reintroduction of species."

Best for conservation of cultural heritage, sponsored by Jamaica Tourist Board
Winner: Booderee National Park, Australia www.environment.gov.au/parks/booderee

"Booderee is proof that a partnership between government and a marginalised community can work to protect cultural heritage through long-term conservation goals. The Park’s Botanic Gardens is the only Aboriginal-owned botanic garden in existence. The judges recognised the partnership for preserving the privacy of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community within the sanctuary zone, and using tourism to the National Park for securing their livelihoods. With 430,000 visitors a year bringing in 1.2 million Australian Dollars and with 80% of the workers Indigenous and living within the park, the future plan for the community to take over sole management of the park alone is very real."

Best volunteering organisation, sponsored by Swaziland Tourism Authority
Winner: Blue Ventures, UK blueventures.org

"Blue Ventures is an example of how social initiatives can contribute to local livelihood diversification, and support community resilience in the face of upheaval. In 2009 their project in Madagascar was threatened by the political crisis and many organisations chose to pull out of the country. Testament to their principles, Blue Ventures stayed committed to the project, with head office staff in London taking a 25% pay cut to ensure the maintenance of the jobs in Madagascar."

Best destination, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Nurture Lakeland, UK www.nurturelakeland.org

"With over 17 years experience of inspiring businesses to support conservation and adopt sustainable tourism practices Nurture Lakeland is a pioneer of local tourism partnerships. This destination’s results speak for themselves – £1.7 million has been raised working with 1,200 tourism businesses in fundraising for local conservation projects. Campaigns such as a car free scheme and the Herdy Fund have been successful at encouraging visitors to the area to ditch the car, as well as promoting the conservation of the Herdwick sheep, and the rural lifestyle associated with upland fell farming in Cumbria and the lakes."

Best personal contribution, sponsored by Oman Ministry of Tourism
Winner: Sam Raphael, Jungle Bay Resort & Spa, Dominica

“Sam Raphael’s vision was to use tourism to revitalise a community facing poverty after the demise of the banana industry. In an area devoid of tourism his Jungle Bay resort in Dominica was constructed, opened and is now almost entirely operated by the local community. The trickle-down effect of his efforts are felt far and wide from the farmers who supply the resort with produce to the disabled children cared for at his “House of Hope”, and the youth supported by Sam’s initiative to mentor and promote young entrepreneurs. The philosophy that underpins Jungle Bay is wholly down to the passion and commitment of Sam."

WTTC MAKES BIG SUSTAINABLE TOURISM ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Publishes guidelines:

• Industry dialogue and increased private public partnerships to develop cost-effective mitigation and adaptation strategies
• A level playing field free from restrictions on trade and intellectual property rights’ infringements – essential for green investments to be valued positively and      deployed effectively
• Policies which harness the power of the market and its agents to drive innovation in climate change mitigation and adaptation measures
• Financing and investment in measures to encourage low-carbon Travel & Tourism operations
• Clear messages to consumers communicating the scale of the global threat while at the same time empowering citizens to effect change

And announces Tourism for Tomorrow judges:

• Dr Peter Burns, Director, Centre for Tourism Policy Studies, University of Brighton, UK
• Tony Charters, Principal, Tony Charters & Associates, Australia
• Jena Gardner, President, JG Blackbook of Travel, and President, The Bodhi Tree Foundation, USA
• Erika Harms, Executive Director, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, USA/Costa Rica
• Marilú Hernández, President, Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya, Mexico
• Gail Henry, Sustainable Tourism Coordinator, Caribbean Tourism Organization, Barbados
• Brian Mullis, CEO, Sustainable Travel International, USA
• Daniela Papi, Founding Director, PEPY & PEPY Tours, Cambodia
• Neil Rogers, Director of Marketing, Francis Ford Coppola Resorts and Special Advisor,  Visit Sapmi Indigenous Tourism, Sweden
• Mahen Sanghrajka, Chairman, Big Five Tours & Expeditions, USA/Kenya
• Mandip Singh Soin FRGS, Founder & Managing Director, Ibex Expeditions (P) Ltd, India
• Shannon Stowell, President, Adventure Travel Trade Association, USA

Applications for the 2011 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards can be submitted online at www.tourismfortomorrow.com The deadline for applications is 10 December 2010.
 

Valere Tjolle

Get free sustainable tourism reports from Vision on Sustainable Tourism HERE

Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite: FINAL WEEK OF EXTRA SPECIAL OFFER at: www.travelmole.com/stories/1145184.php