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Tour Operators Motivated by UNWTO's Sustainability Campaign
Tour Operators Motivated by UNWTO's Sustainability Campaign
campaign
The $1.2 trillion travel industry, which moves more than a billion international travelers around
the globe each year, has both the opportunity and the responsibility to contribute to cleaner,
greener and more respectful travel practices, according to the United Nations World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO).
And with that in mind, for 2017 the organization has launched a yearlong "Travel. Enjoy.
Respect." campaign aimed at educating travelers about how to reduce their environmental
impact.
"Global tourism is really big business ... but sustainable tourism still only represents a small
fraction of the global industry," said Taleb Rifai, secretary-general of the UNWTO, which
declared 2017 the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
Thus the UNWTO is working to inspire a sea change in the travel industry, a message that
appears to be resonating with some travel companies that have responded by committing to
changing the way they do business.
"We've definitely, over the last 20 months, shifted our business mindset from short-term
financial results to a much longer-term perspective focused on people and the planet," said James
Thornton, the newly tapped CEO of global tour operator Intrepid Group. "But to really make a
material difference we require scale, which means we will need to grow. So I honestly believe
that the growth and purpose are really indelibly linked. Those two goals of growth and purpose
beyond profit over the last 20 months have definitely shown us that having a purpose beyond
profit can actually be pretty profitable."
Canadian tour operator G Adventures was motivated by the UNWTO's year of sustainable
tourism to develop an initiative aimed at inspiring agents and their clients to use travel as a force
for global good.
At the end of 2016, the company launched a search for six "Ambassadors of Change" to be
selected from travel sellers who submitted applications about their ideas for sustainable travel
solutions. For example, the agents were asked, "When it comes to travel and tourism and its
potential to make our world better, what big change would you most want to see and why?"
G Adventures received more than 350 applications, from which they ultimately selected the
seven ambassadors. They ranged from Sally Black, founder of VacationKids in Pennsylvania,
who is passionate about family travel and education for children around the world, to Myrna
Arroyo, a certified sommelier and adviser with Largay Travel in Baton Rouge, La., who said she
believes in providing opportunities to experience the culture of a place through its culinary
traditions.
In their role as ambassadors, the travel advisers are being asked to support G Adventures in its
participation in the U.N.'s sustainable tourism campaign, to be involved in the launch of a
forthcoming "Travel Better" online learning platform that G Adventures is developing, and to
promote greater awareness of the benefits of sustainable travel, including through social
enterprise projects that the tour company supports and incorporates in its tours.
Collette, which has a long history of company philanthropy, is now working to take those efforts
a step further with a foray into what it calls "impact travel," according to Nicole Diebold, senior
manager of corporate giving at Collette.
Last year, the company hosted a trip to Ecuador that offered travelers the opportunity not only to
engage with local communities but also to contribute and offer assistance through gardening
projects and other volunteer efforts.
This year, Collette will lead a volunteer-oriented tour in South Africa, during which travelers
will help restore preschools and donate "hippo rollers," water transporting tools that can carry up
to 20 gallons of water. The plan is to have three such trips next year, including to Ecuador and
South Africa, plus a third to a yet-to-be-determined destination.
The UNWTO's goals for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development fall into
five key areas: inclusive and sustainable economic growth; employment and poverty reduction;
resource management, environmental protection and climate change; cultural values, diversity
and heritage; and mutual understanding, peace and security.
Operatori de turism motivați de campania de
sustenabilitate a UNWTO
Industria turistică de 1,2 trilioane de dolari, care deplasează în fiecare an peste un miliard de
călători internaționali din întreaga lume, are oportunitatea și responsabilitatea de a contribui la
practici de călătorie mai ecologice și mai respectate, potrivit Organizației Mondiale a Turismului
(UNWTO) .
Și având în vedere acest lucru, organizația a lansat pentru anul 2017 o excursie anuală "Travel.
campanie care vizează educarea călătorilor cu privire la modalitățile de reducere a impactului lor
asupra mediului.
"Turismul global este o afacere cu adevărat mare ... dar turismul durabil reprezintă doar o mică
parte din industria globală", a declarat Taleb Rifai, secretar general al UNWTO, care a declarat
anul 2017 Anul Internațional al Turismului Durabil pentru Dezvoltare.
Potrivit UNWTO, turismul generează aproximativ 5% din emisiile globale de gaze cu efect de
seră, iar turiștii consumă mult mai multă apă în vacanță decât acasă. Odată cu numărul de turiști
globali care se așteaptă să ajungă la 1,6 miliarde până în 2020, problemele precum generarea
deșeurilor în stațiuni și navele de croazieră, pescuitul excesiv pe recifurile de corali pentru a
alimenta vizitatorii și impactul industriei de turism globale asupra culturilor locale este un motiv
de îngrijorare, a spus organizația.
Operatorul turistic canadian G Adventures a fost motivat de anul de turism durabil al UNWTO
pentru a dezvolta o inițiativă menită să inspire agenților și clienților săi să folosească călătoria ca
forță pentru binele global.
La sfârșitul anului 2016, compania a lansat o căutare de șase "ambasadori ai schimbării" care
urmau să fie selectați dintre vânzătorii de călătorii care au depus cereri despre ideile lor pentru
soluții durabile de călătorie. De exemplu, agenții au fost întrebați: "Când vine vorba de călătorie
și turism și potențialul său de a face lumea noastră mai bună, ce schimbare mare ați vrea cel mai
mult să vedeți și de ce?"
G Aventurile au primit mai mult de 350 de aplicații, din care au ales în cele din urmă cei șapte
ambasadori. Acestea au variat de la Sally Black, fondatorul TravelKids din Pennsylvania, care
este pasionat de călătoriile familiale și de educația copiilor din întreaga lume, către Myrna
Arroyo, sommelier certificată și consilier la Largay Travel din Baton Rouge, La. oferind
oportunități de a experimenta cultura unui loc prin tradițiile sale culinare.
Collette, care are o istorie îndelungată de filantropie a companiei, depune eforturi acum pentru a
face aceste eforturi un pas mai departe cu o incursiune în ceea ce se numește "călătorie cu
impact", potrivit Nicole Diebold, senior manager de donație corporativă la Collette.
Anul trecut, compania a găzduit o excursie la Ecuador, care a oferit călătorilor nu numai
posibilitatea de a se implica în comunitățile locale, dar și de a contribui și de a oferi asistență prin
proiecte de grădinărit și alte eforturi de voluntariat.
În acest an, Collette va conduce un turneu orientat spre voluntari în Africa de Sud, în timpul
căruia călătorii vor contribui la restaurarea grădinițelor și la donarea "rolelor de hipopotam",
instrumente de transport apă care pot transporta până la 20 de galoane de apă. Planul este să
existe trei astfel de excursii anul viitor, inclusiv în Ecuador și Africa de Sud, plus o treime la o
destinație încă determinată.
In the simplest terms, the trick is to cajole tourists into city breaks which are far less of a burden on the urban
infrastructure. In other words, normalising the consumption of sustainable tourism products and services.
In Copenhagen, 70% of the hotels are certified as sustainable and the municipal authority demands
sustainability from its suppliers.
Destinations must also be accountable for the transport impact of their visitors. The marketing department might
prefer a Japanese tourist to Barcelona because on average they will spend €40 more than a French tourist –
according to unpublished data from the Barcelona Tourist Board – but the carbon footprint we collectively pay
for is not taken into account.
Crucially, for the kind of city breaks we might enjoy in Barcelona, most of the carbon footprint from your
holiday is from your transport. Short breaks therefore, pollute more per night and so destinations ought to be
fighting tooth and nail to get you to stay longer. It seems like a win for tourists too: a few extra days in the
Spanish sun, a more relaxing break, and all accompanied by the warm glow of self-satisfaction and a gold star
for sustainability.
Destinations can also target customers that behave the most like locals. Japanese first-time visitors to Barcelona
will crowd the Sagrada Familia cathedral, while most French tourists are repeat visitors that will spread out to
lesser-known parts of the city. Reducing seasonality by emphasising activities that can be done in winter or at
less crowded times, and geographically spreading tourism by improving less popular areas and communicating
their particular charms can also help reduce pressure on hot spots, much like Amsterdam is doing.
Turnover is vanity, and profit margins are sanity. No city should smugly crow about the sheer volume of
visitors through its gates. If tourism is here to stay, then the least cities can do is to sell products that will have
the greatest benefit for society. Whether it’s Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna or Bognor, there should be a focus on
locally and ethically produced products and services which residents are proud to sell. Tourist boards should
work with small businesses that offer creative and original things to do and places to stay, adding breadth to the
city’s offering.
Whether Barcelona will introduce these ideas will depend on the bravery of politicians and buy-in from the
powerful businesses which are happily making short-term profits at the expense of residents and the planet. It is
possible to do things differently, and for everyone to benefit more. It may be that the tipping point lies in the
age-old mechanics of supply and demand: bear that in mind next time you’re booking a quick city break that
looks like it’s only adding to the problem.