Portugal has committed to partnering with the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017. The commitment was presented to UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, during his recent official visit to Portugal. Among the initiatives to celebrate the Year, Portugal is promoting the rehabilitation of historical buildings in the interior of the country and routes through natural areas.
Corporate social responsibility in tourism will be a dominant theme at ITB Berlin – ITB CSR Day features the key topic 'Sustainable Food and Beverages in the Hotel Industry and at Tourism Destinations' – admission to the ITB Berlin Convention is free for trade visitors
INVESTOUR, a unique platform for tourism businesses from Africa and Europe to meet has convened more than 20 African Ministers of Tourism at FITUR, the Spanish Tourism Fair. The initiative, now in its 8th edition, has taken place on 19 January in a joint initiative of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Casa Africa.
Guanajuato's State Ministry of Tourism (Mexico), Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group (Belgium), Govardhan Ecovillage (India) and Dutch Travel Trade Association (Netherlands) were the winners of 13th Edition of the UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism. Nearly 150 initiatives from 55 countries applied for this edition.
4 days, 200 sessions, 400 speakers – all the latest topics ranging from geopolitical crises and disasters to artificial intelligence – numerous sessions will be streamed live on the internetAt the ITB Berlin Convention, which takes place from 8 to 11 March 2017, one of the key up-to-the-minute topics will be 'Disruptive Travel: The End of the World as We Know It'. Leading international experts will show how tourism professionals are successfully taking on controversial issues and current challenges such as geopolitical crises, travel safety risks and the use of artificial intelligence.
The International Tourism Fair in Spain (FITUR), taking place on January 18-22 in Madrid, comprises a number of events organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Activities will have a special focus on sustainable tourism, including the official presentation of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 on January 18.
Coinciding with the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development to be celebrated throughout 2017, the third International Congress on Ethics and Tourism will be held in Poland, on 27-28 April 2017. Organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with the European Commission (EC) and the Government of Poland, the event will focus on the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in promoting a more sustainable tourism sector.
UNWTO has announced the finalists of the 13th edition of the UNWTO Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Tourism. The 12 finalists were selected among 139 applicants from 55 countries. The winners will be announced on 18 January 2017 at the UNWTO Awards Ceremony, organized for the fourth consecutive year in collaboration with Madrid International Tourism Fair (FITUR / IFEMA).
Scandic Hotels, the largest hotel company in the Nordic countries, has been rewarded once again for its long- term and focused work to reduce its environmental impact. In the recently released CDP Climate Change Report 2016, Scandic was ranked at level B, placing well over the average for other Nordic companies.
HOTREC, the European trade association of hotels, restaurants and cafes, METRO AG and the European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA) signed a Framework Agreement through which they undertake to cooperate to contribute to reducing food waste and further engage in food donations.
A major new project, known as COMBAT, has revealed the extent to which Europe's hotel industry is vulnerable to trafficking in human beings, often described as a modern-day form of slavery. It has displayed the shocking reality that a significant proportion of human trafficking occurs within hotels which, by their very nature, can involuntarily facilitate movement and accommodation of perpetrators and their victims. The project provides a practical toolkit designed for hotel businesses to help them prevent their premises being used by human traffickers.
An estimated 11,700 people live in modern slavery in the UK, and Prime Minster Theresa May has labelled it "the great human rights issue of our time". From goods produced by forced labour to hotels being used for sexual exploitation, modern slavery is a very real concern for the hotel and hospitality industry.
Under the title 'Advancing the Measurement of Sustainable Tourism Development', UNWTO Member States, NGOs, academic institutions and other public and private sector entities discussed approaches to effectively measure, monitor and assess tourism performance and impacts at destination level. This consultative process takes place at a time in which the international tourism community embraces the Sustainable Development Goals.
11th Pow-Wow for Tourism Professionals at ITB Berlin – events in Hall 4.1b on UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites, participatory tourism, climate protection and social responsibility – The "TO DO! International Contest Socially Responsible Tourism" will take place for the first time in the Palais am FunkturmSocially responsible tourism is a major topic at ITB Berlin. In addition to the ITB CSR Day at the ITB Berlin Convention and the National Geographic World Legacy Awards, numerous events on sustainable tourism will be taking place in Hall 4.1. From 9 to 11 March experts and exhibitors will be meeting in the Responsible Tourism and Adventure Hall for a unique symposium. Under the heading of a 'Pow-Wow for Tourism Professionals', topics dealing with responsible tourism, climate protection and sustainability will be examined. The slogan of the eleventh edition of this event is 'Cherishing Earth's water resources – The blue planet amidst water abundance and scarcity'.
Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of AccorHotels was recently invited by the UN to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos as a Global Impact Champion. He appeared alongside UN Goodwill Ambassador, Emma Watson and the brains behind the UN's HeForShe campaign, Elizabeth Nyamayaro to show how corporations can help drive gender equality. AccorHotels is one of just ten companies selected by UN Women as one of the champion corporations of the HeForShe - IMPACT 10x10x10 pilot initiative, thanks to the group's commitment to gender parity.
The most important digital influencers within the area of sustainability on Twitter have named Scandic as one of Sweden's 30 most sustainable brands according to the Sustainability Engagement Mapping 2015 study. The study was based on tweets published by the best-ranked influencers in social media during the last 12 months.
In celebration of Global Handwashing Day Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) and Clean the World today announced that Hilton Paris Opera is the first ever hotel in continental Europe to partner with Clean the World. Hilton Paris Opera will lead the European roll-out of Clean the World by contributing discarded soap and bottled amenities that will be recycled to benefit European citizens who are at risk for hygiene-related illnesses. As the world's largest soap recycler, Clean the World has contributed to a 30 percent reduction in pre-adolescent deaths from hygiene-related illnesses since 2009. Hilton signed a master agreement with Clean the World earlier this year making it the organization's largest hotel partner.
Tourism must be sustainable if it is to avoid jeopardizing its future and the viability of tourism destinations, and contribute in that way to promoting a more responsible consumption. The role of travellers as agents of positive change will be addressed at FiturGreen 2015 through models, success stories and innovative tools that have improved the sustainability of the entire tourism value chain (28-30 January 2015, Fitur, Madrid).
Scandic ranks as the top leader in environmental issues on the hotel market. Now Scandic is the first hotel chain in Poland to meet the EU's strict environmental criteria, as Scandic Wrocław and Scandic Gdańsk receive the official EU Ecolabel certification.
In association with three partners, the Oxford School of Hospitality Management at Oxford Brookes University has secured £250,000 from the European Commission to undertake a project focused on combatting human trafficking in the hospitality and tourism industries. The principal investigator will be Professor Alex Paraskevas of the University of West London, who will be working with Professor Simonetta Manfredi and Dr Maureen Brookes of Oxford Brookes University, as well as colleagues from Lapland University of Applied Sciences and the Ratiu Centre for Democracy in Romania.