The Old News: In 2002, a Cape Town Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations (held in anticipation of the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development) brought together 280 tourism-industry representatives from 20 countries.

They issued a joint declaration defining the role and potential of responsible tourism. The terms they set and the path they began to pave were early steps of a more and more urgent effort to steer worldwide tourism down an ethical and sustainable course.

The New News: Now consumers and host communities are placing more and more pressure on tourism-industry companies and organisations to behave responsibly.

As a demonstration of strides already made to anticipate and meet these demands, the World Travel Mart (WTM) launched, with the support of the UN World Tourism Organization and industry leaders, a World Responsible Tourism Day (WRTD), “the only global day of action of its kind.”

Mark your calendars: November 12, 2008.

“The day is vital -– for business, for profitability and for our planet. It means taking care of a world that we seek to promote. Preserving our heritage and cultures and taking into account the views and needs of local communities,” declares the WTM WRTD Web site. “WTM World Responsible Tourism Day is our chance to speak out as one voice, demonstrating that responsible tourism is the ONLY means of securing our future.”

Four guiding objectives will guide industry practitioners throughout the day:

• spurring change by educating the tourism industry and travelling public about responsible behaviour
• exploring destination-specific sustainability and highlighting best practices
• debating key related environmental issues as a step in propelling the agenda
• harnessing the influence of World Travel Market as a forum through which to advance responsible tourism.

Tags:

This entry was posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 7:20 pm and is filed under the following categories: