1: World Responsible Tourism Day Opening 2016 and panel discussion
Twenty years ago the post-Apartheid government in South Africa adopted the principles of Responsible Tourism in their national tourism policy and the campaign for Responsible Tourism began in the UK. This year the spotlight is being shone on Responsible Tourism and Aaron Heslehurst quizzes the panel about the successes and failures and presses them on why more has not been achieved in the last two decades.
Panelists: Auliana Poon, Managing Director, Tourism Intelligence International
Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Justin Francis CEO responsibletravel.com
Jane Ashton Director of Sustainable Development, TUI Group
Adama Bah Director, Institute of Travel and Tourism of Gambia|
Dr Venu Secretary Tourism Kerala
2: RT Session – Keynote: Doug Lansky
Fundamental to Responsible Tourism is making destinations liveable for locals. The biggest challenges occur in the places that are both great to live in and great to visit. How do we continue to provide a quality experience for tourists and travellers, whilst not damaging the quality of life of local residents?
Speaker: Doug Lansky
3: Responsibility and Resilience – how can tourism be more resilient?
While the growth in international tourism remains robust at the global level, destinations and tourism businesses have been hit hard by terrorist attacks, extreme weather events, strikes and civil disorder, health scares. Our world is hotting up and business as usual is a lot more difficult for tourism businesses in destinations and originating markets – your panellists will discuss the challenges and consider what can be done to address them. How do we make tourism more resilient? Whose responsibility is it?
Moderator: John Swarbrooke Plymouth University
Speakers: Harold Goodwin WTM Responsible Tourism Advisor
Stephen D’Alfonso Group Head of Public Affairs Thomas Cook
John Telfer, Product & Operations Director, Explore
Xu Jing Director – Executive Secretary of the General Assembly and the Executive Council of the UNWTO
Nikki White Wright Director of Destinations and Sustainability at ABTA FCO
Najeeb Ahmed Kahn – CEO Himalayan Holidays, Pakistan
4: Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals
2017 is the UN’s International Year of Sustainable Development through Tourism, the spotlight is going to be shone on the industry’s contribution to sustainable development in destinations. Businesses in the sector, in originating markets and destinations, often talk about the contribution that the industry makes to development in destinations. But when the spotlight is shone what evidence will we have to share with the UN and other sectors? How convincing is our case? What evidence can we provide that out contribution is real and significant?
Moderator: Harold Goodwin
Speakers: Márcio Favilla, Executive Director UNWTO
Jane Ashton Director of Sustainable Development, TUI Group
Peter Burrell Managing Director Exodus
Kate Gibson, VP for Corporate Responsibility at IHG,
Glynn O’Leary CEO Transfrontier Parks Destinations
5: Human Rights
The debate about what account holidaymakers, travellers and tourism businesses should take of the human rights situation in destinations is ongoing. How important are human rights to any business, or consumer, claiming to be responsible? As the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism group, which includes Kuoni and German and Austrian tourism businesses, has argued that for “many businesses in the tourist industry, it no longer matters whether but rather how they address their human rights responsibility.” Your panellists will raise the issue and discuss the implications for the industry.
Moderator: Harold Goodwin
Speakers: Matthias Leisinger CSR advisor Kuoni Switzerland and member of Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism
Adama Bah Director, Institute of Travel and Tourism of Gambia
Philip Mudge, Volunteering Quality Project Officer, Comhlámh
Samah Abbasi, Senior Private Sector Policy & Advocacy Advisor UNICEF
Clare Jenkinson, Destinations & Sustainability Manager, ABTA
6: Destination and Place Management
It is in destinations that Responsible Tourism is achieved or not. Four panellists will share their experience of managing tourism in destinations and reflect on how they have approached the challenge of managing tourism in particular places. How tourism numbers can be managed so as to maintain fragile and sensitive natural environments and to ensure that for locals and visitors alike the authentic character and experience of particular urban destinations can be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.
Moderator Harold Goodwin
Speakers: Professor Simon Quin, Director Institute of Place Management
Juliane Salvadori & Marcos Dias Soares, Secretaria de Turismo Industria e Comercio de Bonito
Joan Torrella, Tourism Director in Barcelona City Council
Nick Greenfield. Head of Tour Operator Relations. ETOA – European Tourism Association
Caroline Warburton National Tourism Strategy Coordinator, Scottish Tourism Alliance
7: Communicating Responsible Tourism: advocacy & marketing
Four very different perspectives on the challenges of communicating responsibility for two very different purposes: marketing, to offer a better experience and to secure sales, repeat business and recommendations; advocacy to encourage tourists to make more responsible choices. The panellists will reflect on the extent to which advocacy and marketing conflict or can they be combined to powerful effect and we’ll look closely at the campaign to stop orphanage trips to see what lessons can be learnt.
Moderator: Professor John Swarbooke, Plymouth University
Speakers: Michael Horton – Chairman and Founder, ConCERT Cambodia
Tim Williamson, Director ResponsibleTravel.com
Chris Warren founder and senior consultant Christopher Warren & Associates
Dr Xavier Font, Professor of Sustainability Marketing, Surrey University
8: Captivity, Wildlife and Tourism
Over the last year increasing concern has been expressed about the use of wildlife in tourism with campaigns focussed on elephants, lions and orcas. Three panellists will consider these campaigns and reflect on how successful they have been. What campaign strategies work best and why? Why is it so much easier to mount a successful campaign to prevent the exploitation of captive wildlife than it is to protect children?
Moderator : Harold Goodwin
Speakers: Dylan Walker CEO Secretariat World Cetacean Alliance
David Nash CACH UK
Jo Hendrickx Partner, Global Spirit
Daniel Turner Chair of the WCA Captivity Working Group
9: Disintermediation & Destination Management
The growth of budget scheduled airlines, Airbnb and a host of other intermediaries enabling travellers and holidaymakers to engage directly without the services of a tour operator or registered and regulated accommodation provider in the destination is the latest ‘revolution’ in travel. How much has really changed? What are the implications for hotel companies and registered accommodation providers? How can these tourists and new tourism service providers’ best be managed in their destination?
Interviewer: Martin Brackenbury
Panellists: Garry Wilson, Managing Director – Product and Purchasing at TUI Group
James McClure, UK & Ireland General Manager, Airbnb
Anja Hartung Sfyrla, Head of Business Development, VisitDenmark
Jordi William Carnes, General Manager of Turisme de Barcelona.
Nikki White Wright Director of Destinations and Sustainability at ABTA
