In the interview by Ann Abel for Forbes, Portuguese hotelier Pedro Franca Pinto talks about how the past year has changed him and his business. He explains the relation of the hotel to sustainability and the rethink tourism campaigns. This is the first of four interviews looking at what’s going to be different as the travel and hospitality world gets back on its feet.
Costa Rica’s tourism model was developed with sustainability, innovation, and inclusiveness in mind, and part of their key to success has been to target a demand that can adapt to the conditions the country has to offer. The country’s tourist attractions focus on activities that respect the environment and offer travellers opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to conservation and cultural heritage.
The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights called attention to a new tourism project by the Indonesian Government. The country aims to create an enormous tourism complex in Mandalika, Lombok. The experts criticised the project’s abuse of human rights and highlighted that the project had destroyed houses, fields, water sources and cultural and religious sites.
Members of the European parliament have approved the EU scheme for clean tourism. The scheme includes a joint vaccination certificate and an EU hygiene settlement, making travel more safe, clean and eco-friendly. Including the travel sector in recovery plans is essential as the travel and tourism sector contributes around ten per cent of the EU’s GDP.
More than 100 countries, international organisations and leading business groups have agreed to adopt harmonised standards for assisting tourists caught up in emergency situations. This also includes a set of recommendations relating to providing tourists with information, assistance and, if necessary, repatriation. The aim is to help to restore confidence in international travel after the pandemic.
