The pandemic offers the unique opportunity to reflect on the reality behind our exotic vacations and break the cycle of exploitation. Central to this would be an overhauling of labour systems, the introduction of labour and cultural sovereignty and measures to protect host communities from the results of a “vaccine apartheid”.
A new parliamentary report urges the New Zealand government to take advantage of the disruption caused by COVID-19 to transform the tourism industry. In order to shift the tourism sector to a sustainability model, four policy proposals were presented in the report, including making central government funding for tourism infrastructure conditional on environmental criteria.
TOTA is an award-winning tourism association based in British Columbia, Canada, and a founding signatory of the Future of Tourism Coalition. In this interview with their vice president, we find out how they’re building upon the pillars of sustainable tourism to not only preserve and protect, but to create positive impacts and inspire meaningful change. Ellen also shares her top tips for destinations just embarking on their journey to become more sustainable.
The Costa Rican National Park, Manuel Antonio, has been awarded with the Certificate of Sustainable Tourism (CST) in the top category. The award measures aspects of business management and social, environmental, cultural and economic impacts, as well as work with communities in the surrounding areas.
In the circular economy model, there are no economic activities related to the consumption of finite resources. By keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible, no waste is created. Applying this economic model in small island destinations would make them less reliant on new input and more resilience.
