The author suggests that tourism should only ever add value to - and not determine the value of – our cultural and natural heritage. Tourism should help protect natural areas instead of justifying their protection and should celebrate existing cultures instead of altering, exploiting, or creating new ones.
As tourists begin to tentatively spread their wings once more, the hope is that we will begin to travel with a newly acquired consciousness, which could have far-reaching consequences on both people and the planet.
Tour operator Intrepid Travel has created a 10-step guide for travel companies looking to decarbonise their businesses. The free resource provides an easy-to-follow action plan on reduction and offsetting to encourage the tourism industry to rebuild more sustainably amidst the pandemic.
Given the pressing need to promote positive economic impacts while also conserving natural heritage, a free online training platform has been launched. ‘Sustainable Tourism: Training for Tomorrow’ aims to increase the quality, supply and accessibility of training in sustainable tourism for Protected Area stakeholders across Europe.
Food waste monitoring, training and awareness raising are key to providing significant impacts in reducing food waste. Speakers at a recent webinar for the World Regions of Gastronomy Platform also agreed that converting and reusing food waste for other purposes is a key challenge and that food waste reduction should be a positive message/campaign.
