New research suggests the indigenous Batak people feel that they are being left out of the process of rural tourism development and feel discouraged to start businesses in their communities due to lack of skills and capital. The study puts forward recommendations for government and policymakers to make the development program more inclusive.
Planeterra has teamed up the Panama Government and local NGOs to reposition Panama as a destination focused on cultural immersion experiences. The partnership aims to work with at least 10 communities to assist them with income diversification, product development, and customer service.
Plans to create a huge ski resort that would require blowing up part of the Alps are on hold after major pushback from locals coming to grips with warming. A growing grassroots movement is now standing up to the powerful ski industry, arguing that it sacrifices untouched landscapes for ever grander projects that ignore the looming climate crisis.
Renown journalist and author Elizabth Becker identified the threat of ‘overtourism’ in her book 'OVERBOOKED: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism', published in 2013. In this interview with Sustainability Leaders, she shares what inspired her to write her book and discusses how governments, the cruise industry and the media need to step up to the challenge to make tourism more sustainable.
Ruth Dolla, Official Spokesperson, Visit Sweden, talks to ETTravelWorld about how sustainability is a part of the Swedish lifestyle and is reflected in every aspect that a tourist experiences. By supporting tourism companies that offer sustainable experiences, a tourist is able to contribute to the circular economy and the experiences that they take back might inspire them and others to keep on living sustainably making tourism a tool for sustainable development.
