Metrics and Supply Chains

“Reset Tourism” Webinar Series 2 & 3 – The Future of Tourism Coalition‘s four-part “Reset Tourism” series is intended to help destinations emerge from the Covid crisis with new forms of governance and collaboration that will enable a more holistic and sustainable approach to tourism management and development. Our Spring 2021 issue covered the first webinar, on destination stewardship. Below, Jane Slaughter reports on the next two, which address better measures of success (#2) and sustainable supply chains (#3). The fourth, about tools for implementation, is planned for later this year.

Webinar #2: Measuring Tourism’s Impacts and Success 

Held on April 22, 2021 the second Future of Tourism Coalition webinar focused on methods for measuring tourism success beyond visitor numbers – to define success instead based on the true value of tourism’s costs and benefits. This webinar went on to examine these new standards for success as well as how they will contribute to a destination’s health and a community’s well being. Below, highlights from the second webinar, with keynote speakers Jeremy Sampson, CEO of the Travel Foundation, and Albert Salman, founder of Green Destinations.

Key Takeaways from the webinar:

  • Successful tourism must be redefined through equivalent weighing of costs and benefits.
  • Measurements of tourism success must shift to include the effectiveness of the tourism industry in addressing larger issues.
  • If any change is to occur, companies must begin to adopt a leadership role in these issues in order to be a part of their solution.

Resources: 

View PowerPoint slides by

Watch webinar recording (2 hours) 

Keynote – Measurement that Matters

 Jeremy Sampson, CEO the Travel Foundation

  • Destinations must continue efforts to prevent the problems they faced prior to the pandemic, such as seasonality, economic leakage, low margins, overcrowding, overconsumption, overdependence, fragile environments, exclusion and inequality, future crises, and the climate emergency.
  • The externalities and cost of growth for tourism create an ‘invisible burden’ which must be accounted for through the method of holistic accounting across all ecological impacts and costs.
  • The tourism industry must include long-term environmental effects and externalities in their costs. Currently, cost measures are ineffective because they neglect to take into account the impact of visitors on communities, natural and built assets, and the greater impacts and risks on the environment.
  • This includes new measurements for ecological and sociological impacts based on different standards and certifications such as measuring resident sentiment.
  • Destinations must decide what matters most to them and from there implement new tools to measure impact and goal progress.

Keynote – Measuring Sustainability: Why, What, How

Albert Salman, Founder of Green Destinations

  • The national government should also be in charge of measuring and solving critical issues. National indicators and indexes are better suited to compare countries, and the same destination indexes can then be measured against their countries to recognize their own unique practices.
  • Tourism needs new universal KPI’s to facilitate greater transparency and focus on pressing issues such as ecological impact. 

Panel – Sample comments

Idrissia EY Thestrup, Visit Greenland

  • These new models must address the needs of community inhabitants impacted by tourism. By polling residents, destinations can promote strategies to benefit the local community including inhabitants unrelated to the tourism industry.

Stephanie Jones, Representing National Blacks in Travel & Tourism Collaborative

  • Quality tourism should benefit the local community by maximizing the principles of  diversity, equity, and inclusion. Expand diversity in the hiring process, for instance, and maintain multicultural marketing strategies. 

Other panelists included: Julián Guerrero-Orozco, Vice Minister of Tourism in Colombia, and Bart Neuts, Research Expert for Visit Flanders.

~~~

Webinar #3: Local and Sustainable Supply Chains

Held on May 6, 2021, the Future of Tourism Coalition discussed the importance of local entrepreneurship and product innovation in order to boost employment and grow the number of local businesses in the tourism supply chain. Webinar participants argued that these local supply chains are required in order to contribute to a low-carbon, circular economy while also creating authentic and positive experiences. Below, highlights from the third webinar, with keynote speakers Paula Vlamings, CIO of Tourism Cares, and Paloma Zapata, CEO of Sustainable Travel International.

Key Takeaways from the webinar:

  • In order to achieve true sustainability in tourism, tourist companies must employ local supply chains.
  • Maintaining local supply chains are one avenue for mitigating the climate crisis because of tourism’s heavy carbon footprint.
  • Some destinations have enacted new action plans for sustainable tourism, such as certifications and incentives.

Resources:

Keynote – Local Tourism Supply Chains: At the Intersection of Purpose and Product

Paula Vlamings, Tourism Cares

  • Sectors of the tourism industries need to create strong and efficient local supply chains.
  • This goal can be achieved by examining every part of the supply chain to integrate local businesses and reduce carbon emissions. Tourism businesses should look at their product to see where it is easiest to expand through local sourcing or partnering with local organizations..
  • Today, travelers want more constructive travel experiences in ways that sustain the communities and environments of their destinations. They want to support businesses that reflect these ideals.
  • Sustainability requires connections and communication across multiple industries, sectors, suppliers, communities, and destinations.
  • A current challenge is getting NGOs and other social activist groups involved in the tourism market, particularly through consultation and facilitating partnerships with other local businesses.

Keynote – The Path to Localizing and Decarbonizing Tourism Supply Chains

Paloma Zapata, Sustainable Travel International

  • Tourism plays a role in the climate crisis, generating emissions via every activity in the value chain. To tackle the climate crisis we need a three prong approach: reducing carbon emissions, restoring the earth’s natural carbon storage levels, and innovating technology to reduce carbon emissions.
  • In order to become carbon neutral, destinations can begin by mitigating carbon emissions and encouraging energy-efficient practices. For instance, businesses must quantify the total emissions generated through their supply chain, and set attainable goals for reduction. Businesses should also rely on local supply chains to make destinations more carbon neutral and resilient.

Panel – Sample comments

John De Fries, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority

  • One way of achieving sustainability is by thinking of the earth as an island, where natural resources are finite and therefore must be conserved through a regenerative tourism model. Hawai‘i Tourism Authority does this by enacting community-based Destination Management Action Plans (DMAPs) for each island, which aim to rebuild, redefine, and reset the direction of tourism over a three-year period.

Beth Markham, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, the Town of Vail, Colorado, USA

  • To combat the sustainability problems faced by mountain resort communities, such as carbon emissions and wildlife damage, Vail has enacted an Actively Green sustainable business certification program that starts destinations on the path to sustainability through a bottom-up approach. This certification project begins with employee and business accountability through reliance on local supply chains to reduce carbon emissions.

Malia Everette, Altruvistas

  • Social justice issues can be recognized in the tourism industry through the creation of customized travel opportunities that stress philanthropy and engagement in local experiences in order to grow spending in the local economy.

Other panelists included: Kirsten Bain, VP of Operations for Contiki Holidays (a subsidiary of the Travel Corporation) and Rodrigo Atuesta, CEO & Co-Founder of IMPULSE travel. 

~~~

To continue to dive in to these topics, make sure to sign up for the free quarterly Destination Stewardship Report – a joint project of the Destination Stewardship Center and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

Even in Norway, Innkeepers Have Struggled

[Above: Aurland Fjord from a mountain farm.
Photos by Montag, unless otherwise noted.]

In the time of Covid, small lodges have flirted with failure, even in the fjords of oil-rich Norway. Arild Molstad reports on one couple who – “showing true viking spirit and eco-courage” – believe they can beat the odds by going greener still.

In Aurland, Norway, Good Intentions Contend with Cancellations

Is another annus horribilis on the horizon for tourism? The industry is still gasping for air – and rescue funding – in the wake of Covid-19. It was not only the world’s weakest and most fragile regions that were hit hard. Top destinations, from California and China to Portugal and France, are still reeling from the impact.

Even in the legendary fjords and mountains of affluent Norway – high on many travellers’ bucket lists – a sense of panic has permeated the atmosphere.

Photo: Tone Rønning Vike

“Just when we were ready to welcome our first guests of the 2020 season, the cancellations came in thick and fast,” says Tone Rønning Vike, who with her husband Bjørn runs the couple’s prize-winning, high-end ecolodge. Called 29|2, after the property number of the farm, the lodge (left) nestles in the spectacular fjord setting of Aurland. The situation was unusually dire for the couple; they had bet their savings, signed a steep mortgage, changed jobs, and moved the entire family to cater to a fast-growing, sophisticated, environmentally engaged international market.

“It is impossible not to get a strong sense of the importance of taking care of nature and culture, but also of the need to nurture a close relationship between the government and local entrepreneurs.”

They had sound reasons to be optimistic. Norway’s tourism engine –“Powered by Nature,” Visit Norway likes to proclaim – was firing on all cylinders, and their National Geographic “geotourism”-inspired approach to holistic conservation was beginning to pay off. Their ecolodge is situated near three world class attractions: the stunning UNESCO World Heritage site Naeroyfjord; the narrow gauge zig-zag train climbing a steep gully from the cruise harbour of Flåm; and the wild, breathtakingly beautiful Aurland mountain trek, also known as “Norway’s Grand Canyon.”

What 8 years ago was a dream, became a reality – and then turned into a nightmare.

Aurland Fjord, Norway.

For Guests: Small Footprint, Big Impression
“We did everything by the book – consulted the eco-manuals, had our CO2 emissions close to zero, got the price-quality balance spot-on,” explains the couple. “Our clients were enthusiastic, even our dog could smell success! We were looking forward to taking guests on excursions that make a small footprint but leave a huge impression.”

Both Tone and Bjørn strongly believe in supporting the local economy. In restoring the farmhouses, they worked closely with farmers and craftsmen in Aurland and the surrounding valleys. One of the world’s northernmost wine producers has added to the cellar’s ample supply of natural and organic wines.

They have fought hard for restoring the wild fish stock in the Aurland river, once ranked as one of the world’s three leading sea trout rivers by British lords who first made the region famous. As a 29|2 ecolodge guest, you don’t run the risk of being served farmed fish. “It’s not good for the body, or for mother nature,” says Tone.

Aurland has been popular among anglers for generations. Some still come to enjoy the sport, but more now come for the scenery.

“The 2019 season proved us right,” says Bjørn, a master builder whose expertise with wood is well known in western Norway. Bjørn constructs and restores wooden houses and cabins in some of Norway’s most spectacular valleys and mountains. Being a “wood surgeon,” he has restored old vicarages and 16th-18th century houses. Few know the region better.

The Shutdown

“We were making good money, and had a waiting list for 2020 bookings,” he says. “Then Norway closed its borders – boom!” Tears come to his eyes. “And 98 percent of our guests were foreigners…”

Innkeepers Bjørn and Tone Rønning Vike. “In a globalised world, we’re embracing the local and authentic with our Aurland venture,” says Tone. “Isn’t that why people travel – to explore and expand their horizons?”

The family had meetings late into the night. How many domestic tourists would arrive and at least compensate for a small part of the strong international revenue flow that was lost in Norway’s short summer season?

Tourism authorities, too, burned the midnight oil. Clearly a massive government injection of funds would be required to prevent a wholesale financial disaster from hitting the fragile fjordland economy. But even in oil-rich Norway not everybody could be bailed out. Compromises had to be made, not only to save those enterprises forming the backbone of the nation’s sustainable tourism industry, but entire towns and villages.

Brighter Prospects
With an emergency bank loan and a generous government hand-out, the couple now hope for brighter prospects in 2021. Crates of vaccine are crossing the border into Norway to meet the needs of the 5.5 million population.

“We would have to say that we are very fortunate to live in a rich country like Norway,” says Tone. “The compensation we have received from the government has eased the situation. We no longer fear we would have to sell the property at great loss. It´s however a fragile security net. We have to make sure we´re not totally dependent on cross-Atlantic visitors. As we are turning towards the Nordic and North European market, I think Norway as a destination should focus more on short-distance travellers, too, instead of Asia, Australia, and the Americas, to reduce CO2 emissions.”

“Norwegian authorities have to understand that our recent dependency on big cruise ships crowding our fjords has to come to an end.”

Wherever you turn in Aurland, you find yourself in a close encounter with nature, but also with the challenges and responsibilities this entails for local tourism entrepreneurs. As in other remote, fragile, and majestic parts of the world, it is impossible not to sense the importance of taking care of nature and culture, but also of the need to nurture a close relationship between government and local entrepreneurs. This is likely to become one of the keystones in Norway’s post-pandemic tourism strategy, to be launched this spring.

After the Virus, Will Norway Get It Right?

“I hope so,” Tone says, “Norwegian authorities have to understand that our recent dependency on big cruise ships crowding our fjords has to come to an end. The signs are good; all polluting cruise ships will be banned from the UNESCO fjords by 2026. And long before that, we have to find a way to generate a tax where visitors are given a chance to co-finance the costs of conserving our precious nature and culture.”

Idyllic Aurland countryside. The couple thinks the pandemic has given them time to re-think and restructure. “If we were the ‘green heart’ of Fjord Norway before, we’ll be even more so now,” says Tone.

Norway is facing several dilemmas. Its traditional “free access” policy for visitors to explore its natural attractions is increasingly on a collision course with polluting tourism crowds during peak season. Only a relatively a small portion of visitor revenue trickles down to the communities along the fjords. Calls for a tourism tax are gaining support, but is it politically viable, given the corona crisis?

“Covid-19 was perhaps our planet’s way of saying ‘enough is enough,’” says Tone. “Plundering ecosystems can cause disease and epidemics, and I sincerely hope we have learned a lesson. As people running a tourist business it is perhaps an odd thing to say: But we have to reduce travelling. More planes on the ground, maybe one wonderful vacation a year, instead of long weekends flying here and there. We will make sure to be ready to give our guests a warm welcome in quaint, quiet surroundings when they come. And continue to focus on the principles of ecotourism.”

“Future of Tourism Coalition” Launches Today

Nonprofits join in a call for the world to rethink tourism.

As destinations look forward to recovering from COVID-19, six nongovernmental organizations, advised by a seventh, today are uniting for the first time in a call for the world to reconsider how tourism works.

The Destination Stewardship Center is proud to be one of them.

Our new Future of Tourism Coalition calls for all who care about tourism, places, and the people live in them to endorse a set of 13 Guiding Principles that will sidestep the excesses of the past and put tourism on a renewal course for a more rewarding, more sustainable future.

Six organizations have come together with the global mission to place destinations at the center of recovery strategies: the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), Destination Stewardship Center, Green Destinations, Sustainable Travel International, Tourism Cares, and the Travel Foundation, with the guidance of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). 

Decades of unfettered growth in travel have put the world’s treasured places at risk – environmentally, culturally, socially, and financially.  The travel and tourism industries face a precarious and uncertain future due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, with international tourist numbers projected to fall 60-80% in 2020. As tourism moves forward and recovers, re-centering around a strong set of principles is vital for long term sustainable and equitable growth.

To rally global change, the Coalition has put forth Guiding Principles that outline a bold vision for tourism’s path forward. We are calling on tourism agencies, travel companies, governments, investors, nongovernmental organizations, and destination communities to commit to them.

The Guiding Principles provide a clear moral and business imperative for building a healthier tourism industry while protecting the places and people on which it depends. The Principles call for signatories to:

  1. See the whole picture
  2. Use sustainability standards
  3. Collaborate in destination management
  4. Choose quality over quantity
  5. Demand fair income distribution
  6. Reduce tourism’s burden
  7. Redefine economic success
  8. Mitigate climate impacts
  9. Close the loop on resources
  10. Contain tourism’s land use
  11. Diversify source markets
  12. Protect sense of place
  13. Operate business responsibly

The foundation of these principles was built on a firm belief that taking a holistic approach to responsible and sustainable tourism is the only way to secure the future the Coalition stands for.

Join the Movement

Twenty-two founding signatories who represent a diverse cross-section of key industry stakeholders have committed thus far. They are influencers in the movement, demonstrating leadership and adherence to the Guiding Principles in their product and business practices. They will provide guidance to the Coalition as plans are put in place to support travel and tourism entities long-term in their strategy to place destinations and communities at the core of their work.

Those signatories include Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), Ecotourism Australia, G Adventures, Global Ecotourism Network, Government of the Azores, Government of Colombia, Hilton, Innovation Norway, Intrepid Travel, Jordan Tourism Board, Lindblad Expeditions, MT Sobek, Palau Bureau of Tourism, Riverwind Foundation (Jackson Hole, WY), Seychelles Ministry of Tourism, Slovenian Tourist Board, Swisscontact, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, The Travel Corporation, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, Tourism Council Bhutan and the World Wildlife Fund.

Interested travel and tourism stakeholders are invited to show their support and become part of the movement by joining as signatories to the Principles. Join us by visiting www.futureoftourism.org

“The recent crisis in tourism has shown us just how much tourism relies and depends on local and global communities,” said Maja Pak, Director at the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB). “We have already strengthened ties with local communities and tourism authorities from across the country. We now find that sharing our experiences and gaining best practice examples from other countries will be the key to successfully navigate the post-corona tourism universe. This is where the role of the Future of Tourism Coalition will be vital. The STB is looking forward to cooperating with the Coalition and to progress further with the reset of tourism, especially in this new reality, where sustainability and destination needs, as well as trust, will have to be placed at the center of tourism’s future.”

Destination Communities First

The Coalition recognizes that a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is fundamental to achieving its Guiding Principles. The travel and tourism industry has much work to do, and the Coalition will act proactively in addressing the role that racial and environmental justice play in creating a more equitable tourism economy. The Coalition members have made a commitment to listen, learn, and seek change by engaging with signatories and other entities as a part of that journey. This work will be guided by GSTC indicators and criteria related to equity, inclusion, and non-discrimination.

In a joint statement, the CEOs of the organizations represented in the Coalition said, “It is imperative that every organization evaluates how they will actively place the needs of destinations and equity within their communities at the center of tourism development, management, and promotion decisions. There is no stable future for tourism if this is not done now – together, responsibly, and vigorously. This is not a short-term effort, this is the future. Long-term resilient social, economic, and environmental recovery and regeneration will require all sectors of industry to rethink how tourism works, who it works for, and how success is defined.”

The path to change is a journey and lasting solutions take time. The Coalition will support the industry by providing the tools, guidance and collaboration to ensure a stronger path forward and encourage a diverse and inclusive set of signatories to sign on and share their perspectives and experiences to collectively work toward a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for all.

Learn more at https://www.futureoftourism.org/

It Takes Two To Tango: Hands Across The Med

Above: Artisans at the Cyprus-Egypt exposition. Photo: Inji Amr, MAWARED

Geotourism theme unites St. Catherine, Egypt and Troodos, Cyprus    

The St. Catherine region of Egypt’s Sinai and the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus are attractive Mediterranean destinations with a lot in common: UNESCO World Heritage recognition, substantial tourism potential, wealth of creative, nonpolluting community industries, and distinctive local agriculture. Both offer unique, self-contained, and unspoiled destination experiences ready for responsible and engaging tourists to visit and actively help develop. Both destinations struggle to keep growing their unique natural products in the face of commercial modernization pressures that affect land and society.

Photo: Tarek El-Baz

Troodos. Photo: Tarek El-Baz

To initiate a new economic collaboration between the two locales, more than 80 geo-travellers from St. Catherine visited Plattres/Troodos, the “Green Heart of Cyprus,” on September 12-15, 2013 to participate in a geotourism-themed dual-nation conference and exhibition entitled “From Bio-diversity to Geo-Diversity.”

This Cypriot-Egyptian event was the product of a new initiative called Connect to Grow (C2G), which uses the innovative concept of geotourism to help poor or vulnerable communities adopt a joint operating platform for marketing the local agro-food and creative industries essential to these rural communities. C2G is intended to assist any such rural communities that have unique business ideas and entrepreneurial vision.

Troodos is a protected area according to the EU Network; its churches are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage. The expo launched an initiative that builds on a history of cultural and economic links between Egypt and Cyprus. Egyptians, including the former King Farouk, have long favoured the Troodos Mountains as a resort destination. Both share a British colonial past as well. Supporting the visit were Egypt’s MAWARED foundation for Sustainable Development in collaboration with Cyprus’s Local Council of Platres and YPM Consulting,

The Egyptian party included three segments— civil society, responsible government officials, and responsible business entrepreneurs from the agro-food and creative industries, along with the St. Catherine’s Medicinal Plants Association (SCMPA), including Bedouin farmers and artisans.  Welcoming them were the Troodos Network (the leading local NGO) with the strong support by the local council of Plattres/Troodos and the governments of both Cyprus and Egypt.

 Mutual exploration

Activities during the Egyptian visit included seeing and sampling items unique to each of the natural reserves, such as herbs and spices, as well as exploring the forests and natural environment of Troodos and discovering the creative work of both destinations. This was the first time that a community NGO, representing St. Catherine, has had the opportunity to introduce its products abroad directly and not through a mediator.

Bedouin expo participant. Photo: Inji Amr, MAWARED

Bedouin expo participant. Photo: Inji Amr, MAWARED

Cypriot and Egyptian participants learned from each other.  Some discoveries were practical: Bedouin artisans learned a way to improve their traditional soaps; Cypriot artisans learned a new weaving technique. The two agricultural communities also gained new perspectives from each other on their respective climatic limitations—St. Catherine as a desert and Troodos as a winter-freeze zone.

Most significantly, each community learned that their own culture and way of life is of interest to others.

Geotourism as catalyst

Geotourism trips like this one can serve as a catalyst for helping targeted women and young entrepreneurs penetrate markets, access finance, and market their products—especially to geotourists who go beyond practicing eco-friendly tourism to sustaining and supporting community stewardship and human livelihood.

For these two destinations, developing food-related products is primarily an act of passion, of caring to keep local culinary traditions and artisanry alive. So by embracing the simple human quest of experiencing basics of a destination—traditional food, culture, nature, and knowledge—the geotourism approach becomes an engine for adding value, triggering collaboration between the two destinations in the form of:

  1. Growth in market demand for both places;
  2. Citizen participation, especially among women and young people;
  3. Increased “destination pride” (as emphasized by the “godfather of geotourism,” Jonathan Tourtellot)—in essence, the pride that people take in celebrating our diversity and special natural and cultural identity.

 Wide applicability

This geotourism-led solution can apply to vulnerable communities in various Euro-Mediterranean countries, such as Cyprus, Lebanon (Arz El-Choouf Biosphere), Tunisia, and of course to Natural and Biosphere reserves in Egypt. Along with the governorate of South Sinai (St. Catherine), Egyptian communities in the governorate of New Valley (villages of Bashandi & Mounira) and of Aswan (Nubia and Wadi Allaqi) all face similar challenges.

Such communities have the opportunity to sell their their creative artwork as well as traditional agricultural foods and herbs within their communities when geotourists travel to Egypt. St. Catherine’s has 472 species of rare medicinal plants, of which 19 are endemic. Poorly informed farming and tourism practices now put some species at risk. Raising their perceived value is critical. Responsible tourism that appreciates culture and nature can create market demand for such products, which these communities urgently need.

 Growth in knowledge

That has been a reason for communities to upgrade their products to be in compliance with tastes and technical requirements of EU markets.  C2G takes these vulnerable communities beyond production standards and compliance (which does not by itself guarantee access to market demand) to include learning about obtaining access to local and regional markets; l attaining sustainable value-chain integration, ownership and governance; and acquire business development skills and the ability to form microenterprises or SMEs.

During their visit, St. Catherine participants, for instance, were able to improve commercial exchange skills by learning about quality-control practices and business expertise from the Cypriot Plattres Council and YPM Business Consulting.

CREATE team artisan. Photo: Inji Amr

CREATE artisan. Photo: Inji Amr, MAWARAD

Keys to success

The success of the C2G model can be attributed to heartfelt desire by the vulnerable community to improve and get better. But dynamic knowledge and practice of commercial activities needs more than better information. Ownership of lessons learned requires generating and institutionalizing Hubs of Knowledge among participating countries.

This will materialize when responsible government members engage with responsible business people with a sufficiently long-term perspective. In the case of the Troodos visit, unparalleled representation ranged from Bedouins of St. Catherine, who had never before left Egypt, to high government officials of both Cyprus and Egypt. Representing Cyprus were H.E. Commissioner of Environment and Commissioner of Volunteering and NGOs; representing Egypt were the current and former H.E. Ministers of Environment, demonstrating continuity of effort.

The collaborative approach adds dimensions to the existing intrinsic value of both destinations:

  1. By sharing effort and resources, the two destinations can drive down the costs of exhibiting indigenous knowledge of medicinal and aromatic herbs from both destinations. Over 150 visitors at the Expo had an opportunity to buy traditional artwork from St. Catherine as well as indigenous Cypriot herbs and honey.
  2. Product enhancement: A local young group of designers called “CREATE Team” help generate knowledge that does not disrupt indigenous practices. Trained in Cyprus and working with local community producers and processors (majority of whom are women), the youth team helps develop products and add innovative techniques and designs to already distinctive cultural products.
  3. A joint twinning agreement between the Platres Community Council (PCC) and the St Catherine’s Medicinal Plants Association (SCMPA) formalized the steps by creating a network of NGOs in Egypt and Cyprus to materialize and foster what was learned, namely:
    • Capacity building: How to maintain market-driven products while keeping their authentic local nature.
    • Business acumen: How to make viable business deals and design systems for quality control.
    • Cultural awareness: Learning and building shared respect for differences in destination cultures.
    • Public relations: Teaming up to support advocacy programs for both destinations.

This process is replicable. It can generate and institutionalize Hubs of Knowledge among participating countries.

The “Connect to Grow” solution thus adds value to both host and visiting communities. This is how Two Destinations Can Tango.

For more information: WWW.Facebook.com/CREATEDESIGNERS

————————-

Editor’s note: The Connect-to-Grow approach was selected for one of the presentations this past February at the UNDP-affiliated First Arab States Regional South-South Development Expo in Doha. Of all presenting teams, only C2G’s included members of the target communities. An excellent innovation, we think.

So How Many Jobs Does Travel Create?

The U.S. Travel Association released on 26 August 2012 some data you can use to make a case for taking better care of special places: the number of jobs generated by travel and tourism. USTA is an advocacy organization, so these numbers may suffer from a promotional puff-factor, but even at half strength they would be striking.

 

Copyright © U.S. Travel Association

The report, Travel_Means_Jobs-USTA2012, offers a powerful argument for promoting tourism, especially overseas tourism. And that in turn provides an argument for good destination stewardship. Continue reading