New UNWTO Global Report on Inclusive Tourism Destinations launched on the occasion of UN Day 2018
A new report by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), produced in collaboration with UNWTO Affiliate Member globaldit, presents a model for inclusive tourism destinations. ‘Global Report on Inclusive Tourism: Model and success stories” is launched on the occasion of the UN Day 2018 celebration in Madrid, Spain.
Modelling inclusive tourism destinations on the capacity of tourism to integrate disadvantaged groups and benefit from its activity, is at the centre of this report. Showcasing how tourism can function as a vehicle for sustainable development, and the reduction of poverty and inequality, in the context of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Model for inclusive tourism destinations presented in this Global Report contributes directly to SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth and SDG 10 – Reduction of inequalities; but also SDG 5 – Gender equality and SDG 17 – Global partnership for sustainable development.
“As globalization, interconnectivity and a growing middle class leads to ever more people travelling, the world will continue seeming to get smaller and inclusion will become even more of a priority,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili. He added that this publication “will serve as an important tool for the tourism community to create and promote inclusion in destinations, and a valuable reference for all tourism stakeholders in developing best practices for a more inclusive sector”.
In addition, this report highlights the need to foster discussion on and examine new approaches to inclusive tourism in order to drive tourism’s long-term sustainability.
Various experts from organizations in the field of tourism and the SDGs contributed to this report: the Ashoka Foundation, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Google, IE University, PREDIF, the SDG Fund, Airbnb, Vinces, Walhalla DCS and Ekin Consulting. It also features success stories from a variety of stakeholders, such as the Gauteng Tourism Authority, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, CENFOTUR, Korea Tourism Organization, VisitScotland, Chemonics and the State of Michoacán, Mexico.
Caribbean Tourism: Complacency puts Caribbean people and economies at risk
Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Hugh Riley has called on Caribbean states to take tsunami preparedness seriously, stating to do otherwise would put the people and regional economies at risk.
Speaking in Paris, France, during a discussion organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to raise awareness of the threats posed by tsunamis, Riley insisted that Caribbean countries risked paying the price for complacency.
He stressed with the Caribbean being comprised mainly of low-lying states, and with most tourism assets and hotel investments located at or near coastal areas, the tourism sector is extremely vulnerable to the threat of tsunamis.
“Tourism is the main economic driver of the Caribbean, representing 80 per cent of the region’s gross domestic product and more than one million jobs so we cannot ignore a tsunami risk,” he told fellow panellists and the wider audience, which included representatives from Grenada, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
“Complacency puts us in real danger and we must raise the Caribbean’s voice by advocating for our members during this important global forum,” he added.
The event was being held in advance of World Tsunami Awareness Day on 5 Nov. 2018. The secretary general noted that the region had experienced 11 tsunamis in the past, the most recent of which occurred in 2010, and six between 1902 and 1997.
He suggested that because there has been no “recent” impact on the region, tsunamis are not considered an imminent threat, therefore, they are not given sufficient attention.
He called for an increase in tsunami awareness and sensitisation of the tourism sector and the wider Caribbean community, as well as support for training by regional institutions and countries to develop preparedness and response protocols.
“The CTO recognises that tsunami preparedness is critical, which includes well-established and tested response protocols which will ultimately reduce loss of life and economic damage. We also need to enhance collaboration with countries recently and frequently impacted by tsunami hazards in order to develop best practices.”
Riley highlighted several CTO members’ tsunami readiness initiatives, including Anguilla, the first English-speaking Caribbean island to be recognised as “tsunami ready” in September 2011 and has maintained certification status. Since then the British Virgin Islands and St. Kitts and Nevis have received similar recognition, all having established emergency operating centres, national tsunami plans, public outreach and alert systems, public service information programmes and tsunami preparedness and response protocols.
The high-level panel was organised by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to discuss policies and practices to reduce tsunami risks in countries highly dependent on tourism revenue.
The meeting opened with a minute’s silence in memory of the 2,000 confirmed dead and 680 officially missing in the tsunami and earthquake which struck Indonesia on 28 Sept. 2018. The double disaster left almost 70,000 people homeless and 11,000 injured in the Indonesian cities of Palu and Donggala in Central Sulawesi.
Just a Drop reaches 1.5 million people with safe water
Just a Drop will celebrate its 20thanniversary and having reached 1.5 million people with safe water and sanitation at World Travel Market 2018 – the event where the charity was launched in November 1998 by Fiona Jeffery OBE, former WTM Chairman.
To mark the occasion, Just a Drop has partnered with Water-to-Go to create Just a Drop-branded eco-friendly water bottles, which provide a solution to two of the biggest problems facing the world at the moment: access to clean, safe drinking water and the pollution caused by single-use plastics.
Containing a filtration system that eliminates over 99.9% of contaminants, the water bottles will be sold exclusively on Just a Drop’s stand at WTM (BL4 on the Main Boulevard, by N4/S4) for the special anniversary price of just £5, ahead of launching online via Water-to-Go’s website. All profits will support Just a Drop’s safe water projects. Free water refills will be available throughout WTM from water stations located around the fair, including at Affordable Car Hire, Air Europa, Atta – African Travel & Tourism Association, Discover the Palm Beaches, and Just a Drop’s stands.
Anniversary celebrations will take place on Just a Drop’s stand throughout WTM. A raffle will be held with prizes including a three-course meal with champagne for two at The Ritz, London, donated by Travelzoo.
Fiona Jeffery OBE, Founder and Chairman of Just a Drop, said: ‘I’m delighted to be celebrating Just a Drop’s 20th anniversary here at WTM, where it all began. Over the past 20 years Just a Drop has grown from a volunteer organisation providing emergency relief in the wake of natural disasters to a professional NGO working with local communities to deliver comprehensive safe water, sanitation and hygiene programmes that create sustainable, long-term change and empower people to lift themselves out of poverty. Just a Drop has now reached 1.5 million people with safe water and sanitation across 32 countries. This is an achievement I did not foresee when I launched the charity in 1998, and it has been made possible largely thanks to the travel industry’s generous and dedicated support – thank you.’
On World Responsible Tourism Day, Wednesday 7th November, Just a Drop will host ‘The Changemakers: How Inspiration has Created Life Transforming Reality’. Speakers Holly Budge, Founder of How Many Elephants, Fiona Jeffery OBE, Founder of Just a Drop, Paras Loomba, Founder of Global Himalayan Expedition, and Ben Morison, Founder of The Flipflopi Project, will discuss how they realized their ideas and created organisations that are changing the world we live in for the better. The talk will be moderated by Anita Mendiratta and will take place from 2-3 pm in the Middle East & Africa Inspiration Zone – AF190.
Just a Drop was founded at WTM in 1998 by Fiona Jeffery OBE, as a way of encouraging the travel industry to give back to communities around the world. Fiona chose the cause because water is the most basic of human needs, and she felt that if everyone was encouraged to give a little, then collectively a huge difference could be made.
Just a Drop’s first ever project began in Ethiopia in 1998 and much of the charity’s work during its first ten years involved disaster relief efforts, in partnership with organisations such as the British Red Cross and the Scientific Exploration Society. By 2008, Just a Drop’s work had contributed to the number of people without safe water dropping to below 1 billion globally, and the charity grew from a volunteer organisation to a professional NGO. The following ten years up to 2018 have seen Just a Drop develop into a community development organisation that today has reached over 1.5 million people across 32 countries with much needed safe water, sanitation and hygiene.