TRAVEL WEEKLY BUSINESS ELECTION COUNTDOWN came together in Lucerne. IAN TAYLOR reports
SUSTAINABILITY: GOVERNMENTS URGED TO STANDARDISE REPORTING ACROSS SECTOR
VisitBritain chairman Christopher Rodrigues called for governments to standardise reporting on sustainability across the travel sector. Addressing the World Tourism Forum,
Rodrigues said: “This is a wonderful industry, but it contains the seeds of its own destruction. The challenge we keep coming back to is sustainable tourism. “There is no joined-up government in most countries. It is a fragmented industry. We tend to be short term and you are more likely to be fired for not managing load factors or filling rooms than promoted for a long-term strategy that deals with growth. “Governments need to lead. If they got behind standardised reporting and insisted on its adoption, we would start to see more sustainability.”
Greenearth.travel director Geoffrey Lipman said: “We have not put the time, attention or resources into sustainable travel. We need to change the way we do business every day, not the way we talk at meetings.” Beyond Green Travel chief executive
Costas Christ agreed, saying: “Sustainability is a global priority. But I meet with 300 hotels a year that say: ‘It’s too expensive, we don’t have the budget.’” However, TripAdvisor director of industry
relations Helena Egan said: “We make it sound like everything has to change now, but this industry is ahead in a lot of things.” In a separate address to the forum, Queen Mother of Bhutan Sangay Choden Wangchuck argued economic development
INNOVATION: TOURS PROVIDER
TRIIP.ME WINS NEW AWARD
Start-up sharing site
Triip.me, based in Vietnam, won the first World Tourism Forum Innovation Award.
Triip.me offers local tours and experiences in destinations in southeast Asia, bringing the Airbnb idea to tours and tour guides. It aims to expand globally.
By STEPHEN D’ALFONSO, head of public affairs, Abta
ONE WEEK TO GO: IT’S NOWOR NEVER
With just a week until the country goes to the polls, you have a final opportunity to influence your local parliamentary candidates on the importance and value of our industry. The polls haven’t moved for weeks – we’re on
Queen Mother of Bhutan Sangay Choden
“If mismanaged, tourism can bring destruction of the environment and economy”
need not exclude preservation, but she insisted: “There is a delicate balance between financial gain and preservation. “With good planning and management, tourism can be a positive force. But if mismanaged, it can bring destruction of the environment, culture and, eventually, the economy.” “Bhutan received its first tourists only in 1974. We were concerned that unplanned and unregulated tourism would affect our environment and culture. So we embarked on a ‘high-value, low-volume’ policy. Forty- one years on, 70% of Bhutan is still under forest cover. Economic development and preservation are not mutually exclusive.” Rodrigues, Egan, Lipman and Christ sit on
the World Tourism Forum Think Tank, which met in Lucerne last week.
Founder Hai Ho said: “There is no
standard database for tours, no standard system and no easy way to book a local experience. We help travellers book local experiences easily and allow locals to share and preserve their culture. We have about 6,600 local experiences and about 6,000 users [to date].” The site is based in Ho Chi Minh City. It takes 10% commission on each transaction and has a staff of six. Hai Ho collected the $10,000 first
track for a hung parliament and every vote will matter. Leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru, SNP, Greens and UKIP will be acutely aware of this, and using every opportunity to secure your vote. It has been fantastic to see the industry get behind #ValueTourism throughout this election campaign, with individuals relating their own experience on why our sector deserves more support in parliament. Abta members have raised our concerns with
candidates and helped the campaign garner the support of more than 150 would-be MPs. Add the 500 candidates in marginal seats whom Abta has contacted direct, and it’s clear we’re making our voice heard. We must use this momentum to ensure the next government considers the policy impact of decisions on our industry, as well as how government policy on tourism can help us thrive and
grow. It isn’t too late to show your support for
#ValueTourism to your local candidates if you haven’t already. For more details,
visit
abta.com/ electionhub
prize at the forum on what was his first trip to Europe. Fellow finalists Kelly Garofalo, co-founder of US-based World Connect, and Annie Beaulieu, founder of Canadian-based Freedom, each won $5,000. The award was judged
by a panel including British Hospitality Association chief executive Ufi Ibrahim and Pacific Asia Travel Association chief executive Mario Hardy.
30 April 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 69
“We allow locals to share and
preserve their culture”
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