The challenges of Sustainability in Tourism & Best Practices in the Mediterranean
Milan, 26 Februar 2007/eTN The 1st International Forum on “Sustainable Development in Tourism” organised by Skål International and Skål International Italy, held during BIT in Milan on 24th February 2007 highlighted some important suggestions on how to recover and to further create awareness of sustainable development.
Following opening speeches by the President of Skål International, Litsa Papathanasi and the President of Skal Italy, Sandra Biasutti, there were two key note speakers, Eugenio Yunis, Head of Sustainable Development of Tourism at UNWTO, and Arab Hoballah, Head of the Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch in UNEP. Both referred to the complexity of the subject but stressed however that if all stakeholders would assume equal responsibility, we could start seeing some positive results. The guide published by UNWTO, referred to 12 basic guidelines for sustainable development in tourism together with a suggested action plan. The role of the governments were also stressed in the sense that they were expected to cooperate with local authorities and to make the legislative changes in order to provide the platform for the private sector to perform on sustainable grounds. Both speakers referred to the role which Skål International is playing and recommended more ways in which the organisation could become even more involved
A number of speakers presented examples of best practices in the Mediterranean Area as follows:
Francisco Munoz, Biosphere Hotels, Lanzarote, Spain
Alessio Satta, Head of Tourism Unit, Ambiente, Italy
Srecko Leiner, Ecologist, Croatian Natural History Museum.
Michael Toanoglou, President, Skål International Lindos, Greece.
Nihat Gokyigit, President, TEMA Foundation; Turkey.
The Moderator was Hulya Aslantas, Vice President, Skål International
Skål, founed as an international association in 1934 is the largest organisation of travel and tourism professionals in the world, embracing all sectors of the travel and tourism industry, in five continents, 87 countries and at over 500 locations, with 22,000 members from hoteliers to travel agents, airlines, tourism media, tourism academicians etc.
Skål International is aiming at quality in tourism and values sustainable development in tourism as the key to the industry’s future success and considers Ecotourism but one area of the various components of sustainable development and responsible tourism.
To encourage the conservation of the environment and help to promote the development of responsible and sustainable tourism, Skål International is conducting an awards programme since 2002, launched during “The Year of Ecotourism and the Mountains” as declared by United Nations. While the purpose of these awards is to highlight best practices in ecotourism around the world, they are also created with the aim of acquainting the world with this new concept that puts emphasis on the importance of the interaction of the physical, cultural and social environment, the traveller’s responsibility and the need for active community participation for Ecotourism.
More information on 2007 Ecotourism Awards program can be found at www.skal.org.
Source: eTurboNews.com