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Archive for January, 2010More honesty required in climate change scienceThursday, January 28th, 2010In today’s Times the UK government’s chief scientific adviser has called for more honesty about the uncertainty which exists about the predictions about the rate of climate change. He called for more openness about uncertainties. He is reported as having said “I don’t think it’s healthy to dismiss proper scepticism. Science grows and improves in the light of criticism. There is a fundamental uncertainty about climate change prediction that can’t be changed.” (more…) The Guardian’s Hippy Sheikh in EgyptSunday, January 17th, 2010The UK’s newspaper The Guardian spoke yesterday about Egypt’s premier ecolodge, a former winner of World Responsible Tourism Day. Basata – arabic for simplicity- is based 90 minutes from Sharm El Sheikh, the best known international resort in this region where ICRT has been part of the EU funded sustainable tourism strategy 2007-17 and subsequently collaborated with the Travel Foundation UK and NL to roll out training plans for snorkelling guides and desert guides. (more…) World Heritage – or Wasted Heritage?Friday, January 15th, 2010
I talked to lots of stakeholders, including village headmen, community members, guesthouse owners, tourists, the head of the local tourist board, the head of the national park authority, and NGO workers including the head of the local WWF programme. Oh yes, and I found myself being interviewed as the ‘guest star’ on a local radio programme discussing the future of tourism in the area! (more…) Travel Operators for Tigers: sustainable supply chain management in India’s wild habitatsMonday, January 11th, 2010
FREE.Book with M.Alcahuz-Chacon@leedsmet.ac.uk The purpose of this participatory event is to evaluate the outcomes of TOFT and consider new development opportunities to consolidate their work. Travel Operators for Tigers is a pioneering International ‘collective action’ campaign, run by Travel Professionals, aimed at those within the nature travel industry and all visitors to India’s wildlife parks, to advocate, endorse and support more responsible use of wilderness areas in India, and the Indian sub continent. TOFT does this uniquely through industry wide sustainability standards for their suppliers. www.toftigers.org/ (more…) Tourism, local economic development and poverty reductionFriday, January 8th, 2010We have so many conferences, why organise another one? Well, because this range of speakers has not been brought together in a single event before in the UK, providing new cases and viewpoints. Here are some highlights to tempt you to download the slides and audio files- available in this blog next week. There were two big picture presentations. The International Trade Centre spoke of how they strengthen local supply chains through market-led approaches to integrate communities and small firms in the value chain. Responsibletravel.com spoke about radical changes needed to scale up pro-poor tourism in the wake of Copenhagen, explaining how branding and consumer engagement of the environment and pro-poor tourism both have failed to engage because they don’t focus on putting the customer at the centre of the experience and where money can be made. (more…) Cultural heritage and economic development trainingThursday, January 7th, 2010
ICRT runs a variety of tailor made courses to support destination management organisations to plan appropriate forms of tourism development, ranging from the management of built heritage such as historic cities and monuments to using tourism as a social development tool. Our next course in Leeds is 26-28 February, and we can provide tailor made courses in your destination. Xavier Responsible Tourism Management courseWednesday, January 6th, 2010
ICRT provides tailor made training courses for companies and destinations on how to implement responsible tourism practices. We use practical action planning methodologies to make the outcomes of training meaningful and to promote implementation. We have run these courses worldwide with a variety of clients and funding bodies. Three of our staff run courses for the UNWTO and we take assignments from a variety of companies and funding bodies- email us to find out how we can work in your region, or which courses we have available near you that you can join Xavier |
