Event Programme

World Responsible Tourism Day aims to educate and inform travel and tourism professionals and raise awareness of responsible tourism in the industry. 

Click here to view video, audio and presentation content of the 2009 WTM World Responsible Tourism programme from the World Travel Market website.

Advances in Travel Philanthropy - 12:30 - 13:30 North Gallery Room 8

WTM has commissioned a report on Trends in Travel Philanthropy, there will be a brief presentation of the findings of this report and a round table discussion about the state of visitor pay back, charitable giving, destination-driven donating and the contribution of tour operators, hotels and the Travel Foundation. This is an opportunity to find out what is happening in this diverse and complex sector and to reflect on what the contribution which the industry can make. Commissioned by The International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT)

Speakers:

• Prof. Harold Goodwin, Professor of Responsible Tourism Management, Director, International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds Metropolitan University
• Sue Hurdle, Chief Executive, Travel Foundation
• Dawid de Villiers, Chairman of the UNWTO World Committee on Tourism Ethics and Chairman of the International Task Force for the Protection of Children in Tourism
• Fiona Jeffery, Chairman and Founder international water-aid charity, Just a Drop.
   

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What will the outbound UK travel market look like in 2023? 
14.00 – 15.00 North Gallery Rooms 6 & 7

The UK, in common with other major markets in Europe and North America, is experiencing significant changes – climate change, soaring fuel prices, recession as well as changes in attitudes to responsible and sustainable tourism. A valuable research-based insight into how the UK outbound market is likely to change by 2023.

Chairman:

• Stephanie Draper, Director, Changes Strategies, Forum for the Future

Speakers:

• Mike Greenacre, Managing Director, Co-operative Travel
• Dermot Blastland, CEO, TUI UK

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Paying the Cost of Visiting - 15:30 - 17:00 North Gallery Room 6 & 7

Chaired by Dr. Simon Woodward, tourism and heritage industry consultant with 

• Nayef Al Fayez, Managing Director, Jordan Tourism Board
• Dr David Souden, Historic Royal Palaces
• Andres Alvarez Calderon, Director, Museo Larco.

Historical fabric and value of precious cultural heritage sites are being damaged by uncontrolled or badly managed tour groups. This workshop will draw examples of good practice of heritage sites worldwide.

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Official WTM WRTD Opening - 10.30 - 11.00

Hosted by Stephen Sackur, presenter, BBC’s Flagship news and current affairs programme HARDtalk.

Speakers:

• Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of World Travel Market and pioneer of responsible tourism over 16 years
  
• Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, a.i UNWTO

Guest of Honour:

• Andrew Mitchell, world authority on rainforests, Founder and Director of Global Canopy, advisor to the Prince of Wales Rainforest Project.

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Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - 11.00 - 12.00

Presentation of the Virgin Holidays Responsible Travel Awards 2009, the largest awards of their kind in the world. An initiative between online travel directory responsibletravel.com and Virgin Holidays.

View press release and list of winners

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WRTD Hot Seat - 12.00 - 12.30

Stephen Sackur puts Peter Long, Chief Executive of TUI Travel, Europe’s largest tour operator in the ‘Hot Seat’.

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Break

Tourism’s Responsibility for Climate Change - 14.00 - 15.00

Focus on what the tourism industry can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, examining how to significantly reduce carbon pollutions.

Chairman:

• Stephen Sackur, Presenter, BBC

Panellists:

• Jonathon Counsell, Head of Environment, British Airways
  
• Sue Hurdle, Chief Executive, Travel Foundation
  
• Toby Kent, Assistant Director, Sustainability and Climate Change, Price Waterhouse Coopers
  
• Josó Luque Garcia, Managing Director, Fuerte Hoteles
  
• Prof Harold Goodwin, Director, International Centre for Responsible Tourism

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Making Better Places for People to Live In - 15.30 - 16.30

How can tourism contribute to local economic development, poverty reduction, the maintenance of local communities and their environments?

Chairman:

• Stephen Sackur, Presenter, BBC

Panellists:

• George Hickton, Chief Executive, Tourism New Zealand
  
• Manda Brookman, Director, CoaST, Cornwall Sustainable Development
  
• Oskar Hinteregger, Director, Austrian Tourist Board
  
• Nombulelo Mkefa, Director of Tourism, City of Cape Town
  
• Dr. Venu V, Secretary, Kerala Tourism

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WTM World Responsible Tourism Day Networking Reception - Platinum Suite 3 - 16.30 - 18.00

An unrivalled chance to meet and share views on responsible tourism with experts and those who are new to responsible tourism or are considering responsible tourism activity within their business for the first time.

Tourism and Social Responsibility: Increasing your Profit by Doing Good
12.30 - 13.30 – North Gallery Rooms 4/5

This session by SNV Netherlands Development Organisation will study the lessons learned on work in the Mekong Region in Asia, as well as in Africa and Latin America, highlighting the social dimension of responsible tourism, the economic impacts through local supply chains development and local employment creation.

Chaired by Prof. Harold Goodwin, director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism, hotels, resorts and tour operators examine ways of using sustainable tourism as an integral part of marketing and promotion, overcoming the current economic downturn.

Speaker:

• Anne-Maria Makela - Senior Tourism Advisor, SNV
• Anna Spenceley - Senior Tourism Advisor, SNV - Rwanda
• Hamish Keith - Managing Director of Thailand/Director of Business Development, Exotissimo Travel
• Willem Niemeijer - CEO and co-founder, Khiri Travel Group
• H.E. Tith Chantha - Ministry of Tourism Cambodia

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How can hotels contribute to, and benefit from, biodiversity conservation?
14:00 - 15:00 North Gallery Rooms 4/5

Join ACCOR, Tropic Journeys in Nature, Royal Caribbean Cruises and TUI Travel in a discussion on the biodiversity related risks and opportunities for the accommodation sector. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will ask the question whether biodiversity is relevant for hotels, chaired by Giulia Carbone, programme officer, Business and Biodiversity Programme, IUCN

Speakers:

• Richard Short, Health, Safety and Environment Manager, ACCOR Hotels
• Andy Drumm, President, Tropic Journeys in Nature
• Jamie Sweeting, Vice President, Environmental Stewardship, Royal Caribbean Cruises
• James Whittingham, Group Environment Manager, TUI Travel PLC

Why Biodiversity?
From cotton towels and sheets in guest rooms, to food in the restaurant and wood used for furniture and fittings – the products of biodiversity are everywhere inside hotels. Outside, plants and animals make a hotel’s public spaces and gardens attractive for guests, while beyond the hotel gates, parks, green spaces, coasts and natural habitats provide guests with opportunities for recreation and enjoyment. 

Restaurant chefs, spa mangers, interior designers and shopkeepers have all a role to play.  Their seafood choices in the menus, selection of medicinal and aromatic plants for the spas, use of live animals and plants in hotel grounds, selection of wildlife-based souvenirs, offers of excursions, all contribute to the overall impact on biodiversity. 

Providing Solutions
Recognizing these important links, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in partnership with ACCOR, has developed guidelines on the sustainable use of biological resources in hotels’ operational areas. The target audience includes all hotel managers and owners of small and large hotels, located anywhere, from cities to mountains and coastal areas.

Join us in this session, and discuss with hoteliers, cruise lines and tour operators about their experiences. Some free copies of the publication will also be available.