Work in Progress & Outcome of Previous Conferences RTD5 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Tweet Please #RTD51 Tweet #RTD5

1 st International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations Cape Town 2002 Side event to the WSSD in Johannesburg Tweet Please #RTD52

Responsible Travel takes a variety of forms, it is characterised by travel and tourism which 1.minimises negative environmental, social and cultural impacts; 2.generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the wellbeing of host communities, by improving working conditions and access to the industry; 3.involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances. Cape Town Declaration

Tweet Please #RTD5 4.makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage and to the maintenance of the world’s diversity; 5.provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural and environmental issues; 6.provides access for physically challenged people; and 7.is culturally sensitive and engenders respect between tourists and hosts. 4

The Cape Town Declaration defined Responsible Tourism It described the scope of the aspiration Recognised the importance of the guest Asserted the primacy of the host Tweet Please #RTD55 “… better places for people to live in better places for people to visit” 1 2

Diversity The important issues vary from destination to destination different markets care about different issues – there are different cultures of consumption and concern Tourism takes place locally, it polluting effects are local, it benefits are local. It needs to be managed locally. Tweet Please #RTD56

1.minimises negative economic, environmental and social impacts 2.generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the wellbeing of host communities; improves working conditions and access to the industry 3.involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances 4.makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage embracing diversity 5.provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues 6.provides access for physically challenged people 7.is culturally sensitive, encourages respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence Tweet Please #RTD57

8 Responsible Tourism is about how the business is done – about good business

Tweet Please #RTD59 Best Responsible Tourism Destination in

Tweet Please #RTD510 Partnership In 2009, five organisations got together to make a formal commitment to one another, drafting a Charter on Responsible Tourism that would guide them through this next stage of the journey together. These partners represent a broad range of tourism stakeholders: The City of Cape Town Cape Town Tourism F EDHASA Cape - Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa, Cape Region SATSA - Southern Africa Tourism Services Association SAACI - Southern African Association for the Conference Industry

Addressing Local Priorities 1. "whole of government approach" linked with an effective strategy for engaging the whole industry. 2. clear objectives - policy, implementation, monitoring and transparent reporting and a timetable 3. Focus - not 52 criteria but a clear focus on what matters most in Cape Town if tourism is to be used to make Cape Town a better place to live in and a better place to visit. Water Energy Solid Waste Procurement Enterprise Development Skills Development Tweet Please #RTD511

ASSOCIATED INDICATORS Water use: Kilolitre per bednight/staff member Energy use: Kilowatt hour per bednight/staff member Waste generation: Bottles used per bednight/pax/staff member Waste recycling: Proportion of bottles recycled Spend on enterprises within defined area as a % of total procurement Spend on BEE complaint enterprises as % of total procurement Sum of % spend of post-tax profits on enterprise development and % employee time contributed over total management time Enhanced revenue and/or cost savings and/or twinning initiatives facilitated for black SMME‟s % of payroll spend on skills development % CSI spend of post-tax profits on education, community and Industry Specific programmes, job creation, training, health, conservation, and community and marketing activities to develop local black tourist market (or % management time over total employee time) Tweet Please #RTD512

FEDHASA, South Africa FEDHASA manages the Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards which have become a yardstick for responsible tourism practice in South Africa. This year they will be celebrating their 10th Anniversary and WTM WRTD on Wednesday 9 November The organization will be highlighting the day on their website, in their press releases and interviews, as well as during the main speech at the event. Tweet Please #RTD513

Kerala Declaration Kerala 2008 RTD2 Focused on who could do what and who takes responsibility who could take responsibility Poverty Reduction and Local Economic Development – spreading benefits beyond trickledown – supply chain opportunities and sales to tourists Tweet Please #RTD514

Four Responsible Tourism Laboratories – KUMARAKOM, – WAYANAD, – KOVALAM and – THEKKADY Interventions managed with local panchayats Lots of different experiences, success and failure Measuring and reporting impacts Tweet Please #RTD515

Embedded The new Minister of Tourism, A P Anil Kumar, inaugurating the International Symposium on Tourism and Livelihoods, said that “Responsible Tourism has great relevance for the State and we have to go forward with greater purpose.” He acknowledged that there “might have been failures but we have a successful model in Kumarakom”. The Minister said that Responsible Tourism should be insulated from the change of government and went on to say “The RT Model we set up should not be a victim of political vagaries. RT should be made instability-proof. Only then can it be sustainable. I would also like more people to be brought into the experiment.” Tweet Please #RTD516

The Road to Responsible Tourism In Belize RTD III Two years on. Tweet Please #RTD517

Panels for R T D III 1.Tourism & Local Economic Development 2.Responsible Cruise Tourism 3.Second Home Tourism 4.Tourisms’ Impacts in Marine and Coastal Areas 5.Tourism’s Impacts on Climate Change Tweet Please #RTD518

Current Achievements Belize’s Declarations on Responsible Tourism Belize’s Responsible Tourism Policy (November 2011) New Sustainable Tourism Office at the Belize Tourism Board National Quality & Sustainability Programme. Green incentives legislation for tourism sector. Recent proposal for a new cruise port in a rural village, Belize withdrawn “based on stakeholder consultation.” Cultural Heritage Preservation Project. Green Belize National Recycling Project ( September 2011 ) Tweet Please #RTD519

Why RTD III was Important to Belize? 20 years of ‘Eco” tourism wasn’t working. (same old, same old) RT was never before part of the national agenda Gave local people a voice Brought Tourism Professionals to Belize. Changed the way we view tourism growth for Belize. Tweet Please #RTD520

Omran Built from the spirit of being an Omani company and the knowledge this gives us. We understand the people, Government, heritage and environment like no other, knowing how to treat and get the most out of everything and everyone we work with. Respect Built from the respectful spirit that is inherent in the Omani people. We respect not just our own people but also the communities in which we work. Whilst we support Oman’s goal to have tourism as a key economic driver, we also endeavour to preserve traditional Omani skills, crafts and lifestyles. We respect our nation’s environment and wildlife, never destroying but always building in harmony. Tweet Please #RTD521

Tweet Please #RTD522 Dr. Rajha bint Abdul Ameer bin Ali, Tourism Minister Ministry statement recognised that the scale of the challenges is increasing and called on all stakeholders to consider their share of responsibility to contribute to sustainable development. Put livelihoods, local economic development and human resources at the centre of any sustainable tourism strategy and asserted the importance of respect for local communities, urging that marketing be used to attract tourists who value and respect local communities and the natural and cultural heritage of destinations. the importance of legislation, enforcement and compliance monitoring to protect natural and cultural heritage, and r reducing the consumption of natural resources such as water and fossil fuels. value and priority of operational research and monitoring for targeted actions at all levels. The Conference encouraged other national programs around the world to adopt a responsible approach to sustainable development through tourism and the Undersecretary announced that to demonstrate its leadership in taking responsibility, Oman’s Ministry of Tourism will finalise its Sustainable Tourism Policy in collaboration with other government authorities and stakeholders. The policy will be embodied in the 8th Five Year Plan to be implemented

Edmonton, Alberta RTD5 We wait to see the outcome of this conference…….. There is much developing ……… We await with interest the report we shall hear from Alberta at RTD6 next year Taking responsibility for making tourism more sustainable Tweet Please #RTD523