Dear GSTC Board Members,
We are committed to the development of responsible and sustainable tourism. We believe that tourists want ...   more »

People in the developing world are largely excluded from the benefits of aviation and yet suffer disproportionately from the negative effects of climate change that it helps to cause. The Humanitarian Foundation (see below) estimates that 300,000 people are killed by the effects of climate change every year, and the US now classes global warming as a public health hazard. Many airline companies and passengers make an effort to be responsible, but governments and airline regulators have ducked their responsibility for cutting the pollution caused by flying. A carbon tax on aircraft fuel would raise money that could be disbursed globally by the UN to help poor countries deal with the effects of climate change. Working on the principle of making polluters pay for the damage they cause, it would create incentives for airlines to cut carbon pollution. It would also create a level playing field between different forms of transport. This blog makes the case for a carbon tax, and outlines the facts and actions that will help passengers, governments and regulators take a responsible approach to aviation and climate change.   more »

This year I have had the pleasure of attending two graduation ceremonies for ICRT Masters graduates, one “robed” at Leeds Met the other as a guest at Greenwich. The ICRT and the Masters course moved form Greenwich to Leeds Met and we still have a few students completing their dissertations at Greenwich. You can see the photos Amongst this year’s Master graduates Katelijne Lenaerts has secured a post as project manager of a European Community tourism project in Suriname, Lucy McCombes is joing the ICRT as a Research Fellow, Linda Veråsdal is developing her responsible tourism business in Norway www.ansvarligturisme.org , Anna Waddilove is writing up her research as an occasional paper, Rebecca Leah Pelkonen is working in the industry in Canada but still finding time to be involved in organising the Together for Peace Leeds Summat www.t4p.org.uk/jointhesummat   more »

Our volunteers travel as paying guests who roll up their sleeves and muck in - paying guests because they pay their way. Too often when working abroad I have come across “volunteers” who make demands on community resources to enable then to do their volunteering. Our volunteers pay for their board and lodging, local transport, liaison with the project and full time support, and each of them makes a donation to the project they work on.   more »

The most responsible one-stop-shop for giving back to the destinations we have visited.   more »

Viral marketing works both ways! United Airlines has lost 10% of its share value $180m...... but is there more to it?    more »

The significance of the low carbon economy, the age of oil was never going to last for ever, the readjustment in the world’s economies will be painful - tourism cannot be isolated from those changes. But change brings new opportunities. Domestic tourism will grow; the slow movement and local distinctiveness create opportunities for new forms of tourism and new business opportunities – consider this year’s ground breaking VisitEngland Enjoy Every Minute promotion targeted locals and international and domestic tourists.   more »

It is a particular pleasure for me to welcome a former MSc in Responsible Tourism Management student to the ICRT as a colleague.   more »

If the 400+ hotels currently being encouraged by TUI to be certified through the Travelife Sustainability System are all successful then more than 50% of TUI holidaymakers travelling form the UK would be staying in more sustainable hotels – that is a measurable deliverable.   more »

It is time for a serious debate about the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria - is there evidence that certification is delivering sustainability?   more »

“Commercial aviation is the first global industry to commit to a carbon-neutral growth target by 2020”. Magic but who carries responsibility if the targets are missed?   more »

Today saw the release of a pastoral message for World Tourism Day published by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. World Tourism Day falls this year on 27 September and the theme of the English-language message is: "Tourism - celebrating diversity".   more »

Pause for a moment before you rejoice about a potential deal in Copenhagen and consider two very different approaches to cap and trade: 1) Cap and Trade a Daily Mail exposure of toxic carbon offsets. 2) Sandbag takes permits out of the system and scraps them - they are taken out of circulation and can not be traded   more »