Good news in tourism August 23 – 29, 2020
Because tourism is a “wonder of the world”.
Published every Sunday, “Good news in tourism” is the perfect pick-me-up for the start of a new week in travel & tourism … everyone’s business.
This week’s travel & tourism news menu:
(Click / touch an item to go straight to it.)
- COVID ops
- Tourism policy & governance
- Net-zero travel
- Cultural heritage
- Ecotourism & wildlife
- Friends indeed
- Odds & ends
It’s “Good Tourism”. And go!
COVID ops
Costa Rica will reopen its borders on September 1 to residents of the US states of New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Connecticut. Costa Rican officials deem these places to have acceptable levels of COVID-19. All travellers to the Central American nation must present a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours of arrival as well as proof of medical insurance and a “health pass form”.
A luxury resort has converted its 150-metre swimming pool into a fish farm to help it survive no-tourism. Some 16,000 pearl spot fish when harvested in November could be worth about USD 40,000 to Aveda Resort in Kerala, India. That won’t cover losses but it will help pay basic bills until guests return, according to GM Jyotish Surendran.
Also in Kerala, the Association of Tourism and Trade Organisation of India (ATTOI) and the Kerala state tourism department have launched ‘Keralam Kanaam’, which offers luxury staycations at affordable rates for local Keralans keen to get out and about. While the state is preparing “a major big blast marketing campaign” for post-COVID tourism recovery, the focus for now is on local tourism.
The importance of good partnerships
Many commentators would like to see previously overcrowded destinations recover from the COVID-19 depression with a focus on quality rather than quantity. That would be nice, of course, particularly if host communities want that. However, some or many extant tourism stakeholders will likely go out of business should that happen. Don’t let one of those be you. Seek out good partnerships with those who make you their priority. “GT” is a good partner. Please verify that claim with a Good Partner. And then ask your correspondent about partnership opportunities. There’s something for everyone.
Tourism policy & governance
“Tourism is itself one of the wonders of the world,” United Nations’ big boss António Guterres said as he extolled the virtues of our industry. (But …)
The new Boten.com is live. According to “GT” Destination Partner WeAreLao.com, Boten is a “Specific Economic Zone (SEZ)” on the border between Laos and China that is “being transformed into a tourism and commercial center”. Boten will be a stop on the high-speed railway linking Kunming, China with Vientiane, Laos, which is expected to open late 2021. Meanwhile, Chinese developers are pouring USD 1.5 billion into “Beautiful Boten”.
The Nayong Pilipino Foundation’s Research Institute is helping the Philippines Department of Tourism boost domestic tourism through research. Topics of particular interest to the Foundation include natural and cultural heritage, cultural and creative industries, sustainable cultural heritage tourism, ecotourism, and tourism governance.
Sri Lanka has unveiled a two-year strategy to “streamline” the tourism industry in line with the National Policy Framework. It proposes the amalgamation of three tourism bodies; identifies 10 priority areas, six transformational themes, four pain points, and 17 key tourism activities; and appoints a task force to deal with “key issues”.
The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation will soon roll out a new brand to promote “multi-faceted tourism” in Pakistan. The “National Tourism Strategy (2020 – 2030)” is reportedly in its final stages.
Sustainable tourism & responsible travel is everyone’s business
Freedom of movement is a basic human right. And the travel & tourism industry is everyone’s business. “Everyone” includes not only those who earn a living from the travel & tourism industry, but also people who travel, and people who live in places travelled to and through. EVERYONE. Please share “Good news in tourism” with your friends and colleagues. And dive deeper into “Good Tourism” Insights for ideas on how to make sustainable tourism and responsible travel better … for you, for your people, and for your place. For they are your people. And it is your place.
Net-zero travel
To move ourselves and our stuff around without releasing greenhouse gases, software billionaire Bill Gates reckons we can “use clean electricity to run all the vehicles we can, and get cheap alternative fuels for everything else” i.e. passenger planes, cargo ships, road trains … He noted that biofuels and electrofuels both “need a lot more innovation before they become a realistic, cost-effective option”.
To that point, the good news is that we have at hand technologies for a more climate-friendly future for travel and transport. As “Good news in tourism” has covered for months in segments like this one, there are lots of real and rational things happening to decarbonise travel, including the strong advocacy and supportive programs of “GT” Partner SUNx — Strong Universal Network.
Your correspondent’s view is that even in the current circumstances there is every reason to maintain and promote market-based incentives and opportunities to continue innovating toward net-zero travel.
In other news, the VA-1X is set to be the “world’s first certified winged all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft”. Expected to start commercial flights in 2024, the aircraft by Vertical Aerospace of Bristol, England is capable of carrying four people plus the pilot up to 100 miles (160 km) at speeds of 150 mph (241 kph).
A team of Swiss electric aviation enthusiasts will fly a battery-powered Pipistrel Velis Electro aircraft 850km from Schänis, Switzerland to Nordeney Island off the north coast of Germany on Sunday. They hope to set seven new world records, including highest altitude and longest distance flown by an electric plane and lowest energy consumption per kilometre per person.
The USA’s Department of Energy announced USD 33 million in funding for 17 Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E) projects that are working towards increasing the efficiency and decreasing the associated carbon emissions in commercial aircraft propulsion systems.
India’s railway authority plans to install 20 gigawatts of solar power generating capacity on its vacant land in an effort to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030. Railways minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting with solar sector stakeholders to discuss the challenges of large-scale deployment of solar projects.
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Cultural heritage
Egypt is planning to resume cultural tourism activities on September 1 when all museums and archaeological sites will reopen and Egyptians and foreigners will be allowed to travel between cities and attractions. Among the pandemic control protocols will be caps on venue capacity and tour group sizes. Meanwhile UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili expects China to revive tourism in Egypt.
The ceiling of the Western Australia Visitor Centre in Perth boasts a new “Welcome to Country” mural. Noongar artist Rickesha Burdett said the artwork represents land, community, and Kambarang; the wildflower season for which WA is renowned. Chris Flynn of “GT” Insight Partner World Tourism Association for Culture & Heritage described the WA Indigenous Tourism Operators Council initiative as “important and poignant”.
In the USA, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Explore Georgia division, will give a grant to Catoosa County for its 6th Cavalry Museum in Fort Oglethorpe. The 6th Cavalry Museum will use its USD 8,000 to fund a mural to highlight the service of African Americans at Fort Oglethorpe.
The Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area in Pennsylvania, USA, reckons it generates more than USD 92 million of “economic benefit” and 922 jobs each year from tourism and related activities. Rivers of Steel boss August Carlino said it proves that the National Park Service’s National Heritage Area and Pennsylvania’s State Heritage Area programs were “true economic drivers” worthy of public- and private-sector investment.
There’s a town called Palestine in Texas, USA. A local not-for-profit is putting together a nomination to list Palestine’s main street on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. It is hoped listing will bring national recognition, tax incentives, and a slice of Texas’ USD 2 billion heritage tourism industry.
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Ecotourism & wildlife
Tourism in Antarctica is “very safe and environmentally friendly”, according to Peter Carey. “My concern is that with the sheer numbers of visitors under the current system, we may not be able to maintain that.” The Global Fellow at the Polar Institute reckons the pause in international travel due to COVID-19 is an opportunity to recalibrate.
Kazakhstan has a plan to develop ecotourism in 13 national parks. This could attract up to KZT 70 billion (USD 166.6 million) in private investment and create 4,000 jobs, according to Magzum Mirzagaliyev, minister of ecology, geology and natural resources. The deputy minister Yerlan Nysanbayev presented a KZT 3.7 billion (USD 8.83 million) development plan for the Charyn National Park in the Almaty Region.
By the end of this year, China plans to “complete” 10 new national parks in a system that is meant to “unite locally managed protected areas”.
Kenya is positioning itself as the place to be for the “twin migrations” that both peak between July and September. The “twin migration” refers to the wildebeest migration on the savannah and the whale migration off the coast.
According to India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary in Pune District, Maharashtra state is an “eco-sensitive zone”. The new designation means that no new construction or industrial activity is allowed. However, villagers are worried that they may lose their traditional access to forest resources.
Also in Maharashtra, the state government has given 10 hectares of land to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre (MLRC) to increase its capacity. In addition to housing more rescued leopards in better conditions, MLRC is planning tourism activities on the property.
Zimbabwe’s cabinet has approved the “Conceptual Development Framework for the Victoria Falls-Binga Special Economic Zone” and “related nodes”. Ecotourism is integral to it all, reports The Herald.
Friends indeed
“Friends indeed” are worthy travel & tourism industry fundraisers and charitable causes. Please help if you can. And share the page with your social networks and link to it from your website or email signature.
Here’s a video brought to your correspondent’s attention by Hollis Burbank-Hammarlund, founder & director of “GT” Insight Partner Work for Wild Life International, who would ask that you contribute to the Elephant Healthcare Emergency Lifeline Fund.
Earlier this week in Thailand, a bull elephant named Playa Tae became very sick and needed urgent help. A team of Thai veterinarians and other experts travelled deep into the forest and worked through the night to save his life, Ms Burbank-Hammarlund said.
UPDATE August 31, 2020: Unfortunately, Playa Tae passed away overnight during a thunderstorm that cut power to the facility where he was held for treatment. RIP big fella.
Odds & ends
Bits ‘n pieces that don’t easily fit into this week’s arbitrary clusters:
India’s Ministry of Tourism, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), and the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) have agreed to work together on developing skills, promoting more flexible work arrangements, and encouraging entrepreneurship among women in the tourism and hospitality sector.
Mexico’s Tourism Development Secretariat (Sefotur) has launched its “Viva por México” campaign in Mérida, capital of Yucatán state. It’s the third place in Mexico to benefit from Sefotur’s initiative to reactivate “responsible tourism” across multiple destinations.
Vietnam has a new “Green Travel” website targeting foreign tourists. It was jointly developed by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Tourism Advisory Board, and the Swiss Sustainable Tourism Programme.
Stay healthy, smile, have a good week … And when you can travel again, remember:
It’s not ‘no’. It’s ‘know’.
Featured image (top of post): Indian leopard. By vaidyarupal (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr. GT” cropped, brightened, and saturated it.
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Disclaimer 2: None of the stories linked from this week’s post have been fact-checked by “GT”. All terminology used here is as the linked sources used it according to the knowledge and assumptions they have about it. Please comment below if you know there has been buzzword-washing or blatant nonsense relayed here, but be nice about it as the linked sources might get offended. (“GT” won’t.) And as for “GT” bringing it to your attention so that you might be the one to set the record straight, you are welcome! 🙂
