Good news in tourism Sep 27 to Oct 3, 2020
Because “never lose infinite hope” …
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 good travel & tourism news menu:
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“GT” news
Congratulations are in order. “GT” Partner Anurak Community Lodge has won a 2020 Pacific Asia Travel Association Grand Award for sustainability. Grand Awards represent the “best of the best” of the PATA Gold Awards. The judges scored the property highly on its efforts to create a low-carbon, sustainable future for itself, its surroundings, and the community. Anurak is located near Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic and tourism crisis, hopes rest on contingency “plan B” to sustain the retired logging elephants of Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp in Myanmar and the community of people who love them. Hollis Burbank-Hammarlund of “GT” Insight Partner Work for Wild Life International knows them well and wrote about them in: “Tourism in crisis: A Myanmar elephant camp & community pivot to plan B”.
Friends indeed
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COVID ops
Airports in the Dominican Republic are seeing more traffic from charter flights as the Caribbean nation’s “Responsible Tourism Recovery Plan” takes effect with “strict sanitary protocols” in place.
The Jamaica Social Investment Fund has broadened the scope of its Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Phase II to assist community-based tourism operators deal with COVID-19. David Dobson at Jamaica’s Tourism Ministry said REDI would now help grassroot entities “weather the ravaging impact of the pandemic” and position them to succeed post-COVID. REDI is designed to strengthen value chains and develop clusters in the agriculture and tourism sectors.
Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi reckons tourism firms that have complied with COVID-19 safety guidelines should be officially recognised.
The Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) has high hopes for agritourism as pandemic lockdown shifts to level one. This is particularly the case in “the Western Cape, Limpopo and other provinces that have various rural offerings”.
In India, tourism stakeholders in Odisha state are pinning their hopes on locals and domestic travellers. “The first thought on travellers’ minds will be proximity and low-cost safe travel,” said one. “The first and foremost challenge is to build a genuine trust among tourists about COVID-related safety,” said another. Odisha’s Forest & Environment Department reopened popular nature camps on October 1. Training community members on anti-COVID-19 protocols was part of the preparation.
Tourism authorities and port officials in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada are keen to welcome cruise ships again after opening a second ship berth and a helipad; the latter for scenic flights and excursions targeting the “traditional big-spender market”.
Tourism authorities in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, have launched “Eat. Love. Local.”, a marketing campaign to support the city’s restaurants. “We’re going to blitz the market around a 600-mile [966-km] radius of our community where people can easily drive here and spend the weekend here,” Memphis Tourism boss Kevin Kane said. “They can do it in a safe manner and they can enjoy Memphis.”
The importance of good partnerships
Many commentators would like to see destinations recover from the COVID-19 depression focused 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. 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 with a “GT” Partner and then ask about partnership opportunities. There’s a “GT” partnership opportunity for everyone — big or small; public or private; commercial or not-for-profit — because travel & tourism is everyone’s business. All “GT” Partners not only get a “Good Partner” banner and listing but also the outstanding opportunity every week to contribute positive news & comments to these almost-famous weekly “Good news in tourism” posts.
Community-based tourism &/or rural tourism
In Montana, USA, the Whitefish Council has adopted the “Whitefish Sustainable Tourism Management Plan”, which was put together by the City of Whitefish in partnership with the Whitefish Convention & Visitors Bureau. Three community-oriented pillars prop up its recommendations: community character, livability, and community engagement.
Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism will set up a Community Tourism Unit “to expand participation by community members”, according to tourism minister Edmund Bartlett. Consultant Diana McIntyre Pike reckons the new government unit would do well to identify and support the many good NGO-linked projects “rather than reinvent wheels”.
Bangladesh’s tourism stakeholders have identified the great untapped potential of community-based tourism in rural villages; also maritime tourism as work continues on creating a 1,743-sq km Marine Protected Area adjacent to St Martin Island.
In the wake of World Tourism Day, which had a rural tourism theme, Iran’s tourism authorities have announced an allocation of IRR 100 billion rials (USD 2.4 million) to improve tourism infrastructure in 16 rural villages in the northeast.
In India, a Tamil Nadu state farm, plantation, and nursery at Kallar near Mettupalayam is being “upgraded under the eco-tourism scheme” to attract more tourists than the 200 a month it welcomed before the pandemic. Five such horticultural places are slated to be developed as “eco-tourism” destinations.
Community-based ecotourism and the preservation of indigenous culture and fishing techniques are among measures to help save the endangered Niên fish (Onychostoma gerlachi) in the Cu De River, Da Nang, Vietnam.
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.
Ecotourism
The ecotourism potential of Liberia was a major focus during the west African nation’s World Tourism Day celebrations. Joining the celebration was a group of women who once sold bush meat at the market. “With the help of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation and the Forestry Development Authority […] supported by a project funded by the European Union, these women have agreed to abandon the bush meat trade.”
Ecotourism operators in Sweden are benefiting from the recovery or return of apex predators in the wild such as bears, wolves, and lynxes, which is great news, however other stakeholders have legitimate concerns.
Cambodia’s government wants to boost domestic tourism at four ecotourism destinations: Roleak Kang Cheurng (Phnom Khnong Phsar) in Kampong Speu province; Phat Sanday, Kampong Thom; Teuk Chop Khnarpor, Siem Reap; and Boeng Sne, Prey Veng.
Chief minister of India’s Uttar Pradesh state, Yogi Adityanath, has identified areas ripe for ecotourism, which “would further push the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign”. Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is prime minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a ‘self-reliant’ or ‘self-sufficient’ India.
The government of Mizoram state in India’s northeast is touting ecotourism and adventure sports. The Union’s northeast development minister Jitendra Singh expressed confidence that the region would get a big tourism boost post-COVID-19.
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Odds & ends
Bits ‘n pieces that don’t easily fit into this week’s arbitrary clusters:
Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Development Fund has signed an agreement with major lenders for up to SAR 160 billion (USD 43 billion) in project finance. Tourism is integral to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s strategy to reduce his kingdom’s dependence on oil.
India’s southwestern state of Karnataka aims to create a million new tourism jobs and attract tourism investments worth INR 50 billion (USD 680 million) by 2025.
The government of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is keen to keep its major tourist spots clean. Its “responsible tourism model” will focus on solid waste collection and management, plastic recycling, and waste minimisation campaigns.
An art trail will tell the story of “the youngest geothermal system in the world”. Located 20 minutes south of Rotorua, New Zealand, the Waimangu Volcanic Valley, a Maori-led joint venture, is seeking design submissions from local artists.
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): Coastal wildflower, Coalmine Beach, Nornalup Inlet, Walpole, Western Australia. Image by David Gillbanks (CC BY 4.0).
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Disclaimer 1: It is “GT’s” policy to fully disclose partner/sponsor content. If an item is not disclosed as partner or sponsor-related then it will have caught “GT’s” attention by some other more organic means. Partner with “GT”. You know you want to.
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 for “GT” bringing it to your attention for you to set the record straight, you’re welcome! 🙂
