Good news in tourism February 8 – 14, 2021
Because be all that you can be …
Published most Sundays, “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:
(Click / touch an item to go straight to it.)
- “Good Tourism” news & “GT” Insights
- Climate-friendly travel & tourism
- Travel & tourism is like a box of chocolates …
It’s “Good Tourism”. And go!
Keep up with “GT”
If you like “GT” and you don’t want to miss a thing, subscribe to “GT’s” free e‑news:
“Good Tourism” news & “GT” Insights
The first Sustainable Tourism Laos Showcase by “GT” Destination Partner WeAreLao asks: “How does IHG implement its strict Green Engage global guidelines in Laos?” The short answer is hard work and teamwork. Read all about it in “Engaged in green: Crowne Plaza Vientiane, Laos”.
From the front line of a fight to end Vietnam’s trade in cats for their meat, veterinarian Katherine Polak of FOUR PAWS International explains why the cat meat trade presents a danger to travel & tourism, and how industry stakeholders can pledge their support. “Vietnam’s ‘little tiger’ meat trade and why travel & tourism should help tackle it”.
Do you trust travel & tourism-related carbon offset schemes? Nico Nicholas and his partner Elkie didn’t, which is why they did some research and founded Trees4Travel. In his “Good Tourism” Insight published Thursday, Mr Nicholas shares who and what inspired them. “What do you do when carbon offsetting is off-putting? Plant trees for travel”.
Notice anything new? Yep, a new comments plug-in to encourage a little more engagement. Your correspondent spent a day fiddling with settings to get it looking and acting as it does now. It’s so much better than the default commenting system. Thank you wpDiscuz for offering such a feature-rich solution for free to little blogs like “GT”.
The time your correspondent spent playing with his new toy is why there’s a “box ‘o chocolates” news menu item this week. You never know what you’re gonna get.
Enjoy.
And comment.
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 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 enjoy: a 125 x 125 “Good Partner” button; input into “GT’s” curated list of worthy charitable causes “Friends indeed”; and the outstanding opportunity every week to contribute positive news items to these almost-famous “Good news in tourism” posts and/or the “GT” newsletter.
Friends indeed
“Friends indeed” are worthy travel & tourism industry fundraisers and charitable causes. Please help if you can. Share the page with your social networks. And link to it from your website or email signature.
Climate-friendly travel & tourism
EU: An initiative led by five European aviation associations has unveiled “Destination 2050 – A Route to Net Zero European Aviation”. The plan includes using sustainable aviation fuel alongside improvements in aircraft and engine technologies.
Finland: Airport operator, Finavia, and Napapiirin Energia ja Vesi (Neve) have agreed to keep people warm at Rovaniemi Airport with “carbon-neutral district heating”; using wood-based fuels and dried sewage sludge.
Netherlands: KLM claims to have operated the world’s first passenger flight to use sustainable synthetic aviation fuel. A Boeing 737 – 800 narrow-body plane carried 500 litres of a fuel synthesised by Royal Dutch Shell — “more than 5%” of the total fuel needed — on a flight from Amsterdam to Madrid, Spain. Meanwhile, Shell has a new ambition and strategy to reach net-zero carbon emissions within 30 years.
Slovenia: Pipistrel has received an order for 50 of its EASA-certified electric aircraft from Green Aerolease of France. The latter, which specialises in “aeroplanes as a service”, will lease the e‑planes to pilot schools.
Spain: Repsol claims it has produced 10,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel at its industrial complex in Tarragona.
UK: British Airways (BA) has invested in a source of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the US state of Georgia; part of a US$ 400 million investment in SAF over the next two decades by BA’s parent company IAG. LanzaJet will this year start building a facility to convert sustainable ethanol into SAF via its patented chemical process. BA expects the fuel to be available by the end of 2022. There are also early plans for a LanzaJet biorefinery in the UK.
UK: Alternative fuels developer Velocys says it will work with Toyo Engineering to produce sustainable aviation fuel in Japan. In November 2020, Velocys’ Neville Hargreaves wrote a “GT” Insight: “With sustainable aviation fuel, is a new era of green air travel possible by 2025?”
UK: Windship Technology has designed a zero-emission ship dubbed the ‘Tesla of the seas’. The diesel-electric vessel uses “triple-wing sailing rigs, large solar arrays, carbon capture technology and a system that is claimed to eliminate carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxide and particulate matter”.
UK: The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) has released a white paper on Defining sustainability criteria for zero and low carbon marine fuels i.e. fuels that are being considered as substitutes for “fossil-based marine fuels”. A public consultation period will conclude on March 31. SSI is a “multi-stakeholder collective” with an office in London.
USA: The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing carmakers, says it will work with the Biden administration on a national electrification program and “unified set of common requirements” that could see more sales of electric vehicles.
Support “GT”
If you find “GT” inspiring, interesting, somewhat amusing, or at least different then surely it’s worth a little something to you.
It means a huge something to “GT”. Thank you very much to those who have donated. 😍
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.
Travel & tourism is like a box of chocolates …
… You never know what you’re going to get …
Cambodia: The 24th Meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Ministers has committed to “sustainable, inclusive, and resilient tourism” in its Phnom Penh Declaration. Cambodia’s ASEAN Tourism chairmanship has been extended to next January so that the Kingdom may host the ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2022.
Gambia: Tourism minister Hamat NK Bah reckons his nation needs an updated tourism “policy framework and strategy for the sustainable development of the industry”.
India: The Union government is stimulating domestic tourism by challenging tourists to visit 15 destinations outside of their home state within one year. The reward? The Ministry of Tourism will reimburse travel expenses.
Namibia: Vice president Nangolo Mbumba wants African leaders to protect indigenous languages. Language is central to African culture and identity, he said, adding that art, culture, and heritage bring economic benefit, such as via cultural tourism.
Pakistan: New “interconnected” nature reserves, which are spread over some 18,000 acres (7,284 ha) in the Chakwal district of the Punjab, will help boost adventure and heritage tourism and generate jobs and business opportunities for locals. This is according to a climate change advisor to the prime minister.
Philippines: The Department of Tourism has elevated cultural tourism and ecotourism to new heights in the “new normal” for Laguna province as it prepares to launch the Green Corridor Initiative, a flagship domestic tourism program.
Uganda: The Ministry of Tourism will spend UGX 2.2 trillion (USD 600 million) on tourism infrastructure development across the country in the next five years. Lilly Ajarova of the Uganda Tourism Board says Uganda should position itself to tap source markets in Africa; the fastest growing tourism market after Asia and the Pacific. Meanwhile, Uganda tourism might best be promoted through the diverse culture and heritage of Ugandans, according to a new study.
USA: “It is important that we position ourselves to take advantage of our city’s unique assets as we look to rebuild and to include everyone,” Louisville, Kentucky mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement. That’s the goal of the Downtown Revitalization Team, which is coming up with ways to bring people and businesses back downtown.
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): In Jaipur, Rajastan, India. Image by David Gillbanks (CC BY 4.0).
Donations, diversity, disclaimers
To help your correspondent keep his energy-efficient lights on, please consider a private one-off gift or ongoing donation. THANK YOU to those who have! 😍
You are a tourism stakeholder — yes, YOU! — so what’s your view? Do you disagree with anything you have read on “GT”? Join the conversation. Comment below or share your “Good Tourism” Insights. Diversity of thought is welcome on The “Good Tourism” Blog. And you will be supporting an independent publisher with your original content.
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! 🙂
