Good news in travel & tourism August-September 2023
This ‘Good news in travel & tourism’ wraps up two months of “Good Tourism” & “GT” Travel news, insights, and experiences.
Share it as you would a Rwandan feast.
It’s “GT”. And go!
“Good Tourism” doesn’t judge. “GT” publishes.
Did you ever want to write a thoughtful piece about the state of the tourism industry; how we got here; how we can make it better (or avoid the worst)?
Has a lack of confidence in your writing held you back? Well, please don’t let it. Your correspondent is here to help you.
If you submit a draft that complies with the simple “GT” Insight guidelines, I will personally copy edit your work and ensure that you are happy with it before I click ‘Publish’.
It’s part of “GT’s” mission to offer a platform for truly diverse perspectives:
- From established opinion leaders in academia and industry, to young people with the gumption to express themselves;
- From elite global organisations, to the most modest of micro businesses (like “GT”);
- From the world’s ‘WEIRD’ (western, educated, industrialised, rich, and democratic) nations to the ‘LDCs’ (least developed countries) in the “Global South”;
- (From those who adore acronyms and categories, to those who despise them ;-))
- From the centre and from the margins.
Just as “Good Tourism” never defines ‘good tourism’, “GT” will never judge anyone who would, in good faith, share their insights, ideas, expertise, experience, and wisdom.
No, “GT” doesn’t judge. “GT” publishes.
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“GT” Insights: Informed perspectives on the industry
The “Good Tourism” Blog publishes informed opinions on the issues facing the travel & tourism industry, everyone’s business. “GT” Insights are diverse perspectives written by, for, and about our sector. Here are the most recent:
Who can be a successful leader of an effective tourism association in 2023?
Leadership has never been more challenging, according to K Michael Haywood. Who can respond to multiple (real and imagined) crises, balance competing stakeholder demands within a coherent vision, and maintain one’s own mental health while attending to the feelings of others?
“Who can be a successful leader of a highly effective tourism association in 2023?”
Indigenous tourism’s interest-action disparity reflects ‘say-do gap’
Indigenous tourism has enormous potential as travellers’ expectations evolve, according to Alastair Naughton. Perhaps the biggest challenge now is turning interest in indigenous tourism experiences into investment and bookings.
“Indigenous tourism’s interest-action disparity”
Purposeful travel by design: Can tourism lead the way to a sustainable future?
Aayusha Prasain lays out her vision for purposeful travel and why the tourism industry should lead by example. It’s a “Good Tourism” Insight.
“Purposeful travel by design: Can tourism lead the way to a sustainable future?”
Heart, energy, force for good: Tourism and sustainable development in Rwanda
Emma Raissa Isheja is not only passionate about her Nyakinama village community but is also keen to harness the heart and energy of its women and young people to advance sustainable development in Rwanda. The volunteer, tour guide, and electrical engineering graduate is a believer in tourism’s potential to be a force for good.
“Heart, energy, force for good: Tourism and sustainable development in Rwanda”
Can tackling tourism income leakage unlock a more sustainable future?
‘Profit’, the much-maligned ‘P’ of sustainability, is a strong incentive for people to save and invest for the future; seek out and conserve what is of value; and reinvest. Hotelier and entrepreneur Thomas Müller argues that taking a close look at tourism income leakage may prove … well, profitable … wherever our industry is most problematic.
“Can tackling tourism income leakage unlock a more sustainable future?”
Is gorilla-friendly conservation compatible with local communities and tourism?
It can be difficult to find a balance between species conservation and the needs and aspirations of our own species. In this “Good Tourism” Insight, Sheillah Munsabe describes a gorilla-friendly model for conservation, responsible tourism, and improved community livelihoods.
“Is gorilla-friendly conservation compatible with local communities and tourism?”
Was this the European summer of terrible tourists? Give us a break, media!
“Hordes” and “swarms” of tourists “forced through a well-oiled funnel” to “crawl” through our cherished spaces, relegating them to “backdrops” for selfies. Is this the scapegoating propaganda of a paranoid authoritarian state? No, it’s just media portrayals of terrible tourists. It’s a “GT” Insight by Jim Butcher.
“Was this the European summer of terrible tourists? Give us a break, media!”
From creative child to professional artist: How travel & tourism changed my life
Travel in his native Rwanda is a source of artistic inspiration. Encounters with tourists and teaching children are fuel for motivation. It’s a “Good Tourism” Insight by passionate painter Credo Boris Harera.
“From creative child to professional artist: How travel & tourism changed my life”
“GT” Insight Bites: Diverse perspectives on important topics
A “GT” Insight Bites post is either a collection of short opinion pieces that travel & tourism stakeholders are welcome to submit at any time, or a compilation of short responses to an identical set of propositions and/or questions. Here are the most recent “GT” Insight Bites:
Hey, travel & tourism, are you ‘neocolonialist’?
Do your travel & tourism operations or academic pursuits contribute to a “continuation or reimposition of imperialist rule”? Are they part of your nation’s efforts to influence a less developed land and exploit its resources? As a travel & tourism stakeholder, are you, as some would say, a neocolonialist? Discuss.
“Hey, travel & tourism, are you ‘neocolonialist’?”
On tourism technology, progress, and local benefit-sharing
Write no more than 300 words on a travel & tourism topic that is important to you. This is an open invitation to travel & tourism stakeholders to contribute a “GT” Insight Bite. Simply contact “GT”.
“On tourism technology, progress, and local benefit-sharing”
“GT” Travel Experiences: Informed inspiration for travellers
The “Good Tourism” Blog’s young sibling The “GT” Travel Blog publishes informed inspiration and top tips for travellers from tourism insiders. Here are the most recent:
Postcards from Rwanda
At the invitation of Red Rocks Rwanda and Red Rocks Initiative for Sustainable Development (“GT” Partners) and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), your correspondent travelled to Rwanda; mainly to invite fresh perspectives on tourism for The “Good Tourism” Blog — for “GT” Insights like Emma Raissa’s, Sheillah Munsabe’s, and Credo Boris’s above — and to write the occasional ‘postcard’ for “GT” Travel.
Here are three (others may have been delayed in the mail 😉 ):
Postcard from Rwanda: First impressions
Postcard from Rwanda: A banana beer moment
Postcard from Rwanda: Ubumuntu
Share a “GT” Travel Experience or “GT” Travel Postcard
Are you a ‘tourism insider’ keen to share some of the experiences that got you interested and keep you interested in the travel & tourism industry?
Have you ever wanted to write a travel blog about a formative, memorable, or recent inspiring travel experience … and have it published?
You are invited to share your travel passion with discerning travellers, and join a list of other distinguished “GT” Friends who have done just that.
It could be a “GT” Travel Experience (500 – 1,000 words) or a “GT” Travel Postcard (your favourite photo from a trip accompanied by an extended caption of up to 300 words).
It doesn’t matter if you think you can’t write. I will personally copy-edit your draft and ensure that you are happy with it before I hit the ‘publish’ button.
It’s all part of the “GT” Travel Experience.
Join the “GT” network. Contact “GT” »
Good news from friends
Good news in travel & tourism from the wonderful organisations that make “GT” possible. Here is some of what happened recently in the “Good Tourism” network:
TPCC engages travel & tourism research community in open discussion on climate change, in preparation for first ‘Stocktake’
The independent, science-based Tourism Panel on Climate Change (TPCC) had its first public open discussion with more than 350 travel & tourism academic researchers on July 6, the second day of the Surrey 2023 Conference, “Back For Good”.
Learn Rwandan cuisine at Red Rocks Cultural Campsite
If you’re a travel agent looking for a unique destination to recommend to your clients, or a tour operator searching for a new partner in Africa, consider Red Rocks Cultural Campsite in Musanze, Rwanda.
“Learn Rwandan cuisine at Red Rocks Cultural Campsite”
50 full scholarships for Climate Friendly Travel Diploma
Are you a graduate in travel & tourism who is fluent in English? Are you from one of the 39 SIDS (Small Island Developing States)? SUNx Malta is offering 50 full scholarships for the 2023 intake of its two-year online Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) Diploma. [This news was originally published August 18: The deadline will have passed by now.]
“50 full scholarships for Climate Friendly Travel Diploma”
Rwanda names baby mountain gorillas, celebrates conservation & ecotourism
The world has met in Kinigi, Musanze at the foothills of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park to name 23 baby mountain gorillas in a global celebration of conservation and community-led efforts to protect their habitat.
“Rwanda names baby mountain gorillas, celebrates conservation & ecotourism”
Emotions, storytelling, AI, & tech dominate culture & heritage tourism summit
Emotional connection, empathy, and narrative storytelling in an AI age of declining attention spans dominated debate at the inaugural Global Leaders Summit of the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage (WTACH).
“Emotions, storytelling, AI, & tech dominate culture & heritage tourism summit”
SUNx Malta launches 50 Climate Friendly Travel Chapters in world’s LDCs
Malta’s Minister for Tourism Hon. Clayton Bartolo MP (pictured), Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) CEO Carlo Micallef, and Malta Tourism Observatory MD Leslie Vella have launched 50 SUNx Chapters in the world’s least developed countries (LDCs).
“SUNx Malta launches 50 Climate Friendly Travel Chapters in world’s LDCs”
EXO Foundation’s first Sustainability Awards support tourism projects in Asia
The EXO Foundation, a non-profit organisation supporting sustainable tourism initiatives, held its first Sustainability Awards ceremony yesterday (September 28) on Zoom. Prizes totalling US$40,000 in value were awarded to winners and runners-up.
“EXO Foundation’s first Sustainability Awards support tourism projects in Asia”
Partner news tidbits
News tidbits from “GT” Partners that appeared in recent editions of the “GT” newsletter.
CABI’s calls for content
“GT” Partner CABI’s Tourism Cases is seeking submissions that “highlight both the universal and particular character of tourism development in Central and Eastern Europe”. The deadline is October 25, 2023. More information for authors. (Visit Tourism Cases to browse the latest case studies and sign up for free alerts.)
CABI is also seeking case studies on “Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) – Tourism in the past, current, and future”. The aim of this special edition of Tourism Cases is to allow researchers and practitioners to explore unique issues pertaining to tourism in SIDS. Expressions of interest by October 15. More information for authors.
The “GT” Partner also seeks chapters for Interspecies relations in tourism, leisure and sport: perspectives from the Global South. The deadline for that is September 30, 2023. More information for authors.
The importance of good partnerships
To help you navigate dire straits, take the temperature in an uncertain climate, and keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it’s wise to seek out partners who make you their priority.
“GT” is a good partner. Verify that with a “GT” Partner and then look at partnership opportunities. There’s a package for everyone — big or small; public or private; commercial or not-for-profit — because travel & tourism is everyone’s business.
All “GT” Partners enjoy outstanding value, including the opportunity to contribute news to the “GT” newsletter and these wraps.
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Friends indeed
“Friends indeed” are worthy travel & tourism industry fundraisers and charitable causes that are associated with or suggested by “GT” Partners and friends. Please help them if you can. Share the page with your networks. And link to it from your website.
Stay healthy, smile, have a good time … And when you travel, remember:
It’s not ‘no’. It’s ‘know’.
Gotta go? Then go!
If you’ve time, go slow
If you don’t, try low
Do what you know is good
And know there is more to know
Featured image (top of post)
Share ‘Good news in travel & tourism August-September 2023’ as you would a Rwandan feast prepared by local chefs and their trainees as part of a cooking competition organised by CC-JOBS and hosted at Red Rocks Cultural Campsite. In this photo by David Gillbanks, a contestant describes the delicious dishes contained within the traditional clay cooking pots she stands behind.
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