Happy World Environment Day!

Er… but is it? I’d say, for the tourism industry at least, the world’s environment is not presently a happy place at all – wouldn’t you agree?

And if any industry stood to gain from a cleaner environment, surely it’d be tourism. The world’s getting faster and smaller every day and most people who become tourists live in the cities – which means that if there’s one thing that almost every holiday maker wants at one time or another, it’s to get away into the peace and quiet of nature.

So forget about beds or seats – nature is much of the tourism industry’s real inventory.

That’s why I have such huge respect for products like Plettenberg Bay’s Buffalo Hills Safaris and Lodges – and for the many hundreds (thousands?) of others like them who’ve put their money where our mouths are and really are doing whatever they can for conservation – and using tourism to finance their work.

It’s a win-win in so many ways (win-win, that is, as long as the products remember that the local population is also part of the environment and isn’t there as a cheap source of labour. But that’s a discussion for another day).

According to the United Nations Environment Programme this year’s World Environment Day – which is always celebrated on June 5 – is all about ‘Kick the Habit – Towards a Low Carbon Economy.’

“Recognising that climate change is becoming the defining issue of our era, UNEP is asking countries, companies and communities to focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them. The World Environment Day will highlight resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption.”

Well, yes. But, as I’ve said often before, if tourism’s going to survive, we have to work towards a sustainable transport economy. And so my question to you, today, is this:

Yes, some of us are doing as much as we can to preserve our environment: but what is the tourism industry, as an industry that relies almost entirely on transport, doing to protect itself, it’s transport as a resource – and its environment – into the future?

Enter The Annual Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards

The Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA) wants the tourism industry to show its commitment to the environment by entering the annual Imvelo Responsible Tourism Awards.

FEDHASA’s CEO, Brett Dungan, said that World Environment Day was the ideal opportunity for tourism businesses to showcase their sustained and measurable contributions to responsible tourism.

“We believe there many local examples of world-class responsible tourism practices,” he said.

Imvelo – it means ‘nature’ – is now in its seventh year and is open to any type of tourism or hospitality business. It’s organised by FEDHASA, Absa, the Tourism Empowerment Council of South Africa and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

The awards fall in line with the guidelines for responsible tourism for the South African hospitality industry and the UN World Tourism Organisation’s code of ethics, and are supported by the Heritage Environmental Rating Programme

More information here. Entries close on 15 August 2008.

And please visit This Tourism Week’s Media Room for a media release on this topic – you’re welcome to use it.

Two Events For Tourism Professionals

An Introduction to Online Marketing for Tourism Businesses

Cape Town 19 June 2008 (oops – sorry – fully booked!)
Cape Town 17 July 2008
Johannesburg 26 June 2008

A one day introduction to the essentials of online marketing for the Travel Industry – covering the major online marketing areas of Search Engine Optimisation, Pay Per Click and E-mail Marketing.

Presented by Paul Hobden of onlinetravelfocus.com
 

Book here

 South Africa – Bright Future Or Lights Out?

Wednesday, 11 June 2008

This one-day seminar – to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre on Wednesday, 11 June 2008 to coincide with Markex 2008 – will feature well-known business experts with practical perspectives on the challenges currently facing the South African tourism industry: the issues of crime, the economic slow-down, political uncertainty and the power crisis.

Arranged by Essential Travel Info, publishers of the AA Travel Guides.

Book here

And – hey! – Love the environment!