Shaping the future together
World Tourism Day 2023 took place as it does every year on 27th September with the theme for this year being ‘Tourism and Green Investments’. The event takes place on this date to coincide with the anniversary of the adoption of Statutes in 1970, which led to the creation of the World Tourism Organization five years later.
The official celebrations took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but all World Tourism Organization member states and industry stakeholders were invited to organise their own celebrations to mark the day.
In this context, Excelia Tourism School organised a series of lectures around the central theme for this year. The aim was to highlight the importance of developing and promoting tourism that is both sustainable and respectful of the environment. Investment in the tourism sector needs to be directed towards more environmentally friendly practices that are responsible and in harmony with nature.
World Tourism Day is an opportunity to encourage everyone involved in tourism, whether governments, businesses or travellers, to take steps to minimise their impact.
Here are a few ideas…
- Promoting energy efficiency: hotels, transport and tourism infrastructures could be designed in such a way as to reduce their energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
- Preserving biodiversity: it is vital to protect local ecosystems and promote responsible tourism that respects the flora and fauna
- Supporting local communities: green investments could also contribute to the economic development of local communities by promoting community tourism and encouraging the involvement of native populations
- Sustainable management of natural resources: tourist sites need to be managed sustainably to avoid over-exploitation of resources such as water, forests and coastal regions
- Improving traveller awareness: tourists should be encouraged to adopt responsible behaviour, such as reducing waste, consuming locally and respecting the environment
A series of lectures given by major players in the tourism industry
First up was Suzy Mingot, co-founder of the association ONZE POUR CENT, which has developed free, simple and interactive carbon performance scoring for local authorities. She spoke on the subject of the carbon impact of the hospitality industry, and also about investments for the creation of a crowdsourcing system.
Then Stéphanie Ruédin, Director of the Paris-based events communications agency Novabox, spoke about the challenges of CSR policy in the events sector.
We also welcomed Christelle Chassagne, President of the New Aquitaine Regional Tourism Committee, which coordinates public and private initiatives in the fields of tourism development, promotion and information at regional level. She talked about the sustainable transition in the tourism sector.
Dominique Renouf, as President of Bateaux pour la planète, presented the various innovations in renewable energy available to river tourism.
To finish on a high note, a subject dear to Excelia’s heart… the human element at the heart of the travel offer, presented by a Co-founder of Sens Nomades, an inspiring platform for wellbeing, travel and personal fulfilment.
The day provided the perfect platform for discussion, with a view to identifying and implementing solutions to harness the potential of tourism as a catalyst for recovery and change.
