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UK: Education, training, sharing knowledge and inspiring examples of responsible tourism from around the world will be the core work of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism global [ICRT global], a new not-for-profit which launches today.
ICRT global is on a mission to amplify the 2002 Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism and the 2022 Responsible Tourism Charter. It will do this by providing online training courses, bespoke training for organisations, and manuals and guidance to support Universities to create Responsible Tourism courses.
It will also run events and lead the Responsible Tourism Awards with real world experience from winners then fed back into its training programmes.
ICRT global will act as a hub for the independent regional ICRTs around the world and as an open-source of knowledge for anyone looking for ways to make tourism better. Regional ICRTs already operate in Southern and West Africa, the India sub-continent, Latin America and Southeast Asia, with each ICRT sharing a common purpose in developing and promoting the concept of responsible tourism through advocacy, education, training and research, particularly in the Global South.
Emeritus professor Harold Goodwin, managing director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership and founder of ICRT global, said: “Responsible tourism is what we do to make tourism more sustainable, in a way which benefits communities and destinations. It requires people working in tourism and hospitality to say what they are doing to make tourism better and to be transparent about what they achieve.
“But, to do that, they need to understand the issues and the possible levers for change. So, our mission is to spread the word about what can be achieve and we appreciate the backing of our founding partners easyJet Holidays to support the creation of our new courses,” he added.
Matt Callaghan, chief operating officer at easyJet Holidays, said: “At easyJet holidays, we have an ambition to make more sustainable holidays mainstream, but we know this journey is complex and to succeed we need to learn from one another within the industry. That’s why we’re delighted to be a founding partner of ICRT global, supporting their goal to provide effective education on responsible tourism, available to all. I’m looking forward to seeing the success of ICRT global’s training and guidance work and it having a positive impact on destinations and their local communities.”
Chair of ICRT global, Debbie Hindle, confirmed that the non-profit will launch two online training courses focused on responsible tourism and managing overtourism in the first half of 2025. A third course on creating shared value will follow.
Hindle said: “Our courses are designed to help people from any part of the tourism sector who want to understand the issues and opportunities for tourism to make a positive impact. This could be the head of a national park wanting to understand how to combine conservation and tourism, through to a city planner wanting to harness tourism for the benefit, rather than the detriment of their city. Our courses will be at postgraduate level but are accessible to anyone to attend.”
ICRT global will hold a half-day conference in London on 4 November [the day before IHM’s STRz Summit] to formally launch, where it will also unveil the winners of the annual Global Responsible Tourism Awards, sponsored by Sabre.
ICRT global is backed by a board and panel of special advisers, including renowned industry professionals and academic experts. The board includes: Adama Bah, chair of the Institute of Travel and Tourism of Gambia; Martin Brackenbury, former travel and tourism director, professor of Nottingham University and adviser to the World Tourism Organisation; Manisha Pande, managing director of Village Ways in India; and Caroline Warburton, formerly of Wild Scotland and the Scottish Tourism Alliance, and now at VisitScotland.
The eminent panel of special advisers for ICRT global include: Julie Cheetham, sustainability expert and former managing director of Weeva; Dr Xavier Font, University of Surrey; Carol Hay, chief tourism officer of McKenzie Gayle; Richard Hearn, founder of Inntravel and former chair of the Association of Independent Tour Operators [AITO]; Sarah Habsburg-Lothringen, founder of Responsible Hospitality Training and Marketing sarahhabsburg.com; Dilys Roe, principal researcher and team leader [biodiversity], natural resources, International Institute for Environment and Development [IIED] and chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), sustainable use and livelihoods specialist group.
ICRT global’s ten-week courses in responsible tourism and in managing overtourism are available at £365 for early bookings. Pre-enrolment is available at this link.
Appeared first on: boutiquehotelnews.com
