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Global Tourism Plastics Initiative: 2022 Annual Progress Report

Following a pilot reporting exercise conducted in 2021, this is the first annual report of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI). The report summarises the progress made by GTPI signatories in implementing their commitments throughout 2021.  The Global Tourism Plastics Initiatives goal is to unite the tourism sector behind a ...

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A Dream Worth Fighting For - Pousada Serra Verde, Brazil

Plotting a path through 2020 and 2021 has been more than a little challenging for most involved in the travel sector. As per my previous post, in 2020 we saw a six month total lockdown, a 90 year drought, a cyclone and open warfare between the state governors and the president on how to navigate the storm. The politica...

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A New Twist on an Old Problem

The problem of single use plastic bottles is well documented. It is estimated that around 500 million plastic bottles are used across the world every year. About 60% of this is generated by single use plastic water bottles. In an ideal world we would all avoid single use items and everybody would carry their own water bottle. However the U.S and Eu...

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A local Convention & Visitors Bureau facilitates a safe return for Tourism, in Morretes, Brazil

It's been a difficult 12 months in southern Brazil. As well as dealing with the global pandemic, the area has been hit with flooding, drought and a cyclone! Covid-19 has now claimed over 114,000 fatalities, with 3.5 million cases, over 500,000 companies have closed and close to 8 million have lost their jobs. In this context it's not surprising tha...

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2020: What next......

COVID-19 has hit tourism hard across the world. But whilst thankfully, many countries are seeing a slow return of travellers, here in Brasil we are still in tourism lockdown. The tourism industry closed down here in March and is set to continue to be this way for several more months. Morretes is finding life particularly difficult as over 40% of th...

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A First Attempt at a Green Roof

 Since opening Pousada Serra Verde we've been keen to embrace 'green' technologies and principles wherever possible. Other than fitting in with our forest setting a green roof also helps with cooling and extends the life of the roof whilst helping bio-diversity.  We have just built an external breakfast area to replace the ageing 'tent' (...

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'What if?'

In December 2002 I headed into the Bolivian Yungas to visit the remote mountain town of Chulumani. One morning I sat drinking coffee looking out over the forested mountains, listening to Strauss and thinking...what if ???? Six months later my trip was over and I returned to work in England. 'What if...' remained with me, though as routine and everyday life took over it got pushed further and further to the back of my mind. In December 2017 we changed 'What if...' to 'Oh my God we're doing this!' We bought a disused pupunha plantation in the Brasilian Atlantic Rainforest and set about building our Pousada. Living the Dream isn't easy; very long days, few days off, battling the elements, the forest and wildlife whilst coming to terms with a different culture and language all have presented huge challenges over the last 16 months. However last Sunday I sat in the sun, drinking coffee, listening to Strauss in our Pousada in the Brasilian rainforest; no longer thinking 'What if...'    

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