Eco Announcements

Drenthe, Netherlands/Thessaloniki, Greece, 31 August 2018:  In the build-up to the fourth European Week of Sport this September, two teams of recreational, volunteer cyclists will ride their bikes from Drenthe, the Netherlands, and Thessaloniki, Greece, to Vienna, Austria, to raise awareness about the benefits of active transport and physical activity for health, the environment and social inclusion. The cross-border tour is called Bike for Europe and runs from 1-23 September through 11 countries.

San Francisco, CA - As Carnival Corporation’s first ships of the season arrive in the Arctic, an international coalition of environmental groups has joined together to call on the cruise giant to stop using one of the world’s cheapest and dirtiest fossil fuels—heavy fuel oil—on ships traveling in the fragile Arctic and sub-Arctic waters. July marks the beginning of Arctic cruise season, and the cruise ship Rotterdam has just arrived in the Arctic. Rotterdam is operated by Holland America, which is owned by Carnival. With cruises in this fragile ecosystem scheduled to grow in frequency, companies like Carnival must change their fuel source to stop destroying the very climates their passengers are going to see.

Madrid, Spain, 14 August 2018 – Promoting innovation, job creation and sustainability are key considerations for the 15th World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Awards. UNWTO invites submissions until 31 October 2018.

The UNWTO Awards recognise the contribution of public and private institutions and NGOs to development of a more competitive, responsible and sustainable tourism sector that works towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of the United Nations. Initiatives at local, national, regional and international levels are all considered.

Fishing bans don’t have to hurt fishing communities, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers. The group tracked vessels during a short-lived trawling moratorium in the Adriatic Sea and found that fishers maintained their catch levels by fishing elsewhere. The findings suggest that such bans can protect overfished regions without hurting people’s livelihoods and could influence efforts to protect other sensitive regions.

Vail, Colorado (July 20, 2018) – Today, Vail announced their certification as a sustainable mountain resort destination. Vail is the first destination in the world to be certified to the Mountain IDEAL sustainable destination standard. Additionally, Vail’s adherence to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s (GSTC) destination criteria makes it the first Certified Sustainable Destination in the United States certified by a GSTC-Accredited certifying body, Green Destinations. The conditional certification is the result of a multi-year partnership between the Town of Vail, Walking Mountains Science Center, Sustainable Travel International, Vail Resorts, The U.S. Forest Service, and others. It marks the culmination of 56 years of leadership by the Vail community in progressive environmental conservation policies and programs.

Madrid, Spain, 23 July 2018 - Promoting a greater engagement of the tourism sector with sustainable development is the main objective of the Tourism for SDGs Platform. The online tool is designed to advance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through tourism, and was developed by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) with the support of Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

16 July 2018 – The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that the Criteria for Thailand’s Community-Based Tourism Development, published by Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), has achieved the ‘GSTC-Recognized Standard’ status. The Criteria for Thailand’s Community-Based Tourism Development (CBT Thailand) has been used as an important tool for continuous planning, operating and evaluating the outcome of community-based tourism development in Thailand.

5 July 2018 - The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) has announced today the launch of the National Ecotourism Project that aims to position the UAE as a leading global ecotourism hub. In his speech at the press conference, held at MOCCAE headquarters in Dubai, His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “Over the past few years, the pioneering vision and directives of the UAE leadership have enabled the country to consolidate its leading global status across diverse sectors, with travel and tourism at the forefront.”

July 11, 2018 - Rwanda Development Board (RDB) revealed the Kwita Izina activity roadmap for 2018 at a press conference at Kigali Convention and Exhibition Village. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Conservation is Life’ and the naming ceremony will take place in Kinigi at the foothill of volcanoes, Northern Province on 7th September2018.
Kwita Izina, a uniquely Rwandan event, was introduced in 2005 with the aim of creating awareness of conservation efforts for the endangered mountain gorilla. 23 infant mountain gorillas will be named this year.

6 July 2018 - Kerala Tourism, the Indian state's Department of Tourism, announced plans to develop Kakkathuruthu (Island of Crows) in Alappuzha district as an eco-friendly tourist village. The place has been listed in National Geographic’s ‘Around the World in 24 Hours,’ a photographic tour of travel-worthy spots in the world. Kakkathuruthu is one of the main tourist destinations in Alappuzha and Kerala Tourism plans to develop the basic facilities here without disturbing the environment.