WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) will combine the 30,000-foot view from the industry’s preeminent experts and the grassroots vision of destinations working toward sustainability during its annual meeting from September 25 to 28. The event will be held at various locations in the Washington, D.C. area. The Open Forum, to be held at the Washington Hilton on September 26, is free and open to the public. The meeting’s aim is to provide strategic and practical takeaways for anyone interested in developing sustainable tourism initiatives that protect the world’s natural and cultural resources.
The Open Forum will include a keynote speech by Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson. Panelists including G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip and Hilton Worldwide president Paul Brown will discuss issues such as the economic impacts of sustainable destinations and how to market sustainability.
Capping off the Open Forum will be presentations from the Early Adopters of the GSTC’s new Criteria for Destinations—six destinations, ranging from St. Kitts & Nevis to the Okavango Delta, that are endeavoring to follow the GSTC’s comprehensive sustainability guidelines. Consultants have visited each of the locations this summer and will report on their findings, which will direct future implementation of sustainability criteria. Attendees will learn firsthand the challenges that each destination faces, as well as the opportunities they see in adopting the criteria.
The following day’s workshops are open only to GSTC members, who include top decision-makers and innovators from all sectors of the tourism industry. Thursday’s workshop topics will include social media marketing and adopting the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, as well as numerous opportunities to network with fellow GSTC members. Participants will have a chance to meet the experts, learn the language of the new Destination Criteria, and take away practical tips to better measure and market sustainability.
Click here for more information.
