GEN - Global Ecotourism Network

Interpret Europe Web Conference 2021
2021-10-01 - 2021-10-04 | Digital
The IE conference, “Recreating tourism through heritage interpretation”, was due to take place in Sigüenza, Spain, but we decided to organise another outstanding online conference which will offer access to attendees from all parts of the world. Vaccinated, or not, healthy or not so healthy, you are all very welcome! Besides, we will again contribute to a lower carbon footprint and save our travel miles for next year!
Under the theme “Recreating tourism through heritage interpretation”, we will merge heritage interpretation with sustainable tourism in order to offer unique opportunities along the tourist service chain to both local people and visitors.
Everything you have come to expect from an IE conference – inspiring speakers, hands-on workshops, thematic discussions and networking – can be taken for granted!
We need to rethink tourism’s success, both at the destination and visitor level, by encouraging heritage interpretation. Closer cooperation between tourism and heritage interpretation could lead to new approaches from which especially smaller communities might benefit.
Our 2021 conference aims to share and exchange theory and practice of interpretive approaches to the development of tourism and to rethink the role heritage interpretation plays in tourism and in community development at tourist destinations.

Roundtable “Tourism and Sustainable Urban Resources”
2021-09-27 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Caracas) | Virtual
Urban Economy Forum (UEF) in collaboration with International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) will organize a round table on the topic of “Tourism and Sustainable Urban Resources” on September 27th, 2021. From 10am – 12pm EST time zone.
This event will be held on the occasion of “World Tourism Day 2021” as a day to focus on Tourism for Inclusive Growth.
Tourism is an important part of the economy for many cities, owing to the fact that it can bring many economic benefits like further development of the area, employment, new resource of income, etc. Although tourism has positive impact on the destination development, uncontrolled and unplanned development may be responsible for many negative effects on the destination. Rapid expansion of the tourism may create a pressure on the natural, social and economic environments of the destination. It is considered that the uncontrolled and unplanned development of tourism can have negative impacts on the economic and social environment of the urban areas. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive societal and monetary impact, and tourism sector has been hit hardest. The restart of tourism will help kickstart recovery and growth. It is essential that the benefits this will bring are enjoyed widely and fairly. To achieve the sustainable tourism, which leads to sustainable urban resource, we need to optimize urban space to be a host for domestic and international tourists and make a safe and attractive environment to activate resources.

World Tourism Day 2021: Tourism for Inclusive Growth
2021-09-27 | Digital
Tourism for inclusive growth
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive social and economic impact. Both developed and developing economies have been hit. And marginalized groups and the most vulnerable have been hit hardest of all. The restart of tourism will help kickstart recovery and growth. It is essential that the benefits this will bring are enjoyed widely and fairly.
World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has therefore designated World Tourism Day 2021 as a day to focus on “Tourism for Inclusive Growth.”
UNWTO as the United Nations specialized agency for responsible and sustainable tourism, is guiding the global sector towards inclusive recovery and growth. UNWTO ensures every part of the sector has a say in its future – including communities, minorities, youth and those who would otherwise be at risk of being left behind.
Tourism is a recognized pillar of most – if not all – the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), particularly Goals 1 (no poverty), 5 (gender equality), 8 (decent work and economic growth) and 10 (reduce inequalities).
Source: https://www.un.org/en/observances/tourism-day
PHOTO: UN Composition with photographs under Creative Common license.

GLF Amazonia Digital Conference: The Tipping Point
2021-09-21 - 2021-09-23 | Digital
Will you join GLF on 21–23 September to support existing solutions to protect Amazonia before it’s too late?
Join 250+ scientists, policymakers, activists, youth, investors, restoration practitioners, community, Afro-descendant and Indigenous groups and journalists. Connect with 75+ local and global organizations.

GLF Amazonia will build on lessons learned from the creation and management of protected areas, Indigenous reserves and community forests. The territories within the Amazon require an integrated, transboundary and rights-based approach to catalyzing restoration and conservation efforts. Space must be created for Indigenous groups, local communities and institutions to connect to global processes and technologies, in order to combine new innovations and old practices, balance development and conservation, and embed inclusive, equitable and sustainable bio economies within Amazonian landscapes.

GEN at the World Travel Market (WTM) Latin America 2021
2021-08-10 - 2021-08-12 | Digital
WTM Latin America is the three day must-attend business-to-business (B2B) event which brings the world to Latin America and promotes Latin America to the world. Through its industry networks, unrivalled global reach, WTM Latin America creates personal and business opportunities, providing customers with quality contacts, content and communities.
Tourism is still suffering the effects of the pandemic. The effects of climate change are becoming more and more clear. Do we have an opportunity to regenerate tourism, just as the UN Decade for Restoring Ecosystems starts?
The Global Ecotourism Network (GEN) has put together a panel which joins three perspectives on regenerating tourism in Latin America with examples from Brazil, Costa Rica and Chile.
First we will learn how a little monkey, the Golden Lion Tamarin, inspired the regeneration of its Atlantic Rainforest habitat with the help of the local community and boosted ecotourism. Next we will look at how ecotourism and agriculture were coordinated to help natural forest regeneration in the coffee region of Costa Rica. We finish with how the pandemic will impact the needs of both travelers and local communities in recalibrating the way they do tourism.

GEN at ITB Berlin 2021
2021-03-09 - 2021-03-12 | Digital Worldwide
ITB Berlin the Digital Meet-up of the Travel Industry is just around the corner.
We are happy to announce a strong presence of our Board Members and partners from all global regions at the world´s leading travel trade show.
With more than 2,000 exhibitors from around the world – and counting — the World’s Leading Tourism Trade Show is a virtual mirror of the industry.
Organisers report high international participation by destinations, the hotel industry and travel technology providers, with “virtual cafés” providing a forum for meetings and entertainment
While the global tourism industry is struggling with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, positive developments such as vaccine rollouts in many countries have led tourism providers around the world to be cautiously optimistic about travel in 2021. There is also a positive mood among the approximately 2,000 exhibitors from 120 countries who have currently registered for this year’s ITB Berlin NOW, the online platform of the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show.
“Without doubt, the coronavirus crisis has deeply shaken the travel industry. All the same, there is a fighting spirit in the air“, said David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin. ”The booking situation in the various tourism markets shows how badly the crisis has hit. The cruise industry and tourist boards are slowly regaining hope, whereas the situation for airlines remains critical. It is all the more important therefore to emphasise the industry’s importance and for us to stick together. Particularly in these times, ITB Berlin NOW is the world’s most important platform for doing business and exchanging ideas and expert knowledge in tourism.”

Responsible Travel Week 2021
2021-02-08 - 2021-02-14
Responsible Travel Week 2021 takes place February 8-14, so if you would like to contribute, please message / tweet / speak with Planeta.com’s Ron Mader. Volunteers requested for testing our video and audio chats.
Invitation
Discover your role in the emerging community of people committed to engaged living, embodied practice, and responsible travel. Planeta.com invites friends to join our free, week-long conversation, Responsible Travel Week, February 8-14, 2021. Hashtag: #rtweek21.
The event continues to be free, open, public, and particularly relevant in this time of figuring out how to make the most of conscious, meaningful travel and tourism that benefits locals and visitors. It’s a big ask, but now that we have time on our hands to prepare for trips after the pandemic – as guests and hosts – RT Week is happy to spotlight good practices around the globe.

ENTER2021 @yourplace
2021-01-19 - 2021-01-22 | Virtual
Organized by the International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT), the annual ENTER conference provides a unique venue for researchers, industry representatives, government officials, students and entrepreneurs to come together and share, discuss and challenge the latest developments in information technology in the fields of travel and tourism. Since 1994 ENTER has brought together leading academics and industry professionals in travel and technology to serve as a platform showcasing cutting-edge research and development in eTourism. With the theme “eTourism: Development Opportunities and Challenges in an Unpredictable World”, ENTER2021 will focus on exploring ways technology can be used to create positive impacts on society, environment, and economy within the context of travel and tourism.

KEY TOPICS:

Repercussions of COVID-19 on e-Tourism

Digital Strategies for Business Recovery
Destination Recovery and Resilience
IT Solutions for Crisis Management in Response to a Pandemic in Tourism
Analysis of Tourist Mobility
Any Other Topics Related to COVID-19 and e-Tourism

Technologies in e-Tourism

Recommender Systems and Personalization
Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Automation
Machine Learning and Deep Learning
Mobile, Location-based and Context-aware
Systems Augmented and Virtual Reality
Crowdsourcing
Wearables and Internet-of-Things
Semantic Web, Tourism Ontologies and Linked Open Data
Data Analytics, Data Mining, and Big Data Analysis
Data Management and Visualization
Data Standards and Data Integration
Sentiment Analysis and Personality-based Systems
Blockchain Applications
Emerging Technologies

Marketing and Management in e-Tourism

Website & APP Design and Evaluation
Tourism Economy and e-Commerce
Advanced Distribution Systems and Strategies
Dynamic Packaging
Digital and Social Media Marketing
e-CRM & Review Management
Crowdsourcing
Sharing Economy, Platform Business and Collaborative Partnership
Digital Distribution and Social Selling
e-Business Models, Strategy and Impact
Crisis Management
Yield Management
Tourism Strategic Competitiveness
Service Design and User Experience

Tourist Behavior and Experiences

ICT and Tourism Experiences
ICT Adoption and Use
User Modeling and Decision Making
Group Decision Making
Social Media and Social Networks
Information Search and Travel Planning
Human-Computer Interaction
Gaming and Gamification
Digital Nomads

Governance, Sustainability, and Education

Smart Cities and Destinations
Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and Climate Change
Responsible ICT in Tourism
ICT and Wellbeing
ICT for Regional Development and Sustainability
ICT-enabled Partnership and Collaboration
Education and e-Learning
Life-long Learning and MOOCs
E-Government and Public Policy in Tourism
Digital Divide and Socio-economic Development
Privacy and Internet Security
Legal, Ethical and Social Aspects of ICT

Additionally, there will be a Special Session on “eTourism community perspective on COVID-19“.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:

Full Papers and Short Papers
PhD Proposals

KEY DATES:
Submission closes: August 31st, 2020
Notification of acceptance: October 9th, 2020
Deadline to submit camera-ready version: October 23rd, 2020
Final acceptance: October 28th, 2020
Registration deadline for paper authors to be included in the conference proceedings: to be determined
End of Early Bird registration: to be determined
ENTER2021 Conference: 19 – 22 January 2021
All deadlines refer to 23:59 (11:59 pm) in the AoE (Anywhere on Earth) time zone. Conference organizers reserve the right to modify the paper submission schedule.

SUMMIT 2020: TOTA & CCCTA VIRTUAL AGM & SUMMIT 2020
2020-11-25 - 2020-11-26 | Online
The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association (CCCTA) and Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association(TOTA) have joined forces and created a dynamic two day event which focuses on how the tourism industry can work together on a future that is stronger, more resilient and regenerative than its past.
Inspired by the theme: Moving Forward Better- Recovery, Resiliency and Regeneration, the two regional destination management organizations have built a fully virtual, online program around 50 provocative, world-renowned speakers and industry experts from around the globe.
Registration is free for all attendees, and includes networking opportunities, live Q&A sessions, a virtual silent auction, discussions around the latest developments in tourism, climate action and community building, as well as the chance to explore industry and community resources while interacting with live representatives within virtual booths. All from your home or work office.

COP26: Glasgow Climate Change Conference 2020 is Postponed
2020-11-09 - 2020-11-20 | Scottish Event Campus (SEC), Exhibition Way, Glasgow G3 8YW, Glasgow, United Kingdom
The climate talks will be the biggest international summit the UK has ever hosted; bringing together over 30,000 delegates including heads of state, climate experts and campaigners to agree coordinated action to tackle climate change.
The challenge is not insignificant, but we must step up to it to save the environment we all live in. The UN Climate Change process is central to that collective action.
COP26 has been postponed due to COVID-19. This decision has been taken jointly by the COP Bureau of the UNFCCC. We will set out revised plans for a rescheduled conference in due course.

3rd International Conference "Sustainable Tourism: Global Challenges and Discovering Russia"
2020-10-28 - 2020-10-31 | Mountain Resort Rosa Khutor, Hotel Radisson, 35A Olimpyskaya Street, Estosadok, Krasnodar Krai, Sochi, Sochi, 354392, Russian Federation
The 3rd Conference “Sustainable Tourism: Global Challenges and Discovering Russia” will take place October 28 through October 31, 2020, will once again be held at the Rosa Khutor mountain resort, as has become tradition, giving participants the opportunity to admire the autumnal gold of the Western Caucasus mountains.
Building on the achievements of the previous sessions, the Conference agenda will focus on practices and will shed light on issues related to drafting rules and standards for the sustainable development of the industry. These rules and standards would have to meet the needs of all players and help to gather business people, government officials, environmental organizations, and grassroots movements around the shared goal of raising the bar on quality in tourism and strengthening accountability for maintaining our natural legacy for generations to come.
At the 3rd Conference, discussion sessions will highlight the most critical issues faced by the industry and will allow the attendees to work together to explore solutions. Furthermore, the Conference agenda will have a regional focus, allowing the participants to showcase the best practices and specific challenges in the sustainable development of tourism for the different geographic zones of the world’s largest country.
The success of the Eco-Display Expo first launched at the 2nd Conference, demonstrated the need to offer attendees more ways to communicate their successes and showcase their products for partners and stakeholders. The Organizers will strive to give Conference guests and participants broad and easily accessible opportunities to make the best use of the Eco-Display Expo.
At the 3rd Conference we will spend more time discussing:

The contribution of private initiatives towards the sustainable development of outdoor recreation, active travel, and tourism in the Specially Protected Nature Areas in Russia and other countries;
Staff professional development and competencies, and the role of training institutions and higher education in offering professional degreed programs and conducting research in this field;
Successes in the various segments of the domestic tourism industry, including those related to cultural legacy;
The experience of Russia’s neighboring post-Soviet states and nearby countries in the Far East and in Northern and Eastern Europe.

The Conference Organizers call upon all stakeholders who develop and lead initiatives in nature tourism; educational tourism; active travel (including for children and/or athletes); outdoor recreation; agricultural, culinary, ethnographic, or cultural tourism; or related areas, and offer them the Conference as a platform to showcase achievements, raise issues surrounding the sustainable development of the industry, and together look for solutions in the Conference’s cordial and constructive environment.

V Congreso Nacional de Ecoturismo: Conectados con la naturaleza / Aplazado hasta 2021
2020-10-20 - 2020-10-22 | Menorca Reserva de Biosfera, Menorca, Spain
Ante la situación actual de la COVID-19 y su imprevisible evolución, el Comité Organizador ha acordado posponer el V Congreso Nacional de Ecoturismo hasta octubre 2021, cuya sede seguirá siendo Menorca (Islas Baleares).
Leer comunicado completo

Adventure Travel World Summit Australia 2020 is Postponed
2020-10-06 - 2020-10-09 | Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia
With a heady mixture of bravery and optimism, Australians face opportunity with energy, courage and a live-like-you-mean-it attitude. The theme of this year’s Summit is Boundless, a word that encapsulates Australian culture and inspires the kind of free-thinking attitude needed to innovate, improve, and engage. Adventure tourism professionals from around the globe will convene down under in 2020 to map the future of adventure tourism and tackle our challenges head on with the boundless, unrestrictive creativity that stems from a truly “no worries” worldview.
Due to the global challenges resulting from the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Adventure Travel World Summit is officially postponed until 20-23 September 2021 and the new host destination, outside of Australia, will be announced soon. The lead time for people to make travel arrangements to Australia makes this the right thing for our adventure travel community. We are naturally incredibly disappointed, but have your safety and wellbeing as our first priority.

Climate Week NYC 2020
2020-09-21 - 2020-09-27
Climate Week NYC will take place from September 21 to 27. Run in coordination with the United Nations General Assembly and the City of New York, Climate Week NYC continues to draw global attention as the time and place for the world to showcase amazing climate action and discuss how to do more. The events program of Climate Week is growing, in 2019 New York City was home to a record of over 350 events during the week. Climate Week NYC is run by The Climate Group, the international non-profit focused on accelerating climate action.

Sustainable Tourism Africa Summit 2020
2020-09-16 - 2020-09-18 | Pridelnn Paradise Beach Resort & SPA, Serena Rd, Mombasa, Kenya
Theme: “Sustainability & Realizing Destination Africa ~ Our People. Our Planet. Our Prosperity”.
Every year, tourism businesses, leaders and professionals from Africa and from other regions with an interest in tourism development in Africa gather for three days for one purpose: To Model A Sustainable Future for Tourism in Africa.
For three days, the businesses, leaders and professionals present their product, businesses and policy solutions, showcase their innovative green tourism models and create support networks that drive sustainability of tourism in Africa.
The Sustainable Tourism Africa Summit is the only event in Africa that is committed to the promotion and support of sustainable tourism practices in Africa. The event features sustainable tourism masterclasses, presentation, workshops, side events, exhibitions and sustainable tourism awards.

International Ecotourism Travel Mart will be Postponed
2020-09-04 - 2020-09-08 | Hall A, World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM), World Trade Center Metro Manila Roxas BLVD, Pasay, Philippines
International Ecotourism Travel Mart will be held on Sept 6 to 8, 2020 at the International School of Sustainable Tourism.
More information to be made available here.

IUCN World Conservation Congress is Postponed
2020-06-11 - 2020-06-19 | Palais des Congrès Marseille Chanot, 114 Rond-Point du Prado, Marseille, 13008, France
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Government of France have decided to postpone the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 in Marseille to 7-15 January 2021 from its original date of 11-19 June.

The Programme includes all official sessions within the Forum, Members’ Assembly and Exhibition components of the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020.

6th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism
2020-06-01 - 2020-06-04 | Bruges, Belgium
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Basque Culinary Center (BCC) with the support of the Government of Flanders co-organized the 6th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism on 1-4 June 2020 in Bruges, Belgium. This Forum will bring together Ministers of Tourism, representatives from National and Local Tourism Administrations, chefs, entrepreneurs, academia and related stakeholders from tourism and gastronomy.
Under the theme ‘Gastronomy Tourism: Promoting Rural Tourism and Regional Development’, and having the UNWTO 2020 Year of Tourism and Rural Development as a backdrop, the Forum will focus on the contribution of gastronomy tourism to social and economic integration, job creation and regional cohesion. Topics related to the role of gastronomy tourism in enhancing reputation of destination, empowering local community, as well as strategies that can be used by farmers and small scale rural food producers in using their culinary heritage to directly and indirectly promote tourism and thereby make a positive economic contribution at the local and regional level will be discussed throughout the event. In addition, this edition of the Forum will once again give a stage to the five finalists of the 2nd UNWTO / BCC Gastronomy Tourism Start-up Competition to pitch their ideas, providing them visibility and networking opportunities, as well as opening up financing and business development possibilities.
The UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism was created with the aim of promoting the exchange of experiences between experts in tourism and gastronomy, to identify good practices and to promote gastronomy tourism as a factor of development of countries.
Bruges, our venue for this year’s edition and one of Europe’s gastronomic centers, has put itself on the map with an impressive list of top restaurants. No fewer than 32 Bruges chefs are recommended by Michelin, GaultMillau and Bibgourmand.
For previous editions of the Forum, please click here.

Conference "Opportunities for Ecotourism in Slovakia" is postponed
2020-05-20 - 2020-05-24 | Hotel Nárdoný Dom, Národná 11 974 01, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
This year, LT&C is combining its AGM with a hands-on conference and a series of workshops in Slovakia, where we have partnered up with the environmental NGO Aevis in their efforts to develop ecotourism in protected areas in Slovakia. Our half-day AGM will be followed by workshops for LT&C members and Aevis partners from Slovakia to discuss first hand some of the burning issues for ecotourism development in Slovakia, learn from LT&C member experience and jointly find practical solutions. The conference will give an overview of the ongoing project “Fewer barriers for more benefits in utilising nature” and introduce the work Aevis is conducting, as well as presenting a practical handbook LT&C has developed.
There will also be an opportunity for LT&C members to present relevant tools and success stories for developing eco-tourism.
Workshop “Opportunities for Ecotourism in Slovakia” is postponed to September 17/18, 2020.

Earth Day Week 2020
2020-04-20 - 2020-04-25 | No-fly climate conference | Online | Worldwide
Earth Day Network and Exponential Roadmap invite you to the Earth Day Week, April 20–25, 2020. They’ll be broadcasting live talks and other daily shows from Washington DC, Stockholm and with speakers, thinkers and doers from all over the world.
For the third consecutive year they are bring you a public, free, online, no-fly climate conference. The program features the brightest minds to discuss solutions to the most daring challenge humanity has ever faced: the climate crisis.
We need climate action and an open dialogue. We need you and everyone to join in: Register here – it’s free

2nd TOURIST International Conference is Postponed
2020-04-20 - 2020-04-21 | Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Bangkok Menam Riverside Hotel, 2074 Charoenkrung Road, Bangokok, 10120, Thailand
The 2nd TOURIST conference will be held in Bangkok and hosted by the Faculty of Business Administration, Kasetsart University, Bangkok. The goal of the conference is to provide a lively and informal venue where a variety of questions and ideas regarding sustainable tourism can be presented and discussed by academics and other professionals in an interdisciplinary and creative environment. The focus will be on the current sustainable tourism theories and practices experienced by practitioners in different contexts implying the role of sustainable tourism in contributing to the development in social, economic, and environmental perspectives.
The Conference is postponed until July 20-212020.

World Indigenous Tourism Summit is Postponed
2020-04-05 - 2020-04-09 | Crown Perth, Great Eastern Hwy, Burswood WA, Perth, 6100, Australia
This is the most important opportunity for all stakeholders in Indigenous tourism – Indigenous communities, industry tourism operators, destination marketers, governments, learning institutions, civil society organisations – from all corners of the world, to come together for the biennial World Indigenous Tourism Summit.

Industry conference
Research Symposium
Youth Forum
Government policy forum

New dates have been secured with the venue partner, Crown Perth, for the 2nd to 5th November, 2020.

World Travel Market (WTM) Latin America 2020 is Postponed
2020-03-31 | São Paulo, State of São Paulo, Brazil
World Travel Market (WTM) Latin America is the three day must-attend business-to-business (B2B) event which brings the world to Latin America and promotes Latin America to the world. Through its industry networks, unrivalled global reach, WTM Latin America creates personal and business opportunities, providing customers with quality contacts, content and communities.
Like you all, we are dismayed by the pandemic caused by COVID-19. We have been closely monitoring all developments and the impact on our industry. In view of the situation and following the recommendation of the Ministry of Health and Government of the State of São Paulo – which restricts the holding of events with more than 500 people – we have to inform you that the 8th edition of WTM Latin America is postponed and will now be held between 20 and 22 October at Expo Center Norte, in São Paulo.

2nd GUNi International Conference on Sustainable Development Goals and Higher Education
2020-03-05 - 2020-03-06 | Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalunya, 08002, Spain
After a successful first edition of the International Conference on SDGs: Actors and Implementation, GUNi will be holding the second edition of the GUNi International Conference on Sustainable Development Goals: Higher Education and Science take action on the 5th and 6th of March 2020 at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona.
This second edition will put the spotlight on how higher education institutions are embedding sustainable development in their core missions, and will focus on showcasing, explaining and sharing scientific research, innovative practices, projects, programmes and initiatives that university communities are carrying out with the aim of implementing the 2030 Agenda. These will include different perspectives and approaches: from research to teaching, institutional leadership and student initiatives. Taking a pragmatic and multidisciplinary approach, this International Conference will bring together scholars, university professionals, students, experts and practitioners from all around the world.

ITB 2020 goes Digital
2020-03-04 - 2020-03-08 | Berlin ExpoCenter, Messedamm 22, Berlin, 14055, Germany
The cancellation of the ITB2020 does not mean there are no networking opportunities. Several planned events with GEN participation are going digital and for those that were #strandedinBerlin a website was quickly set up for meeting up.
So, out of the crisis, opportunities arose… and we are curious to see if they lead to permanent new ways of doing things; with less CO2, more time, truly global and accessible!
Here are some of the digital events, which will partly be available as recordings, too. We will keep you updated:
4th March https://destinet.eu/who-who/civil-society-ngos/ecotrans/ecotrans-projects-activities/2020/special-itb2020-online-meetings/sustainable-destination-awards-tourism2030-going-green/
https://greendestinations.org/2020-sustainable-destination-awards-and-tourism2030-itb-berlin/
5th March https://www.adventuretravel.biz/adventureconnect/itb-berlin-2020/
6th March https://destinet.eu/who-who/civil-society-ngos/een-gen-development-2020
and postponed: https://travelmassive.com/events/2020/03/postponed-travel-massive-forum-2020
Furthermore, the fair has also established the hashtag #whatwewantedtosayatITB for news, presentations and conversations in social media. And for those who read German, the traditional “FVW Daily” is available as an e-paper too: https://www.fvw.de/reisevertrieb/news/virtuelle-itb-jetzte-paper-dailylesen-206726
However, let´s save the date 10-14 March, of ITB Berlin 2021!

The Breda Fair for Special Journeys 2020
2020-02-01 - 2020-02-02 | Big Church, Breda, Netherlands, Breda, Netherlands
The purpose of this “Fair for Special Journeys” concept is to create an environment selectively chosen for quality, rather than for mass tourism.
At this special holiday fair you will not find touristic infostands, but exclusively specialized touroperators. They really know all about the countries that they offer.
‘Special’ means, besides walking unknown trails, – off the beaten track –, that your trip only starts in the country or area of ​​arrival. They are often active holidays and no seaside or beach holidays.
It also means that you will be redirected to avoid tourist ‘highlights’ that you can get from a guide. Instead, a customized journey will be prepared so you will get to know a country in a way that only an expert can tell you.
Get inspired in two fantastic days, where you also have the opportunity to choose from around 250 live shows about unknown pieces of Europe and parts of the world that are often cheaper than you think! ‘Special’ means: acquiring refreshing new experiences!

IMPACT: Sustainability Travel & Tourism
2020-01-19 - 2020-01-22 | Victoria Conference Centre, 812 Wharf Street, Victoria, B.C., Canada
A collaborative national dialogue on Innovation and the contribution of Tourism to Canada’s Sustainable Future.
Join peers and stakeholders in the tourism industry in Victoria, BC this winter for the third annual IMPACT Conference a national discussion on the industry’s impact on Canada’s economic, social, environmental and cultural fabric. IMPACT’s goal is to align the Canadian tourism industry, as well as stakeholders and communities touched by tourism, behind a vision to achieve economic, social and environmental sustainability.
IMPACT 2020 will explore how Canadian tourism can move beyond sustainability towards being a regenerative and restorative industry. Our program will once again be formed around IMPACT’s four pillars of ecology and environment, community and sense of place, culture and heritage, and the economy.

The Amsterdam Fair for Special Journeys 2020
2020-01-11 - 2020-01-12 | Beurs van Berlage, Damrak 243, 1012 ZJ, Amsterdam, Damrak, 1012, Netherlands

International Symposium and Annual Conference on Transforming Tourism for Climate Action
2019-12-09 - 2019-12-10 | Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile
The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme International Symposium and Annual Meeting on “Transforming Tourism for Climate Action” will be held in Santiago, Chile on 9th and 10th December as a side-event in the margins of UNFCCC COP25.
The side-event is a collaboration of UN Environment, UNWTO, the government of France and the Undersecretariat of State for Tourism of Chile with support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

On the first day (9th December) an international conference will take place involving policy makers and private sector representatives whom are spearheading and committed to accelerate climate action in tourism.

The second day (10th December) will consist of a consultative workshop to discuss the strategic direction of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme in the upcoming years, with a specific focus on climate change, biodiversity, plastics and the circular economy.

GSTC 2019 Global Conference: “Navigating the Way Forward in Sustainable Tourism”
2019-12-04 - 2019-12-07 | Cultural and Congress Centre of Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island, Azores Angra do Heroísmo, 20, Azores, Terceira Island, 9700, Portugal
The GSTC2019 Global Conference will bring together international and domestic tourism stakeholders involved in the development and promotion of sustainable tourism; including public sector, hotels, tour operators, academia, development agencies, NGOs, consultants, and more.
