Travel and tourism can be lead sector for green growth transformation

MACAU/HAWAII,BRUSSELS – In a keynote address at the Macau Asia Forum, Professor Geoffrey Lipman, President of the International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) and Director of greenearth, said that

MACAU/HAWAII,BRUSSELS – In a keynote address at the Macau Asia Forum, Professor Geoffrey Lipman, President of the International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) and Director of greenearth, said that travel can be a key industry for global green growth transformation, because of its size, scope, and worldwide reach, as well as itโ€™s proven ability to resist major external disruptions and adapt strategically to global economic shifts.

Lipman said: โ€œThere is a huge opportunity for our sector, with the emerging role of China as a superpower and its defined policies of increasing consumption, making travel a pillar of the economy, mainstreaming culture, and taking increasingly strong environmental and new energy development measures.โ€

He identified potential areas of opportunity:

Green Jobs โ€“ particularly indirect jobs from travel infrastructure.

Poverty Alleviation โ€“ where increasing numbers of Chinese outbound tourists could follow resource linkages to Africa.

New Energy โ€“ transformation in climate-proofing buildings and repowering transport.

Education Restructuring โ€“ where the fragmented and often inadequate travel and tourism learning systems could be revamped with the inevitable general green economy knowledge and teaching changes.

ICTP, for which Professor Lipman is President, is a force for socially-responsible and green travel and supports the UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN World Tourism Organization’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, and a range of programs that underpin them.

The next event for ICTP is its official launch, which will take place in London at the 2011World Travel Market on November 8, 2011 at 1600 hours at the Seychelles stand (A S550).

ABOUT ICTP

The ICTP alliance is represented in Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA; Brussels, Belgium; Bali, Indonesia; and Victoria, Seychelles. Members include countries, regions, and cities. Current members include Seychelles, La Reunion, Johannesburg, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Oman, Grenada, Hawaii, and Saipan. ICTP alliance members benefit from joint marketing and branding opportunities in primary and secondary markets, which are ideal for small- to medium-sized destinations that may not have the resources for developing and implementing projects independently. ICTP provides its members with the tools to help them market their destination, including help with finding new revenue streams and funding support, and providing special services from similarly committed suppliers, thereby helping destinations to engage employees and stakeholders to help market the destination.

For more information, go to: www.tourismpartners.org .

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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