Green Growth 2050 Learning System for 2015: New ICTP initiative

ICTP - Copy_0
ICTP - Copy_0
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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Speaking at the Seychelles stand at World Travel Market in London today and welcomed by its Minister of Tourism and Culture, Alain St.Ange, the President of the International Coalition of Tourism Part

Speaking at the Seychelles stand at World Travel Market in London today and welcomed by its Minister of Tourism and Culture, Alain St.Ange, the President of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) Professor Geoffrey Lipman, and Chairman Juergen T. Steinmetz announced that the organization would launch a radical new โ€œGreen Growth 2050โ€ learning system, designed to help small and medium businesses increase their responsiveness to climate change, shift to renewable energy, and grow sustainably.

Minister St.Ange said: โ€œ2015 will see Heads of State Summits on Climate Change and on Sustainable Development Goals that will set new patterns of human behavior for the rest of the century.

“It is important for the Travel and Tourism Industry to be in the forefront of that positive change, and small businesses that make up 80% are given the support they need to play their part.โ€ He added, โ€œIsland states, for whom tourism is a key socio-economic driver, are particularly exposed, so we are very pleased to support this initiative.โ€

Steinmetz said that โ€œGreen Growth and Quality for destinations and their stakeholders is at the core of ICTP. We try particularly to support the small- and medium-sized players, which is why the new learning system will both help them move along the green growth path and allow them to show their commitment. We intend to promote this strongly.โ€

Lipman, co-author of books on Green Growth and Travelism, said: โ€œAlmost 20 years after the launch of the first wave of travel and tourism industry green programs and awards, here at World Travel Market, it is a fitting place to announce a new small business focused initiative. The new system will rely heavily on cloud-based distance learning and will not only incorporate evolving tourism norms but also incorporate key elements of Green Growth strategy from outside the sector โ€“ developed in the UN Global Compact, UNEP, ILO, OECD, and the like.

It will be simply presented and accessed, so that companies and employees can easily understand how their efforts can make a real difference to their own future and the communities in which they operate, and how they can be part of the change.โ€

The International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) is a grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth. ICTP engages communities and their stakeholders to share quality and green opportunities including tools and resources, access to funding, education, and marketing support. ICTP advocates sustainable aviation growth, streamlined travel formalities, and fair coherent taxation. ICTP 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.

More information, including information on how to join: www.ictp.travel

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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