Pacific Asia Travel Association to partner the 5th IIPT African Conference

STOWE, Vermont, USA: The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has agreed to be a partner in the 5th International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) African Conference.

STOWE, Vermont, USA: The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has agreed to be a partner in the 5th International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) African Conference. The theme of the conference is: Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change to Tourism in Africa and the Developing World.

The conference is being hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, and Natural Resources, Republic of Zambia, and will be held from April 3-8, 2011 in Livingstone, Zambia, in support of the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Said Greg Duffell, CEO, PATA: โ€œPATA has always supported and encouraged environmentally responsible travel, as has IIPT. We expect that this conference will address key areas of concern that the effects of climate change bring upon Africa and the developing world โ€“ which have historically been the least contributors of global warming to the planet.โ€

While announcing the partnership, Louis Dโ€™Amore, president, IIPT, said: โ€œPATA has long been a leader in promoting sustainable tourism beginning with its introduction of the โ€˜GreenLeaf Programโ€™ in the early 1990s โ€“ one of the industryโ€™s very first set of sustainable tourism guidelines. Since its inception some sixty years ago, the association has been advocating tourism that is socially, culturally, and environmentally responsible. We are honored to have PATA as a partner in this milestone event.โ€

PATA joins with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as a partner in the conference. UNWTO Secretary General, Dr. Taleb Rifai, will be a featured keynote speaker of the conference and other speakers will be announced shortly.

Climate change is a major threat to sustainable growth and development in Africa and the entire developing world. Although Africa and other developing nations are least responsible for climate change, they are particularly vulnerable to the effects.

The 5th IIPT African Conference will seek to identify actual “on-the-ground” progress since the UNWTO 2007 conference, with case studies of “Best Practices” from each of the developing regions of the world and from governments, destinations, industry sectors, NGOs, researchers/academics, and the media.

IIPT welcomes nominations for models of best practice from developing countries, the private sector, and NGOs. Please send your suggestions to Louis Dโ€™Amore, email: [email protected]. Participants in the conference will include senior representatives from both the public and private sector, UN agencies, NGOs, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and leading academics.

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