Fair Travel - Responsible Tourism Experiences & Consulting
responsible travel consulting company based in Sweden
Summer is here people and it is time for a rest! Fair Travel will be closed from July 8th and I will report back to duty on August 12th.
Activities will kick off at full speed again in August with another very busy season with lectures, educational stuff, a few speaking gigs and a very exciting new project, to sustainably assess and develop a regional tourism destination here in Sweden!
Have a blessed Summer y’all and I’ll see you all again in August!
Jeppe
Jeppe shared the challenges and opportunities in Swedish ecotourism!
The 5th European Ecotourism Conference was organized in Tbilisi, Georgia between September 10th-14th and Jeppe was one of the invited Keynote Speakers. Jeppe represented the Swedish Nature and Ecotourism Association, and shared the history, challenges, lessons learned and opportunities from quality-assuring Swedish ecotourism through Natures Best Sweden.
The presentation was much appreciated and well-visited, with lots of questions surrounding our experience on the topic. It is obvious that certifications of ecotourism and sustainable tourism is a hot topic around the world and endless to say also in Europe.
Jeppe referred to the latest research on the topic (Research for TRAN Committee – European Tourism Labelling by European Parliament Think Tank) in his presentation, where the report addresses the multitude of available certifications as an actual threat, and where the European Commission (EC) recommends to promote GSTC recognition of standards and accreditation of certification schemes.
As the Georgian Ecotourism Association is in the process of possibly developing a new national certification on ecotourism, Jeppe was asked the question what his recommendations would be,
“Don’t reinvent the wheel and go against what the latest research has shown. Don’t start from scratch. Make use of the experiences learned from organizations like ours. Let us work together to instead further develop existing systems and “translate” it into your requirements and needs, and of course, to develop it in line with at least the minimum standards set by the GSTC. We need better certifications, not more!”
Fair Travel is closing down for the Summer!
Due to the inactivity in the market and because the need for a rest, Fair Travel will be closed from July 9th and report back to duty on August 13th. During this time things will be at a standstill but let me assure you that I’ll be back in full force with full energy!
Also worth to share is the fact that I’ve passed the exam of the PM4SD course, thus now holding a certificate in project management for sustainable development. So, bring on the sustainable tourism projects!
The PM4SD training courses have been developed to, certify competences in sustainable tourism management, to manage sustainable tourism project successfully, to transform project into concrete actions, to plan destination with sustainability, to enhance professional careers and to become a certified Project Manager for Sustainable Tourism!
Have a blessed Summer y’all!
This week is the “Almedalsveckan”, an event and meeting place in Visby, Gotland, with an unusual combination of political summit and openness. It is also associated with an informal atmosphere, intimacy, discussion, democracy, seminars and further education and training.
Jeppe was invited to participate in a panel discussion on the topic “Can we make Swedish tourism more sustainable by upscaling successful examples”. The panel discussion was organized by VISITA and included participants from Hotell S:t Clemens, Långbro Värdshus, Fazer Food Services, WWF and Chalmers University of Technology.
The discussion covered sub-topics such as food waste, sustainable travel and energy efficiency, and lasted 45 min in front of a filled courtyard with an enthusiastic audience.
Jeppe finished off with the message, “Sweden has got all the potential to become a successful and sustainable tourism destination, but in order to get there we need to respect the fact that it is a fairly young and inexperienced destination that has lots to learn. Sweden needs to learn from the successful and experienced destinations around the world but also do its homework when if comes to unsuccessful destinations. It requires cooperation and strong political leadership with cross-sector decisions in order to facilitate the maximum possibilities for this fast-growing industry. We need to be bold and we need to be brave. And we need to decide who we want to be and what sort of clients we wish to attract. We need to do this and the time is now.”
Österlens Folkhögskola, an education provider in southern Sweden, focused on adult education, is launching a new tourism course, with focus on ecotourism and nature-based tourism. The initiative is perfectly timed, as nature-based tourism and ecotourism is on the rise in Sweden, with a need for more entrepreneurs that can offer exciting ecotourism experiences in our diverse landscape.
Jeppe Klockareson has contributed to the development of the course and will also be one of the teachers, focused on sustainable development and ecotourism, making use of the diverse and long experience and knowledge of The Swedish Ecotourism Society, where Jeppe is also a board member.
“The initiative to start the course Entreprenör Ekoturism is perfectly timed. It plays an important role in the development of nature-based tourism and ecotourism. The course content are accurate, thorough and exciting. At the same time, the course focuses on the industry’s actual competence needs. The education is in it for the long run, thus a long-term investment and commitment which is exactly what we need in Sweden, where the educational system, often operate with short-term perspectives within tourism. We need to build skills, capacity and quality with long-term perspectives and commitment, which will help nature-based tourism and ecotourism grow in Sweden,” says Jeppe.
The course starts in September 2018 and you can find out more about the announcement in Swedish here.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) announce Fair Travel as its official Training Partner in the Nordic countries.
The partnership was announced at the website of the GSTC and in its Newsletter on April 26, 2018.
“I’m really happy to announce these news and to get the opportunity to further spread the knowledge and training opportunities of sustaianble tourism development in the Nordics, through an internatinally established organization and framework, like the GSTC.”
The GSTC works with Training Partners in various regions and destinations that support the GSTC’s mission to increase sustainable tourism knowledge and practice and offer the official GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training classes on behalf of the GSTC.
As a Training Partner, Fair Travel plans to deliver STTP training classes in Sweden during 2018, and will seek opportunities to expand the program throughout the Nordic Region.
Read more about the announcement here and find out more about GSTC’s Role in Sustainable Tourism here.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) announces the appointment of Jeppe Klockareson as its Country Representative in Sweden.
“Jeppe Klockareson is uniquely qualified based on his long and deep experience in – and contribution to – sustainable tourism in Sweden,” says GSTC CEO Randy Durband. “With increasing engagement and new members in Sweden, such as Region Västerbotten and others, we are delighted to have Jeppe to represent GSTC in Sweden.”
“Sweden is often perceived as a pioneer and front-runner when it comes to sustainability, which is something we take pride in,” says Jeppe Klockareson. “But when it comes to tourism, things are moving slowly and we can do so much better – both nationally (inbound and domestic tourism) and internationally (outbound tourism). The GSTC provides proven and recognized tools and trainings which can really help Sweden as a destination, to push forward and get further engagement in terms of sustainable tourism development.”
Back in April, 2017, Jeppe attended the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program in Athens, Greece and now wants to bring these trainings to Sweden. It is also imperative to convince more regions and destinations around Sweden to embrace the GSTC Destination Criteria, in order to develop more destinations in a sustainable way, similar to what’s happening globally.
Jeppe adds, “I’m quite surprised to not see more of the same in Sweden, given the fact that there has been and still is, numerous projects on a destination level, that focus on sustainable tourism destination development. The GSTC Destination Criteria is there with a proven international record, so why aren’t we using this method more over here? Instead of reinventing the wheel continuously, we can use a fully functional one and do it according to international standards.”
“My ambition is to drive this engagement at a national level and work with educations, certifications, national and regional tourism organizations and the travel trade, to showcase what the GSTC can provide,” adds Klockareson.
Read more about the appointment here and find out more about GSTC’s Role in Sustainable Tourism here.
Fair Travel is currently on Parental Leave, for the duration of January.
But, that doesn’t mean I don’t keep busy. This is myself and our son Rasmus. We spend our days doing what parents and their kids normally do. One of the things we do each day is go for a long walk in the local woodlands. It great to get away from the city and out into nature. But what’s with all the trash…
It doesn’t come as a surprise that there’s trash in nature, but it keeps getting more and more and that isn’t a surprise…it’s a real scare. Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers…this is our legacy that we leave behind for our kids and the future generations! It’s not something I see any pride in.
On every walk that we take, we bring a bag and we pick plastic, metals, glass bottles, cigarette boxes. Yes, I can agree that feels wrong to pick up after others, but if they don’t understand better, then we need to be the bigger person and do our part, for the future generations.
I believe that the best way to lead, is to be a good example. To educate and to involve. I trust my instincts on this and I hope by involving our son in this, for him to see me doing this at his early age, he will hopefully see this as the most natural thing to do. And for him to understand that garbage and waste doesn’t belong in nature, and if we see it there, we pick it up and help clean it up.
It is obvious that many seems to think that it is perfectly natural to leave our waste in nature. It isn’t. But by others leading as good examples, picking up their waste, it might be a message that will make them contemplate it further and finally tip over.
This isn’t a contest about who can pick the most discarded waste in nature and it is not a campaign to seek as many likes and shares as possible. The important underlying message here is ACTION. If you just pick up one tiny bit of plastic or a bottle or an empty beer can on your walk tomorrow, then that makes a difference. You’ve made a change!
And if you continue to do this every day, I can assure you that others will see it and others will follow.
It all starts with a small change, a small action, a small step. Take that step and let’s give our kids and future generations an inheritance to enjoy and a legacy for our generation to be proud of.
“If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you’ve never been in bed with a mosquito”
#TravelLikeYouMeanIt #PickItUpForOurKids
Ps. I’m reporting back to action full time in February 2018!
Fair Travel is no longer representing Discover Dominica
Due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria in the Caribbean back in September, Discover Dominica, through their representative in Germany, has decided to terminate the cooperation with immediate effect.
“It saddens me to see the devastation of Hurricane Maria and the effects of it on the beautiful island of Dominica. I can only hope that the island bounce back sooner than later as it needs its visitors, and the visitors needs Dominica. We’ve made some good progress in the short cooperation we’ve had so far and I certainly hope that this is only a momentary halt in our cooperation. Bless Dominica and its people.”
Jeppe Klockareson, Fair Travel
Although Fair Travel is no longer representing the destination of Dominica, you can still use the services of Wilderness Explorers to book your clients adventures in Dominica, for 2018.
Fair Travel is closing down for the Summer!
Due to the inactivity in the market and because the need for a rest, Fair Travel will be closed from July 7th and report back to duty on August 7th. During this time things will be at a standstill but let me assure you that we’ll be back in full force with full energy!
I also want to leave this message on a high note by telling you about the latest achievement of the GSTC Certificate in Sustainable Tourism!
The training program of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council is a critical part of their mission of increasing sustainable tourism knowledge and practices among tourism industry stakeholders. So it is now time to further spread the knowledge and principles of the GSTC, and to put words into action!
Enjoy the Summer y’all!