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.
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!
Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet reports about the campaign Teneriffa Buena Gente, where the locals on the islands are advised to become more friendly towards the visitors of the island. One of the most important requests is to always smile at the tourists.
The article conclude the importance of having educated employees within the tourism industry and to inform about the importance of tourism for the local economy. Could it possibly be that the reason to why the islanders aren’t smiling for the tourists, is due to them not seeing enough benefit from tourism? How involved are the locals in the monitoring of tourism on Tenerife?
Read the article in full in Swedish here.
The Guardians Sustainable Living Hub report how the World Cup mascot Fuleco fails to promote ecology and conservation in a recent article.
“There were high hopes that Brazil’s World Cup mascot would create awareness around the country’s biodiversity challenges, but he hasn’t hit the mark.”
This worldwide event has the opportunity to raise awareness and with the mascots popularity amongst kids, Fuleco should promote environmentalism.
“We live in a world where everyone tries to manipulate us – the conservation community needs to promote conservation using the same media tools that are used by others to promote the overuse of resources that are degrading habitats and driving extinction of so many species.”
Is it right to use the McDonalds philosophy, to manipulate the kids for a good cause?
Rainforest Alliance raises the issue pertaining to greenwashing in tourism and tries to explain the difference between sustainable, eco and green tourism in their latest blogpost on the Frog Blog.
“The green travel market can be difficult to navigate with so many terms being thrown around. Businesses sometimes use these terms dishonestly in an effort to appeal to a growing movement of conscientious travelers without actually having any environmentally or socially responsible policies in place.”
The post further asks the question on what “green” really means and if enough is really done within the industry today.
The post is a good effort to explain the difference between “sustainable,” “eco,” and “green” tourism, as a guide for the consumer and other stakeholders.
How much do you think about these things? Does it matter to you? Have you experienced any “greenwashing” on your travels? Feel free to share them.
Read the full post here.