Marketing Responsible Tourism? Don’t mention the ‘R’ word!
These days, many tour operators and hospitality businesses are keen to stress their 'green' credentials, and tell customers and investors that they practice forms of tourism that are variously described as 'sustainable', 'responsible', or environmentally benign. But is there a market advantage from doing so, and how can the message be presented in a way…
World Tourism Day highlights need to safeguard water resources
Today (September 27th) is World Tourism Day. To link with the 2013 UN International Year of Water Cooperation, the theme chosen to celebrate the tourism industry this year is Tourism & Water: Protecting our Common Future. The aim is to spotlight the value of water as a resource not just for direct use by tourists…
Water a constraint to hotel development
As featured on this blog by Vera Barbosa on Monday, World Water Week is currently highlighting issues in global water resources. To coincide with Water Week, the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) has published a report on water risk issues in key development areas for the hotel industry – Rio de Janeiro, Beijing and Shanghai, India's…
Beach tourism and development killing turtles: WWF India
India has a coastline of more than 8000 km which is rich in biodiversity. Apart from sustaining fishing grounds, India's coastal waters and beaches provide foraging and nesting sites for a variety of marine species, including sea turtles. Five species of sea turtles are known to inhabit Indian coastal waters and islands. But as detailed…
How do you track a bee?
Blog contributed by Bettina Carter, Plant Protection Content Editor, CABI Our honey bees are dying in large numbers, and in an attempt to understand why, scientists at the Natural Resources Institute and Rothamsted have developed an ingenious monitoring system using a technique called harmonic radar entomology. This involves attaching tiny antennae to the bees' backs to…
As Locog winds up, what is the London 2012 legacy?
Around ten months after they opened, the London 2012 Olympic Games are becoming a distant memory, but as another summer begins the efforts to ensure lasting legacies continue. An unexpected surplus in the final accounts of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) means a minor windfall for legacy projects, while yesterday…
The value of National Parks
National Parks all around the world attract many millions of visitors, help to protect habitats and wildlife, and provide areas where urban dwellers can go for a break from their normal lives. The world's first national park is generally held to be Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872 in the USA. But while parks and…
How alien species cost Europe €12bn a year
A report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) sets out the staggering cost of alien species – animals and plants brought to Europe from other parts of the world. The cost, and the threat to health and the environment, is said to be greater than expected, costing at least €12bn (£10bn) a year. More than…
International Day of Persons with Disabilities – much still to be done in travel and leisure industries
Today, Monday 3 December, has been designated International Day of Persons with Disabilities by the UN, with the theme of "removing barriers to create an inclusive and accessible society for all". While the Paralympic Games in London this summer showed just what many people with disabilities are capable of achieving, and acted as a driver…
The many challenges of wildlife tourism
Earlier this week I got to visit the World Travel Market in London: primarily a trade show in travel and tourism, there are also many seminars, presentations and panel discussions which were my reason for attending. Having recently come back from Namibia where the main tourism draw is wildlife, I was interested to attend a…