Responsible Tourism will again feature across all four shows next year. 2022 is the 20th anniversary of the Cape Town Declaration, and at WTM Africa in April and WTM London in November, we shall have events reflecting critically on what has been achieved and where progress has been slow.
From the outset, through our panels at WTM shows and the World Responsible Tourism Awards, we have sought to identify tried-and-tested examples of efforts by businesses and destinations to increase the positive impacts of tourism and to reduce the negative by sharing good practices. The Platform for Change launched this year is designed to share and promote practical ways tourism can be used to make better places for people to live in and visit.
Throughout 2022 there will be Responsible Tourism blogs, and the Platform for Change will be populated – we shall be looking for examples of tried-and-tested ways of making tourism better from around the world.
5-7 April, WTM Latin America in Sao Paulo: Responsible Tourism panels, and the 2022 Latin America Responsible Tourism Awards will be presented
11-13 April, WTM Africa in Cape Town: Responsible Tourism panels and interviews, reflections on the Cape Town Declaration and the presentation of the 2022 Africa Responsible Tourism Awards
9-12 May, Arabian Travel Market in Dubai: Responsible Tourism panels and interviews
7-9 November, WTM London: Responsible Tourism panels and interviews, reflections on the Cape Town Declaration and presentation of the 2022 Rest of the World and Global Responsible Tourism Awards.
Exceptionally, there are 10 categories for the World Responsible Tourism Awards in 2022:
- Decarbonising Travel & Tourism
- Sustaining Employees and Communities through the Pandemic
- Destinations Building Back Better Post-COVID
- Increasing Diversity in Tourism: How inclusive is our industry?
- Reducing Plastic Waste in the Environment
- Growing the Local Economic Benefit
- Access for the differently-abled as travellers, employees and holidaymakers
- Increasing tourism’s contribution to natural heritage and biodiversity
- Conserving water and improving water security and supply for neighbours
- Contributing to cultural heritage
The 2022 Awards will open for nominations and entries on 1 December.
If you know of businesses and destinations doing good work and taking responsibility, please nominate them and encourage them to apply. The judges can only select from amongst those that apply.