COVID-19 isn’t all bad

Harold Goodwinby Harold Goodwin

In Blog, Responsible Tourism.

COVID-19 isn’t all bad

COVID-19 maybe, for now, the new normal. But, there is some good news too.

COVID-19 is far from defeated; the pandemic remains rampant. Travel and tourism have played a significant role in spreading the virus internationally and domestically. The negative impacts on peoples’ livelihood are increasingly evident as people lose their jobs and businesses. Lockdowns come and go. Trust has become the new currency of tourism and COVID-19 the most significant determinant of demand. There are widespread reports of irresponsible behaviour by tourists; it appears to be a growing problem as people tire of social distancing and enter into a holiday spirit, sometimes fuelled by alcohol.

Racism in Travel & Tourism remains a significant issue, and we shall be addressing it at WTM London along with decarbonising aviation and the biodiversity crises. More detail of the Responsible Tourism programme at WTM in November will be announced in September. The Responsible Tourism sessions this year will be in the virtual show online on 10 & 11 November. There will be eight live panels, with the opportunity for Q & A. They include panels on decarbonising aviation, tourism and the biodiversity crisis, tourism and racism, and resilience and coping with COVID-19. There will also be a few recorded sessions.

Not all the COVID-19 news is bad. We have had over 250 entries for the World Responsible Tourism Awards this year, all of them looking for recognition for what they have done to address COVID-19. There are amongst them some truly inspiring examples of people taking responsibility, stepping up to make a difference. The Commended and Highly Commended will be announced in a virtual ceremony on November 4th. Responsible Tourism has arrived in the USA, and there are new resources on resilience and marketing to counter the pandemic. COVID-19 raises some ethical issues for travellers and some profound questions for communities and their governments about the role and volume of tourism in their places.

Harold Goodwin 11th August

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Harold Goodwin

Harold Goodwin

Harold is WTM’s Responsible Tourism Advisor, he puts together the flagship Responsible Tourism programme at WTM London which attracted 4000 participants in 2020 and the programmes run at WTM Africa, WTM Latin America and Arabian Travel Market. Harold has worked on 4 continents with local communities, their governments and the inbound and outbound tourism industry. He is Managing Director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership and chairs the panels of judges for the World Responsible Tourism Awards and the other Awards in the family, Africa, India and Latin America. Harold works with industry, local communities, governments, and conservationists and undertakes consultancy and evaluations for companies, NGOs, governments, and international organisations. He is also a Director of the Institute of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he is an Emeritus Professor, and Founder Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism promotes the principles of the Cape Town Declaration which he drafted.

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