Photo by Thomas Richter on Unsplash
I publish Responsible Tourism News each month covering the major developments in Responsible Tourism.
Reputation Matters: Taking Responsibility in the face of COVID-19
Successful travel companies invest time and money in customer service to offer a quality experience knowing that repeat business and referrals are driven by people’s perceptions of the business. There are opportunities to do good, and build reputation, in the originating markets too.
The World Responsible Tourism Awards in the Year of COVID-19
It seemed inappropriate to continue with the World Responsible Tourism Awards as usual. Its is not business as usual, and the crisis is likely to continue for some time. This year the judges have decided to commend businesses and destinations which are taking responsibility and addressing the challenge of COVID-19.
Climate Change is as big a threat as COVID-19
Climate risks must be at the heart of all public policy. Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of England, has pointed out that ‘We can’t self-isolate from climate change’.
What’s in the future for Aviation?
The dependency of aviation on government bailouts creates an ideal opportunity for governments to encourage and fund a step change and to develop new technologies which could provide sustainable jobs through green technology.
The Economic Impact of COVID-19
For tourism to be possible, the lockdown has to have been lifted at the same time in the source market and the destination. And the traveller needs to be confident that their destination is safe and that there is no risk of being trapped in the destination by a lockdown in the destination or at home.
Recovery – time to press the reset button?
Confronted by the common challenge of restoring normal life without increasing infection rates, countries have responded in ways which reflect their circumstances, culture and their government structures. Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Kerala, Milan and York are all in different ways talking about pressing the reset button.
Immunity Passports?
The World Health Organization advises ‘there is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection.’ And ‘people who assume that they are immune to a second infection because they have received a positive test result may ignore public health advice. The use of such certificates may therefore increase the risks of continued transmission.’
Resilience relies on others, it cannot be achieved by tourism alone
There are only a few risks that tourism can address alone – the pandemic has demonstrated how reliant tourism is on the resilience of the source markets and destinations and the transport infrastructure.
COVID-19 will not be the end of over-tourism
Even during the lockdown in the UK there have needed to be campaigns to discourage people from visiting beauty spots.
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens wildlife too
Across Africa the closure of safari tourism, due to the coronavirus pandemic, is decimating the industry, and leading to an increase in poaching.
Read the full newsletter on The Responsible Tourism Partnership
You may also be interested in…
- Will 2020 define the future of tourism?
- The Pandemic and Tourism in Africa
- Climate Change – Flying is not the problem