wtma-blog

July 6, 2021

What can I do to travel sustainably?

Research shows that travellers and holidaymakers want to travel sustainably and look for businesses and destinations that take responsibility for providing them with those opportunities. 48% say they find it ... Read more

June 22, 2021

Why Sustainable Tourism Failed

Blog, Responsible Tourism

This is a guest post written by John Swarbrooke. Way back in 1998, John published the seminal text on Sustainable Tourism Management, and it is still in print. It has, for ... Read more

April 17, 2020April 18, 2020

10 Best Africa Wildlife Documentaries

Blog

by Tania De Kock Source: Rhino Africa You’ve binge-watched and rewatched all the movies you can find. Now what? Well, there’s nothing quite as thrilling as watching the best Africa wildlife ... Read more

April 14, 2020

How Rhino Africa is Navigating Covid-19

Blog

Thought Leadership with David Ryan & Grant Rapaport Over the past few days, a number of people have been asking us for our view, in addition to how we at Rhino ... Read more

April 7, 2020

The Judges’ Reasons: 2020 Inspirational Africa Responsible Tourism Awards

Blog

The African Judges Awards in 2020 These awards are rare and are used to recognise businesses which achieve in multiple categories and have been recognised by different panels of judges. Africa has ... Read more

April 7, 2020August 12, 2020

COVID-19, Resilience and keeping in touch

Blog, Resilience, Responsible Tourism

When the post-mortems begin to be done on the different ways the pandemic was handled in different countries we shall learn a great deal about what works and what doesn’t. ... Read more

March 18, 2020

UNWTO REINFORCES ITS SUPPORT FOR AFRICA TOURISM LEADERSHIP FORUM & AWARDS

Blog, Events

Johannesburg, Tuesday, 17 March, 2020 – Over the past fews years, Africa Tourism Leadership Forum has become one of the continent’s leading main driver behind the call-to-action for increase on ... Read more

March 3, 2020

Meet the makers of Indlovu ‘elephant dung’ gin – ‘possibly the most unique gin in the world’

Blog, Food Tourism

Last year, scientists and ‘Gin’preneurs, Dr Les Ansley and his wife Professor Paula Ansley, launched the world’s first elephant dung-based gin. Under the guidance of ‘gin master’ Roger Jorgenson they ... Read more

February 24, 2020February 24, 2020

What if our trains had a bit more jazz? Disco? Or foot baths?

Responsible Tourism

Early this July, the Jazz Night Express will take a trainload of passengers from Rotterdam to Berlin. Along the way passengers will be able to enjoy live jazz acts, spoken ... Read more

February 4, 2020

Carbon Offsetting: Too good to be true?

Responsible Tourism

56 businesses and individuals working in tourism have joined Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency accepting that this “requires immediate and radical action by our governments, our industry and our business.” ... Read more

January 30, 2020

How the hospitality sector could get vegetarian food right (by a meat eater)

Responsible Tourism

My vegetarian wife says that when I met her 15 years ago I pretended to be a vegetarian to impress her. She says I was pretending, because within months of ... Read more

January 21, 2020

Walking & Talking in India

Responsible Tourism

I am writing this in Binsar, in the foothills of the Himalaya in Uttarakhand. I was Delhi for the presentation of the India Responsible Tourism Awards, I took the train ... Read more

January 17, 2020January 20, 2020

Time for something different…

Responsible Tourism

This New Years Eve, a group of friends and I were having dinner. At someone’s prompting, we all shared our five favourite moments of 2019. Two things stood out. First, ... Read more

January 7, 2020

The Cost of Greenhouse Gases

Responsible Tourism

There is little doubt that, assuming war does not break out, that climate change will be the dominant story of 2020. COP 25 was, to say the least, disappointing. The ... Read more

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019

What were the key headlines for tourism’s sustainability in 2019? Here’s 55 of them…

Responsible Tourism

I reckon the sustainability of tourism has been in the headlines more in 2019 than ever before. So for my final blog of the year, I have gathered 55 of ... Read more

December 11, 2019December 11, 2019

Kerala has been hit by flooding, a resilience challenge well beyond the capacity of tourism to address

Responsible Tourism

At best, the tourism sector can address its own resilience. We often hear talk about the resilience of a destination, its ability to bounce back from adverse circumstances. In the ... Read more

December 4, 2019December 4, 2019

Tourism, Climate Change (and why I feel like a fraud)

Responsible Tourism

Most people I know suffer from imposter syndrome. Most of us believe that any second now, we’ll be found out as frauds, hypocrites, or simply as completely out of our ... Read more

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019

Resilience requires that travel and tourism prepare for the worst

Responsible Tourism

We are failing to reduce and mitigate – resilience requires that we adapt. We have not even begun to slow the rate of growth in greenhouse gas emissions Ahead of ... Read more

November 25, 2019

What should Extinction Tourism look like?

Responsible Tourism

“The Bramble Cay melomys was a little brown rat,” said the director for the Wilderness Society, Tim Beshara. “But it was our little brown rat and it was our responsibility ... Read more

November 20, 2019November 20, 2019

Russian tourism to GCC worth $1.22 billion by 2023, says ATM report

Arabian Travel Market, Press Releases

UAE will witness highest growth with total Russian tourism spend estimated to reach US$1.153 billion by 2023, followed by Saudi Arabia and Oman New buyer forums and networking events at ... Read more

November 12, 2019

Future Proofing Travel and Tourism

Responsible Tourism

At World Travel Market, London this year the focus on World Responsible Tourism Day was on the challenge of decarbonising our industry. Carbon emissions from our fossil-fuelled economies are causing ... Read more

November 6, 2019

GOING WILD FOR TANZANIA’S WILDLIFE

Uncategorised

As our small plane approaches the Kogatende airstrip in Tanzania’s Northern Serengeti, we’re on the edge of our seats. We just flew over the majestic and active Ol Doinyo Lengai ... Read more

November 4, 2019November 4, 2019

A lady at the helm – City Sightseeing’s First Female Skipper

Press Releases

City Sightseeing, the company who operate the iconic Red Buses and the red harbour and canal cruises in the V&A Waterfront are delighted to congratulate one of their our own ... Read more

October 25, 2019October 30, 2019

The Hard – Hitting, How Many Elephants Exhibition will be Showcased in the Responsible Tourism Cafe at WTM London

Responsible Tourism

Do you love adventure? Does African wildlife inspire and amaze you? Do you want your children’s children to be able to see wild elephants? Yes? You sound a lot like ... Read more

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019

Should Tourism Declare a Climate Emergency?

Responsible Tourism

On 5 December 2016, the Australian city of Darebin, a municipality in the suburbs of northern Melbourne, was the first place in the world to declare a climate emergency. Since ... Read more

October 22, 2019

SA looks to China and Japan to grow arrivals

Blog, Economy, Incentive Travel

As South Africa intensifies its efforts to grow arrivals from the Asia Pacific region, Minister of Tourism Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane is scheduled to visit China and Japan, two of South Africa’s key ... Read more

October 15, 2019

WTM London Responsible Tourism Programme 2019

Responsible Tourism

This year at WTM London, we are addressing some of the major sustainability challenges and asking who can do what about them. We need businesses and destination governments to step ... Read more

October 10, 2019November 29, 2019

From the CEO – John Tanzella: Strengthening South African Connections

Blog, LGBT

For many world travelers, including me, South Africa is a favorite destination. Its major cities—Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg—are rich in culture and ripe for discovery. Along with the frequent ... Read more

October 7, 2019November 18, 2020

Turn Flightshame to your advantage – Promote train travel

Responsible Tourism, Responsible Tourism, Social Media

A friend of mine called last week for holiday advice. It’s not the first time someone has done this, but it is the first time that a friend has done ... Read more

October 1, 2019

Emerging Leaders in Responsible Tourism

Responsible Tourism

We announced the finalists in the 2019 World Responsible Tourism Awards two weeks ago, they will be presented with Gold or Silver Awards at WTM London on November 6th, and one of ... Read more

September 2, 2019September 11, 2019

Ecotourism: the What, Where and How

Adventure, Blog, Trends

The International Ecotourism Society defines ECOTOURISM as the following: “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education”. ... Read more

August 28, 2019November 18, 2020

Shambala Festival: What tourism should do next

Responsible Tourism, Responsible Tourism, Social Media

To imagine what tourism should do next in my ongoing quest for ‘tourism’s new stories’, I found that the Shambala Festival is one of the best examples around

August 15, 2019September 11, 2019

Saving the Rhino – a worthy campaign close to all our hearts

Blog, Trends

If this is news to you, you must have been living under a rock for the last 6 years or so! Saving the Rhino’s has become a ubiquitous phrase for ... Read more

August 5, 2019October 8, 2019

Tourism needs new stories

Carbon & Water, Social Economy

Across Europe, the beginning of August signifies the beginning of the long summer holiday. Children are all off school for several weeks. Parliaments shut for a while. Stuck for anything ... Read more

July 25, 2019September 11, 2019

WATER: Our Dwindling Resource

Blogging

I’m sure most of you think Cape Town when you think of a drought crisis. Think again. South Africa is facing a water crisis across the country, as is the ... Read more

July 2, 2019July 2, 2019

Tourism is not working. And that’s a good thing.

Responsible Tourism, Social Economy

Most of our time is defined by work. It is how we afford the things we need and want. But more than that – it’s assumed as a measure of ... Read more

June 25, 2019June 25, 2019

The industry needs to focus on implementing solutions: WTM London & the Awards

Responsible Tourism

As the sector bumps up against the limits to growth in a finite world, we need to focus on solutions. From global warming to overtourism, from flooding and potable water ... Read more

June 21, 2019

A Spotlight on the High-Spending Chinese Tourists

Luxury

There is a Chinese proverb that goes, “When the wind of change blows, some build walls, while others build windmills.” When you’re in the tourism and travel industry, you know ... Read more

June 19, 2019June 19, 2019

Why every tourism company should join the new Climate Perks holiday scheme

Responsible Tourism

Climate Perks is a new pilot scheme that has just been launched by 10:10, the UK-based climate solutions NGO. As its new website explains, “Climate Perks employers offer paid ‘journey ... Read more

June 4, 2019June 4, 2019

What can tourism learn from other industries?

Responsible Tourism

Not a lot apparently. Next week is the annual Responsible Business Summit Europe. Organised by Ethical Corporation, it brings together senior executives from some of the biggest companies in the ... Read more

May 28, 2019

Why the Doughnut is a Problem for Tourism

Responsible Tourism

It is official. Yesterday the 34-member Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) determined that we have now entered, in geological terms, the Anthropocene: the Age of Man. The group is still to ... Read more

May 23, 2019

Realising Augmented Reality’s potential

Social Media

On September 1, the Cranborne Chase will launch an app using augmented reality to promote its wares. It’s an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AoNB), largely in West Wiltshire and ... Read more

May 21, 2019May 23, 2019

My four least favourite phrases that tourism should stop using

Responsible Tourism, RT Marketing

Last Friday, the Guardian newspaper announced that it was updating its style guide “to introduce terms that more accurately describe the environmental crises facing the world.” The paper’s editor Katherine ... Read more

May 17, 2019May 17, 2019

How Can Travel Brands Make Things More Personal For Luxury Travellers?

Luxury

When talking about travel trends, ‘experience’ has been the keyword in trends across the travel industry. As a whole, consumers are choosing to spend on things that enhance their lives ... Read more

May 14, 2019May 16, 2019

Tourism can be a force for good on biodiversity

Responsible Tourism

Just yesterday we heard that Victor Vescovo had descended some 11km to the deepest place in the ocean, the deepest dive ever. He discovered new species of prawn-like crustaceans and ... Read more

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019

ITTA Awards prove they are the Industry Stamp of Approval

Blog

Shortly after the International Travel & Tourism Awards (ITTAs) evening last year, we reached out to all the winners as we wanted to find out if winning an award meant ... Read more

May 7, 2019May 16, 2019

The week when everything changed

Carbon & Water

I wanted to write about May Day. I wanted to write about working less and remaking our connection to the earth. I really didn’t want to write about climate change. ... Read more

April 30, 2019May 16, 2019

The aviation industry is our sector’s Achilles’ heel.

Responsible Tourism

Last week the UK’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, Michael Gove, admitted that “we have not done nearly enough” on man-made climate change. Gove went on, “Suddenly in the ... Read more

April 29, 2019May 3, 2019

Saudi Arabia’s Tourism; Mega Projects and a New Vision of Openness to the World

Blog

Dubai’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is an opportunity to promote Saudi Arabia’s tourism products, services and destinations, as well as its tourism investment opportunities. The annual world-renowned event also contributes ... Read more

April 25, 2019April 25, 2019

Uber + Zoom: great employee experiences, good for business too

Blog

How to build a future-proof travel policy Is your company travel policy prepared for changes in traveler trends and tech? For travel managers, the day-to-day responsibility of managing a travel ... Read more

April 25, 2019

Facing down challenges and seizing opportunities in the airline business

Aviation

The airline industry has always faced its share of challenges. The key to survival is a rigorous management of costs whilst being versatile in adapting to shifts in market conditions ... Read more

April 22, 2019May 16, 2019

How should tourism mark Earth Day 2019?

Responsible Tourism

This Monday – April 22, is Earth Day. It’s the 49th anniversary of the event, first celebrated in 1970. And this year, the theme is “Protect our Species”. What should ... Read more

April 18, 2019April 18, 2019

Making A Difference In The World With International Marine Volunteers

Blog

At International Marine Volunteers our mission is to inspire our volunteers to make a difference in the world around them by providing them with life-changing opportunities and experiences, and creating ... Read more

April 17, 2019April 25, 2019

5 new and luxurious resorts that encourage the indulgent

Luxury

Unlike hotels where guests can sometimes book nights out of necessity, resorts are an entirely different business wherein guests book simply because they want to indulge. From equine therapy to ... Read more

April 16, 2019May 16, 2019

Carbon moves up the political agenda – action is overdue

Responsible Tourism

The strikes by school children demanding government action in climate change are growing, reflecting the next generation’s concern about the impact on their future, as they become voters expect to ... Read more

April 11, 2019

Connecting South Africa to unveil its hidden tourism gems By Dr. Nomvuselelo Songelwa

Blog

Today’s travellers are looking increasingly for the ‘perfect’ and ‘authentic’ travel experience to share with their friends and followers on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube. But finding these unique and hidden ... Read more

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019

Marketing to the modern Muslim traveller

Halal Tourism, Trends

While some Halal tourism networks showcase outstanding promotional services to their audiences, many travel professionals still struggle to address their Muslim travellers’ needs. A panel of thought leaders in the ... Read more

April 10, 2019May 16, 2019

Netflix’s new David Attenborough series Our Planet shows us what tourism’s future might be

Responsible Tourism

“Hamstrung by the idea that any mention of eco-problems would make audiences switch off, and the broadcasters’ preferred strategy of hoping that sharing incredible sights around the world would inspire ... Read more

April 4, 2019April 4, 2019

Halal Tourism Becomes Mainstream

Halal Tourism, Trends

Halal tourism is amongst the fastest developing sectors in the travel industry, gradually becoming more conventional. Global travel companies are thus implementing business models to be included into this growing ... Read more

April 3, 2019May 13, 2019

The Painting of Money Grabbing Influencers

Blogging

If influencer bashing had begun a while ago, we’re certainly in full swing now. Only if you’d been sleeping under a rock (or in one of those deluxe Fyre festival ... Read more

April 2, 2019May 16, 2019

2019 World Responsible Tourism Awards are now open

Responsible Tourism

Beware of Greenwash – Why Awards Matter. The World Responsible Tourism Awards open today for nominations. The judges can only choose from amongst those that apply. So, if you know ... Read more

April 1, 2019

Thula Thula Exclusive Private Game Lodge

Luxury

Rediscover Nature in great style and true to the African safari camp of a past era at the Thula Thula Luxury Tented Camp, where the peaceful essence of the African ... Read more

March 27, 2019May 16, 2019

Success of Rent a Finn and Palau Pledge campaigns show how sustainable tourism stories can work

Responsible Tourism

Some good news for a change. Two high profile marketing campaigns, for two very different destinations, show the time is increasingly right for stories about sustainability to inspire. For a ... Read more

March 26, 2019March 26, 2019

Shaping the Luxury Travel Experience for a New Generation

Halal Tourism, Trends

As current children under the age of 18 are capable of booking holidays on their own, the access to digital technology has made children sharper and more advanced than ever ... Read more

March 21, 2019May 13, 2019

Will Instagram let us shop for travel?

Social Media

Instagram has taken another step forward in becoming a key marketplace for people to buy things. This week the company announcemenced the rollout of something called Instagram Checkout, which will ... Read more

March 20, 2019March 20, 2019

How luxury hotel brands cater to female travellers

Luxury

March is a month that celebrates women. It is Women’s History Month, an annual commemoration to highlight the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. On top ... Read more

March 20, 2019March 20, 2019

Why should the hospitality industry care about sustainability?

Hospitality

“Sustainability” is the word on everybody’s lips these days, and not without reason. Far from being just another passing online trend, sustainability – or the lack thereof – is having ... Read more

March 19, 2019May 16, 2019

Why the WTM World Responsible Tourism Awards Matter

Responsible Tourism

In a crowded market place it’s important to stand out from the crowd. WTM’s World Responsible Tourism Awards enable you to do just that. In a market place where increasing ... Read more

March 19, 2019March 19, 2019

Marketing to Female Travellers in the Middle East

Halal Tourism, Trends

Upon the recent news that women make 80% of all travel decisions, the future of travel certainly appears to be female. But how do travel professionals speak up and get ... Read more

March 14, 2019March 14, 2019

Thailand is paving a sustainable, responsible tourism path that’s both admirable and effective

Destinations

Thailand is making moves in the right direction to protect its vast natural and scenic beauty, having instigated a range of environmental initiatives and green-minded programmes in different industry and ... Read more

March 12, 2019May 16, 2019

Why tourism should support the Children’s Climate Strike this Friday

Responsible Tourism

A wave of climate protest is sweeping the planet, and those of us working in tourism would do well to reflect quickly on how it will impact our industry, and ... Read more

March 7, 2019May 13, 2019

The rise of the influencer in residence

Social Media

“What is work, Mummy?” “Oh it was just something we used to do before AI and robots started doing everything for us, darling.” “And what did you do?” “Oh I ... Read more

March 7, 2019March 18, 2019

Popular metrics to increase sales in the travel industry

Trends

Day by day the travel industry is improving and people are learning about more features and innovations that they didn’t know before. Technology makes the daily technical processes easier, but ... Read more

March 6, 2019March 6, 2019

From the Cradle of Humankind to the Cradle of Human Culture

Blog, Press Releases, WTM Africa

Wesgro’s Destination Marketing Unit in partnership with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT), the provincial Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) and the Cradle of Humankind World ... Read more

March 6, 2019March 6, 2019

Emirates – a new direction?

Aviation

As ATM 2019 rapidly approaches, I’m delighted to say that Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates, will be our first guest for the aviation programme. Sir Tim’s words are always ... Read more

March 5, 2019May 16, 2019

Going Beyond Trickle Down or Creating Shared Value

Development

In the Responsible Tourism Awards each year we see many examples of businesses which have made real efforts to benefit local communities by sourcing goods and services in the local ... Read more

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019

Top 5 destinations for food around the world in 2019

Food Tourism

Just two months into 2019 and it’s clear to see that food travel is well and truly on the menu for this year’s travel agenda – and it’s here to ... Read more

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019

From adventure to art, Cape Town offers it all

Adventure

From adventure to art, there is never a dull moment in the Mother City. One of the unique features of Cape Town is that it allows the tourist a variety ... Read more

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019

What’s on in February in Cape Town

Events

February in Cape Town means long summery evenings and plenty of fantastic events. So get out there and celebrate summer in style! Here are a few of our top picks ... Read more

February 27, 2019May 16, 2019

Four questions for tourism businesses about climate change risk

Responsible Tourism

This blog takes a different approach to normal, because when it is 20 degrees on a February morning in London, apparently the hottest February day ever in the UK, things ... Read more

February 26, 2019February 26, 2019

Popular honeymoon destinations in the Middle East & Asia

Destinations, Halal Tourism, Trends

They say that love is the food of life, and travel is the dessert. If that is to be believed, then it means that honeymoon (the dessert after the wedding) ... Read more

February 22, 2019February 22, 2019

2019: the year of Culture Trip?

Social Media

SIT back and enjoy the films. No, not The Oscars silly, but a series of travel shorts from Culture Trip, the media company promising to shake up travel. Consciously being ... Read more

February 19, 2019February 20, 2019

Climate Change, people are demanding action, but will governments act in time?

Responsible Tourism

This year we are focussing on climate change and carbon emissions at all tour WTM shows. Some of you will recall the stark presentation made by Professor Kevin Anderson at ... Read more

February 18, 2019February 18, 2019

The importance of native language reviews and trusted sites for Middle Eastern travel consumers

Destinations, Halal Tourism, Trends

The world of travel content is as vast as the globe itself. Newspaper and magazine articles, blogs and vlogs, influencers’ social media posts, TV documentaries, radio podcasts – and not ... Read more

February 14, 2019

Most Romantic Luxury Hotel Amenities

Luxury

“Roses are red, violets are blue. Love is in the air, bring out the fondue.” It’s the month of love, and whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, I think ... Read more

February 12, 2019

Using tourism to give people the benefits of time in nature

Responsible Tourism

At the beginning of this month, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) published a series of detailed maps revealing that 36% of England’s population live too far away from ... Read more

February 11, 2019August 18, 2020

SEO overload: The rise of the machine is killing your blog

Blog, Blogging, marketing

Cast your mind back… Do you remember the reason you started blogging in the first place? Maybe it was because you wanted to publish your words and experiences, to help ... Read more

February 8, 2019February 8, 2019

Facebook messaging integration: is dark social going to get brighter?

Social Media

Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are a shady place. Lots of stuff gets shared around in these private places. That’s kind of annoying if you work in ... Read more

February 5, 2019

Responsible Tourism in India

Responsible Tourism

I was privileged to spend last week in India, first in Kerala and then in Delhi, for the 4th India Responsible Tourism Awards – one of the family of awards ... Read more

January 30, 2019

Malta’s transformation

Winter 2018 Magazine

A good spread of traveller types, source markets and seasons are the aims of most destinations, and Malta offers something of a masterclass in what’s possible, with a decade of ... Read more

January 29, 2019February 1, 2019

How tourism can remove single waste plastic from its supply chain

Responsible Tourism

“Gradually, then suddenly”. It’s how a character in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, describes how he went bankrupt. I was unaware of the phrase until last week. Yet when ... Read more

January 28, 2019

Long haul budget airline sector

Winter 2018 Magazine

It was a bold move, but Primera Air’s venture into low-cost long-haul will surely be recorded as the shortest-lived attempt to break into the market. From waving off the first ... Read more

January 28, 2019

Blippar stops trading: the long wait for AR and VR to become a reality

Social Media

ANOTHER new year, another debate on whether virtual and augmented reality will become, well, a reality. Not delivering on what’s been promised, gimmicky ideas, a focus on escapism – a ... Read more

January 25, 2019

The Luxury of Solo Travel

Luxury

Solo travel is on the rise across all markets, and you would have to be living under a rock not to notice it. Open any of your favourite social media ... Read more

January 22, 2019January 22, 2019

The Orphanage Business

Responsible Tourism

Way back in 2011 the issue of orphanages in Cambodia was raised by Michael Horton during one of our Responsible Tourism sessions at WTM London. Michael reported that tourism was ... Read more