Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Conference celebrating ten years of responsible tourism at Leeds Beckett
They’ll also be observing the fact that 2017 is the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development which aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behaviour towards a more sustainable tourism sector.
The all-day event, which will take place on Thursday 18 May in the Rose Bowl at City Campus, will be hosted by Leeds Beckett’s Responsible Tourism Management team. The morning of the conference will focus on practical strategies for managing the interaction between tourists and local people in destinations, with keynote speakers sharing their leading practice from Australia to Myanmar. Participants include representatives from ABTA, Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute, the Travel Foundation and Crystal Creek Meadows Eco-friendly cottages in Australia.
The afternoon is set aside for an interactive ‘Alumni Spotlight’ where ten former students will share their ‘success stories’, ‘heroic fails’ and ‘ideas on the go’. Those in the spotlight will include Vicky Smith, Jenefer Bobbin, Gerben Hardeman and Marta Mills.
Vicky will introduce the new ‘Earth Changers’ online platform which ‘offers the where, who and why to engage, educate and enable the booking of real sustainable tourism’.
Jenefer will talk about the JUST report which is a sustainability reporting service developed specifically for the travel and tourism industry, including small businesses.
Gerben will demonstrate the Carmacal Carbon Calculator tool which won the WTTC and UNWTO award for Innovation.
Marta will share the ambitions of the Transcaucasian Trail – winner of ‘The Innovation of the Year’ at the Adventure Travel Awards 2017 and the RGS-Land Rover annual (2016) ‘Go Beyond’ bursary.
Following the conference there will be an informal networking opportunity at a nearby bar.
Lucy McCombes, Research Fellow at Leeds Beckett University, said: “As both a member of staff teaching on the MSc Responsible Tourism Management course and an alumni, I am really looking forward to this event.
“The occasion marks ten years of the course at Leeds Beckett and celebrates and showcases the contribution that our students have made to pioneering responsible practice around the world. It is a great chance to catch up on inspiring work in responsible tourism within the industry and to nurture contacts and opportunities with other practitioners, professionals and students in the field.”