At the ITB travel trade show in Berlin overtourism is hotly debated. Majorca, Venice and Berlin — they all suffer from the excesses of tourism, even though tourists are an important economic factor. At the start of a New Year plans are often made and wishes noted, including the so-called bucket-list,
For decades, the travel and tourism sector has been trying to make sustainable and responsible practices more mainstream; It shouldn’t be called sustainable tourism as a niche, but rather just tourism. I’m staring at the murky, jaundiced toilet bowl. I reach for the flush but stop and pull my hand
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) is to carry out an audit of organic food in the EU in response to growing retail sales within the sector that leaves the industry open to fraudulent organic claims. The audit is an update to the ECA’s last inspection in 2012, during which
A new study sheds light on the magnitude of microplastic pollution in our oceans. The study, published in open-access journal Frontiers in Marine Science, found microplastics in the stomachs of nearly three out of every four mesopelagic fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic — one of the highest levels globally.
The new UNESCO Global Report 2018 entitled Re|Shaping Cultural Policies is an invaluable tool for examining the progress to date of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The convention was established in 2005 and is now ratified by 146 Parties, and aims to support sustainable cultural governance, exchange and
About 2.5 billion people around the globe, including 370 million indigenous people, depend on land and natural resources that are held, used, and managed collectively. This means that one third of the world’s population is vulnerable to dispossession by more powerful actors. As stated by the “Land Rights Now” campaign,
The aim of the EU-China Tourism Year (ECTY) is to increase the number of Chinese visitors to Europe, whilst encouraging sustainable tourism and stimulating investment opportunities for Europe and China through a number of cooperative marketing campaigns. These campaigns will be funded through public-private partnerships, business summits, and around 5000
The Africa Food Prize has announced the commencement of the search for the 2018 Africa Food Prize Winner. This is a distinguished award that recognises outstanding individuals or institutions that are leading the effort to change the reality of farming in Africa from a struggle to survive to a business
Over half the world’s people now lives in cities, an extraordinary statistic given that in 1900, just over a century ago, only 10% of the population was urban. And the trend is continuing in the same direction: Predictions estimate that 75% of us will be city-dwellers by 2050. The roots of
From 1 January, Leeuwarden (The Netherlands) and Valletta (Malta) will hold the title of European Capital of Culture for one year. The opening celebrations for Valletta will take place from 14 to 20 January across the city, inspired by the traditional Maltese festa (village feast). Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, will attend
Theresa May will commit the UK to eliminating all avoidable plastic waste by 2042 as she launches the Government’s environmental plan for the next 25-years. Under the pledge waste such as the carrier bags, food packaging and disposable plastic straws that litter the country and pollute the seas would be abolished. But
THOUSANDS of initiatives and celebrations are set to begin across Europe to raise awareness of the diversity of European history and culture. The European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 has been launched this week at the European Culture Forum in Milan. The European Commission campaign puts the spotlight on the
The call for applications for the “International Award UCLG – Mexico City – Culture 21”, will stay open from 2 November 2017 to 16 March 2018. This Award aims to recognise important contributions from cities and individuals to the relation between culture and sustainable development. All Cities and Local Governments who
H.E. Ms. Eliza Jean Reid, First Lady of Iceland has been nominated as Special Ambassador for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The appointment took place at the second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture, an official event of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017,
Farm tourism opens up a whole new perspective for inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development (Isard) and provides hope for revitalizing the sector as a sunrise, if not a sunshine industry in Southeast Asia. Dr. Gil C. Saguiguit Jr., director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study
Each year on Slow Food’s anniversary, December 10, the global Slow Food network celebrates Terra Madre Day to promote local eating, agricultural biodiversity and sustainable food production. This year’s Terra Madre Day called special attention to the Menu for Change campaign, which highlights the relationship between food and climate change:
