Written by daniel

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“Tackling  waste in tourism & events”

You worked great at reducing and better managing waste in your hotel, restaurant or events organization: congratulations! Are you now looking for a way to make your effort known? It would be a great opportunity to both inspire change in your industry, differentiate yourself from others and inspire trust of potential new customers. Which media could you try to reach out? Which award could you apply for? Which professional networks could you join? Once you followed the tips of Step 9 “Activate your communication”, use the list below to help you identify pertinent online communities.

Media:

Sustainable tourism
Tourism & events
Ecology

Other:

Labels & certifications
Professional networks
Awards

Sutainable tourism news

Find below a list of online media publishing news about sustainable initiatives in the tourism industry. They are industry-oriented which means they’re mainly targeting hotels and restaurants.

Tourism & events news

Find below a list of online media publishing news which are industry-oriented: targeting professionals of the hospitality (hotels), food & beverage (restaurants) and MICE (acronym for Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions) industries.

Ecology news

Find below a list of online media publishing general news around sustainability and ecology (not specific to tourism & events).

Labels & certifications

If you’re looking for a global framework to define sustainable tourism, you can check out the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) criteria. The GSTC doesn’t certify tourism organizations, but they serve as an international body to recognize/accredit some of the certification companies/associations around the world. Find below a list of those certification entities sorted out by alphabetical order.

We listed above international certifications & labels, but some countries have their own national programs (which can be public or privately owned) such as Costa Rica (CST), Chile (Sello S), Mexico (Ecoturismo Certificado), UK (GTBS), Ireland (Ecotourism), Italy (Legambiente Turismo), Slovenia (Green Scheme), Germany (Viabono), Austria (Das Österreichische Umweltzeichen), Switzerland (Ibex fairstay), Malta (Eco certification), Kenya (EcoTourism Kenya), Namibia (Eco Awards), Australia (EcoTourism Australia)…

Most certifications are not really known by travelers (BtoC), but some are by travel agencies (BtoB), and they can help you with achieving more sustainability. They represent an opportunity to join a global network and exchange best practices. Though it will be your job to activate communication around the fact that you’ve been certified. It always inspires more trust to know that a third-party actually had a look at what you’re doing. Use it as a good eason to reach journalists and tell your story!

Have a look at this guide put together by DestiNet: “A Guide Through the Label Jungle 2016”

Professional networks

Choose to join one or several professional networks pertinent to your business. It’s a great opportunity to connect with their community. Most of them offer the possibility to publish news or best practices posts on their blogs that they’ll relay in their social media.

International:

Latin America:

Asia-Pacific:

  • PATA: Pacific Asia Travel Association

Africa:

Europe:

  • Earth: European Alliance of Responsible Tourism and Hospitality
  • NECSTouR: Network of European Regions for Sustainable and Competitive Tourism

France:

  • ATD: Acteurs du Tourisme Durable
  • ATR: Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable
  • ATES: Association pour le Tourisme Équitable et Solidaire

Awards

Find below a list of awards to which you could apply to make your effort towards a more “sustainable tourism” known:

Anything missing? Let us know, we’ll be happy to add the update!

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