| We don't have anything planned,
so nothing can go wrong.
- Spike
Milligan
Planeta.com announces an online discussion taking place the
week of May 18-22 focusing on responsible tourism around the
world.
"Since the Responsible
Tourism Conference in Belize
has been postponed until later this year, we are choosing to
conduct some discussion online across various platforms, including
Planeta.com and Web
2.0 channels including Delicious, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter
and YouTube," said Ron Mader, founder of Planeta.com.
Mader said that the discussion will be decentralized and moderated
via the policies of individual websites. Planeta
Update will spotlight key resources. Responsible
Tourism Guide will be edited several times a day.
In terms of planning, not much will be done. Borrowing the
wisdom of Spike Milligan, "We don't have anything planned,
so nothing can go wrong!" This is not the typical conference
or e-conference! Instead, the discussion will be dependent on
participants organizing themselves in productive and inspiring
ways we cannot begin to imagine. The hope is that Responsible
Tourism Week contributes broadly and deeply to the global dialogue
on responsible tourism and that it helps set up the networking
for the Responsible Tourism Conference in Belize later this
year.
"A friend asked whether the Responsible Tourism Week helps
build a stronger global constituency or whether it will build
toward the Responsible Tourism Conference in Belize this year.
My answer is yes," said Mader.
With so many different platforms, the format facilitates participation
in creative and innovative ways. Says Kurt
Ackermann, "It's really more of a call for concentrated
virtual engagement than a structured, programmatic conference.
Among the topics for discussion - supporting responsible tourism
initiatives during the economic recession, creating a code of
conduct for academics and evaluating the success of community-based
tourism operations: what are the lessons learned, what are suggestions
for making improvements. Other topics will be introduced by
participants.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Since the discussion takes part on various platforms, now
is a good time to become acquainted with Delicious, Facebook,
Flickr, Twitter and YouTube.
Tag relevant pages and tweets with the hashtag
#rtweek2009
Those interested are asking to reflect on what responsible
tourism means philosophically and via concrete actions. Shine
a light on a particular place or process.
On the ground you might want to document how responsible tourism
looks where you live. You might want to share the lessons learned
from abroad with your neighbors!
And if you'd like to write an article or suggest a link, consult
Planeta.com's Writers'
Guidelines.
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