| Planeta.com's founder Ron Mader
was a speaker at the Responsible
Tourism in Cities Conference held May 6, as part of the
Indaba tourism conference in Durban.
The event was presented by The City of Cape Town in partnership
with Cape Town Tourism and South African Tourism. Media partners
include Planeta.com.
About 100 delegates attended the conference in person and there
more than 150 simultaneous virtual delegates who joined via
livestreaming video and real-time Twitter.
The Responsible Tourism in Cities Conference brought together
leaders in local government, sustainable tourism and social
media, focusing on a practical set of issues - conservation
and tourism in cities. It will help city officials, community
organizations, the private sector, academics, NGOs, activists
and other stakeholders understand some of the key issues underlying
responsible tourism in cities, and will equip them with practical
knowledge and resources to help make a positive contribution
toward implementing responsible tourism in their city destination.
Themes
The roles of city governments (local authorities) in responsible
tourism: What cities can and cannot do well with regards to
tourism, RT, and sustainability. How are city functions linked
to responsible tourism (e.g., planning, zoning, health, security,
education, etc.)? What levers are available and how can they
be used effectively? What kinds of policies can work? How long
does it take and how much does it cost?
Cities, responsible tourism and the marketplace: marketing
and selling city-based responsible tourism experiences; how
responsible tourism impacts on a destination brand; promoting
a “responsible” destination; understanding the responsible
tourism consumer in South Africa’s core target markets.
The business case for responsible tourism: What are the particular
financial issues associated with implementing responsible tourism
and adhering to responsible tourism management that are faced
by the tourism private sector? What is different about being
city-based? Are there different cost, risks or opportunities
for taking responsible action by operators and facility managers,
accommodation and service providers? What real data can we learn
from? Do investors, managers, corporates and others view the
financials of responsible tourism differently, and if so, how
and why? What does it really cost? Does responsible tourism
ever pay back in financial terms?
Effective destination-wide collaboration on responsible tourism:
who are the key stakeholders and what are the roles they can
play? What structures and mechanisms for collaboration work
well? How can communities play a more effective role? How can
academic, policy, community and business interests be coordinated
in some fashion that manifests in a high trust environment for
all?
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