| Next week we begin our 14th year
of online conferencing with the 2013
Responsible Travel Week: February 11-17.
It allows us to reflect on some of the reasons we believe in
online conferences and promote hybrid events that connect gatherings
in the natural world and online.
WHY WE HOST RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL WEEK
It creates a platform, aka venue, for colleagues and old friends.
It creates a platform, aka venue, to meet new people.
It allows us to test out the social
web.
It encourages us to create local, lofi events.
It helps us prepare for the year ahead.
It helps us reflect on the past year.
It cultivates partnerships.
It promotes Ron's paid workshops.
It models the behaviors we wish to see in others -- openness,
inclusion, collaboration.
It permits us to discuss some provocative ideas.
PROVOCATIVE IDEAS
Conservation and tourism should adopt the principles of Open
Education Resources
Conferences and trade shows should have free wi-fi and livestreaming
Awareness of the big ideas inherent in responsible travel works
best if we encourage people to create and register local
events.
TESTIMONIALS
Many thanks for the kind testimonials for Responsible Travel
Week!
Anna Pollock: Ron is one of the most consistently generous
promoters of responsible travel whose Planeta Wiki is an invaluable
and comprehensive source of information. The organisation of
Responsible Travel Week, which brings together experts and students
of responsible travel from all over the world, makes an enormous
contribution to the adoption of sustainable practices and helping
spread new ideas, techniques and skills. Ron is first and foremost
an enabler and facilitator as opposed to an empire builder and
if he didn't exist we'd have to invent him!
Andy Drumm: Ron's tireless work to promote sustainability in
tourism has been very effective in promoting and facilitating
the engagement of local practitioners to enrich a global dialogue.
Responsible Tourism Week goes from strength to strength as a
forum that successfully builds and links between the diverse
institutions and individuals building sustainability in the
tourism industry.
Joshua Berman: Ron Mader is breaking new ground with his Responsible
Travel Week 2013. He is professional, forward-thinking, and
the perfect global spokesperson for responsible tourism across
the world.
Anders Kärrstedt: Ron's hands on work with Responsible
tourism is impressive. Planeta.com, Wikiplaces and organizing
several unconferences on the subject has helped many to get
an insight what responsible tourism really is about in practice.
Small practical tips help to collaborate with other companies,
friendly invitations to participate in different events and
a lot of attention is how Ron has helped us.
Valere Tjolle: Without doubt Ron is the most determined, passionate,
inspirational and well-connected person in the sustainable tourism
world.
Marcus Bauer: For the last five years I had the privilege of
working with Ron to fuel the global movement for local travel
and responsible tourism. The Responsible Tourism Week, anually
organized by Ron, is a highlight in the calendar for everyone
interested in learning, sharing and networking about responsible
travel. Ron is not only a constant advocate for the use of social
media in and for tourism, he is also a literate and instructive
facilitator of virtual conferences and for online collaboration.
What I particularly like about Ron is that he does not restrict
his engagement to internet-lobbying. He walks out and hands-on
involves local people by introducing them to the power of social
media tools thus giving them an important voice to claim their
stake in tourism development.
Sallie Grayson: Ron's advocacy and support for "local"
and "responsible" travel is tireless - I would highly
recommend that small organisation particularly - find the tiny
fee that planeta requests for SEO support - it is well worthwhile.
if you cant find that then still join in the 2013 RT WEEK -
you will gain a lot.
Carlos Topete: Ron has organized and lead the Responsible Travel
Weeks for many years now. With the creation of the Responsible
Travel Week Ron has encourage responsible travelers from around
the world to discover local experiences and crafts by involving
local businesses as venues for events such as Cheese Night and
Chocolate Night.
Annelies Hamerlinck: Ron is one of the most inspiring and visionary
man I have come to meet so far. He has so much knowledge about
Ecotourism and is very willing to share it with the world, and
he always willing to keep learning about new media. He is definitely
an inspiration for me to run my business in the most eco-friendly
way possible. I had read and studied about Ron when I wrote
my thesis about Ecotourism a long time ago at University in
Belgium, I feel very blessed I have come to know him more and
that now he is a part of my life and professional network.
Richard Mahler: I can think of no one more capable, qualified,
or creative to organize 2013 Responsible Travel Week than Ron.
He will do an exceptional job, above and beyond the call of
duty.
Greg Hubbs: I have worked with Ron Mader on numerous occasions
as both a colleague and student in his tireless creative quest
to use social media tools in order to further the important
dialog regarding responsible travel, which is a concept we have
long advocated at Transitions Abroad and about which he has
written and contributed so very much for many years in his association
with my late father, myself, and so many other leaders in the
travel field. Ron has conducted social web workshops with us
at Transitions Abroad, which is way to not only teach and collaborate
with us using all the relevant new media tools which develop
ceaselessly, but to draw us further into participation in his
own ambitious vision.
The workshops conducted with us are merely a drop in the bucket
compared to how he synthesizes the use of social medial for
the yearly Responsible Travel week, an online conference using
all possible media, in which we have been pleased to participate
and hope to be even more active in the future. Responsible Travel
week focuses on best practices in travel and tourism around
the world and is based upon sophisticated discussions of both
the "golden rule" of travel advocated by my late father
and Ron's platinum rule of travel which center on developing
and enhancing the relationships of travelers visiting countries
or regions and host communities.
Aivar Ruukel: I have been following Ron online since early
90-ties, when he started Planeta.com first and one of the best
sources on Ecotourism inspiration and information. Once I have
had pleasure to meet Ron, when he gave a keynote on European
ecotourism conference in 2010. It was the highlight of the event.
We do collaborate online every week, and I am allways learning
from him, every now and then!"
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