Green Tourism / Good Tourism

Hola! Hello!! Hallo!!!

Few weeks ago, after a long trip to Costa Rica, I went to the Fitur Green 2015 event in Madrid.

The Board program can be downloaded here. Directors and Chairs of the most important global organisations presented their researchs and reports on sustainable tourism. After their words the question round began. 

Some of the biggest hotel chains in the world were represented. Responsible staff of those chains claimed few remarkable demands to the board, in order to better identify what Green Tourism is and to better offer Susteinable Tourism to their potential customers:

- What is Green Technologies referring to Hostelry sector (apart of solar powered sanitary water or heater)?

- What should the Hotel Chains offer to attract the Green Tourist?

- How big is this piece of the cake? How many tourist are looking for sustainable tourism facilities?

Really relevant questions that were directly answered by the Board.

One of the most brilliant answers came from DR. Stefanie Pfahl, Head of Unit, Federal Ministry of Environment, Conservation. Nature, Construction and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), Germany:

"We all (subtly referring to the Hotel Chain Directors in the room) should stop thinking about the Green Tourism as a micro sector, or as a differentiated sector. Rather we must see it as the Good Tourism, hence the normal standards for a tourism related company must be equal to the sustainable tourism ones. That is the future of the tourism",

Right now, may you think about how many Golf Resorts are drying their environment?

Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainable Development, TUI Group, made a special mention to Costa Rica Government, legislation and society as a reference in what the tourism sector should become;

"To achieve a change in the mentality of the consumer we need a combination of public and privat sector synergies. Good policies come from the governments, the Government reflect the society´s wills. And in Costa Rica the Hotel Chains are aware of the importance of protecting the environment, so they are about empowering local people to give them access to the wealth and incomes generated by sustainibility."

A clear example of this goal is what places like Tortuguero (it means "Turttle Nest" in Spanish) in Caribbean Costa Rica has achieved. Before their inhabitants were hunting the turtles for their meat and eggs, as well for their shells. A good policy on environment leaded the transformation of the town´s culture. Things as "we earn more money by showing the animals in their wilderness habitat to tourists than hunting them" are the mantra of the inhabitants of Tortuguero now. Foreign investors and business accept and follow this mantra to settle their hostel in the town. The Nature is being protected and at the same time it gives local people a stable income. And that atracts a huge amount of tourist to the place!

The future of the tourism should be focused on enjoying what the place has to offer. The rare place. The wildest side of the region to visit.

In a big city like Madrid there are plenty of things to offer. But being a big Hotel Chain you must be aware about the potential of the enviroment of any city. The good tourist comes to visit museums as El Prado or Reina Sofia, to eat Tapas and see Puerta del Sol. but the good tourist also wants to know what is "beyond the city walls".

Intiatives like Hiking in Madrid "Languages & Nature" in Madrid, Spain, focus on the same philosophy. They show tourists what is the Mountain scene in Madrid, and they do it in a multicultural ambient that makes people ask for more!

You can contact them in info@hikinginmadrid.org

This post is altruistic and it just aims to share knowledge that is out there, but it may not be reacheble for everyone.

Hugo P. Lisbona sign as the author of this post, and you can get in touch with him here: contact@hugoplisbona.com