Blog

A European strategy to promote coastal and maritime tourism

The European Commission has  presented its new strategy to support coastal and maritime tourism in Europe. Recognising the sector’s potential for sustainable growth and job creation, the strategy outlines 14 actions to help coastal regions and businesses tackle the challenges they face and strengthen the sector’s position as a key driver of Europe’s blue economy. Despite its undoubted potential, the sector faces a number of challenges which the strategy seeks to address. These include gaps...

A new gastronomy portal from EU – http://www.tastingeurope.com/

There is no more delicious way to experience the soul of European culture, history and traditions than through its food. As you travel through Europe, you will find numerous gastronomic fairs, festivals and trails to taste the unique local products and dishes. Are you planning your holidays in Europe and are keen to know which food fairs and festivals will be around? A new gastronomic portal, which went online today, enables visitors to do just that....

Why improved beach management is important to hotel businesses and tour operators?

– Because it’s the right thing to do for coastal tourism (corporate and social responsibility); – Reputation and brand value; – Commercial advantage for beach fronted hotels; – Identifies beach risks to help hotels with tailor made actions; – Protects the tourism “product” of beach/nearshore waters. MSOLUTIONS and SUSTAINABLE SEAS in the UK have created a partnership to develop CLEANBLUE for hotels and public beaches in Europe and further afield. With med-coast possessing some of Europe’s finest...

Tourism expected to grow again in 2014, led by strong domestic and European demand

Tourism has been one of the strongholds of European economy during the recent economic crisis, and according to the results of the new Eurobarometer survey, the positive trend will continue in 2014. Only 11% of Europeans expect not to go away on holiday in 2014 because of the current economic situation, according to the results of the latest Eurobarometer survey on preferences of Europeans towards tourism published today. Four in ten Europeans plan to spend their...

Water with no transportation – WHOLEWORLDWATER

Today over 1 billion people don’t have access to clean and safe water. WHOLE WORLD Water is a Campaign designed to unite the Hospitality and Tourism Industry on a non-competitive platform to eradicate this issue. But this is much more than a fundraising initiative. It is a revolutionary way of thinking, a new way to do business designed to balance environmental, economic and societal issues.           Do you want to find...

European travellers face risks abroad – half unaware they can call “112” in emergencies in all EU countries

Most Europeans are still unsure about which number they should call in case of emergency in a foreign country. According to a Eurobarometer survey conducted at the end of January 2014, 49% of Europeans do not know they can use “112” to reach emergency services. Despite years of efforts, ignorance levels remain stuck at around 50%, including for regular travellers. The citizens most at risk are those from Greece (10%) and United Kingdom (18%). The...

Earthquake Emergency Response Procedures

During an Earthquake: If Inside: 1. Keep calm. 2. Move away from windows. 3. Use stairs, not lifts. 4. Walk; never run. 5. Stay indoors unless otherwise directed by Head Warden / Person in Charge. 6. Take cover under solid furniture or doorways. 7. Move away from anything that could fall on someone. 8. Curl into “turtle position” and protect the head. If Outdoors: 9. Stay clear of buildings and tall structures, trees, high walls,...

‘Recognized’ Global Sustainable Tourism Council Status for its Standard

To date, standards have received the GSTC-recognized status including: ·         Austrian Ecolabel for Tourism  (Österreichisches Umweltzeichen) ·         Biosphere Responsible Tourism ·         Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) for Hotels ·         EarthCheck Company Standard ·         Eco-Certification Malta ·         Ecotourism Australia’s Ecotourism Standard ·         Ecotourism Australia’s Advanced Ecotourism Standard ·         Ecotourism Ireland Certification Programme ·         European Ecotourism Labeling Standard (EETLS) ·         Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) ·         Green Glove Certification ·         Japan Environmentally Sustainable Accommodations International...

Changes to Travelife Sustainability system checklist have been announced

Travelife* has announced that is changing to an updated and improved audit checklist. The new Travelife checklist embraces the advances made in sustainable tourism and reflects new requirements and good practice. The new checklist is built on the broad themes of the old system, but is updated and more extensive in some areas. For example, there were two main sections in the previous checklist, (Environment and People), now the new checklist is broken down into...

The Ten Principles of United Nations Global Compact

The UN Global Compact’s ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption enjoy universal consensus and are derived from: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development The United Nations Convention Against Corruption The UN Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core...

Consultation on the European Tourism of the Future

The European Commission is launching this consultation to support the European Tourism of the Future The main objectives of this consultation are: better identify the key challenges and opportunities for the European tourism industry’s future; help revising, if necessary, the Action Plan for the sector adopted by the European Commission in 2010 (COM(2010)352). The European Commission is organising in parallel another consultation on ways to further reduce the regulatory and administrative burden on the sector, tourism-related...

1,087 million is the number of tourist arrivals in the world in 2013.

    1,087 million is the number of tourist arrivals in the world in 2013.  Latest data from the World Tourism Barometer released on January 20th 2014, shows that International Tourist arrivals mostly come from Europe, with 563 million people ( 52% of the world population) followed by the Asia and the Pacific ( with 248 million people, 23 %), America’s (169 million, 16%) , Africa ( 56 million, 5%) and the Middle East (52 million, 5...

Sustainable living, get involved

a. Definitions of sustainable living Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual’s or society’s use of the Earth’s natural resources and personal resources. Sustainable living is fundamentally the application of sustainability to lifestyle choice and decisions. One conception of sustainable living expresses what it means in triple-bottom-line terms as meeting present ecological, societal, and economical needs without compromising these factors for future generations.Another broader conception describes sustainable living in terms of four interconnected social domains: economics, ecology, politics and culture. In the first...

What’s Hot in 2014 Culinary Forecast

“Today’s consumers are more interested than ever in what they eat and where their food comes from, and that is reflected in our menu trends research. True trends – as opposed to temporary fads – show the evolution of the wider shifts of our modern society over time, and focus on the provenance of various food and beverage items, unique aspects of how they are prepared and presented, as well as the dietary profiles of...

Key Facts about Air quality and health

Key facts Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health. By reducing air pollution levels, we can help countries reduce the global burden of disease from respiratory infections, heart disease, and lung cancer. The lower the levels of air pollution in a city, the better respiratory (both long- and short-term), and cardiovascular health of the population will be. Indoor air pollution is estimated to cause approximately 2 million premature deaths mostly in developing countries....