PATA’s China Responsible Tourism Forum goes from strength-to-strength

BANGKOK – A series of outstanding case studies, presented at the 3rd China Responsible Tourism Forum (CRTF) in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan Province on 12 September, confirmed that responsible tourism is already firmly on the agenda among small and medium-sized Chinese enterprises. And Jiuzhaigou Valley National Park showed clearly that it is one of the leaders in China in terms of grassroots responsible tourism development.

“It is an honour, as Vice Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), to participate in this Forum,” said Scott Supernaw, Managing Director – International, Tauck World Discovery in the USA. “This important annual event that is now co-branded by the China-ASEAN Centre seems to have gone from strength-to-strength since it was first established by PATA China office in 2011.”

“What an incredible place to wake up in,” he added, “and we owe this to our co-hosts, the Jiuzhaigou National Park Administration, for inviting us to this magical, dreamy destination.”

According to the Director of Jiuzhaigou National Park Administration, Zhang Xiaoping, who is also Deputy President of the CPPCC Aba Prefectural Committee, the focus on developing sustainable, responsible tourism to Jiuzhaigou Valley over the past three years has helped to attract some three million tourists and generate one billion Yuan in revenues, contributing to boosting the region’s economic growth by 13 per cent.

“The travel and tourism industry plays a key role in economic development, job creation and people-to-people communications between the respective countries,” said Mr. MA Mingqiang, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre. “Statistics from China National Tourism Administration show that, in 2012, mainland Chinese travellers made a total of 9.7 million visits to ASEAN Member States, while ASEAN Member States in turn made 5.9 million visits to China.”

“On behalf of PATA, I would like to say how especially honoured and delighted we are to have the opportunity of discussing responsible tourism practices with such experts in the field,” said Mr. Supernaw, “and not least Dato’ Sri Dr.. Ng Yen Yen, Chair of the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, whose dedication to sustainable tourism development and promotion in her own country serves as a best practice example to the rest of the Asia Pacific region.”  

“We need to keep the sustainability message simple and achievable for both small and big businesses,” said Stewart Moore, CEO of EC3 Global. “Tourism as an industry has a tendency to over complicate what is a very simple concept – that is taking incremental steps to reduce the amount of energy, water and waste we create.”

Among the different case studies presented, which included the story of the making of a young social entrepreneur from Hong Kong, Freddy Law, CEO of Inter Cultural Education (ICE), panel discussions highlighting CSR practice among some of China’s leading entrepreneurs, and some innovative education and training experiences, there was clear consensus on the need for metrics and measurement in order to manage effectively and to ensure sustainable tourism.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews