Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on March 7th, 2008
by Pincas Jawetz (PJ@SustainabiliTank.com)
From: sniffenj at un.org UNEP PRESS RELEASE
Subject: Holidays for a Living Planet — UNEP launches ‘Green Passport’ campaign at Berlin Tourism Fair
Date: March 7, 2008
Holidays for a Living Planet — UNEP launches ‘Green Passport’ campaign at the big Berlin Tourism Fair.
BERLIN/NAIROBI, 7 March 2008 – Green travel tips for the world’s growing
number of international tourists were launched today by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP).
The internet-based campaign, “Green Passport”, aims to raise tourists’ awareness of their potential to
contribute to sustainable development by making responsible holiday choices.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said: “Tourism, the world’s biggest industry is booming. By 2020, the number of international arrivals by air and by sea could reach 1.6 billion annually.
“This growth brings the prospect of income and economic development to
countless tourist destinations in rich and poor countries alike. The
challenge is to manage this growth sustainably. Governments have a key role
to play, but so too do individuals and families when planning and going on
holiday”, he said.
“Many consumers are now making green domestic choices from sourcing
electricity from renewable sources and choosing eco-friendly investments up
to buying leaner and greener cars. Packing a ‘Green Passport’ along with
airline tickets, the swimming costume and the sun lotion means tourists no
longer need to leave their green credentials at home but can make them part
of the holiday of a life-time”, added Mr. Steiner.
Stefanos Fotiou, head of UNEP’s tourism unit, said: “By browsing the ‘Green
Passport’ web site consumers will be able to find practical tips to help
them reduce their environmental and social footprint while they are on
vacations. Tourists will discover that traveling green is not as hard as
they imagined.”
In 2007, international tourist arrivals reached nearly 900 million and by
the end of the decade this number is expected to reach more than 1 billion.
As tourist numbers grow, so will their demand for energy, water, and
natural resources to support their holidays.
“There are some encouraging signs in terms of market response to the
problem. Tourists are increasingly expressing concern about the quality of
the environment at their holiday destinations”, said Fotiou. “However,
there is clearly a gap to fill in order to shift from discussions on
responsible holidays to concrete actions.” - 2 -
The new UNEP campaign will provide information to tourists to help them
prevent some of their impacts by avoiding certain behaviors that greatly
affect the environment and society. The green travel tips are addressing
all the holiday’s cycle, from travel planning and packaging to the way back
home. For example, the campaign encourages tourists to:
* Choose responsible service providers
* Reduce the consumption of energy while on the road or in their hotel
* Buy locally made and environmentally friendly souvenirs
The campaign has been launched by UNEP, jointly with and the French
Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning, and the
Brazilian Ministries of Environment and Tourism. It is an initiative of the
International Task Force on Sustainable Tourism Development, firmly rooted
in the move to accelerate a global shift towards sustainable consumption
and production (SCP) that emerged from the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD), held in Johannesburg in 2002.
The ‘Green Passport’ web site is one outcome of this process. The web site,
developed in English, Portuguese and French, together with additional
communication tools (website and leaflet/brochure), is now available for
dissemination by new partners to raise awareness in the tourism community.
For more information, please visit: www.unep.fr/greenpassport
and contact:
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of Media, in Nairobi, on
+254-733-632755, when traveling +41-79-596-5737 or E-mail:
nick.nuttall at unep.org
Or Anne-France White, Associate Information Officer, on +254-20-762-3088,
mobile: +254-728-600-494, or e-mail: anne-france.white at unep.org
Or Robert Bisset, UNEP Spokesperson in Europe, on tel: +33-1-4437-7613,
mobile +33-6-2272-5842, or email: robert.bisset at unep.fr
**********************************
Jim Sniffen
Information Officer
UN Environment Programme
New York
tel: +1-212-963-8094/8210
info at nyo.unep.org
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Posted in Reporting From the UN Headquarters in New York, Green is Possible, European Union, Germany, Futurism, Nairobi, Eco Friendly Tourism
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