We’re thrilled to announce Harold Goodwin, WTM’s Responsible Tourism Advisor as our first confirmed keynote speaker at IWINETC, 24 & 25 March 2020. Harold will deliver a talk titled The Business Advantage of Responsible Tourism.
Talk abstract
There is a strong business case for Responsible Tourism, cost reduction, market advantage and reputation. Two major consumer trends are converging to move the market in favour of Responsible Tourism businesses. Many consumers are seeking authentic experiences and they are concerned about any negative impacts, social, environmental and economic that their trip may have. Experiences on the Wine Route in South Africa and Cava Country in Catalunya will be used to illustrate how the market moves on. More and more destinations are being identified as having an overtourism problem in the news and feature pages, although rarely in the travel pages. The terroir and the natural and cultural environment are fundamental to the production and consumption of wine and food in a period when local sourcing is prized. How can businesses make the most of these market trends and avoid the problems of overtourism.
The IWINETC conference talk programme is a key draw for attendees and continues to see increased attendance year-on-year. The full programme of sessions during the 2 day-long event covers five topical content themes (Research, Marketing & Branding, Grape Escape Destination, Professional Development & Network & connect) all aimed at inspiring and educating delegates with sessions that tangibly add value to their businesses and career development.
Register to attend IWINETC 2020 here
Harold’s career in tourism began as a tour leader and special interest tour operator. He has worked on four continents with local communities, their governments and the inbound and outbound tourism industry including ABTA and the Association of Independent Tour Operators. He co-founded Responsible Travel with Justin Francis, selling his stake in the company when he moved into consultancy to avoid any conflict of interest. He took his practical experience into academia to enable to train at Masters level some of the next generation of tourism professionals and to undertake research on tourism, responsibility and local economic development.
Harold drafted the Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism in 2002, which laid the foundation of the movement. He is Managing Director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership and chairs the panels of judges for the World Responsible Tourism Awards in London and the other Awards in the family, Africa, India and new in 2020, Latin America. Harold is WTM’s Responsible Tourism Advisor, he puts together the flagship Responsible Tourism programme at WTM London which attracts 2000 participants each year, and the programmes run at WTM Africa, WTM Latin America and Arabian Travel Market.
The IWINETC 2020 two day conference and one day B2B Workshop will take place from 24 – 26 March at Stazione Marittima Conference Hall, Molo Bersaglieri 3 – 34124 Trieste Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy) and is supported by PromoTurismoFVG. Registration open. For more information, visit: www.iwinetc.com
