A series of case studies presented at the first China Responsible Tourism Forum (CRTF) in Beijing on 16 December and a commitment to making CRTF an annual event confirmed responsible tourism is firmly on the agenda among small and medium-sized enterprises in China.
Organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in co-operation with the Organizing Committee of the China International Heritage Towns Exposition, the sold-out inaugural forum lays the foundation for future growth of responsible tourism in China. Next year’s CRTF will see the launch of the PATA China Responsible Tourism Awards.
“The highly innovative best practice case studies presented show that China is at the forefront of grass-roots responsible tourism development,” said PATA CEO Martin Craigs.
The sold out forum, moderated by CCTV Business News anchor Deidre Morris Wang, brought together more than 130 delegates from the country’s public and private sectors, as well as national and international experts in the field of responsible tourism.
Speakers at CRTF included Professor Zhang Guangrui of the Chinese Academy of Social Science, Dr Chen Xu of the China Tourism Academy, Professor Geoffrey Lipman of Greenearth.travel, Anna Pollock of DestiCorp, Peter Semone of Lanith in Laos, Mason Florence of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, and UNESCO Beijing Office Director Beatrice Kaldun.
Coinciding with CRTF was the launch of the new PATA China Board, the PATA China Beijing Chapter and first PATA Student Chapter in China at Beijing International Studies University.
The aim of this first forum was to stimulate debate between the tourism industry and government on the critical issue of responsible tourism.
“Our long-term goal is to help protect the heritage and culture of ancient towns and villages in China, (and) at the same time, carefully developing them to boost tourism and generate economic growth and employment for local communities,” said Kate Chang, Director of PATA’s China office.
Each project given in the case studies was designed to re-invigorate abandoned or neglected villages, generate new jobs through tourism, and restore and preserve ancient heritage and customs.
Source: PATA Communications
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Cambodia – Ministry of Tourism
China National Tourism Administration (CNTA)
Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA)
Myanmar – Ministry of Hotels and Tourism
Thailand – Ministry of Tourism and Sports
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT)