This month Sustainable Travel International began a Rapid Sustainable Destination Diagnostic for Roatán, Bay Islands in Honduras. The assessment is a collaboration with the Honduras Ministry of Tourism and the Geotourism Council of Roatán.

As the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI)’s partner on destinations, this is Sustainable Travel International’s second destination sustainability evaluation in Mesoamerica, following recent efforts in Isla de Cozumel, Mexico.

Seleni Matus, Sustainable Travel International’s VP of Latin America and the Caribbean, began the process by conducting stakeholder consultations with 40 key leaders and leading organizations from government, private sector and civil society. The primary objective of this initial phase was to gather information about Roatán’s current performance on 80 internationally verified and vetted indicators for sustainable destinations. The diagnostic will provide Roatán with a panoramic view of its destination management efforts.

The diagnostic process has achieved high-level buy-in from central and local government. The Governor of Roatán, together with the Mayors of the Municipalities of Roatán and Santos Guardiola and Roatan’s representative of the National Tourism Council, have given the project their full support. Honduras’ Vice-Minister of Tourism, Syntia Solomon Bennett, commented, “Roatán is one of our country’s premier destinations. We are thrilled to support this diagnostic process which will help us to identify priorities for ensuring the long-term viability of the island’s tourism sector.”

In July, the team will present and validate the results of the diagnostic to stakeholders in  Roatán. They will then facilitate a workshop focused on the development of a collaborative action plan that is responsive to the destination’s priorities.

To learn more about the Rapid Sustainable Destination Diagnostic, please visit our website

Senior Associate, Destinations
Job Type: Project based contractor
Location: worldwide

Sustainable Travel International is seeking Associates to provide high-level technical expertise to our Destinations team on a project-by-project basis. Primary responsibilities will be delivery of Sustainable Travel International programs for clients in North America, Caribbean, Latin America, and Southern Africa. Destination programs include sustainability assessments, action planning, and standards and monitoring.

Essential Qualifications:
 

• Graduate degree in tourism or related subject

• At least 8 years experience in the delivery of high-level tourism projects with a focus on sustainability

• Proven experience in leading international tourism consulting teams

• Successful track record of managing complex projects at a destination level

• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following project types: planning, standards, monitoring, marketing

• Proven skills in workshop facilitation, research, data compilation, and client management

• Fluency in multiple languages with Spanish preferred

• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills

• Ability to travel on short notice

• Ability to work from home office

Desirable Qualifications:
 

• Background in and/or passion for sustainability, corporate social responsibility, travel and tourism, or similar experiences

• Finance and budgeting experience

• Languages (Spanish and or French preferred)

Compensation:

This is a project-based opportunity with growth potential for the right candidate. Compensation will be commensurate with experience, qualifications and non profit standards

Application process:

Please complete this Application Form and send a one-page cover letter, CV/Resume to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please include “Associate, Destinations” in the subject title. Those candidates that fail to complete both steps will not be considered.

Short-listed candidates will be requested to provide two work samples and three references.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – The Sustainable Travel Leadership Network (STLN) will host an interactive discussion on TravelWell, an exciting new initiative designed to transform decision-making in the travel industry, on May 15th, 2013 in Jamaica. The event, co-hosted by Condé Nast Traveler, Virgin Holidays, and global NGO Sustainable Travel International, is invitation only, and will take place in the morning at Secrets Wild Orchid Resort in Montego Bay.
 

Brian T. Mullis, who founded leading global non-profit Sustainable Travel International in 2002 and continues to serve as its CEO, has been appointed to the United States National Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. The official announcement was made this week by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank, and coincides with National Travel and Tourism Week.
 

Hostelling International USA’s (HI-USA) long-standing commitment to low-impact travel and environmental stewardship has taken a giant step forward, with the launch of an innovative pilot program designed to inform the organization’s national sustainability strategy while implementing best practices across a number of hostels.
 

As part of the Mesoamerican Reef Tourism Initiative’s efforts to promote destination sustainability in the Mexican Caribbean, Sustainable Travel International has been working with the Island of Cozumel’s Grupo Intersectorial, the municipality’s Sustainable Development Department and local leaders to develop an ambitious yet realistic roadmap that will address critical issues for sustainable destination management. 

Last week, Seleni Matus, Sustainable Travel International’s Senior Advisor Destination Management presented the results of a Rapid Destination Sustainability Diagnostic carried out in 2012 which indicates that, while Cozumel has made significant progress on key destination management issues, there is considerable work to be done. Seleni also facilitated an action planning workshop in which more than 35 local leaders from government, private sector and civil society prioritized issues identified from the destination sustainability diagnostic and identified 3 quick-win projects to address priorities:
 

1. Establishment of a destination-level quality and sustainability standard for operators in the tourism sector.
2. Development of a map guide promoting destination stewardship that will highlight the natural, historic and cultural assets unique to the island.
3. Establishment of a destination-level water conservation and reuse program. 

Local leaders took the results of the destination sustainability diagnostic as a serious call to action. Working groups were formed to bring the quick-win projects to fruition in order to demonstrate tangible results within the next 12-18 months.  “This is the culmination of a 10-month journey that has helped us to highlight risks, identify goals and map out strategies for sustainable tourism management,” said Lic. Federico Ruiz, Cozumel’s Deputy Technical Secretary for Sustainable Development. “We see this initiative as an integral part of our 20-year Sustainable Tourism Plan that was recently completed, and that we are now working to put into action.”

 

FITUR is an annual international tourism fair held in Madrid, Spain between January 30^th and February 3^rd for inbound and outbound Ibero-American markets.  This year there will be around 9,500 companies exhibiting from 167 countries.

The Institute of Hotel Technology and FITUR, in collaboration with the UNWTO and Future Habitat Group will be hosting the 4th edition of FITUR Green, a series of workshops concerning hotel energy management and event space devoted to the providers of these technologies. FITURGREEN aims to make companies aware of the need to bring added value to their businesses, to differentiate themselves from the competition by taking on responsibility for sustainability, and increase operational energy efficiency and independence.

Karin Eckhard of Sustainable Travel International – Europe will be attending FITUR on the 30^th Jan to 1^st February. If you are interested in scheduling a meeting with her to discuss your sustainability needs and our programs please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We would like to thank Native Hotels for sponsoring our attendance.

On 14 December 2012, a new institution called Goodplace was launched in Slovenia´s capital, Ljubljana. A press conference and celebrations were held in the space that will eventually be the home of GoodPlace.  Over 100 government and industry supporters attended the event. Sustainable Travel International’s Karin Eckhard presented on the global trends in sustainable tourism, why sustainable tourism is important for destinations and how Sustainable Travel International and GoodPlace can collaborate with others in the industry to achieve its objectives.

The mission of this new non-profit institution is three-fold; to offer a space where innovative business initiatives based on the concept of sustainable tourism can develop, to be a reference point in Slovenia for the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge and experience regarding the principals and standards of sustainable tourism, and lastly to develop and implement projects in Slovenia that promote sustainable tourism development. GoodPlace will help tourism enterprises better understand that sustainable tourism can add value to their product offering and that sustainable tourism represents a quality tourism product. Even in times of economic downturn, more and more entrepreneurial initiatives recognize sustainable tourism as a business opportunity. This increase has occurred because in addition to its positive environmental and social benefits, sustainable tourism initiatives have been proven to make good business sense.

While in Solvenia Karin also met with Mateja Vočkovič, Directorate for Tourism at the Ministry of the Economy and the Slovenian Tourism Board to discuss Slovenia´s new Tourism Development Strategy and its vision for tourism in Slovenia. Slovenia´s unspoiled nature provides the country with a competitive edge and Slovenia tourism aspires to base all tourism development on sustainable principles to provide a major contributor to both the country’s social welfare, and worldwide market reputation.

Chief Technical Officer, Dr. Louise Twining-Ward headed visited Norway in December to provide technical assistance for Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Government's most important instrument for innovation and development in enterprise and industry.  

Innovation Norway has made a solid commitment to the sustainable management of tourism destinations. Over the last three years, the organization has developed and piloted a comprehensive management and monitoring system for destinations throughout Norway.

Sustainable Travel International was called on to undertake a technical review of the criteria and indicators, and to be a third-party evaluator in an on-site destination assessment of Trysil, a ski resort 130 miles north of Oslo. Over three days Dr. Twining-Ward participated in the assessment, met business owners, and viewed low energy installations on the ski slopes and in the town. As a result of the assistance provided, Innovation Norway has been able to streamline and finalize their Standard.

Dr. Twining-Ward shared: “Working with Innovation Norway has been a great pleasure. Norway’s vision and commitment to sustainability is inspiring. Together we have problem solved and raised the bar for destination monitoring systems.”

Ingunn Sørnes, Senior Advisor at Innovation Norway said: “Working with Louise at Sustainable Travel International has been really exciting, and was exactly what we needed. She brought in valuable experience and knowledge, and gave us useful advice for our standard. Sustainability in tourism is a holistic task, and you easily get lost in national challenges. An outside and professional view on this lifts the perspectives, and has made us much more confident when we now launch our standard nationally.”

In partnership with Kenya’s Northern Rangelands Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and Kenya Wildlife Service, Sustainable Travel International recently began a project focused on the development of an integrated and holistic approach to sustainable tourism development in the Northern Kenya region.

President and CEO Brian Mullis led the project, which began in November, and included an on-site assessment and analysis, plus interviews with key tourism stakeholders from the government, private sector, and civil society. Brian conducted one-on-one interviews and round-table meetings with key leaders, and also evaluated the tourism product offering in the Northern Rangelands Trust communal conservancies. The assessment covered fair trade, branding, marketing, capacity, and tourism policy. The outcome was a set of key recommendations for sustainable tourism planning and development within the 22 conservancies, and an action plan outlining specific strategies to establish Northern Kenya as a leader in community-led eco-tourism.