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 Newsletter
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Issue 10
May 2021 |
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Dear all,
We hope you are doing well and staying safe. Please find below this month's edition of the Transforming Tourism Value Chain newsletter.
In this edition, you will find a lot of very exciting updates. Tackling plastic pollution is very high in the agenda of sustainable tourism, especially with the increased interest in hygiene and safety. In the first part of the Transforming Tourism in Action webinar series, we heard examples from companies tackling plastic pollution through a circular economy approach, we learnt more about the uptake of the Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics campaign in the Philippines, and how to join the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative.
You will also be able to find out more about the advancements related to the implementation of the national action plans & roadmaps to reduce GHG emissions and improve resource efficiency, and the brand new trainings on the Resource Efficiency Tool. New partners continue to join the project, if you or someone you know, want to ensure sustainability is part of the COVID recovery, make sure you connect with the local representatives.
We hope you will enjoy reading this collection of news and that you will learn more about what's happening to #transformtourism. We look forward to being in touch.
Kind Regards,
The Transforming Tourism Value Chain project team
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 Welcome to the new partners of the Transforming Tourism Value Chains Project
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Discovery Hospitality Corporation, Modala Beach Resort and Natures Village Resort have agreed to become partners of the Transforming Tourism project and to collaborate towards its goal to increase resource efficiency and lower carbon emissions in their operations. Each hotel has a project work plan that has been finalized with the project team.
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 Past Events
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Webinar - Transforming Tourism in action, Tackling plastic pollution , second session for Latin America and the Caribbean, 6 May 2021, online
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 The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) organised, with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic, the second session of the webinar "Transforming Tourism into Action: Tackling Plastic Pollution" (in Spanish). This session targeting Latin America and the Caribbean aimed to support tourism businesses to take action on plastic pollution as part of the COVID-19 recovery. More than 240 people attended the event which saw a keynote introduction from Milagros De Camps, Vice-Minister of the Dominican Republic Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. Other panelists included Jake Kheel from Grupo Punta Cana, Bouffart-Gout from Club Med, Ruben Caraballo from AM Resorts, and Pablo Montes, and María Alejandra Fernández García from UNEP. The presentations from the webinar are available here and the recording here.
To learn more about our upcoming events, contact Maelys Nizan. |
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Webinar - Transforming Tourism in action: Tackling plastic pollution, first session for Europe, Asia and Africa, 27 April 2021, online
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 UNEP organised, with the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI), the first session of the webinar "Transforming Tourism into Action: Tackling Plastic Pollution" (in English). This session was targeting Europe, Asia, and Africa. The webinar aimed to provide an overview on the evolving environment, both from the public and private sector perspective, that will require and enable tourism business actions to take ambitious actions to tackle plastic pollution. More than 350 people attended the event. Panelists included William Latour from Chao Beijing, Joegil Escobar from Club Paradise Palawan, Kiko Velhagen from PCEPSDI, Helena Rey, and Svitlana Mikhalyeva from UNEP. The presentations from the webinar are available here and the recording here.
To learn more about our upcoming events, contact Maelys Nizan. |
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Sustainable Gastronomy Workshop 1st module, 29 April 2021, the Dominican Republic, online
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 This sustainable gastronomy workshop was organised by the Dominican Republic Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The workshop aimed at guiding participants in how to value local Dominican Republic gastronomic tradition at the same time it reduces GHG emissions and improve resource use in food operations. It also had the objective to promote sustainable gastronomy as a current tourist trend. The workshop also highlighted that the Dominican Republic can also improve resilience and food security by encouraging local consumption. These practices can result in at least 17% reduction in annual greenhouse gas emissions for an average hotel.
To learn more about the project in the Dominican Republic, please contact Eddy Rosado. |
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Immaculate Heart of Mary Paranaque webinar. Science Collab: A Greener Approach to Pandemic, 14 April, online
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 Harnessing the transformation power that can be achieved by working with youth groups, PCESDI, in collaboration with the Immaculate Heart of Mary Paranaque College, has organised a webinar to provide an overview of sustainability and environmental concepts. PCEPSDI highlighted ways to reduce problematic single-use plastics through responsible tourism, and the environmental impacts exacerbated by the COVID 19 pandemic.
If you are interested in participating in trainings in the Philippines, please contact Kiko Velhagen.
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Resource Efficiency Tool Webinar and Q&A session - 13 April and 19 April 2021, online
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 UNEP organised, with the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), two webinars on the resource efficiency tool. The first one in English was targeting Asia, Africa and Europe and the second session in Spanish was for Latin American and the Caribbean. The two webinars aimed to support the uptake of the Resource Efficiency (RE) tool. The webinar covered the tool's underlying concepts and methodologies and clarified questions resulting from the presentation and the familiarization of tourism businesses with the tool.
To learn more about upcoming events, contact Maelys Nizan. |
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Cleaner Production and Resource Efficiency workshop, 9 April 2021, the Dominican Republic, Punta Cana
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 As part of the technical assistance provided to engaged hotels in the Transforming Tourism Project, the Dominican Republic Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources organised a workshop on Cleaner Production and Resource Efficiency. Twelve representatives from different Punta Cana Group companies participated: Punta Cana Laundry Services, Aeroportuaria del Este, Hotel Westin, Hotel Four Points, Hotel Tortuga Bay. Jake Kheel, vice-president of the Punta Cana Group Foundation and Lenin Bueno, director of the department of sustainable production and consumption of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources also joined the meeting and delivered certificates to all attendees.
If you are interested in participating in trainings in the Dominican Republic, please contact Eddy Rosado. |
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Sustainable Gastronomy Train the Trainer Workshop, 22-23 March 2021, the Dominican Republic, online
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 The Transforming Tourism Value Chain project team in the Dominican Republic and the Transtur project coordinated a two-day online Train the Trainers event. The event was intended to guide practitioners, such as food and beverage managers and their staff, and serve as an opportunity to update the Futouris Food Manual on the Dominican Republic local context.
If you are interested in participating in trainings in the Dominican Republic, please contact Eddy Rosado. |
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12th PSTAG Meeting on the Campaign to Phase out Single Use Plastics and the Implementation Plan of the Roadmap, March 18, online
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The 12th meeting of the Philippin e Stakeholders Advisory Group (PSTAG) mainly discussed the campaign to phase out single use plastics and the validation of the implementation plan for the Roadmap for Low Carbon and Resource Efficient tourism in the Philippines. The campaign will be having a second launch, to upscale the awareness raising, on April 28-29, 2021. PSTAG members will support by disseminating the campaign materials (with translations in Filipino and Ilonggo) on their respective online platforms as well as to their networks. The next major topic that was discussed was the development of the implementation plan to support the roadmap.
If you are interested in participating in trainings in the Philippines, please contact Kiko Velhagen.
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Transforming Tourism for a sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive post-COVID-19 world, 11 March 2021, online
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 The Transforming Tourism for a sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive post-COVID-19 round table session was organized by UNEP and UNWTO in collaboration with UNESCO and UNECE. The speakers representing various governments (Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany Kazakhstan, France, Germany and the United Kingdom), cities, tourism organizations, and civil society, including youth, presented the policy actions they are applying to facilitate the green recovery of the sector and the transition into more sustainable tourism development. To watch the recording in English and Russian and access the materials, please visit the event page.
To learn more about upcoming events, contact Maelys Nizan. |
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Webinar for the Youth: Creating a Responsible Tourism Industry in the Philippines
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 Through its recently formed partnership, Jose Rizal University and the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, Inc. (PCEPSDI) organized a webinar on March 10, 2021 to increase college student awareness on sustainable tourism in the Philippines. Mr. Kiko Velhagen, Project Officer of PCEPSDI, presented the impact COVID-19 has on tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how the Transforming Tourism Value Chains project is being implemented.
If you are interested in participating in trainings in the Philippines, please contact Kiko Velhagen.
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The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) undertook research to better understand Travel & Tourism’s specific contribution to single-use plastics products (SUPPs) and how sector actors can and are decreasing Travel & Tourism’s environmental impact caused by SUPPs. Join us for the launch of this report which highlights some of the key challenges that still need to be addressed to continue to contribute to a more sustainable future, including the impact of COVID-19 prevention measures on sustainability goals. It also features selected practical case studies where SUPPs have been successfully phased out. If you are interested in the event, please contact Maelys Nizan (maelys.nizan@un.org).
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The event objective is to increase awareness on environmental bills, laws, and regulations in the Philippines. It also aims at better understanding the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the waste management capacities of the country and the opportunities that the private and public sectors are capitalizing on to alleviate the strain. Finally, participants will have the opportunity to learn what the circular economy is, and how to apply it in their business.
You can register to the event here.
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Don't forget to tag us @TransformTrsm and to also use the hashtag #TransformingTourism during your events.
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Videos
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Webinar - Transforming Tourism in action: Tackling plastic pollution
First session for Europe, Asia and Africa
UN Environment Programme
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Webinar - Transformando el Turismo en Acción: Reduciendo la Contaminación por Plástico
Second session for Latin American and the Caribbean (in Spanish)
UN Environment Programme
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Resource Efficiency Tool external partners Q&A webinar - First session for Europe, Asia and Africa
UN Environment Programme
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Herramienta de Eficiencia de Recursos webinar - Second session for Latin American and the Caribbean (in Spanish)
UN Environment Programme
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Resource Efficiency Tool - Overview & Development
UN Environment Programme and WRAP
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Peer Learning Round Tables Session 2-3 Transforming Tourism for a sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive post COVID-19 world English Interpretation
UNEP, UNECE, UNESCO and UNWTO
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Resources
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Next Steps: Tackling Plastic Litter - A Nudging Strategy for Reducing Consumption of Single‑Use Disposable Cups
PBM Sweden AB and Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
The report is aiming at complementing traditional policies to reduce the use of single use plastics, such as regulation, economic incentives and information campaigns and providing behavioural insights.
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Circular Economy in Travel and Tourism - White Paper
CE360 Alliance
The white paper, Circular Economy in Travel and Tourism, explores how Circular Economy principles could guide a more sustainable, resilient and future-proof tourism development in line with the UNWTO Sustainable Tourism Programme One Planet Vision.
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Reducing Plastic Pollution: Campaigns That Work
Stockholm Environment Institute and UNEP (2021)
This report provides insights and examples to maximize the effectiveness of campaigns for sustainable plastic consumption.
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The UN Environment Programme and its partners with support of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety have launched the project: "Transforming Tourism Value Chains in developing countries and small island developing states (SIDS) to accelerate more resource efficient, low carbon development"
The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resource efficiency in three tourism value chains:
- food and beverage
- accommodation
- Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE)
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Upcoming Online Events
