Sunday, February 4, 2024
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) participated in FITUR, The International Tourism Fair, organized by Ifema in Madrid, Spain, from January 24 to 28, 2024.
During the event, Estefanía del Azar, GSTC Communications Manager, spoke at Booking.com’s presentation of The Economist report “Destination Always,” where Luigi Cabrini, Chair of GSTC, had previously participated in a workshop in 2022. The presentation commenced with insights from the Destination Always Report by Matus Samel, Senior Research Manager at Economist Impact. The full report is accessible here.
At FITUR 2024 in Madrid, Mrs. Del Azar took part in a panel within the Destination Always presentation titled “Tourism for good: Getting the right policy mix – lessons learned and best practices.” The panel included colleagues such as Daniel Martínez, Vice-Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Community of Madrid; Armando Peres, Vice President of the OECD Tourism Committee; and Ben Schroeter, Director of Public Affairs and Strategic Engagement at Booking.com. Ana Abade, Public Affairs Manager for Spain and Portugal at Booking.com, moderated the panel.
Estefanía del Azar emphasized, “Destinations have to know the pathway toward sustainability is a long journey… but they have to be in the path first to start.” She highlighted the importance of starting with small steps, using the GSTC Destination Criteria as a guideline, and having a measurable plan with goals and concrete timeframes.
The presentation concluded with a speech from Mariano de Paco Serrano, Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Community of Madrid, underlining tourism’s role as a force for positive change.
Additionally, Mrs. del Azar attended the Glasgow Declaration Event organized by UN Tourism, aiming to continue discussions initiated at COP28 on climate action. This was based on the key takeaways of the Glasgow Declaration Implementation Report 2023. The GSTC, having joined as a signatory and supporting organization in November 2021, reiterated the crucial role of all tourism stakeholders in accelerating climate action.
Estefanía also had the opportunity to connect with GSTC Members present at the Spanish fair, including the Tourism Department of Seychelles Ministry of Tourism, Azores DMO, Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), Visit Valencia, Costa Rica, La Buena Huella, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA), among others.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
