Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services has announced its participation in the Responsible Tourism in Destinations 2013 (RTD7) conference, taking place in Barcelona from October 1st- 4th. Intercruises is dedicated in its support of responsible tourism, promoting best practices set by ISO 14001 and the United Nations Global Compact, endorsing sustainable travel that protects the local cultures, traditions and environment, in which Intercruises operates.
Mark Robinson, Intercruises Managing Director, will be a key speaker at the event.
Christian Bové, Manager Barcelona, discusses sustainable shore excursions and sustainable best practices in shore excursions, on the panel entitled: “The Management of Cruise Tourism in the Mediterranean”, and Alex Anderson, Online Transportation Programs Manager, will be speaking about Persons of Reduced Mobility (PRM) regulations and considerations, on the panel entitled: “The extension of social participation in tourism: access to all”.
“We are delighted to participate in the Responsible Tourism in Destinations 2013 conference. Intercruises operates a number of sustainable shore excursions throughout the Mediterranean, helping promote the local culture, such as the Mamas & Tapas tour in the small village of Alfarnate, Malága, where local home owners treat guests to a five course, home cooked Spanish meal using ingredients sourced from local gardens. These tours protect the traditional way of life and provide a much needed revenue stream to the destination,” said Mark Robinson, Intercruises Managing Director.
From 1st to 4th October the 7th International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations will bring together over 300 professionals from international and intergovernmental organizations and national governments, as well as representatives of tourism and travel companies, to debate the challenges facing destinations seeking to achieve sustainable tourism.
This is the first time this unique annual conference will be held in Europe, and its focus on the Mediterranean holds particular meaning owing to the magnitude, history and characteristics of tourism in this region. The objective of these international conferences is to discuss how stakeholders in tourism can best deal with the issues that emerge around tourism activities taking place in particular destinations, with a focus on minimising the negative impacts on and maximising the benefits for local communities and their environment.
Parallel to the Conference the first Catalan Responsible Tourism Awards will be launched. These seek to recognize the best examples of organisations and individuals and share good practices within the Catalan tourism industry. The Awards ceremony is in the evening of Friday 4th October.
