ITB Berlin News 2019 - Day 2 Edition

48 REGION
AMERICAS & CARIBBEAN
CLIMATE CHANGE IS
A TREMENDOUS CHALLENGE
FOR THE TOURISM INDUSTRY
María Amalia Revelo Raventós
Minister of Tourism, Costa Rica
The climate change challenge
Costa Rica highlights its green credentials
Hon María Amalia Revelo Raventós, Minister of Tourism, Costa
Rica, is presenting a keynote at the ITB Berlin Convention
today (7 March, 4pm, Berlin CityCube Auditorium A3). Ahead
of her session, we talked to her to about the themes underlying
her presentation.
Almost 20 years ago, the vision
of ecotourism and sustainable
tourism development in Costa Rica
formed the basis for the Certification
for Sustainable Tourism (CST), a
standard recognised by the World
Tourism Organisation, which
has positioned Costa Rica as an
international reference in terms of
sustainability.
How is climate change going
to affect tourism in the coming
years?
Climate change is a tremendous
challenge for the tourism industry.
Even though worldwide there is
a certain level of scepticism and
confrontations at the technical,
scientific and political level,
the truth is that the increase
of greenhouse gases in our
atmosphere is advancing the
conditions for a gradual increase
in global temperature. The latest
global results on climate change
are abundantly clear: we cannot go
on as before.
Costa Rica is considered a pioneer
and leading destination in the
field of evaluation of its tourism
companies and in the three
axes of sustainability: social,
environmental and economic.
The sustainable tourism concept
and joined vision, commitment
and plans between the public
and private sector has to be the
framework condition for tourism
development in the future.
How are lawmakers and investors
changing the current framework
conditions for tourism?
Lawmakers and investors play a
key role in the travel industry as
they are the ones to define and
build the legal and operational
framework necessary for growing
tourism and its impacts. Current
framework conditions for tourism
have to be a joint vision between
the public and private sector to
make it successful.
Guiding the future development is
not only the responsibility of the
government, but also of the private
tourism sector. The joint vision
between the public and private
sector means that a country with
limited resources positions itself
as a leader in sustainable tourism
taking current challenges such as
global warming and climate change
into consideration. Both public and
private sector must demonstrate
a clear commitment to adapt
to changing climate conditions,
mitigate emissions, develop and
apply new technologies in order to
minimise negative impacts.
What should travel and tourism
professionals around the world
be doing to tackle problems in the
future (as much as possible)?
First of all, travel and tourism
professionals have to be aware
that tourism contributes to global
warming. According to UNWTO
data, it is estimated that tourism is
responsible for approximately 5%
of global carbon emissions. Best
practice initiatives from Costa Rica
include carbon offset programs in
order to reduce carbon footprint
produced by tourism and the goal
of carbon neutrality by 2021.
Governments and international
organisations should incorporate
tourism in the fulfillment of
the commitments acquired in
accordance with the United
Nations Framework Convention
Costa Rica
on Climate Change. The tourism
sector and destinations should
encourage and make investments
in tourism programmes that save
energy and use renewable energy.
Tourists should opt for activities
that respect the environment,
reduce their carbon footprint, and
contribute to the conservation
of the natural environment and
cultural heritage.
Costa Rica has developed its
reputation for authentic travel
experiences – a standing
ultimately attributable to the
model of sustainable tourism
development differentiating it from
other destinations. Our progress
in this area goes hand in hand
with a change in the behaviour
and preferences of tourists. Our
model for sustainable tourism
development has brought together
elements of environmental
conservation, interaction with
the local environment and the
development of entrepreneurships.
How important do you see the
ITB Berlin Convention as being
when it comes to leading global
ideas and opinions in this regard?
ITB is the world’s leading travel
trade show and a very important
global influencing platform and
think tank for destinations.
With regard to climate change,
sustainability and related latest
challenges the ITB Convention can
provide latest study results, connect
global experts and destinations to
share experiences and provide not
only inspiration for strategy but
also concrete ways and actions in
the dynamically changing travel
industry.
Hall 22b / Stand 201, 201a
© World Wide Gifts
ITB BERLIN NEWS • Thursday 7 th March 2019
www.itb-berlin-news.com