On the last week of October, two major events will turn Rio de Janeiro into the world`s capital for sustainable tourism…
On the last week of October, two major events will turn Rio de Janeiro into the world`s capital for sustainable tourism. From October 24 to 26, the city will host Destinations2005, the second Annual Summit of the World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development, which will bring together more than 3,500 business leaders, government authorities, academics, researchers and NGO members from all over the world. Immediately after that, from October 26 to 30, Rio welcomes the Fair of the Americas 2005, the largest travel trade event of Latin America.
Destinations2005 will feature several new cases and experiences from different parts of the world, related to the World Tourism Forum`s cause: to develop tourism while fostering conditions for peace, economic and social development, biodiversity preservation and cultural diversity. Throughout the three-day summit, youths will be debated as a theme, and as agents and beneficiaries of initiatives aimed at sustainable practices involving tourism. Three additional specific themes, and their relationship to tourism and the Forum`s cause, will permeate the event: credit and micro credit, sports and culture.
The Fair of the Americas 2005 is expected to attract more than 20,000 professionals from the tourism sector. Along with thousands of travel agents, the event scheduled for the Riocentro event facility will feature over 1,000 exhibitors including tour operators, hotels, air carriers, sea cruises, rental agencies, official tourism organizations and destinations, plus representatives from trade publications and non-government organizations. For tour operators from outside Brazil, the Brazil Today Destination section will present business opportunities.
The opening ceremony for Destinations2005 is set for October 24 at Rio`s Municipal Theatre. Seminars and panel discussions on the technical agenda get under way that same day at Forte de Copacabana, a historical fortress located close to Copacabana beach, with a panoramic view of Guanabara Bay. This year, a new opening-day attraction will be introduced: the Findings of the Year will feature a collection of advancements and new benchmarks related to sustainable tourism identified in conferences, illustrative projects and workgroups around the world during the preceding year.
As with Destinations2004 – which mobilized the city of Salvador, in Bahia, in December of 2004 – the upcoming summit is set to make a strong impression on the city and people of Rio de Janeiro. Debates, seminars, cultural events, workshops and sports clinics during the three-day gathering will all be staged within walking distance from one another, in downtown locations. During Destinations2004, more than 3,200 people from 62 countries gathered to discuss 50 cases of sustainable tourism, with examples from 38 countries.
The Destinations2005 Organizing Committee is formed by the Brazilian Tourism Ministry, the state and city of Rio de Janeiro Tourism Authorities, the Rio de Janeiro state Commercial Association, Rio`s Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Tourism for Peace and Sustainable Development Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Brazilian Ministries of Culture, Employment and Labor, Environment and Sports. Pre-registration for Destinations2005 is under way, and can be accessed through the Forum website.
Pre-registering does not guarantee access to the event, but it does ensure that registrants will be contacted and given the option to register and attend as soon as the official registration process begins. The preliminary program is also available on the website. The
Forum`s cause: five priorities
The World Tourism Forum strives to attract institutions and individuals from around the world to support a cause: to develop tourism while promoting conditions for peace, economic and social development, cultural diversity, and preservation of our biodiversity. Among its many goals, the Forum seeks to act as a catalyst to generate new job and income opportunities – particularly in developing countries – and thus to contribute, through sustainable tourism, to the social inclusion and poverty reduction goals established by the United Nations.
Annual Summits are one of three main pillars of the World Tourism Forum, a continuous movement identified by the global brand Destinations. The other two are a Network of Networks, encompassing five theme-specific networks to be hosted in different continents, and Illustrative Projects that put the concepts and ideas developed within the Forum to practical use. Projects can be identified or launched anywhere in the world.
At summits like Destinations2005, participants have the opportunity to assess the results generated by conceptual and concrete experiences around the world. Strategies and approaches are evaluated, polished, and disseminated once it becomes clear they can be useful in other countries and situations. Annual Summits will be held in Brazil until 2006, while the country hosts the World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development.
Global organizers
The World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Tourism is a joint initiative of five organizing partners:
- three U.N. bodies: the World Tourism Organization (WTO), the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (Unesco), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP);
- the Brazilian government, represented by its Tourism Ministry;
- the Tourism for Peace and Sustainable Development Foundation, a non-profit organization set up specifically to coordinate and manage the Forum.
The Forum`s executive partner is Instituto de Hospitalidade (the Hospitality Institute), a non-government, non-profit organization established in Salvador since 1997. The institute is active throughout Brazil with sustainable development projects focused on the improvement of the tourism industry.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
