Newsletter November 2014
Welcome
In this issue ...
Dear ISTO members,
World Social Tourism congress
ISTO Actions
It’s with pleasure that we present you the November edition of the ISTO newsletter with special attention to our World Social Tourism Congress that took place in São Paulo.
Our regional sections
Member news
Tourism -for all- news
We hope you enjoy your reading!
Upcoming events
The ISTO Secretariat
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Congress? The 26th Social Tourism World Congress, organised in partnership and with the support of Serviรงo Social do Comercio (SESC SP), was held in Sรฃo Paulo, Brazil, from 7 to 10 October 2014. Under the main theme "Tourism based on development: unity in diversity", this event, held for the first time in South America, allowed 300 participants from 22 countries to debate and exchange on topics relating to the right to tourism, holidays and travel, to the sources of funding for social and fair tourism, and the social and political construction of that form of tourism.
Opening session During the opening session, which was attended by the representative of SESC SP, Luiz Massaro Galina, the Minister of Tourism for Brazil, Vinicius Nobre Lages, and UNWTO Executive Director, Mรกrcio Favilla, among others, ISTO President, Jean-Marc Mignon, insisted on how important it was to focus on a concept of tourism that benefits the people.
Mรกrcio Favilla, Vinicius Nobre Lages, Luiz Massaro Galina and Jean Marc Mignon at the opening session
Plenaries and workshops Several best practices from South America, among others, in terms of social, accessible, fair and community tourism, were introduced during workshops by speakers from several countries, who highlighted the benefits of partnerships between the public and private sectors, and the key role of host communities in the success of fair and community tourism projects. Verรณnica Mercadillo (on the left), of the State of San Luis Potosi in Mexico, speaking at the session on accessible tourism
Conference synthesis During the conclusive conference, Dr. Sergio Molina from Chili, focused on the relation between the concepts of tourism and development, by declaring that what actually mattered was not to focus on the increase in the number of tourists, but on the impact of tourism on the political, economic, social and human development of every member of a community. He also highlighted the need to work towards another form of tourism, a creative tourism that fosters innovation, social participation, solidarity, sustainability, responsibility and excellence. In this regard, social tourism should not limit its scope of action to travel, but should include the opportunities it implies in terms of inclusion. Dr. Sergio Molina
Also‌ In conjunction with the congress, the ISTO
Alliance for Training and Research in Social
and Fair Tourism, held its 2nd conference, which featured the presentation of 10 research papers by scholars selected as a result of a call for papers. Furthermore, 19 research papers along with cases of best practices, were presented during an e-Poster session.
Workshop on senior tourism ISTO took advantage of the congress to organise, in partnership with the European Commission and SESC SP, a workshop on senior tourism. Entitled "Senior tourism in the European Union: a growing market – cooperation with South America", this workshop featured the presentation of European Commission initiatives in this sector, examples of national programmes developed in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, as well as exchange experiences between both continents.
Intervention of Oscar Almendros Bonis (in the centre) of the European Commission during the senior workshop
Statutory meetings of ISTO Last but not least, the Congress allowed ISTO to hold its General Assembly, which renewed half of its Board of Directors, and adopted the action plan for the next two years. The new Board elected ISTO Executive Committee, and confirmed Jean-Marc Mignon for a second term of office as President of ISTO, and Yves Godin as Secretary General of the organisation. The regional sections also held their assemblies and elected their representatives. Flåvia Roberta Costa (SESC SP- Brazil) was elected President of the Board of Directors of ISTO-Americas, which celebrated the 20th anniversary of its creation; members of the Europe section of ISTO adopted a strategic plan on "Tourism for All" for the next 5 years, and elected a Coordination Committee, with Fabrizio Pozzoli (Federcultura Turismo Sport / Confcooperative - Italy) as President and Patrick Brault (Vacances Ouvertes – France) as Secretary.
All the presentations and other information on the congress is available to download on the ISTO website and the SESC website.
Flavia Roberta Costa, Veronica Gomez, Sonia Vaillancourt, respectively President, Director and Treasurer of ISTO Americas
Charles E. BĂŠlanger, ISTO Director, at the ISTO Board of Directors
Presentation of new ISTO website at the General Assembly
Jean Marc Mignon, ISTO President
Intervention of Mr. Márcio Favilla (UNWTO) during the plenary session on tourism development
Round table on the social and political construction of tourism, mediated by Sergio Rodriguez Abitia, Vice President of ISTO Americas
Intervention of Anya Diekmann, Coordinator of the ISTO Alliance, at the round table on the Right on Tourism
María de los Ángeles Aguado Sánchez and María Jesús Navarro Ruiz of IMSERSO at the ISTO Board of Directors
Concert at the evening at the occasion of 20 years of ISTO Americas
Yves Godin, ISTO Secretary General at the closing session of the congress
Delegates during the visit of the SESC Holiday Centre in Bertioga
Sory Ibrahima Wa誰galo and Bassirou Diarra, Coordinator of the ISTO Africa section, during the visit of the SESC Holiday Centre in Bertioga
Click here to see more photos of the congress.
ISTO Actions International Colloquium on the Arab Tourism This conference was organised at the initiative of the Centre for Tourism Research and Heritage (CRTP), UQAM (University of Quebec in Montreal), and more specifically François Bédard and Boualem Kadri. Almost 40 people attended the conference, mostly teachers, academics, PhD students from Quebec, France, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, … and among them our colleague Mimoun Hillali, member of the ISTO Alliance. ISTO President, Jean Marc Mignon, gave a presentation on the domestic and integral dimensions of tourism in these countries.
At the occasion of the 20th anniversary of our section ISTO Americas, SESC SP has published a new version of the Montreal Declaration in 4 languages.
World Summit: Destinations for All The World Summit: Destinations for All, with an intensive preparation of 4 years, took place at the initiative of Keroul (Quebec) and ENAT (the European Network for Accessible Tourism). The Summit was attended by over 250 participants from 25 countries of the 4 corners of the globe, of which many delegates themselves where disabled but very involved in activities and projects on accessible tourism. ISTO was part of the organising committee and was represented by Veronica Gomez, ISTO Americas Director. ISTO President, Jean Marc Mignon also participated as a speaker in the session on the networks and Veronica animated the session on accessible cities. At the closing session, the participants have adopted a Declaration titled “One World for Everyone”. You can download the Declaration here.
Click here to download the Declaration.
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ISTO Sections ISTO Europe Call for proposal on youth The European Commission has launched the call for proposal: “Facilitating EU transnational tourism flows for senior and young people in the low and medium seasons”. The ISTO Europe section is setting up a meeting for all members who are working around youth tourism. This call gives new opportunities on transnational level and ISTO wants to support its members in thinking innovative and working together to achieve specific goals. The outcome of this session will be communicated on the ISTO website. European Tourism Forum: Innovative actions for jobs and growth The European Tourism Forum, organised by the European Commission and the Italian EU Presidency, was held in Naples on 30 and 31 October. Among the topics discussed at this forum, where ISTO was represented by its Secretary General Yves Godin and its Europe Director Luc Gobin, there were: digitalization and innovation in tourism, sustainable mobility and access to destinations, training and education in tourism and actions to promote Europe as a tourist destination. All presentations are available here.
Interested in participating on different workshops on the online platform ‘Yammer’? There is a discussion forum on the following themes: - Youth tourism - Innovation - Senior tourism (in development) Contact Luc Gobin for more information! ISTO was selected to take part at the EU Low Season Tourism Initiative Board This board is composed of 15 members representing all kinds of public and private stakeholders and a geographical balance at European level. In general terms, the main task of the EUSTIB will be to continuously ensure the transversal guidance, coordination and monitoring of the activities undertaken at EU level within the framework of the senior tourism initiative between December 2014 and December 2016.
Click here for the latest news on the SENTour project
Social Tourism: Stop the confusion! A few weeks ago, some media misused the term « Social Tourism » following a ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union. ISTO distributed a press release to express their disagreement and explain the right use of the term. Click here to download the press release. OITS/ISTO asbl : Rue Watteeu, 2- 1000 Bruxelles/Belgique Tél : + 32 2 274 15 41 Fax : + 32 2 514 16 91
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ISTO members
Holidays Matter Conference 2014 The Family Holiday Association (FHA) organised the 3rd Holidays Matter Conference on November 6, 2014 in London. It was a productive event where best practices in the field of social tourism were presented, which gave the opportunity to exchange ideas and to establish new partnerships. More info on this event and the FHA, can be found here.
UNAT Seminar “Nearby and far away” Nearly 200 professionals (holiday organisers and hosts, enterprises, actors working on holiday departure) attended on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 November the UNAT seminar “Nearby and far away”, on children, teens and youth. The objective was to understand the trends of the phenomenon of mobility of 4-25 years and characterize this phenomenon of acculturation of children and young people on holiday. It was a time of reflection, but also of exchanges between actors with practical workshops and round tables.
Legacoop Tourism (Italy) at the Council of Europe Cultural Routes Advisory Forum in Baku (Azerbaijan) ISTO member Legacoop Tourism, more specifically Maurizio Davolio, has participated as a speaker in the 2014 Council of Europe Cultural Routes Advisory Forum (30-31 October) in Baku. M. Davolio has moderated the session dedicated to the topic “War and Peace beside European Cultural Itineraries”. Furthermore, the Forum has discussed several topics related to the European Routes, with a special attention to the dialogue among communities to overcome the conflicts. Download here the Baku Declaration that was set up.
Participation of the Tourism and Handicap Association at the World Summit destinations for all in Montreal The expertise of the Tourism and Handicap Association was recognized again at the Summit. Since its creation 13 years ago, France has become a tourist destination, accessible for all. In 2014, more than 5000 sites received the accessibility label and provide an adapted home for the four types of disabilities: auditory, mentally, mobility and visually. This well known label helps to provide qualitative information, securing the departure on holiday and guaranteeing benefits in line with the needs of people with disabilities.
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Tourism -for all- news
European Tourism Day 2014
Global Report on Adventure Tourism
The European Tourism Day will take place on the 1st of December 2014. The event will this year be dedicated to an open brainstorming with different stakeholders in order to exchange views on topics that the European Commission considers as key factors for the future competitiveness and sustainable growth of the European tourism sector. Possible topics that could be addressed in the future strategy for EU tourism are: digitalisation, Destination Europe Brand, better regulatory and administrative framework, quality, coordination/governance, within and between Public and Private stakeholders. Download the draft program here.
The UNWTO Global Report on Adventure Tourism, published jointly with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), is a first approach by UNWTO on the topic of adventure tourism. The report provides insight into the close relation between adventure tourism and responsible tourism. ATTA, a UNWTO Affiliate Member, has provided key input in this report to help increase awareness among the global tourism sector on the core values of responsible tourism. The report allows all tourism stakeholders to work from a common base of understanding in one of the most progressive forms of tourism, which both organizations believe will develop into the industry standard. Watch here a video on the release of the report.
The Millennial Traveller report of WYSE Travel Confederation Guide on EU Funding for the Tourism Sector 2014-2020 This guide, made by the European Commission, focuses on the most important EU programmes for the tourism sector, around practical questions: type of tourism-related actions eligible for funding; type and level of funding; who can apply and how to apply. It also points out concrete examples of what has been funded under previous programmes. Download the guide!
The Millennial Traveller report offers insight into the general travel behaviours and attitudes of millennial travellers—a generation of young people characterised by its familiarity with new technologies, having grown up with PC’s, internet, etc. The key findings of the report cover: where millennials travel to, how much they spend, their travel planning and behaviours and general attitudes and opinions.
Download a free executive summary here or contact ISTO if you would like to have access to the full report.
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Upcoming events
27-28/11/2014: BITAC 2014, Bari (Italy) 01/12/2014: European Tourism Day, Brussels (Belgium) 02/12/2014: EARTH Conference “Responsible Tourism in a Sharing Economy”, Brussels (Belgium) 03/12/2014: Financial Commission and executive committee of ISTO, Brussels (Belgium) 04/12/2014: Coordination Committee of ISTO Europe, Brussels (Belgium) 09-11/12/2014: 4th International Conference on Tourism Research (4ICTR), SabahMalaysian (Borneo) 28/01/2014—01/02/2015: FITUR— International Tourism Trade Fair, Madrid (Spain)
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Our next newsletter will appear in January 2015. Questions or comments? Would you like to recommend news for the next ISTO newsletter? Send an e-mail at rvanlaer@oits-isto.org or give us a call at +32 2 274 15 42
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