Sustainable development is an imperative for all sectors, and the United Nations has declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.
How to best develop sustainably? Do travelers wish to buy sustainable products?
GSTC – the global organization created by the United Nations system and leading global conservation organizations to develop standards for sustainability in travel and tourism – has partnered with Korean hosts to assemble an all-star group of experts on sustainable tourism to provide leading-edge insights into these important questions. Participants will network with and share knowledge with an international group of sustainable tourism experts.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION
PROGRAMME | SPEAKERS | VENUE & ACCOMMODATION | TRAVEL INFORMATION | PROMOTIONAL STANDS | SPONSORS
Participants come from the private sector, public sector, NGOs, and academia to learn and share contemporary ideas that can be translated into action.
Registration fees are modest. Host city Suwon is easily accessible from Incheon Airport. Simultaneous translation will be provided in English, Korean, and Chinese.
Join us at the conference to be part of the solution to these important questions.
한국분들은한국어홈페이지로가셔서등록하십시오.
PROGRAMME
October 5th: 18:30 Reception, opening ceremony, dinner
13:00-18:00 GSTC Pre-conference Workshop on Ecotourism
16:00-18:00 Pre-conference workshop on Sustainable MICE (in Korean only)
October 6th-7th: 8:30 – 18:30 Conference (full programme)
October 8th: Complimentary post-conference field trips (full details)
SPEAKERS
GSTC & UNWTO:
More details and full list of speakers
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 Cathy Parsons, Chair, Accreditation Panel, GSTC |  Dr. Dirk Glaesser, Director, Sustainable Development of Tourism Programme, UNWTO |
Luigi Cabrini, Chair of the Board, GSTC
Randy Durband, CEO, GSTC
Marketing Sustainable Tourism:
Sustainable development isn’t effective if travelers don’t buy the more sustainable products. Marketing is key. But we’ve learned that labeling products as “sustainable” or “responsible” or “green” does not work well in the marketplace. In these sessions, Dr. Xavier Font of Surrey University in the UK, a leading thinker in the marketing of sustainable tourism, will provide a keynote address and lead panel discussions on best approaches to marketing sustainable product to both business travelers and leisure travelers, and considering the realities of travel to both urban destinations and nature-based or rural destinations.
More details and full list of speakers
Global thought-leader on the marketing of sustainable tourism |
Leading of one of the largest tourism groups, with millions of customers |
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Founded Khiri Travel with 17 offices spread over South East Asia and the USA |
Prof. Dr. Xavier Font, University of Surrey, UK
Dr. Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainability, 
Jim Sano, Vice President for Travel, Tourism and Conservation, WWF
Sustainable City Tourism and Sustainable MICE:
We will consider these two topics both separately and jointly. Keynote speaker Roger Simons will open the theme by speaking to holistic approaches in management that speak to the needs of business travelers, leisure travelers, and local residents. Breakout sessions will explore leading-edge sustainable management of cities and MICE business from a number of perspectives.
More details and full list of speakers
Leading expert on sustainable MICE and Sustainable City Development |  Catharina Cecilie Aas, Convention Project Manager, Wonderful Copenhagen, Denmark |
 Hannah Jamieson, GM External Relations, Business Events Sydney (BESydney) |
Responsible for Thailand’s MICE industry global standards |
Roger Simons, GMIC President and MCI Regional Sustainability Director APAC
Nichapa Yoswee, Director of MICE Capabilities Development, Thailand TCEB
Ecotourism and Community-Based Tourism Development:
Most of the best case studies of sustainable tourism are found in the realm of nature-based tourism, ecotourism, rural tourism, and community-based tourism (CBT). While many mass tourism destinations are facing over-crowding, the less urban and less accessible destinations see great potential for growth. Experts in these areas will share the latest strategies for tapping into that growth potential while remaining true to the highly sustainable aspirations of these forms of tourism.
More details and full list of speakers
Key thought-leader in Korean and East Asian ecotourism sphere |
Dedicated activist for community-based environmental conservation and education |
Leading grassroots movement for sustainable ecotourism development |
A sustainability and ecotourism champion |
Dr. Mihee Kang, Research Professor, 
Kazuhiro Arai, Representative Director, Daisetsuzan Nature School, Japan
Haksoo 
Susan Santos Cárdenas,
Standards & Certification:
GSTC develops and maintains global baseline standards for sustainable travel & tourism; the famous GSTC Criteria. As such, leading experts in the world on standards and certification are either within GSTC or engaged with GSTC, and some of those key leaders will join us in Suwon to discuss the growing application of standards and the latest trends in certification.
More details and full list of speakers
Administers the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) System |
Approved by GSTC and have recently started to move into the South Pacific region |
The world’s benchmarking certification and advisory group for travel and tourism | Cathy Parsons, Chair, Accreditation Panel, GSTC |
Rod Hillman, 
Government Policy for Sustainable Tourism:
Two levels of government engagement will be reviewed: tourism policies at the national and provincial levels, and destination management. Emphasis will be placed on public authorities engaging with the private sector for true partnerships in managing and promoting sustainable tourism activities and destinations.
More details and full list of speakers
Dr. Yeonghyeon Hwang, Chair, Asia Pacific Tourism Association
Cultural Heritage destinations:
Destinations featuring cultural heritage monuments and sites face special challenges in balancing preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage while maximizing the economic benefits of tourism for the community and to support preservation. Experts on creating that balance will speak to these issues. Following the presentation, all participants will travel from the conference venue to the nearby Hwaseong Fortress, a cultural UNESCO World Heritage site and the venue of the Suwon Cultural Festival underway during our visit.
More details and full list of speakers
 Yuzhen Lv, Director of Tourism Management Office, Mt. Huangshan (China) Administrative Committee |  Dr. Jaturong Pokharatsiri, Professor of Architecture, Thammasat University, Thailand and Vice-President of ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee |
 Scott Walker, Country Manager Korea, Tourism Australia |
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VENUE & ACCOMODATION
Venue: Novotel Ambassador Suwon Hotel, Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea — near Seoul and an easy transfer from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport (directions can be found here)
Hotel reservations are the responsibility of the attendee and can be made directly with the hotel here. Please refer to the booking instructions to receive the special discounted rates.
Suwon: Suwon, capital of Gyeonggi-do province, is mostly known for its World Heritage–listed fortifications built by Joseon dynasty when moving the capital from Seoul to Suwon in 1794. Suwon City Cultural Festival will take place on 7-9 October.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Visa: Do you need a visa to enter South Korea? Read more here.
Travel Arrangements: International travelers should arrive Incheon Airport (ICN) October 5th prior to 16:00 to join the opening reception on time; departure times on the 8th or 9th should allow one hour travel time from Suwon to ICN plus adequate check-in time.
How to reach the venue: Reaching the Novotel Ambassador Suwon Hotel from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport is simple. Follow the directions here.
PROMOTIONAL STANDS (limited number)
Want to project your organization’s message to key international thought-leaders of sustainable tourism?
A limited number of promotional stands are available, giving a unique opportunity to communicate your message to conference speakers, panelists, and participants.
HOSTS
ORGANIZER
SPONSORS
CARBON NEAUTRALITY SPONSOR
VENUE
SUPPORTING MEDIA PARTNERS
SUPPORTERS
