Dirk GlaesserDr. Dirk Glaesser has joined the GSTC Board of Directors. Dr Dirk Glaesser is the Director for the Sustainable Development Programme of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Along with UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme, UNWTO maintains a permanent seat on the GSTC Board of Directors. As of June 1st 2014, Dirk assumed that UNWTO seat on the GSTC Board of Directors. (As such, he replaced Luigi Cabrini who was at the same time appointed by the GSTC Board to become its Chair.)

The UNWTO’s Sustainable Development of Tourism Programme, which Dirk now directs and Luigi formerly directed, addresses the generation of social, economic and cultural benefits for host communities resulting from sustainable development of tourism, while minimizing the negative impacts upon the natural or socio-cultural environments. The UNWTO Programme naturally works in close partnership with the GSTC, and has been supportive of the GSTC since its inception.

In addition to directing the Sustainable Development of Tourism Programme, Dirk Glaesser supervises the UNWTO Consulting Unit on Biodiversity and Tourism based in Bonn (Germany). He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Lüneburg (Germany) and won the ITB scientific award for his work on Crisis Management. Dirk is the author of a number of publications.

The GSTC is thrilled to welcome Dirk Glaesser to its Board of Directors.