23 Feb 2023|Noida | Amity University, Noida
“Responsible Tourism, need of the hour”, says renowned Tourism Expert Prof. Harold Goodwin, during a workshop at Amity
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Amity Institute of Travel and Tourism, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida conducted a two-day Workshop on “National Tourism Policy and G20: Life Uniting Earth, People and Tourism” from 23rd to 24th February, 2023.
Delivering a lecture on “India’s Achievements in Responsible Tourism”, Prof. Harold Goodwin, Emeritus Professor at Manchester Metropolitan University and Senior Fellow of The Institute of Place Management, averred, “Tourism is a polluting industry since travel and greenhouse gas emissions, litter which have social and economic impacts on the high streets and in villages, thereby, making the places highly polluted. Therefore, it is essential to use tourism to achieve sustainability and act responsibly. It is not only the government’s responsibility but everyone’s responsibility to ensure that eco-friendly practices are adopted, and the tourists become aware of the damages being caused to the environment.”
Explaining the difference between “Sustainable Tourism” and “Responsible Tourism”, Prof. Goodwin stated, “Sustainable Tourism is an abstract long-term goal, which does not have a specific conclusion whereas Responsible Tourism is about taking responsibility for achieving sustainable development through tourism. Citing the example of Kerala, he further added that the Second International Conference on “Responsible Tourism in Destinations” held in 2008, helped Kerala in establishing “Responsible Tourism” as its tourism strategy at state and local level. He concluded his lecture by saying that this is a critical decade and “Greenwashing” is still prevalent in the Tourism Sector. Therefore, we must focus on partnerships for change and the Government must take action to deal with laggards who undermine progress.”
Highlighting the significance of the Workshop, Prof. (Dr.) M. Sajnani, Dean Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism & Director Amity Institute of Travel & Tourism, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, said, “India should be able to bring a transformation in the G-20 leadership by drawing inspiration from the philosophy of “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam” and treating the entire planet as one family. The major challenges which India faced during the last few years have been the Covid-19 Pandemic and the conflict between Russia and the west. Therefore, we must help the world to revive multilateralism and overcome issues of women empowerment, providing tech-enabled infrastructure, and other pertinent issues across the world. G-20 also addresses the critical agenda of Climate Change, and the National Tourism Policy must be aligned with Sustainable Development Goals.”
During the two-day Workshop, insightful lectures by renowned experts on topics including “National Tourism Plan – Vision without Action is a Daydream” by Dr. Ann Ashton, Associate Dean, Administration, Research and Academic Services, Graduation School of Tourism Management, National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Thailand and “Sustaining Economic Impact of Event Tourism” by Prof. (Dr.) Mrs. Deepak Chhabra, Professor, School of Community Resources & Development, Arizona State University USA, will also be conducted.