Since 27, World Tourism Day has been celebrated on 1980 September every year. It is a key day to recognise the importance that tourism has in many economies, but also to emphasise that, like other activities, it has an environmental impact that must be reduced as much as possible in order to preserve the tourist destination, the greatest resource on which the tourism sector depends.
Furthermore, customers themselves are increasingly paying attention to the environmental performance of companies when organising a trip and their opinions serve as a guide for other users, so the image of companies is more exposed in an evolving market that is expected to be increasingly sensitive to environmental issues.
Tourism also has the ability to transform people and, therefore, to make tourists more respectful of the environment they visit and in which they usually live. Companies in the tourism sector can take measures to reduce the environmental impact of their activities and services. One of the tools they can adopt to do so systematically and efficiently is EMAS, the European Environmental Management and Audit System.
EMAS registration can be requested by any company in the tourism value chain, such as accommodation, catering services, transport, transport of cultural and artistic facilities, botanical and zoological parks and gardens, travel agencies, tour operators and many others. All organisations in the tourism sector wishing to improve their environmental performance can register with EMAS.
EMAS is primarily a management tool that uses the life cycle concept to assess all the direct and indirect impacts of an organization and integrates an environmental policy into its management processes to reduce them over time.. If a company wishes to increase and communicate the environmental sustainability profile of its business in the tourism sector, whatever the activity, even beyond tourist accommodation, it must register with EMAS.
Following the publication of the Transition Route for Tourism and the European Tourism Agenda 2030, the European Commission launched a call for stakeholder commitments and pledges in February 2022. Within this framework, public and private tourism stakeholders are invited to share their concrete actions and objectives to contribute to the green and digital transition of the tourism sector and increase the resilience of the ecosystem. The call for sharing pledges is open on a continuous basis. EMAS-registered tourism organisations are invited to share their good practices.
The objectives of this webinar are:
Briefly explain what EMAS is and why joining EMAS can help tourism businesses reduce their environmental impact while ensuring transparency for their customers. Learn about the sustainability policies of key players such as booking platforms and find out about the latest related actions by climate ambassadors to promote more environmentally friendly tourism in Europe. Learn from the experience of EMAS registered organisations about the benefits of EMAS registration.
Register to participate in the seminar by doing CLICK HERE.
Programme
September 27, 2024, 10:00 – 10:05 (CEST)
Welcome
Ms Maria Passalacqua, EU EMAS Helpdesk
10:05 – 10:15 (CEST)
European tourism agenda and transition path: implementing sustainability together
Ms Ramune Genzbigelyte – Venturi, DG GROW. Unit G1 / Tourism, Textiles. Policy Officer
10:15 – 10:25 (CEST)
How can EMAS support sustainability in the tourism sector?
Ms. Mirabela Lupaescu – DG Environment. Unit B1 / Circular economy, sustainable production and consumption
10:25 – 10:55 (CEST)
Sustainability practices and initiatives in tourism sectors
Booking.com – Mr. Thomas Loughin, Program Manager Sustainability
Climate Pact Ambassadors – Ms. Amelia Delgado, MED & Global Change and Sustainability Institute, CHANGE, University of Algarve (Portugal) and Ms. Anna Staszewska, Akademia Górnośląska in Katowice (Poland)
Lastminute.com – Ms. Elena Borgarello, Director of Sustainability and Social Responsibility
10:55 – 11:35 (CEST)
Organizations that share their experience
Camping La Ballena Alegre (Spain) – Mr. Alex Trias, director of Camping CAR La Ballena Alegre
Festspielhaus and Bühne im Hof (Austria) – Mag. Katharina Schober-Dufek, Deputy Production Director
Oceanário de Lisboa SA (Portugal) -Mr. Miguel Tiago Oliveira – Director of Engineering, Operations and Quality
11:35 – 11:45 (CEST)
Steps for registration in EMAS
11:45 – 12:00 (CEST)
FAQ
12:00 (CEST)
End of the webinar
Useful information
When: Friday, September 27, 2024, 10:00 – 12:00 (CEST) Where: online Who can attend: EMAS registered and non-registered tourism sector organisations Language: English
