Welcome to ISTU forum!

[AdminAdmin]

We are delighted to welcome our SIDS Teachers, certified and invited Peers, to this newly created group forum (INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM UNION). This centralized management forum system provides opportunities for sharing information and ideas that promotes sustainable tourism impacts with the hope of seeing an increase or enhancement of social, culture and economic impacts of tourism.

We're convinced of the great benefits for active peers through networking, collaboration and cooperation. ISTU will provide members with better understanding of the different local realities across the globe and great impact of social, culture and economic values of tourism in each region. We are living in a globalised time where the local contents play a very important role in society, thus ISTU needs to face this new condition and become a global driving mechanism, an international union that committed to tourism sustainability.

We shall work continually to improve the networking opportunities within ISTU. Once again, we're convinced of the great benefits for members, this is a networking where we commit ourselves to give and share. If all members really commit to delivering values to the great Union, we will reinforce the benefits of what we can get through this "COOPERATION"

[dengalv]

From where I sit as someone who analyses human practice/behaviour from which to make policy recommendations there are 2 burning issues for sustainable tourism in all types of destinations.  The first is 'over tourism' which at the moment seems to be threatening the daily lives of the locals who live in iconic tourist destinations.  In fact, I recently read that Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Venice have collectively made a case to UNWTO to ask for help to deal with the impact of too many tourists.  This issue may not currently affect all of the SIDS - I know it was affecting Sri Lanka prior to Easter of this year - right now but as populations of China, India and Brazil for example become more affluent it won't be too long before 'over tourism' will become the burning topic for tourism policy makers.

The second is tourist carbon footprints.  I am conscious of mine because of the need to fly for professional reasons and try to do my bit to keep it under control with planning direct flights, taking trains whenever I can etc.  However, this issue directly related to global warming still isn't getting the attention it deserves.

The only way to tackle the global impact of these local issues is through collective action.  Just throwing out a couple of ideas of how this forum can be instrumental to policy input and welcome your feedback.

Saludos from a very sunny Alicante :