This event took place at #WTM14, ExCeL London on Wednesday 5 November.

National and regional destinations have recognized the impact of hosting sport tourism activity as a key element of their destination marketing and development. The development of Sport Tourism is acknowledged as the tourism industry’s fastest growing sector and includes events from mega events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup to locally hosted mass participation events. Sport Tourism expert Professor Terry Stevens who has consulted in over 40 countries will lead a discussion that will identify the key trends for the sector and how destinations are embracing it as a key element of their destination development strategy.

With 2017 having been declared the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism For Development (http://tourism4development2017.org/) the session will highlight the progress made in Tourism as a Driver of Peace and Sustainability over the past 30 years – and the vision of industry leaders for further progress in the years ahead.

Featured speakers will be leaders of the travel and tourism industry: Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); HE Mrs. Janice Charette, High Commissioner of Canada; Mr. David Scowsill, President and CEO, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC); Dr. Mario Hardy, CEO, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Ms. Susanna Saari, Vice President, Skål International. Ms. Anita Mendiratta will serve as Moderator.

The concept of sustainable tourism was introduced at the IIPT First Global Conference: Tourism – A Vital Force for Peace, Vancouver 1988. IIPT subsequently pioneered the early initiatives towards its implementation: the first Codes of Ethics and Guidelines for Sustainable Tourism; the first international study of “Models of Best Practice; the first international conference on Sustainable Tourism.

IIPT Founder and President, Louis D’Amore, will use the WTM platform to Announce IIPT’s 30th Anniversary Global Summit and plans for IIPT’s 30th Anniversary Year.

How much do you know about Sustainable Tourism?
This video was produced by our volunteer author Alma Schiffer.

A simple introduction to sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The film is produced by Animaskin on behalf of UN Association of Norway and UNICEF Norway, as part of an interdisciplinary learning program for students on primary and secondary level.

We often hear the words 'sustainable' and 'sustainability' in our daily lives. But what does sustainability mean? And why is it so important? explainity tries to shed some light on these questions.