GSTC Global Sustainable Tourism Conference 2018 (December 7-10, Botswana)

Note change of location to the city of Maun

Global Sustainable Tourism Conference #GSTC2018 Botswana

The annual GSTC Conference, the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference 2018 (GSTC2018), will address topics based on the Kasane Call to Action to accelerate sustainable consumption and production (SCP):

Achieving Sustainable Destination Management
Certification as a Driver of Sustainable Tourism
Reaching the SDGs through the GSTC Criteria
Market Access for Responsible Tourism Businesses

GSTC2018 will bring together international and domestic tourism stakeholders involved in the development and promotion of sustainable tourism; including public sector, hotels, tour operators, academia, development agencies, NGOs, consultants, and more.

PROGRAM

A mixture of plenary sessions and breakouts with international and national experts in sustainable tourism as speakers, panelists, and panel moderators.

(A) Achieving Sustainable Destination Management

Visitor management tools and approaches
Protection and restoration of threatened biodiversity
Strategies for meaningful stakeholder engagement
Actively participate in the revision of the GSTC Destination Criteria

(B) Certification as a Driver of Sustainable Tourism

Mainstreaming certification in the tourism sector
Market demand for certified tourism products and destination
Traveler tools to find and buy certified products, services, and destinations

Linkages between the SDGs and the GSTC Criteria: Explaining the links
Achievements towards the 17 SDGs in the tourism sector
Wildlife conservation, local communities, and tourism

(D) Market Access for Responsible Tourism Businesses

Successes and challenges of marketing sustainability
Inclusion in and visibility of certified tourism businesses on booking engines
Overcoming the challenges in marketing, sales, and distribution of SMEs

Schedule:

December 7^th (Friday): Welcoming dinner
December 8^th (Saturday): Conference – day 1 (see program)
December 9^th (Sunday): Conference – day 2 (see program)
December 10^th (Monday): Post-conference complimentary 1-day tour to Moremi Game Reserve

GSTC2018 e-booklet

Full program

REGISTRATION

Registration includes:

Welcome reception and dinner – December 7th
2 full days conference – December 8th & 9th (including lunches and dinners)
Limited availability of 1-day post-conference tour

SPEAKERS

His Excellency The Fourth President of the Republic of Botswana; Lieutenant General
Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama

Prof. Graham Miller
Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Surrey

Adama Bah
Adama Bah, Chairman, Institute of Travel and Tourism of Gambia (ITTOG)

Heidi Van Der Watt
Director, Better Tourism Africa; Board Member, GSTC

Ronald Sanabria
Sustainable Tourism Specialist

Sehenyi “Shex” Tlotlego
Botswana Coordinator, Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy

Jonathan Tourtellot
Founder and former Director, National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations; CEO, Destination Stewardship Center

Dr. Kim Langmaid
Founder, Vice President of Sustainability Programs, Walking Mountains Science Center

Grace Nderitu
CEO, Ecotourism Kenya

Per Gunnar Hettervik
Senior Consultant, NCE Tourism Fjord Norway

Full list of speakers

VENUE (has changed to Maun)

Venue: Maun Lodge, Maun, Botswana

Maun is Botswana’s tourism capital, as it lies on the southern fringes of the Okavango Delta. Despite recent modernizations, it carries the feeling of a dusty, frontier town. For many tourists, Maun is the point of entry into the Delta, and often into Botswana, with direct flights from both Johannesburg and Gaborone.

Maun is the seat of power of the Batawana people. The Batawana are an offshoot of the Bangwato of Serowe. Following a chieftainship dispute in the late 18th century, Kgosi (chief) Tawana and his people left Serowe and settled in Ngamiland, first establishing their capital at Lake Ngami, then Toteng, then Tsao and finally, in 1915, in Maun. Ngamiland District, where Maun is located, comprises a fascinating variety of ethnic groups: the Hambukushu, Basubiya and Bayei – all of central African origins, who know the Okavango intimately, having expertly exploited and utilized its abundant resources for centuries. There are also the Banoka – the River Bushmen, who are the Okavango’s original inhabitants, the Bakgalagadi, and the Baherero, who originate from Namibia, and whose women can be seen wearing brightly colored Victorian style dresses as they stroll along the town roads, or sit outside their traditional rondavels.

Meanwhile, the timeless Thamalakane River meanders lazily through the town, setting the scene and mood for what lies ahead.