Leon, Gto. Guanajuatothe first state to develop at the subnational level a tourist observatoryseeks to include new measurement indicators focused on how this industry impacts the sustainability and to environment.
In interview with The Economistthe owner of the Secretary of Tourism of GuanajuatoJuan José Álvarez Brunel, explained that within the framework of the 2022 edition of the Sustainable & Social Tourism Summit as a subnational authority met with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to specify these new measurement indices.
He explained that we want to know quantitatively the relationship of the sightseeing in terms of carbon footprint, energy consumption, soil erosion Y water stressFurthermore, based on this measurement, new public policies will be developed so that tourism is more careful and thus a more sustainable industry.
“It is that we could find indicators not only sustainable but also social. The most important thing is that from the tourism indicators we are going to know the impact they have on the social issue, but also on the issue of sustainability. We will be able to tell our tour operators of Guanajuatoto the sector, the indicator is telling me that with these sustainability measures you are growing in this, with these social tourism measures you are growing in this”, Álvarez Brunel said.
The state official stressed that several objectives are intended, that tourism becomes a more responsible activity for the entity, that from this mechanism more visitors focused on sustainability can be attracted, as well as investments in green tourist complexes.
“Supply always meets demand and the market is always regulated, today there is a tendency for visitors, tourists, to go to lodgings or destinations that are for sustainability, that can demonstrate that they are issues that are carried out and that they are not they are just said. We are open to anyone who has that vocation, who has that interest, be it an investor or a tourist, is welcome”, he said.
The secretary reported that currently, due to commercial activities, there are different cases at the national level and in the world where water is already running out or there are erosion problems, in this context, Guanajuato “seeks to be the most environmentally friendly state.”
“We will be one of the first tourist observatories in the world with these new measurements (…) We will be the greenest state, it is important to anticipate this new environmental awareness, a tourist is going to travel to a place where he knows that resources are cared for and its impact is minimal,” he said.
It should be noted that Guanajuato created its tourist observatory before the pandemic, in 2011; by 2014 it was affiliated with the UNWTO and in 2015 it joined the UNWTO Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories. In addition, the entity organizes and participates in an annual congress of tourist observatories.
Guanajuato It has helped more entities to create their own tourism observatories and currently advises some of the states that make up the Central-West Pact for Tourism.
Distinctive
As a prelude to these new measurement mechanisms, Álvarez Brunel pointed out that in 2022 they developed the distinctive Guanajuato Sustainable Tourism.
This tool has the objective of identifying the possible impacts of business, sports, gastronomic and cultural tourism events.
The badge is operated by an Evaluation Committee and its application aims to generate environmental, social and economic actions.
There are 4 badges of this distinction, these are Action Event, Transformation Event, Sustainable Impact Event and Carbon Neutral Event.
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