A series of talks confronting the emerging market will gather the elite of the industry including high-profile government figures, tourism board chiefs and representatives from leading eco-tourism destinations in an inspiring programme of topical sessions. The sustainable tourism programme is being organised by VisitEngland with support from the national tourism organisations in Britain and Ireland. It will kick off on Thursday 26th March. I will be on the Panel for a discussion about voluntourism and conservation in the UK. Although not one of Make Travel Fair’s stronger suits it will be interesting to be involved in a discussion about this area of the industry.

Thursday 26th March

12.15 – 12.45: Making sense of sustainable tourism in England
13.00 – 13.45: Responding to Climate Change: perspectives from the South East and South West
14.00 – 14.45: Voluntourism:  how conservation holidays are changing the UK landscape

Panellists:

• Gill O’Brien, British Trust of Conservation Volunteers (BTCV)
• Tom Berry, EarthWatch
• Sally Broom, Your Safe Planet
• Stephen Chapman, Make Travel Fair

15.00 – 15.45: The Hoteliers’ Million-Pound Question: how to save a fortune by saving the environment
16.00 – 16.45: What happens next? Equipping future tourism professionals to keep things green
17.00 – 17.45: Coming clean: tour operators get serious about sustainability in the UK and Ireland

Friday 27th March

11.00 – 11.45: Green Destinations: GreenBox – Ireland’s Ecotourism Destination from idea to reality
12.00 – 12.45: Ecoescape forum: Marginalised or mainsteam? How the media responds to green tourism
13.00 – 13.45 Green Destinations: addressing the different needs of rural and urban tourism destinations

The main stage at the event also features Tourism’s Footprint: the Big Green Debate, organised by the Tourism Society.