Nomad_Africa_Edition12

MAURITIUS
HOLDS AFRICA’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON DIGITALISATION AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
The first International Conference on Digitalisation and Sustainable
Tourism was recently held at the Le Méridien Hotel, Pointe aux Piments, in
Mauritius. The 2-day high profile event attracted decision-makers and
stakeholders from all spheres within the tourism industry internationally including a
number of African countries, and was hosted by the Mauritius Ministry of Tourism with
well over 400 delegates in attendance.
Words: DIETER GÖTTERT
tourism is a major source of
income globally, especially
for smaller countries that
have a rich diversity of offerings
for international travellers,
yet current issues of
climate change, sustainability
and digitalisation together
with super rapid progress in
the data and information technology sectors
are exerting a profound impact on tourism
worldwide.
The conference provided an ideal platform
for invited experts to share their views and
insight in terms of balancing and paving the
way forward in a digital age, where all
global tourism stakeholders will be able to
harness opportunities, while sustaining the
tourism industry into the future.
Officially opened by Mauritian Prime Minster
Pravind Jugnauth, in the presence of notable
VIP guests such as President Didier Robert
of Reunion, Catherine Abelema Afeku - Minister
of Tourism, Arts & Culture of Ghana, Adil
Hamid Daglo Mussa of the Republic of
Sudan; Richard Via of Madagascar, Fekitamoeloa
Utoikamanu - the United Nations
Under Secretary-General and High Representative
of the Least Developed Countries,
Dr Dirk Glaesser of the UNWTO, Alain
St.Ange - former Seychelles Minister of
Tourism, Pascal Viroleau - CEO of the Vanilla
Islands, and the Mauritian Minister of
Tourism, Mr Anil Gayan.
The conference offered a very impressive
line-up of expert speakers, with the first plenary
session and keynote address by Professor
Geoffrey Lipman, President of the
International Coalition of Tourism partners.
In an exclusive interview with Nomad Africa
Magazine, Professor Lipman emphasised
and heeded the call for climate change
awareness and what needs to be done
about the these challenges: “ In my presentation,
I was trying to bring to this audience
the realities of what climate change means
for our world. The trends are very clear and
we have been putting a blanket of carbon
around the world in simple terms, and the
consequence of that is that it is changing our
weather patterns.”
“We are seeing more hurricanes, more
flooding, more heat waves. We are actually
seeing disruption and what is clear is that it
is going to be more and more intense and
irregular and the consequence of that is that
we have problems with water and food production.”
Professor Lipman also emphasised an urgent
need for co-operation and adherence to the
Paris Agreement, which aims to achieve the
long-term goals of global greenhouse gas
emissions mitigation, adaptation to hopefully
curb the increase the global average
temperature to well below 2°C above of
pre-industrial levels by significantly reducing
risks and the impacts of climate change.
“With all the long-term framework targets in
place, over time we will be able to moderate
the reductions of carbon around the
world – we cannot stop it, but we can moderate
it. To do that, we have to change our
patterns of consumption and production.
We have 30 to 40 years to do it, but we have
to start now.”
“What is significant is that between 5 and 8
% of carbon emissions come from tourism –
the way that we use energy, the waste we
produce and the patterns of travel that we
create.”
In terms of being sustainable in a digital age,
what does it mean?
“We are arguing that there should be a new
movement called Impact Travel. Until now,
we have been promoting travel as being
something that is only doing good, but in
the last 5-10 years we have come to understand
the negative side – good impact and
bad impact.”
Professor Lipman says, ”It is a disruption because
destinations are becoming more important
than travel and travellers themselves
because when the tourists go home, the
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