INTERNATIONAL. “˜Live the Deal’ – an innovative, global campaign designed to help travel companies and destinations respond to climate change, reduce their carbon footprint and embrace the Green Economy – was launched this week during the Copenhagen Climate Summit.
The ‘Live the Deal’ campaign will be underpinned by a simple carbon calculation tool that correlates with government targets and carbon-reducing measures, as well as a Think Tank and Annual Innovations & Investment Summit. The inaugural Summit will be held in Abu Dhabi in the last quarter of next year.
Announcing the new initiative, UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Assistant Secretary-General and long-time green tourism campaigner Geoffrey Lipman said: “What Copenhagen represents is a new commitment by the world community towards sustainable low carbon growth patterns.
“The targets and mitigation actions that countries develop and negotiate through this process will be a new base for travel industry action. What we are providing is a very simple way to get behind the evolving government initiatives, to keep pace with changing patterns and to demonstrate that our sector is acting, not simply talking.
“We should not be ashamed to promote the growth of smart travel – clean green, ethical and quality – it’s the lifeblood of trade, commerce and human connection,” Lipman added.
“˜Live the Deal’ has been developed with the support of UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai who described the initiative as “The kind of link between global policymaking and responsible tourism action that we are looking to inspire and encourage”.
He noted: “Our sector fuels the economy, creates jobs and is one of the biggest development opportunities for the world’s poorest countries – and it can be a leader in the transformation to a green economy.”
‘Live the Deal’ will be promoted by a multimedia video (below) ‘We can take this Climate Change’. Made by platinum-selling album writer and singer Alston Koch, it will be profiled around the world in 2010.
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