Juan Jose Alvarez Brunel, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Guanajuato, presents in Mallorca the Sustainability Model and the Tourism Observatory,
Juan Jose Alvarez Brunel, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Guanajuato, presents in Mallorca the Sustainability Model and the Tourism Observatory, as Governance methods that strengthen sustainability
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Mallorca, Spain/Gto News
In Guanajuato, sustainable development has been promoted in the destinations by providing training, certification, improvement in the infrastructure of its streets and its historic buildings and, of course, the care of the cultural, historical and natural heritage.
Juan Jose Alvarez Brunel, Secretary of Tourism of Guanajuato, answered the question “How can tourism be used as a tool for local governance and community development, and what are some of the best practices in this area?”, by Dirk Glaesser, director of Sustainable Development of Tourism at the World Tourism Organization –UNWTO- and moderator of the Panel discussion “Governance Models that strengthen Sustainability” of the “II Summit of sustainable destinations”, in Mallorca, Spain.
In this space, Alvarez Brunel -representing Guanajuato and Mexico– shared a panel with Mrs. Gracen Chungath, Senior Vice President, Destination Development, Destination Canada; and Mr. Mathias Schattleitner, President Austrian Tourism Managers, Managing Director Schladming-Dachstein, Austria.
The questions that Dirk Glaesser presented in this panel were listed in this order:
- Do you think that Tourism can contribute to good governance in destinations?
- And, if so, how?
- In your opinion, what are the most important factors that contribute to effective governance in tourist destinations?
- How do you ensure that all relevant stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process for sustainable tourism development?
- What are some of the challenges you have faced when implementing participatory processes in the tourism sector?
- What role do you think technology plays in improving governance and decision-making processes in the tourism sector?
- What role do you think technology plays in improving governance and decision-making processes in the tourism sector?
- What strategies have you found effective in promoting community participation and empowerment in sustainable tourism development?
- How is the effectiveness of governance measured in tourist destinations?
- Based on your experience, what are some successful examples of sustainable tourism development and effective governance in action?
Since the previous administration, Guanajuato has constantly participated with the UNWTO in events with sustainable issues, presenting the Sustainability Model, a tool that allows the Ministry of Tourism to include sustainable practices in destinations and organizations in the tourism sector, which improve the effects of tourism and raise the standard of living of citizens.
In these participations, the Tourism Observatory of the State of Guanajuato –OTEG- was also presented, a technical, intersectoral and interdisciplinary analysis space under which a group of people and/or institutions are grouped and organized with the purpose of monitoring, measuring and verifying the evolution of the tourism sector in Guanajuato.
This synergy is one of the most important factors contributing to effective governance in tourism destinations.
“The collaborative work between the government, private initiative, academia, and the local community, allowed us to define long-term visions towards a constant development of the destinations and their people, and reached an agreement and follow up on it that establishes responsibility and dates of care”, answered the secretary to the second question.
Today tourism moves in many ways with technology, “even for sustainability issues, for example, in measuring the carbon footprint, global and local marketing,” said Juan Jose Alvarez.
Alvarez said that Guanajuato has a good example of sustainable development and effective governance, joint efforts between SECTUR and the Secretary of Environment and Territorial Planning, agencies that seek to safeguard the natural resources most impacted by tourism, an action that is accompanied by the German Agency GIZ.
Alvarez said that the tourist activity in Guanajuato is measured and constantly improved thanks to visitor satisfaction surveys at destinations and the perception of businessmen -in analysis tables- regarding tourism in different seasons, just to mention some actions of the Government of Guanajuato in terms of Sustainable Tourism.
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