PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
BANGKOK, 28 APRIL 2021
SUNx Malta in partnership with the Mekong Tourism Collaboration framework, made up of public sector organization Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) and private sector partnership Destination Mekong will host the first ever Climate Friendly Travel Youth Summit for Asia on Friday 30th April 2021. The ‘Strong Earth Youth Summit’ (SEYS) will include lectures, workshops and other educational activities aimed at highlighting the need for a clean and green post-Covid future for the tourism sector, in accordance with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and 2050 Paris Agreement.
The virtual event, held on 30 April, is one of three global events run in partnership with Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), British Columbia, Canada; Institute of Tourism Studies, Malta (ITS); and Mekong Tourism.
SEYS will focus on creating awareness of Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) and on fostering ways to encourage changes for a resilient Travel & Tourism future. It aims to promote climate hope in the recovery of the tourism industry through awareness and education, youth empowerment, and engagement and action.
Describing the youth summit, Professor Geoffrey Lipman, President of SUNx Malta, said, “This is not just another of the many Travel & Tourism summits. SEYS is designed for tomorrow’s leaders by tomorrow’s leaders – the 45 students from 30 countries we have on our first ever Climate Friendly Travel Diploma Course with ITS Malta. We charged them with creating an event that would be meaningful and attractive for the “Greta Thunberg crowd”.
“SEYS will identify the core issues for the post–pandemic green and clean tourism sector. Our students are putting together a fast and fun program, with engaging speakers, who will captivate a global youth leadership audience.”
The Asia Summit include a range of speakers from Climate Change and Tourism experts such as Dr Susanne Becken, to the CEOs of Asia Travel specialists Willem Niemeijer of Yaana Ventures and Hamish Keith of EXO Travel followed by Q&A sessions.
Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office said:
“We are proud to be partnering with SUNx on this important initiative. Tourism has an essential role to play in the fight against Climate Change and it is through the next generation of change-makers that this transformation will take place. The Mekong is a region heavily dependent on tourism and we want to ensure that its long-term development is based on a Sustainable strategy which places Climate Change at the top of the agenda.”
SEYS will honour the vision and contribution of the late Maurice Strong, a close friend of Lipman, after whom the summit is named. Strong was the architect of the UN Sustainable Development and Climate Framework for half a century, and inspiration for SUNx Malta and its Climate Friendly Travel System.
“SEYS will be the first of an annual testimony to the legacy of Maurice Strong, Champion for the planet, who warned about the Climate Crisis 50 years ago and spent the rest of his life building the UN framework to respond to it,” says Lipman.
SEYS will also launch the Strong Awards to encourage students to profile Breakthrough Innovations in Climate Friendly Travel, together with Les Roches Hospitality School.
For more information on SEYS or to register, visit http://www.thesunprogram.com/summit
or use one of the buttons below to register for the individual events:
British Columbia / Americas Thursday 29th 09:00 (Pacific Time)
Asia-Pacific / Mekong Friday 30th April 14:00 (Bangkok)
Malta / Europe Middle – East Africa Friday 30th April (CEST)
About SUNx Malta
SUNx Malta is a not for profit, EU based, organisation, partnered with the government of Malta that has created a unique, low cost, system to help Travel & Tourism companies and communities transform to the New Climate Economy. The SUNx Malta “Green & Clean, Climate Friendly Travel System” is Action and Education focused – supporting today’s companies and communities to deliver on their proclaimed ambitions and encouraging tomorrow’s young leaders to prepare for rewarding careers across the sector.
About Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO)
The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), located in Bangkok, was set up with funding from the governments of the six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) countries – Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The MTCO, which operates on annual financial contributions from each GMS country, acts as the secretariat for the GMS Tourism Working Group, comprising of senior officials of the six GMS countries’ National Tourism Organizations, to coordinate and facilitate sustainable tourism development of the GMS, and promotion of the Mekong region as a single travel and tourism destination, in collaboration with the public and private sectors. The MTCO manages its award-winning MekongTourism.org digital platform as a one-stop platform to promote responsible and sustainable tourism in the region, as well as the annual Mekong Tourism Forum, whose hosting is rotated among GMS countries.
Please visit www.MekongTourism.org for more information.
About Destination Mekong:
Destination Mekong was created in 2017 to promote the Mekong region, comprising of Cambodia, PR China (Provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam as a single tourism destination to stimulate responsible and sustainable development and investment, and drive inclusive growth. Supporting the mandate of the regional collaborative tourism framework of the six-member governments of the Greater Mekong Sub-region, Destination Mekong is the regional destination marketing organization, and is owned and funded by the private sector of the travel and tourism industry in the six countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion. Destination Mekong initiates, develops, and operates various programs and initiatives, aligned to the strategic plan of the regional Mekong Tourism collaboration, published by the six member tourism ministries via its secretariat, the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office. Destination Mekong is governed by a Board of Directors, overseen by a Chair, and managed by a staff funded by Destination Mekong membership fees and program revenue streams. Initiatives include the award-winning Mekong Moments and Mekong Mini Movie Festival campaigns, the Mekong Innovations In Sustainable Tourism (MIST) program, the Experience Mekong Collection & Showcases, Mekong Heroes, and Mekong Trends. Destination Mekong also hosts its (Virtual) Destination Mekong Summit, in partnership with MTCO. Destination Mekong manages the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG), and organizes various virtual events in collaboration with MTCO.
Please visit www.DestinationMekong.com for more information.
Media Contact
For further press information, images, or to arrange interviews with Professor Lipman, contact Olly Wheatcroft, Program Manager SUNx Malta at: olly@thesunprogram.com.
For further press information, images, or to arrange interviews with Jens Thraenhart, contact Nattakorn Asunee Na Ayudhaya, Operations Manager Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office at: ton@mekongtourism.org.