table of contents - oits - isto · · 2017-10-24publication of a guide with case studies of...

Table of Contents

3 Foreword

4 Global Actions of ISTO

14 Standing committees and working groups

17 Regional sections

29 Conclusions

Photo credits : Cyril Crespeau, Villages Clubs au Soleil, Association pour le

Tourisme Equitable et Solidaire (ATES), VISITFLANDERS, VVF Villages,

Christophe Licoppe, ISTO

3

Since the last major event in Zagreb, where the

World Congress was held a year ago, the

organisation’s work has been mainly marked

by the implementation of the policy document

on the future of ISTO adopted by the General

Assembly, participation in new European

projects of a significant scale and the holding of

a major forum in the Americas.

The opening up of ISTO to responsible and fair

tourism stakeholders, one of the key points of

the new approach to which the organization

has committed itself, has resulted in a small but

significant number of new memberships from

this field of activity. This clearly demonstrates

the interest of the relevant bodies in joining

forces within an international entity whose

stated position is that of a different or

alternative tourism, in reference to a type of

mass tourism whose abuses are increasingly

denounced by local populations.

Other actions over the past year include the

facilitation of new working groups,

representational activities not only at

conferences but also at tourism fairs, the

renewal of some communication tools, the

publication of a guide with case studies of

social policies and programmes in various

countries, and the start of preparations for the

2018 World Congress.

The opening up of ISTO to

responsible and fair tourism

stakeholders has resulted in a

number of new memberships

from this field of activity.

In order to achieve this, ISTO has been able to

count on the strong and vital support of Belgian

institutions and partners, as well as other

public bodies and private companies or groups

towards which ISTO had taken steps to further

diversify the sources of funding needed to fulfil

its mission and meet the expectations of its

members.

Foreword

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STATUTORY MEETINGS

As provided for in the statutes, the statutory meetings include the General Assembly, the Board of

Directors and the Executive Committee.

Zagreb General Assembly 2016

Organised within the framework of the ISTO

World Congress in Zagreb, the General

Assembly, which met on 19 October 2016,

formally decided to approve unanimously

the policy paper on the future of ISTO. This

document had 5 key points:

- Widening ISTO’s scope of action and

become the common home of social

tourism AND fair and responsible tourism

players, in order to promote together a

shared vision of tourism.

- Improving members’ services by sharing best practices from all over the world, making their

voices heard through lobbying and advocacy efforts, and providing them with networking and

partnership opportunities.

- Defining a new ISTO by submitting statutory changes consisting in a streamlined and clearer

definition of social tourism in order to secure better universal understanding of our vision.

Global Actions

of ISTO

ISTO General Assembly met on 19 October 2016 in Zagreb

International Social Tourism Organisation – Activity Report 2016-2017

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- Close partnership with EARTH (the European Alliance for Responsible Tourism and Hospitality)

for a global recognition of social, fair and responsible tourism.

- Designing a work plan based on this reflection process.

During this meeting, the members were also called upon to vote for the renewal of half of the Board

of Directors, as provided for in the statutes. As a result, 11 organisations were elected or re-elected to

the Council for a period of four years.

Board of Directors of Milan and La Roche

ISTO Board of Directors in Milan on 23 March 2017

At the invitation of the Italian member Federcultura Turismo Sport Confcooperative, an ISTO member,

the Board of Directors met in Milan on 23 March. Issues relating to the inclusion of responsible and

fair tourism, membership categories and fee levels, as well as the actions of regional sections and

statutory changes were addressed. The directors also validated the holding of the next World Congress

in Lyon in 2018.

The Board also met on 18 October at the Floreal Group Centre in La Roche-en-Ardenne (Belgium) to

discuss the content of the activity report, the financial report and the proposed amendments to the

statutes to be presented to the next Assembly.

Today, the Board is composed of 27 member organisations from 10 countries, divided into 3

categories: social tourism stakeholders (16 bodies), national, regional and local authorities (8) and

responsible and fair tourism stakeholders (3).

Executive Committee of Brussels and Blankenberge

The Executive Committee met regularly over the past year. Four meetings were held: in Brussels on 13

December 2016, in Blankenberge on 11-12 January 2017 for the annual discussion seminar and on 29


6

June and 17 September. During the discussion seminar, a work programme for the current year was

developed and the organisation’s organisational structure was redefined in line with the new realities.

SECRETARIAT, ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE

The ISTO Secretariat, which works under the supervision of Secretary

General Yves Godin, now has 5 permanent employees following the

hiring of a new person, Sara Barthier, as part of the European project

PROFIT.

In addition to membership fees and European project financing (PROFIT

and ERASMUS +), the operation of ISTO relies on the strong support of

mainly Belgian institutions and organisations:

The ISTO Secretariat is supported first and foremost by the General Federation of Belgian

Labour (FGTB-ABVV) and FLOREAL Group, which provide ISTO with offices, IT infrastructure

and a wide range of services. This support alone amounts to more than €40,000.

The Secretariat has also been supported for several years by the Brussels Regional

Employment Office (Office Régional Bruxellois de l’Emploi – ACTIRIS) for the position held by

J. Rayet, for an annual amount of over €30,000 per year.

ISTO has received renewed support from Visit Flanders over the past year thanks to the

assignment of L. Gobin as Director of ISTO Europe and the payment of a special contribution

of €29,000 for the position of R. Van Laer.

In order to draw up a guide presenting case studies of social policies and

programmes in various countries, ISTO received an additional contribution of

€6,000 from the French Ministry in charge of tourism (DGE) and in

preparation for Congress 2018, the Ministry confirmed a commitment of

€60,000 spread over two years.

Finally, a partnership agreement was signed in 2017 with CareMed,

a company based in Bonn, Germany, specialising in insurance for young

people and youth programmes, for an amount of €5,000.

Established a few years ago, the Finance Commission chaired by ISTO Treasurer Eric Wolters (CBTJ),

formally met in conjunction with the Executive Committees of December 2016 and September 2017,

but numerous sessions were also held to monitor the budgetary situation, the payment of membership

fees, the financial details of projects, the administrative aspects with the Belgian authorities and

everything relating to the Secretariat.

Yves Godin, ISTO Secretary General


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COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICATIONS

In terms of communications, the actions carried out can be presented in 5 points: website, social

media, electronic newsletter, electronic journal, press releases and certificates for members.

Website

The ISTO website is very regularly updated in the three official languages: English, French and Spanish,

whether it be for news from members or partners, upcoming events or actions carried out by ISTO and

its regional sections. Today, the website has about 3,100 monthly visits, a slight increase from last year

(2,500).

Social media

On social media, ISTO has also enhanced its visibility over the past year, although substantial progress

can still be made: 167 followers on Twitter, 1,652 likes on Facebook and 188 followers on LinkedIn.

Newsletter

An electronic newsletter has continued to be issued 6 times a year in French and

English and is sent to ISTO members and partners via MailChimp, which provides

statistics on reading rates of around 25%. The content is divided into 4 sections: news from ISTO, our

network, the tourism sector and the agenda. The texts are concise, with photos and related links for

those who want to know more.

Electronic journal

The journal “Social Tourism International”, which has been published twice a year electronically since

2017 has resulted in two issues: the first in December 2016 with a special report on responsible tourism

and the second in October 2017 with a report on youth mobility. In addition, it includes an editorial by

the president and a “country profile” on social tourism: the United Kingdom and Chile were presented

this year.

1.684 likes 178 followers 192 followers


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Press releases and communications

In addition to the traditional press releases such as the one announcing the opening of ISTO to

responsible and fair tourism stakeholders, the ISTO Secretariat has initiated the dissemination of

member-specific news to other members. Sent under the name One4all, it is a direct communication

between members, whether for the promotion of an event, a new product portfolio or a study.

Publications

With regard to publications, ISTO has carried out 3 actions over the last few months: the printed

publication of the ISTO Activity Report 2015-2016, a new promotional brochure of ISTO and the guide

– in electronic version but with a printed presentation booklet – presenting cases of social policies and

programmes in various countries.

Guide “Tourism in actions: 20 examples of social policies and programmes around the world”

This guide, available in French and English, aims to present 20 cases of social tourism policies or

schemes implemented in 17 countries around the world, which have proven their worth, have

benefited many people as well as the local economy, have helped to train stakeholders or improve the

quality of services. Each case is presented in a consistent and concise way in order to make it easier to

read.

In order to achieve this project, ISTO was supported by the French Ministry in charge of tourism (DGE)

and an intern from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).

New ISTO presentation leaflet Guide "Tourism in Actions: 20 Examples of Social Policies and Programmes around the World”


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REPRESENTATION AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

Every year, ISTO is invited to participate in various events organised by members or partners at the

national or international level. These advocacy actions are part of the organisation’s mission, both to

promote the social and humanistic vision of tourism and to present the best practices. The following

is a non-comprehensive list of events where ISTO was present in addition to actions directly related to

the regional sections:

ISTO representation activities

Date Place Title

October 2016 Paris, France ATES International Conference on Fair and Solidarity

Tourism

November 2016

Brussels, Belgium European Commission’s European Tourism Day

December 2016 Malines, Belgium Visit Flanders Vakantieparticipatie Forum

January 2017 Linares, Spain International Day of Social and Accessible Tourism

Madrid, Spain Launch of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism

for Development at FITUR

February 2017 Brussels, Belgium Change Lab – Partnership Pitch of the Belgian Network

for Sustainable Development

March 2017 Berlin, Germany ITB Fair

Paris, France Symposium on accessible tourism organised by the

French Ministry in charge of tourism

Namur, Belgium CBTJ symposium on youth tourism

April 2017 Krakow, Poland 3rd International Congress on Tourism & Ethics

May 2017 Tataouine, Tunisia International Forum on Solidarity Tourism and

Sustainable Development (FITS)

September 2017 Vixouze, France ‘Vixouze talks’ on the future of tourism

Chengdu, China UNWTO General Assembly

Paris, France Top Resa trade show

October 2017 Paris, France OECD meeting on tourism policies for sustainable and

inclusive growth

C.E. Bélanger, V. Gomez and J.M. Mignon were present at the Launch of the Int. Year of Sust. Dev. At FITUR

Visit Flanders Vakantieparticipatie Forum


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World Committee on Tourism Ethics

ISTO President Jean Marc Mignon continued his mandate as a member of the World Tourism

Organization’s (UNWTO) World Committee on Tourism Ethics (WCTE). He participated in two meetings

of the Committee on 31 January 2017 in Madrid and attended the UNWTO General Assembly on 12

September in Chengdu. On that occasion, he was re-elected for a second term on the WCTE until 2021.

He also represented the Committee at a NECSTouR network conference on “Smart Tourism

Destinations’ Contribution for the Planet and its People” held in Seville on 30-31 March 2017.

World Summit on Accessible Tourism Steering Committee

Following the first edition of the World Summit on Accessible Tourism

organised by Kéroul in Montreal in 2014, the second edition of the

Destinations for All World Summit, under the auspices of the Collectif

Accessibilite ́Wallonie-Bruxelles (CAWaB), Kéroul and Access-i, will take

place in Brussels in October 2018. ISTO, represented by its Director, is a

member of the Steering Committee of this Summit, which met twice on 16

June and 16 October 2017.

DEVELOPMENT OF MEMBERS

New members

The Membership Committee composed of Patrick Brault (Vacances Ouvertes/France) as coordinator,

Valeria Gherardini (AICS/Italy) and Filip Delmotte (Volkstoerisme/Belgium) recommended 26 new

members to the ISTO Board of Directors.

At the Milan Board of Directors meeting, 17 new members were accepted, including 10 from the

EARTH Network:

Office National des Vacances Annuelles – ONVA (Belgium) CAITD (Benin) Subsecretaría de Turismo (Chile) País de Paz (Costa Rica) Acteurs du Tourisme Durable – ATD (France) We for Nepal (Nepal) Visit Scotland (United Kingdom)

UNWTO General Assembly at Chengdu, China


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EARTH Network

TourCert (Germany)

AlterBrussels (Belgium)

Association pour le Tourisme Équitable et Solidaire – ATES (France)

Betterfly Tourism (France) KOAN Consulting (Spain)

Associazione Italiana del Turismo Responsabile – AITR (Italy)

Borghi Autentici d’Italia (Italy) Instituto Cooperazione Economica Internazionale – ICEI (Italy)

NEC Notranjski ekološki center, Cerknica (Slovenia)

Diesis Coop (International)

For the meeting of the Board of Directors in La Roche-en-Ardenne, 9 new memberships should be

accepted:

CareMed (Germany) Viavia Tourism Academy (Belgium) Asociación de Turismo Rural – ACHITUR (Chile) Education and Developmental Company “Ploigos” (Greece) ANTSO RE (Madagascar) Secours Populaire (France) Hungarian National Foundation for Recreation – HNFR (Hungary) Association de solidarité et développement Aoufous – Gite la Grotte (Morocco) Municipality of León (Mexico)


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Termination

During its meeting in La Roche-en-Ardenne, the Board of Directors is expected to approve the

termination of membership of 12 organisations that had either not paid their fees for at least two

years, had applied to withdraw from ISTO, or had ceased operations. The affected organisations are as

follows:

S-Relax (Belgium) Vision Solidaire (Burkina Faso) Trésor Vacances (Cameroon) GIC Agrotour (Cameroon) Actions Solidaires (Gabon) Comune di Verona (Italy) University of Malta (Malta) Ministry of Sport and Tourism (Poland) State Secretariat for Economic Affairs and Tourism (Switzerland) Livre du Togo (Togo) Compagnons Ruraux (Togo) Youth Care Entertainment (Zambia)

Taking into account these new memberships and withdrawals, ISTO now has 156 organisations in 37

countries as follows:

38 organisations in 12 countries of the Americas 99 organisations in 14 countries of Europe 14 organisations in 10 countries of Africa 1 organisations in 1 country of Asia 4 international organisations

In addition, the Alliance for Training and Research in Social and Fair Tourism has 18 individual

members, 24 members in total with institutional organisations.

Compared to 2016, this represents an increase in the number of members (141 to 156), mainly as a

result of opening up to the responsible and fair tourism sector, but a slight decrease in the number of

countries represented (38 to 37).

WORLD CONGRESS 2018

Following the invitation extended by the

representative of the Ministry of

Economy and Finance (DGE) for the next

world congress to be held in France, the

ISTO Board of Directors meeting in Milan

officially approved the proposal

supported by the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

Region to host the congress in Lyon from

16 to 19 October 2018.

Lyon, France


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A steering committee composed of representatives of the DGE, the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region,

UNAT, ISTO – including the regional sections, the Alliance for Training and Research, and the

Responsible and Fair Tourism Committee – was set up and met in Lyon on 12-13 June and in Brussels

on 20 September 2017. This committee deals with organisational, financial, promotional and thematic

aspects.

The main venue for the congress will be Domaine Lyon St-Joseph in combination with the regional

council’s auditorium for the opening session and first plenary meeting.

Financial support of €60,000 from the DGE has already been confirmed for this congress and

approaches are under way with local and regional authorities as well as the Agence Nationale pour les

Chèques-Vacances (ANCV, the French national agency for holiday vouchers).

The thematic priority areas that have been defined include innovation and creativity, youth tourism

and balanced regional development.

The ‘Château de Vixouze’ in Cantal, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region


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ALLIANCE FOR TRAINING AND RESEARCH IN SOCIAL AND FAIR TOURISM

In recent months, the Alliance’s action has involved following up the 3rd International Meeting held at

the Zagreb Congress with the aim of publishing part of the conference papers in a special issue of the

“Journal of policy research in tourism, leisure and events” by the end of 2017.

The Alliance is also involved in the

Erasmus + All Tourists project in which

ISTO collaborates with Spanish, Italian

and Estonian partners. This EU-funded

project, which runs over the period 2017-

2018, aims to develop vocational training

modules on social tourism for people with

technical skills, within the European

Qualifications Framework for Lifelong

Learning.

The Alliance Coordinator, Anya Diekmann of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, is also contributing to

the research component of the 2018 Congress Steering Committee.

Finally, it should be noted that a number of Alliance members have published articles and books on

social tourism that ISTO has disseminated through its electronic journal and website. This is the case,

as an example of:

Standing committees &

working groups

Meeting in Sicily for the Erasmus+ project 'All Tourist'


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A. Diekmann of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)

with articles published in Annals of Tourism Research (Tourism and

wellbeing) and in The Routledge Handbook of Health Tourism

(Social tourism and Health)

S. Mccabe of Nottingham University (United Kingdom) with

articles published in the journal Annals of Tourism Research (Social

tourism and self-efficacy: exploring the links between tourism

participation, job seeking and unemployment) and in the Journal of

Sustainable Tourism (The contribution of social tourism to

sustainable tourism)

E. Schenkel of the Universidad Nacional del Sur (Argentina)

with a paper entitled “Política Turística y Turismo Social – una

perspectiva latinoamericana” (Tourism policy and social tourism, a

Latin American perspective) published by CICCUS.

The Alliance now has 25 members (7 institutional and 18 individual) from 14 countries.

TRADE UNION TASKFORCE

Coordinated by Alain Clauwaert, Vice President of ISTO attached

to FGTB-ABVV/Floreal Group in Belgium, the Task Force met in

conjunction with the ISTO Board of Directors in Milan on 22 March

2017. Representatives of the European Federation of Food,

Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), the European

Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the International Union of

Food, Agriculture, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied

Workers’ Associations (IUF) attended the meeting, which focused

on “Guidelines on decent work and socially responsible tourism”

recently adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

A second meeting scheduled for the ISTO General Assembly in La

Roche should deal with cooperation between trade unions on

senior tourism, corporate social responsibility in tourism and

topics for an awareness-raising and advocacy campaign for the

European elections.

RESPONSIBLE AND FAIR TOURISM COMMITTEE

Created following the opening of ISTO’s scope of action to responsible and fair tourism stakeholders,

this new committee coordinated by Maurizio Davolio, President of the Italian Association for

Responsible Tourism (AITR) and President of EARTH, met for the first time in Paris on 4 September

2017. The main objectives of this committee are to:

- Support the organisation and revitalisation of networks at national level and the development

of membership

- Lobby public players (development agencies, local authorities, governments)

- Provide training through exchanges of best practices

- Raise awareness among tourism professionals

Meeting of the Trade Union Taskforce in Milan on 22 March 2017


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- Analyse and take a position on specific issues (e.g. the limitations of mass tourism)

Among the activities organised were two workshops at FITUR (Responsible Tourism Forum) in January

and at ITB (New Horizons for Social & Responsible Tourism) in March 2017, which gave visibility.

Finally, the participation in the International Forum

on Solidarity Tourism and Sustainable

Development (FITS), which was held in Tunisia from

24 to 26 May with the participation of 120

delegates from 23 countries, really brought out the

new role of ISTO in this field.

ACCESSIBLE TOURISM

As proposed at the Zagreb Congress, a working group on

accessible tourism was set up and chaired by Annette

Masson, President of the Association Tourisme et Handicaps

and met on 24 April 2017 in Brussels. A dozen member

organisations and partners, including the European Network

for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), are part of this working

group, which started by identifying existing training

programmes at university or higher education level, the

results of which could be disseminated at the next congress.

The content of the future international standard on

accessible tourism and the Destinations for All World

Summit in 2018 were also discussed.

GENDER PARITY

Hosted by Sonia Vaillancourt, Executive Director of the Conseil québécois du loisir

(CQL) and Vice-president of ISTO, the objectives of the Working Group on Gender

Parity are to achieve parity in roles within ISTO, to make statutory changes, to

increase women’s participation in congresses and other activities, and to report

on developments through monitoring. The Group, which met twice

(audioconferences) on 1 March and 7 July 2017, conducted a survey among

members with a short questionnaire that needed to be completed in order to

gain a better understanding of the policies and programmes implemented by

members in this area.

Participants of the FITS in Tataouine, Tunisia

The working group on Accessible Tourism came together in April 2017 in Brussels

Anya Diekmann

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ISTO AMERICAS

Since the Zagreb congress, ISTO Americas has continued its actions for the development of social tourism and fair and responsible tourism in the region, while supporting the various projects of its members on the continent.

The objectives set for this period have been achieved, including increasing the number of members, supporting the actions of existing members and continuing awareness raising and training activities. It is important to highlight the most important achievement in recent months, which was the organisation and holding of the “Encuentro de las Américas de Turismo Social” (Meeting of the Americas on Social Tourism).

Meeting of the Americas on Social Tourism

Held from 31 May to 4 June 2017 in Chile, the “Encuentro de las Américas de Turismo Social” (Meeting of the Americas on Social Tourism) brought together some 15 members from 8 countries of the Americas, in addition to the members of the host country and the President of ISTO. The Encuentro was made possible thanks to the strong support of the Chilean Under Secretariat of Tourism and the

Regional sections

The ISTO authorities and ISTO Americas participated at the "Meeting of the Americas on Social Tourism"


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Servicio Nacional de Turismo (National Tourism Service - SERNATUR), member of ISTO. Activities to promote and disseminate the event were also carried out in Santiago de Chile thanks to the support of ISTO member Grupo Novojet.

This year’s “Encuentro de las Américas de Turismo Social” was held in two distinct phases. The first stage, which took place in Santiago, was aimed at sharing the best practices in social, fair and sustainable tourism of ISTO members in the Americas. To this end, a seminar entitled “Social tourism: driving force for the sustainable development of the industry” was organised over a day and a half with the presentation of various social tourism actions and programmes from the continent and the host country. The conferences,

attended by more than 200 people, covered 4 main themes:

The effectiveness of public policies relating to social tourism An overview of companies and an analysis of experiences in social programmes An assessment of the sustainability pillars of local communities participating in Social Tourism Indicators and development of social tourism products

The second stage of this meeting aimed to bring together the members in a new forum where, through collaboration, mutual aid and innovation, it is possible to stimulate and encourage the development of social tourism in the region. To achieve this goal, ISTO Americas and its members travelled to Pucon, some 800 km from the Chilean capital, for two and a half days.

This move, in addition to providing a better understanding of the country, also provided an opportunity for members to experience two great Chilean best practices, one belonging to the social tourism programme for young people “Gira de estudio” (study tour) and the other to the senior citizens holiday programme “Vacaciones Tercera Edad”.

Last but not least, this meeting was the occasion for ISTO Americas to hold its 2017 General Assembly, during which the report of activities carried out in 2016 and the upcoming activities in 2017/2018 were presented.

Meeting of the Americas on Social Tourism from 31 May until 4 June 2017 in Chile

Members of ISTO Americas during a discussion day in Pucon, Chili


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Representation activities in Mexico Over the past several years, representation activities in Mexico have continued to be highly frequent and diverse. For this period, let us highlight the most important ones:

o National Tourism Forum, Mexico City ISTO Americas Vice President Sergio Rodriguez attended the XV Foro Nacional de Turismo (15th National Tourism Forum) in Mexico City on 20-21 February 2017. The inaugural session of the Forum featured M. E. González O’ Farrill, General Coordinator of the Social Tourism Programme “Viajemos todos por México” (Let’s all travel around Mexico), of the Mexican Secretariat of Tourism and M. Reyes Fuchs, Secretary of Tourism of the State of Morelos.

o Tianguis Turístico México 2017, Acapulco Mexico’s largest tourism fair, the Tianguis Turístico México 2017, which was already in its 42nd edition, took place in Acapulco, Guerrero from 27 to 30 March. S. Rodriguez represented ISTO Americas at this event which brought together more than 10,000 participants from 88 countries. With regard to social tourism in Mexico, the “Viajemos todos por México” (Let’s all travel around Mexico) programme presented its first results while launching its new website viajemostodospormexico.com which offers more than 2,500 products and 4 regional tourist guides.

o Sustainable & Social Tourism Summit 2017, Cancun In this International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, this section had to be present as a

key player at the Sustainable & Social Tourism Summit, a major event held from 4 to 6 May 2017 in

Cancun in the state of Quintana Roo (sstourismsummit.org). With a focus on “Sustainable management

of tourist destinations”, the Summit brought together experts from 9 different countries. ISTO

contributed to the development of the

preliminary programme. S. Rodriguez

moderated the Summit and the Director

of the Americas, Veronica Gomez, spoke

and moderated the panel on “Social

Responsibility in Tourism, Beyond

Certification”.

The Vice President of ISTO Americas S. Rodriguez with the Tourism Secretary of the Morelos State, Monica Reyes Fuchs in Mexico

Veronica Gomez as panelist in the framework of the Sustainable & Social Tourism Summit in Cancun

http://beta.visitmexico.com/es/vtxm

http://sstourismsummit.org/


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Three other activities took place in Mexico. They include:

o The participation of S. Rodriguez, on 25 October 2016, in the 1st International Forum on Sustainable Tourism, organized by the Guanajuato State Secretariat of Tourism and held in Guanajuato, Mexico, as moderator of the panel entitled “Sustainability for whom? The human aspect”;

o S. Rodriguez’s participation in the International Congress on Tourism Management, from 22-25 March 2017, in Oaxaca, Mexico. Under the theme “Heritage Sustainability and Safeguarding in Cultural Destinations”, S. Rodriguez gave a keynote address at the opening session.

o S. Rodriguez participated in the 20th anniversary of the tourism training programme at the University of Guanajuato, on 13 September 2017, in Mexico. On this commemorative day, the Vice-President spoke on “Tourism in the 21st Century: Trends and Perspectives”.

Other representation activities

o V. Gomez participated in the 32nd annual Prix du Journalisme en Loisir (leisure media award) organized by the Conseil québécois du loisir in Montreal, Canada, on 2 November 2016, which recognizes the outstanding work of journalists in raising awareness of the contribution of nonprofit stakeholders in the leisure sector;

o V. Gomez’s participation by video conference on 3 November 2016, in the 9th National

Congress on Tourism and Hotel Studies organized by the Comisión Nacional de Educación Turística y Hotelera and supported by the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo - ICT, held in San José, Costa Rica, where she presented the conference entitled “Trends in the tourism product: social tourism”;

o Participation of F. R. Costa, S. Rodriguez, and V. Gomez of ISTO Americas in the International Day of Social and Accessible Tourism in Linares, Spain, on 17 January 2017.

o F.R. Costa, S. Rodriguez and V. Gomez participated in the FITUR International Tourism Trade Fair 2017, from 18 to 22 January in Madrid, Spain. This event was an opportunity to meet various members of ISTO who attended, notably from the Americas, as well as several local and regional authorities working in the field of social tourism.

o As part of this participation in FITUR, ISTO also took part in the 9th Forum on Responsible Tourism, held on 19 January under the theme “Responsible Tourism and Social Tourism in 2017: Synergies and Prospects”. J.M. Mignon presented the merger between EARTH and ISTO while V. Gomez made a presentation on responsible and sustainable tourism in the Americas.

Sergio Rodriguez with participants of the Workshop in Morelos, Mexico

http://www.turismolinares.es/jornadas-internacionales-de-turismo-social-y-accesible-en-linares-2/

http://www.turismolinares.es/jornadas-internacionales-de-turismo-social-y-accesible-en-linares-2/


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Training courses requested by members During this period, two social tourism training courses were commissioned by members in the

Americas. At the request of the Morelos State Tourism Secretariat in Mexico, on 10 February 2017,

ISTO Americas hosted an update workshop on social tourism. S. Rodriguez presented a training course

entitled “Social Tourism Opportunities for Morelos Tourism Enterprises, Update”. With more than 40

participants attending, the training was delivered to the workers of the seaside resort Agua Hedionda

(centre belonging to the Morelos Tourism Secretariat) and other tourism operators in the region.

Subsequently, on 19 May 2017 and as part of the CIT Morelos ordinary assembly, S. Rodriguez delivered the workshop entitled “Social tourism: a tool for development”. During this training session, the representatives of the various municipalities in the CIT Morelos association had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of social tourism and the different development possibilities it offers.

Meetings with potential members in the Americas As part of the development of members in the Americas, various meetings were held with potential

members:

o S. Rodriguez and V. Gomez met with the new Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo State, Marisol Vanegas, in Cancun, Mexico, on 17 November 2016. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss future collaborations and exchanges with ISTO and to request support for the organisation of the Sustainable and Social Tourism Summit 2017.

Sergio Rodriguez accompanied by the representative of the Secretariat of Tourism of Morelos, Oscar León, during the presentation of the workshop as part of the Assembly of

CIT Morelos in Mexico.


22

o F.R. Costa, S. Rodriguez and V. Gomez met with the Secretary of Tourism of Oaxaca, Juan Carlos Rivera Castellanos, on the occasion of FITUR 2017, held on 18-22 January 2017 in Madrid, Spain. During this meeting, the President of ISTO Americas accepted a letter of commitment from the State of Oaxaca to join ISTO.

o J.M. Mignon, S. Rodriguez and V. Gomez met, on 30 May 2017, with various Chilean tourism

stakeholders during their stay in Santiago, for the “Encuentro de las Américas de Turismo Social” (Meeting of the Americas on Social Tourism).

o S. Rodriguez met with representatives of the University of Quilmes in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 4 September. Following the meeting in Chile, discussions began for this prestigious university to join ISTO.

o Also following the event in Chile, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Tourism of Argentina in Buenos Aires on 10 September. S. Rodriguez met the Secretary of Tourism with whom he exchanged views on ISTO’s mission.

F.R. Costa, S. Rodriguez and the Secretary of Tourism of the Oaxaca State, Juan Carlos Rivera Castellanos


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ISTO EUROPE

In connection with the adoption of the strategic plan 2015-2020 for the Europe section, the

Coordination Committee of ISTO Europe and its Director Luc Gobin have carried out various actions for

the implementation of this strategy. For 2016-2017, operations will focus on 5 key areas:

Management of the Coordination committee;

Participation in the initiatives of the European Commission and the European Parliament;

Coordination and launching of the PROFIT project (PROFessionalisation and Innovation in

Tourism);

The preparation of new projects and actions on youth tourism;

Organising meetings with members and building relations with European networks.

Coordination committee

The European Coordination committee (CC Europe) held its annual meeting in October 2016 at the

Zagreb World Congress in Croatia. Following a new approach, this meeting enabled members to

present their initiatives and tap into the network for collaboration opportunities.

A new Coordination Committee was also elected on that occasion. It is composed of Fabrizio Pozzoli

(Federcultura Turismo - Italie) as chairman, Patrick Brault (Vacances Ouvertes - France) as secretary,

Michel Vandendriessche (PASAR – Belgium), Benoît César (CBTJ Centres Belge du Tourisme des Jeunes

– Belgique), Laurent Martini (UNAT – France),

Francisco Madelino (INATEL - Portugal), John

McDonald (Family Holiday Association - FHA – United

Kingdom), Muriel Antoniotti (Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

Tourisme - France), Marco Celi (ENDAS- Italy) and

Valeria Gherardini (AICS – Italy).

CC Europe met twice: on 12 December 2016 in

Brussels and on 22 March 2017 in Milan on the

occasion of the meeting of the Board of Directors. At

these meetings, in addition to the operations detailed

below, CC Europe presented some project

collaboration opportunities, suggested to apply a

more attractive communication strategy, worked on

the future policy direction of the organisation, and

offered innovative solutions following the decisions

made at the European Forum in 2015.

On the occasion of the Milan meeting, technical visits were organised to Italian cooperatives working

with young people:”La Cordata” in Milan and the “Ostello Costa Alta” in Monza.

Visit of "La Cordata" in Milan


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Participation in the initiatives of the European Commission and the European

Parliament

In recent months there has been active participation in the initiatives of the Commission and the

European Parliament:

Final conference of the Off to Spas project and workshop on the launch of new health tourism

products on 18 November 2016 in Hévíz (Hungary)

The Director of ISTO Europe spoke on this occasion along with representatives of other

European associations and networks: European Spas Association, European Network of

Accessible Tourism (ENAT), Transylvanian Balneotourism Cluster and Europe Spa Medical &

Wellness Organisation; ideas on the importance of the spa for social tourism stakeholders

were presented.

Summit on active and healthy ageing on 6-7 December 2016 in Brussels

The views on the digital transformation of healthcare and the way in which the European

Partnership for Innovation on Active and Healthy Ageing can foster a better quality of life for

the European population were presented. Some developments have an interesting impact on

tourism for all.

Hearing in Malta on “What future for islands in the EU” on 7 February 2017 in Valletta

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) organised a hearing on the importance

of islands in the European Union during the Maltese EU Presidency. ISTO Europe was invited

to present its vision. The discussions culminated in an exploratory opinion paper entitled

“Islands in the EU: from structural handicap to inclusive territory”.

2nd European Day of Social Economy Enterprises – Shaping the future of Europe, on 28 June

2017 in Brussels

Social economy enterprises are important for the future development of Europe, but also for

Tourism for All; most of these initiatives are small, but highly interesting and innovative. One

of the conclusions delivered to the European Commission was the need to support the actions

of social enterprises.

High-level conference on tourism, 27 September 2017 in Brussels

Organised on the occasion of World Tourism Day, this conference, attended by 800

participants, was inaugurated by the

President of the European Parliament, A.

Tajani. The programme included a large

panel of speakers including P. De Wilde,

President of the European Tourism

Commission (ETC) and the Commissioner

for Employment and Social Affairs, M.

Thyssen. The latter announced a new

Erasmus Pro project to promote the

exchange of young workers between

SMEs in the EU.

High-level Conference on Tourism in Brusssels in September 2017


25

Coordination and launch of the PROFIT project

Entitled PROFIT (Professional Framework for Innovation in

Tourism), this 4-year INTERREG 2 Seas project aims at creating

innovative tourism products for holiday centres on the Belgian

coast and the Côte d’Opale in France in order to adapt to regional

development and the future expectations of customers (the south

coast of England and the Netherlands are also involved).

The project defined not only the identity of the coast but also social

tourism, and digital data from the centres have been collected and

analysed to see how Big Data can be managed. For the moment,

discussions are underway on the development of innovative

products in the Tourism for All sector.

Preparation of new projects and actions on youth tourism

Conference on youth tourism

Following the decision to no longer organise European Forums and to focus on supporting local events,

ISTO Europe worked on a first initiative with the conference on youth tourism organised by CBTJ and

ISTO as part of its 80th anniversary. The conference held in Namur on 29 March 2017 was inaugurated

by the Minister of Tourism for the Walloon Region R. Collin and allowed some 100 participants to hear

international and local speakers present projects and programmes for young people.

Génération Montagne Project

It is within the framework of the “Génération Montagne” project

offering stays for young people from 8 to 25 years old and

launched by the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region, that a

meeting was held on 6 and 7 April 2017. The director of ISTO

Europe attended and shared some ideas that could make it

possible to broaden the experience on a European level.

Backpacker Europe

Identified as a priority at the meeting of the Europe Section in Zagreb, this project, which is based on

the “Sac Ados” experience developed by the French association Vacances Ouvertes, was presented to

the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Tourism Development and Cultural Heritage at a meeting on

24 January 2017. In addition, at the initiative of ISTO Europe as leader and with partners from 4


26

countries (Germany, Belgium, France, Italy) a request for funding for the period 2018-2019 was

presented under the Erasmus+ programme.

Meeting with members and building relations with European networks

One of the priorities for 2017 has been to foster direct contacts with members and more specifically

with operators on the field. The Director of ISTO Europe visited some 20 holiday centres in Belgium

and France to explain ISTO’s actions and to hear what they expect from the organisation.

Collaboration has continued with multiple European networks, including ENAT, EFFAT and NECSTouR.

Among the actions carried out, ISTO has taken part in the work to update the “Tourism for Growth and

Jobs Manifesto” and in calling on the European Commission to step up its support for tourism sectors

that contribute massively to the economic well-being and social inclusion of millions of European

citizens and employees.


27

ISTO AFRICA

Reactivated in 2016, ISTO-Africa, chaired by Bassirou Diarra (AMPTS-Mali) and coordinated by the

Fédération béninoise des organisations de tourisme responsable et solidaire (FBO-TRS, the Beninese

Federation of Responsible and Solidarity Tourism Organisations), through its member Eco-Benin and

its coordinator Gautier Amoussou, completed the following agenda:

Updating and development of section members

The first activity of ISTO Africa was the screening of the section’s members. A significant number of

members are inactive and/or have not paid their contributions. An internal work on the situation of

each member was therefore done with the appropriate reminders. As a result of this work, the Africa

Section now has 14 members in 10 countries: Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Morocco,

Mauritania, Togo, Tunisia and Madagascar.

In recent months, three organizations have joined ISTO:

- Association de solidarité et développement Aoufous – Gite la Grotte (Morocco) - Cercle d’action internationale du tourisme et d’aide au développement – CAITD (Benin) - Association nationale de tourisme responsable et solidaire – ANTSO RE (Madagascar)

Participation in FITS and membership meeting

The coordinator of ISTO Africa G. Amoussou participated and made a presentation at the International

Forum on Solidarity Tourism and Sustainable

Development (FITS) held in Tunisia from 24 to 26

May 2017. The experience developed by Eco-Benin

was particularly appreciated by participants

because of the significant positive impact that their

tourism activities bring to the host communities.

Three other member organisations attended and

spoke at FITS: the El Velah Association

(Mauritania), the Association Amoud pour le

développement (Morocco) and ANTSO RE

(Madagascar).

On the occasion of FITS, the members of ISTO

Africa and some partners gathered to review

current and upcoming activities.

Participation in fairs and trade shows

ISTO-Africa was expected to participate this year in the TOP RESA tourism fair which took place from 26 to 29 September 2017 in Paris. Unfortunately, the attempts to benefit from advantageous conditions were unsuccessful. On the other hand, the efforts undertaken by G. Amoussou to participate in the Holiday, Tourism and Leisure Fair “Vert Bleu Soleil” which will take place in February 2018 in Liege (Belgium) have paid off since ISTO-Africa has received confirmation that it will have a stand to display the products of the section’s members.

ISTO delegation at the FITS 2017


28

Communication activities

To ensure greater visibility for all members of the African continent and their activities, the design of

a leaflet for ISTO Africa was initiated. It includes the section’s objectives, services and a list of members.

In addition, in order to facilitate interaction between section members, a WhatsApp Exchange Group

has been set up and is regularly updated with information from organisations that can share their

activities, needs, concerns or opportunities to be developed.

Pilot project in Benin

This year, FBO-TRS, a Beninese member of ISTO, initiated a project called: Appui au Verdissement des Sorties Pédagogiques en milieu scolaire au Bénin (AVerSoP, Support for eco-friendly school field trips in Benin). Its aim is to promote climate-friendly initiatives and tourist sites maintained and/or managed by FBO-TRS members through the organisation of educational and recreational field trips that are more respectful of the environment and nature in primary and secondary schools. This project, which will ultimately make it possible to regulate educational field trips in Benin, is interesting considering the significant changes it is expected to bring about in terms of choosing ecological destinations and improving the efficiency of excursions. Starting from a simple charter, it will drive a strategic process leading to a government regulation on educational field trips. Through this project, the school outings will be more ecological, the negative effects on the environment should be less severe, in order to mitigate climate change.

This project was funded and started in July 2017. It could be replicated in other ISTO-AFRICA member countries, if the results are conclusive.

Representation activities A meeting between G. Amoussou, the Director of ISTO C. Bélanger and the representatives of the

Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC) was held in Brussels on 14 March 2017 to promote the ISTO Africa

section and explore the possibilities of cooperation and project financing.

The Regional Council of Hauts-Bassins of Burkina-Faso during an official visit and exchanges with the team of the NGO Eco-Benin.

29

The past year has been a busy one for ISTO and

its regional sections, as evidenced by the many

activities carried out. With regard to all these

actions, several trends should be highlighted.

First of all, the opening up of the scope of

ISTO’s actions towards responsible and fair

tourism players gave a new momentum and

brought in new memberships, but this will have

to be reinforced in the coming months in order

to ensure a strong international role.

Then, on the project level, ISTO and in

particular its European section have

considerably increased their participation,

both to work on issues of interest to members

and to secure new sources of funding for the

organisation. However, this situation will have

to be closely monitored to ensure a balance

between the resources dedicated to running

the network and providing services to

members and the project specific actions.

The need to continue

promoting the right to

holidays, tourism and leisure

for all

Last but not least, if it is no longer necessary to

prove the need to continue promoting the right

to holidays, tourism and leisure for all in a

highly unstable and unequal general context, it

is imperative for ISTO to adapt its approach and

development strategy. Such adjustments must

ensure that a greater number of public and

private organisations who share our “social and

humanistic vision of tourism” join ISTO so that

it can be more representative at the

international level, more financially strong and

better able to meet the needs and expectations

of its members.

Conclusions

International Social Tourism Organisation - ISTO Rue Watteeu 2-6 1000 Brussels Belgium

Tel : +32 2 274 15 40 www.oits-isto.org [email protected]

http://www.oits-isto.org/

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