Join the discussion: Responsible Tourism Week 2010: May 17-21

Responsible Tourism Week 2010: May 17-21

For the second year in a row, Planeta.com is proud to announce Responsible Tourism Week, revving up for action from May 17-21, 2010.

Created first in 2009 when the Belize Responsible Tourism Conference was cancelled due to the swine flu outbreak, RT Week, scheduled just a few weeks before World Environment Day, is “a free demonstration of Web 2.0 as a means of documenting the challenges of developing (and maintaining!) responsible tourism.”

While it takes place online and uses the latest Web-based information-sharing tools as the medium of exchange – participants will use Delicious, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube and Slideshare to document their practices – the news transmitted will always be about down-to-earth good tourism reported from around the world.

Although the primary objective is of course to encourage the practice of responsible tourism and then broadcast word of it to as broad a community (online and off) as possible, another key outcome is the creation of incentives for continuity between tourism conferences, especially those that address responsible tourism issues and practices. RT Week is a perfect opportunity to share updates on recent events and cultivate interest for future ones, as well as renew and strengthen collaborative bonds within the industry… and create new ones.

In other words, this is the week where you get to shout out to the world the good things you see around you, so be honest and be public. Support a local event. Create a local event. Lead the way or follow the topics for which you have a passion. Talk food, volunteering, slow travel, local travel – and create a foamboard to help get your message across!
Some RT Week Tips

* Walk the talk – Practice responsible tourism wherever you are.
* Be generous – Compliment someone via twitter, fave a photo or write a testimonial on Flickr, give a thumbs up to a video on YouTube.
* Play nice – Enough said.
* Be creative – Can you make your own poster or graphic for RT Week 2010?
* Have your say – What is responsible tourism? Please take a moment to answer the responsible tourism survey.
* Show your twitter savvy – Use the hashtag: #rtweek2010 on any relevant tweets.
* Have fun! Organize a marshmallow challenge to test your creative muscle!