YOUNG SKÅL
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
PROJECT AROUND LATIN AMERICA Talk about combining the different aspects of Skål International into one global journey.... Laura and Stefan who are Young Skål members in Rome have embarked on a journey to contribute to the development of sustainable tourism while promoting Skål and “Doing business amongst friends”. Their journey allows them to get involved in the various initiatives in different countries and enhancing relationships with tourist offices and encouraging training in local communities.
EMPOWERING BY OUR YOUTH FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE BRAVO! BENISSIMO!
We are Laura and Stefan, tourism professionals and members of the Young Skål Club in Rome, one of the most numerous and active Skål clubs worldwide. In May this year we embarked on a project named “Echoes of the Journey” with the purpose of contributing to the development of sustainable tourism. Namely, tourism that generates opportunities for the local community, protecting at the same time the natural resources and creating more authentic experiences for tourists.
through our own website www.echoesofthejourney.com, Instagram account and through Skål.
The project consists of making a slow trip around Latin America, identifying and getting involved in initiatives in different sectors such as hotels, tour operators, NGOs, training entities and local tourism offices. This way, we hope to learn from each of them and exchange our knowledge as tourism professionals, in a mutually beneficial exchange. Our main experience is in the areas of sustainable tourism measuring and monitoring, sustainability certifications, communication and online distribution of tourism products which we share with organizations we meet during our journey. An added value of the trip is that we document projects and initiatives we find, keeping record of the destinations visited and putting together a directory of good practices, sharing them 34
As part of this journey, we want to promote Skål and visit as many Clubs as possible to share time with skalleagues around the region. Skål Secretariat facilitated contact with Clubs in the countries we are visiting, and the first club to host us was Villa La Angostura, in the Argentinean Patagonia. We received a very warm welcome by the President Alicia Marson, Past President Carlos Barberis and all the Skålleagues who were happy to share with us their time and knowledge. Alicia hosted us in her home and we spent two days in this beautiful town with an agenda full of activities prepared by our hosts. It included a meeting with tourism stakeholders, local TV and radio interviews, a boat excursion along the lake Nahuel Huapi and a lovely gathering and dinner with the Skål members. We could not have asked for more! The stakeholders’ meeting in particular was a unique occasion
SKÅL MAGAZINE