Introduction
The year 2017 has been declared by the United Nations General Assembly as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development (IY2017). The celebration is a unique opportunity that aims to raise awareness about the contribution of sustainable tourism to development among public and private sector decision-makers as well as the public. This in turn, rallies all stakeholders to work together in making tourism a catalyst for positive change.
Borneo Eco Tours recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary last year and what a fulfilling milestone it is for us. This year, we are kick-starting 2017 with a BANG and are proud to call ourselves a “Friend” of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 (IY2017).
Goals of IY2017
The 5 key areas of IY2017 are:
(1) Inclusive and sustainable economic growth
(2) Social inclusiveness, employment and poverty reduction
(3) Resource efficiency, environmental protection and climate change
(4) Cultural values, diversity and heritage
(5) Mutual understanding, peace and security.
Our Initiatives For IY2017
Besides being a ‘Friend’ of IY2017, we have also formed a Sustainability Committee called Friends of Sustainability (FOS) that will be organizing and participating events and activities both internally, as well as externally.
Here’s the line-up of activities that we have done and are doing this year:
- NO Plastic Bag and Styrofoam Movement
- Friends of Sustainability (FOS) Snippets- A monthly in-house newsletter that shares information and news about sustainable tourism and sustainability.
- Video presentations held bi-monthly (in-house)
- Swap For Good! – An activity that encourages individuals to reduce ‘impulse buying’, ‘unnecessary purchases’ or reuse instead of throwing items away. Held Once every three months.
- 25th March 2017 – Joining in and performing during the Earth Hour celebration with WWF
We will be updating this space from time to time with new events. So, do stay tuned!
IY2017 Official Website
