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An international ecotourism conference makes its inaugural stop on Hilton Head Island this month.
This September, Hilton Head Island will host the fifth annual Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference, taking place Sept. 19-21 at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa. The conference is sponsored by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), a non-profit organization that promotes responsible and sustainable tourism practices.
The ESTC is designed to offer opportunities for networking between tourism professionals, inspire change and sustainable practices, create partnerships between businesses and communities, equip businesses with the tools to manage environmental, economic, and social changes and promote green tourism practices.
But the conference’s main goal is greening the industry. Throughout the event, only fair trade, organic coffee and tea will be served and recycled and FSD certified paper will be used. Shipping-related waste, meanwhile, will be minimized through work by local businesses and TIES.
The conference’s keynote speaker will be Fabien Cousteau, ocean explorer and environmental activist. Plenary speakers will be Todd Ballantine (Ballantine Environmental Resources, Inc.), Dr. Emory Shaw Campbell (founder, Gullah Heritage Consulting Services) and Susan Thomas (vice president of the Hilton Head Island Visitor and Convention Bureau).
Highlights include a sustainable culinary showcase, Gullah heritage trail tours, a South Carolina Sea Island interpretive boat tour and a Sea Pines Forest Preserve Tour. Attendees will include national and international ecotourism professionals.
FIFTH ANNUAL ECOTOURISM AND
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM CONFERENCE
When:
Sept. 19: Business sustainability practices.
Sept. 20: Conservation and Communities Field Sessions.
Sept. 21: Partnerships in press, policy, and politics.
Where: Westin, Hilton Head Island
