SUNx Malta launches 50 Climate Friendly Travel Chapters in world’s LDCs
Malta’s Minister for Tourism Hon. Clayton Bartolo MP (pictured above), Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) CEO Carlo Micallef, and Malta Tourism Observatory MD Leslie Vella have launched 50 SUNx Chapters in the world’s least developed countries (LDCs).
Today’s launch event at MTA, as well as Malta’s broader support of SUNx, is a key component of the country’s commitment to be a global centre of Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) as laid out in its 2030 Tourism Strategy.
Aimed at mitigating climate change, the SUNx CFT Chapters will be led by scholarship graduates of the Climate Friendly Travel Diploma, which is run by SUNx Malta and The Institute of Tourism Studies, Malta and supported by MTA and the Ministry of Tourism.
Earlier this year Malta confirmed another 50 scholarships for the world’s 39 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) plus 11 other countries affected by climate change.
The CFT Diploma is a world first. It trains students to support travel & tourism companies and communities to be climate resilient; to pursue Climate Friendly Travel growth; as well as to transform to achieve Zero GHG emissions by 2050.
The Diploma, which trains students to help to build Climate Friendly Travel Communities, also prepares them for jobs in sustainable transport, hospitality, destination management, or government services.
The aim of the SUNx CFT Chapters is to build communities of like-minded, thoughtful, and tourism-focused climate activists (Strong Climate Champions) who are networked across the world’s developing countries.
These Strong Climate Champions will encourage companies to join SUNx Malta’s Climate Friendly Travel Registry where they can show their Climate Actions Plans.
Minister Clayton Bartolo expressed his support for the ongoing work to establish Malta as a centre for CFT development:
“By providing scholarships to students from the countries most affected by climate change, Malta is furthering its support of a global movement of climate resilience,” Minister Bartolo said.
“These Chapters are important because they are designed to engage local stakeholders and play a small part in the global shift that is required to meet the central goal of the Paris Climate Accord of a 1.5oC limit to global warming by 2050.”
Professor Geoffrey Lipman, President SUNx Malta, said: “Thanks to our support from MTA and the Ministry of Tourism we are building a global community of thousands of Strong Climate Champions, committed to local climate adaptation and emission reduction for the tourism sector, in countries that are not usually the leaders in this field.
“It is this next generation of climate activists that will engage local industry and focus attention on only the most critical components of the transformation: preparedness for the dramatic weather impacts of fires, floods, and drought; and the need to peak emissions by 2025 for Climate Friendly Travel growth.”
About SUNx Malta — Strong Universal Network
SUNx Malta is a legacy for the late Maurice Strong, father of sustainable development. Its goal is to advance Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) ~ low carbon : SDG linked : Paris 1.5°C.
SUNx has a core partnership with Malta’s Ministry of Tourism & Consumer Protection and Malta Tourism Authority to advance Climate Friendly Travel, to create a UNFCCC-linked CFT Registry, and to promote CFT Education.
By 2030, SUNx plans to put in place 100,000 Strong Climate Champions across all UN States via a network of Strong Climate Friendly Travel Chapters.
Don’t miss other “Good Tourism” Partner messages from SUNx
