In line with the celebration of World Ecolabel Day, the Transforming Tourism Value Chains (TVC) conducted a webinar on Certifications and Standards: Raising the Bar for Sustainable Tourism last October 13, 2022, via Zoom Meetings.
The program’s primary aim is to introduce certification schemes, which offer a wide array of criteria and standardization programs for different businesses such as hotels, MICE(Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) establishments, and restaurants.
“Moving forward, I would like to welcome everyone here to the Zoom meeting. Thank you very much for participating. Let’s work hard toward sustainable tourism. Of course, in the hotels, in the restaurant sector, what we do is we try to make sure that all planning for sustainable tourism is being implemented,” Ms. Mary Ann Darroca-Matiling, Iloilo Hotel Restaurants & Resorts Association President, said in her message of support.
Ms. Darroca-Matiling also noted that they have been partnering with the Department of Tourism and the Department of Agriculture to ensure that the products the hotels are selling are quality assured.
Climate Change Division Chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Mr. Albert Magalang opened the program by talking about Aligning with the Glasgow Declaration: Climate Action in Tourism.
Moreover, Ms. Susan Santos de Cárdenas, President & CEO of the Society for Sustainable Tourism & Development Inc. (SSTDI), discussed the Green Destinations & Good Travel Awards Certification Program.
Ms. Michelle Lapiz, the Programme Officer of Green Choice Philippines gave an overview of the Certifying Restaurants and Foodservices with Green Choice Philippines.
For the final lecture, Ms. Alexis Bautista, the Sustainability and Quality Manager of the SMX Convention Center focused on highlighting Sustainable Dining Experiences at Café Veranda.
Furthermore, the focus of the webinar is to introduce the TVC project and highlight the existing opportunities and benefits that the hotels and MICE businesses can leverage in joining the project, and how this can be aligned with international commitments such as the Glasgow Declaration and Global Plastic Tourism Initiative (GTPI).
