San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom presented a proposed resolution to the U.S. Conference of Mayors to support global guidelines for sustainable tourism. The guidelines, the Partnership for Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria, were developed by organizations including the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Foundation and the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The U.S. Conference of Mayors will urge its member cities to support and adopt the criteria presented by Mayor Newsom.
The partnership consists of 32 international organizations that support conservation, the travel industry and development. Last fall the partnership released the sustainable tourism guidelines created by studying more than 4,500 industry best practices from around the globe. There are four key areas the guidelines focus on: effective sustainable planning, maximizing socioeconomic benefits for the local community, enhancing cultural heritage and reducing negative environmental impacts. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is dedicated to creating a more sustainable tourism industry and a more sustainable community environment.
The guidelines are great news for tourists traveling to major cities such as San Francisco who are eager to enjoy city sightseeing and also concerned about the impact tourism has on the local environment. For tourists that would like to make less of an environmental impact, carbon neutral tour companies such as Extranomical Adventures make an environmentally conscience choice easy.
