RT News 01/2026

• 2026 Responsible Tourism Awards are launched across 6 regions: Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Indian Subcontinent, Worldwide and a European regional award sponsored by easyJet holidays. Six categories

  • Local Economic Benefit

  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion

  • Nature Positive

  • Championing Cultural Diversity

  • Adapting to Climate Change

  • Regenerative Tourism

• Just published Goodwin H (2025) Responsible Tourism and Regenerative Travel

• What’s happening to the EU Green Claims Directive and CSRD Reporting?

• For and Against Certification

• December Blogs for Travel Tomorrow
  Sequestrating used tyres and plastic bottles
  Green claims under scrutiny: greenwashing and greenhushing
  Beyond the badge: Rethinking certification in Responsible Tourism
  

• Opportunity for Final Year Undergraduates and Masters Students
  The International Centre for Responsible Tourism global (ICRT global) has announced an opportunity for final year undergraduate and masters students to research and publish Responsible Tourism Case Studies, based on the winners of the ICRT Global Responsible Tourism Award.
  Case studies based on winners of the Global Responsible Tourism Awards could be set as coursework and marked by course tutors. From 2026, ICRT global will also annually publish the Progress in Responsible Tourism Journal and include these case studies.
  Students can learn about and write up a recognised exemplary case study, adding to their CV with a published peer-reviewed article. Institutions will benefit from adding this opportunity to the curriculum they offer.

• Certification: research by Font et al reveals that only 9.3% of European hotels in the 82,301-hotel sample were certified in 2024, according to the Booking.com portal, with certification highly concentrated among chain-affiliated, large, high-end hotels. Small and independent hotels face disproportionate certification costs, limited resources, and lack of support, making them the most vulnerable under the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition 10 Directive (approved) and the Green Claims Directive (stalled).
  

• Professor Willy Legrand has joined ICRT global as a special adviser, “it’s commitment to Responsible Tourism aligns with my own values and research …. supporting transformative change in hospitality and tourism.”

• MMU ‘Addressing Synergies and Challenges between Placemaking and Tourism in Destinations’. Available on line Jan 15 from 9:30am to 4pm GMT More

• 6th International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) will be in Sarawak in July. The call for papers and registration is open.

• ICRT.global’s 2025 Global Summit & Global Responsible Tourism Awards available online

• Airbnb: hit with a €64m fine by Spain, because its portal still flouts Spanish housing laws.

• JOST; independent, large-scale analysis recognise the Journal of Sustainable Tourism as the top-performing journal in the field.

• WTTC is leaving London for Madrid citing ‘challenges linked to Brexit, such as constraints on talent mobility’Ø In Pakistan, the Gilgit-Baltistan government has imposed a ban on establishment of all seasonal hotels and other commercial activities within Deosai National Park area. “Stretching between Skardu and Astore districts, Deosai National Park is a major summer attraction for national and international tourists, and it is famous for its wildflowers, Himalayan brown bears, and breathtaking landscapes and is often called the “Land of Giants”.”