At the International Conference on Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals, I presented with Arthur Yeung on the topic of “Tourism as Means to Promote Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience in Rural Areas” in the session on environmental sustainability, chaired by Professor Kwai Cheong Chau. We explained how rural tourism contributes to SDG 11 and 13 in the context of Hong Kong, through motivating infrastructure construction, improving local economy and enhancing social awareness. Three case studies of Long Valley, Sham Chung and Tai O were used to illustrate the arguments. To conclude, tourism poses significant impact on sustainable development, as it is interlinked with many other facades such as leisure, culture and rural development. The recent appointment of SDG advocates by UN Secretary-General opens opportunities for cross-sector collaboration towards the goals. Fruitful dialogues in the conference encourage us to think beyond the 2030 Agenda and plan for a sustainable future.

On 16 May, I served as emcee for the 2019 International Conference on Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals. There were two inspiring keynote speeches, presented by Professor Jarkko Saarinen from University of Oulu and Dr. Cristina Ortega Nuere, COO of World Leisure Organization. I had a interesting exchange with Professor Saarinen after his presentation, during which he highlighted long haul flights contribute to 97% of ecological footprint and proposed taxation of aviation industry to control emissions. We both agree that the we need to better communicate the adverse environmental impacts linked with aviation and push forward measures to alleviate the problem. I shared with him my initiative of V’air which promotes local tourism to reduce emissions from air travelling. The second speech by Dr. Ortega was about the rationale, design and impacts of European Year of Cultural Heritage. Cultural heritage can be seen as a tool to foster sense of belonging and to empower underdeveloped rural areas. I was also delighted to meet Professor Leung Yu Fai, alumnus of CUHK Geography Department, and learn about his exciting project on monitoring relationship between penguins and tourists in Antarctica.