Sustainable Tourism Top of the Agenda at Annual SKÅL International Thailand AGM and Congress in Phuket

Meeting at Phuket’s Le Meridien Resort in early June, SKÅL members from around Thailand enjoyed a packed weekend of business and pleasure.

Following the AGM chaired by SKÅL International Thailand President, Wolfgang Grimm the group got down to the serious business of discussing the sustainable recovery and future of the tourism industry. Read more …

Presentations on the theme were delivered by two seasoned experts, Peter Richards Manager of the EU Switch-Asia funded Tourlink Project and Martin Venzky-Stalling, Tourism Consultant and advisor to the Chiang Mai University Science and Technology Park’s innovation center.

The headline topic was an introduction to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or SDG’s: 17 goals and 169 targets set to be achieved by 2030 to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda.

Data on changing trends in travel and market demand for sustainable tourism as the industry recovers from the pandemic, tips on how to get started with a systematic approach to raising your company’s sustainability performance were some of the key topics discussed.

Delegates also got to play the much talked-about 2030 SDGs Game hosted by David Nevin, one of a global network of facilitators bringing this intriguing game to the world from its origins in Japan.

The multi-player card-based game simulates taking the “real world” into the year 2030 by giving players the opportunity of participating in co-creating a sustainable world with a set of cards and actions for them to make their own choices. Learn more about this fascinating game on 

SKÅL networking was also a highlight of the event with a superb gourmet dinner at the Four Points by Sheraton on the first evening created by Executive Chef and his team.

On Day 2, delegates experienced sustainability at work as Vice President of SKÅL International Phuket, Khun Kritidech Srabua invited the group to his experimental farm supplying organic mushrooms and micro-greens to supply retailers and hotels and resorts. After that it was off to the jungle and Phuket’s famous Three Monkeys restaurant.

The weekend concluded with a glamorous beachside dinner with barbecue buffet at Le Meridien Karon.

A special thanks to our speakers for a thoroughly engaging, enlightening and inspiring session!

Peter Richards is the Manager of the EU Switch-Asia funded Tourlink Project, which aims to raise the sustainability performance of Thai tourism businesses selling to European markets. Peter has more than 20 years of hands-on experience, working at the crossroads of tourism and sustainability, with private, public and civil sectors.

Martin Venzky-Stalling is a seasoned tourism consultant who works with senior clients in government and private sectors on strategy, marketing and organizational change. His work in recent years has focused on wellness, medical tourism and increasingly focusing on integrating sustainability in all his works and projects. Fluent in spoken and written Thai, he is an advisor to the Chiang Mai Science and Technology Park and has worked with GIZ, PATA, TAT, TCEB and other organizations in the tourism and hospitality space.

David Nevin is a Canadian professional facilitator who was based in Tokyo for 25 years providing services to corporate clients in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and New York. His areas of expertise include conflict management, gamification, and sustainability. He is now based in Chiang Mai Thailand and one of a global network of facilitators bringing the 2030 SDGs Game to the world from its origins in Japan. So far, his team has certified over 50 game facilitators around the world and translated the game into 8 languages, including Thai.