This month we have two very hot training seminar series coming up in Athens, which could be of interest to all our regional tourism friends! 

AbouTourism in collaboration with E-Tourism Frontiers is happy to announce the first of a series of Practical, Affordable & World Class online tourism seminars organized in Greece.

Don't miss this full day and a half event in Athens on 27-28th September 2011, at the Technopolis City of Athens (room “Kostis Palamas”, 100 Pireos str, Gazi), brought to you by ATEDCo.

A practical seminar on using technology to better manage and market your business or destination, from international experts including speakers from Expedia and Tripadvisor.

These sessions are practical, easy to understand and ideal for anyone who is interested in using the internet and social media in their business.

You will benefit from solid, interactive and easy to grasp training in the fundamentals of online tourism, provided by expert trainers and featuring walk throughs of appropriate, locally available solutions. At the end everyone will receive a copy of the brand new book E-Tourism Frontiers Guide to eTourism and every delegate will be certified as having completed this course in Online Tourism Management and Marketing.

Topics covered will include:

• How the Travel business has shifted online and why it is vital that destinations and businesses change the way they work
• How to develop an e-marketing and management strategy
• What are the key resources to have in place and how to set them up
• How to upgrade your website and manage it more effectively
• Online Advertising and Search Engine Optimization
• How to start taking online bookings and payments and to combine this with offline business in a safe and secure way
• The Social Media Toolbox- how to use Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and YouTube in your business
• How to encourage and help your customers to market you via social media and capitalize on User Generated Content
• How to produce, store, manage and publish photos, video and other media for your business
• The importance of mobile phones and devices for tourism businesses and how you can use them to make yourself more accessible online

The full programme can be found here. You can check out more information and register here.

If you are in any way involved in Tourism in Greece then you can’t afford to miss these seminars.

Whether you are a destination or a tourism business, large or small- this event will offer you real solutions to begin improving the way you market, manage and sell your products online.

This course uses E-tourism Frontiers’ proven and highly acclaimed intensive training format that has trained over 2,000 people around the world.

Registration is just €175 per delegate which includes:

• A full and a half day of seminars
• Training materials
• Copy of the new E-Tourism Frontiers Guide to eTourism book
• Certification
• Lunch, coffee and refreshment breaks

Special discounted rates are offered for members of recognized regional tourism associations and for group registrations of 2 or more people.

Who Should Attend?

• Tourism Professionals
• Marketing Staff and Strategists
• Hoteliers
• Guest Houses and Bed and Breakfasts
• Tour Operators
• Travel Agents
• Airlines
• Destination Managers
• Public Sector Tourism officials
• Tourism Associations and Authorities
• ICT Professionals
• Bloggers and Content generators

See you there!

For further information or any registration support please contact us.

More events from this E-Tourism series are to follow in Greece and the Eastern Med region.

If you are interested in hosting a similar event at your destination then contact us now

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Another training seminar series is sponsored by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd’s (RCL) Ocean Fund, the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET) and Sustainable Travel International (STI) who are promoting sustainable tourism and  destination stewardship among stakeholders in the Mediterranean. The conference includes two training  seminars which are designed for different audiences.

Athens: 

- September 15-16. Tourism Industry Training Seminar on the Shore Excursions Standard and best practices in sustainable tourism for tour operators that serve the cruise lines.

- September 17-18. Auditor and Consultant Training Course on the Shore Excursions Standard.

Chania:

- September 20-21. Tourism Industry Training Seminar on the Shore Excursions Standard and best practices in sustainable tourism for tour operators that serve the cruise lines.

Promoting Destination Stewardship and Sustainable Tourism Standards in Greece

CONFERENCE AND TRAINING SESSIONS

Tourism is one of the fastest developing industries worldwide, and can have both positive and negative impacts on the natural environment and local communities in which it takes place. These impacts are  complex and can significantly affect a destination’s urban landscape and its natural and cultural heritage.  Short-term plans for tourism development often override long-term environmental and social issues. Destination stewardship is a multi-stakeholder approach to maintaining the cultural, environmental, economic, and aesthetic integrity of a country, region, state, or town through sustainable policy and  management frameworks. It can lead to sustainable destinations that are beneficial to local communities  and profitable for local businesses while leaving eco-systems intact, ensuring the destination remains an  attractive place to live, work and visit for generations.

BEST PRACTICES IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

It is crucial to ensure that tourism will be developed taking into account environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts. Sustainable tourism can lead to an increase in environmentally friendly jobs and income for local communities and is also a powerful incentive to preserve the natural environment and  biodiversity. It can also contribute to broader environmental awareness regarding the social benefits of biodiversity and the need to preserve and respect for traditional practices and knowledge.

Best practices in sustainable tourism are methods or techniques that consistently show results superior to those achieved  with other means, and that are used as a benchmark.Issues relating to all aspects of sustainability are central to the challenge of tourism development.

These aspects are critical, for example, to improve the ecological coherence of the pan European network of  protected areas (Natura 2000 network), to preserve the functions of coastal and marine ecosystems and to the prosperity and quality of life of local communities.

For more information about these seminars, please contact the project team: L. Boura & K. Grimanis (medasset@medasset.gr) and Brian T. Mullis (brianm@sustainabletravel.com).