CATCH-UP: Stories bring experiences alive

We need to think about the stories we tell in the itineraries and places we recommend and market. We need to have more diversity in the experiences and stories we tell. We need to take responsibility if travel is to broaden the mind rather than reinforce prejudices. Only through storytelling can we realise the ambition of Responsible Tourism to provide “more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues.

THE SPEAKERS

Toroga Denver
KHOIKHOI First nations language
and cultural activist and writer

Toroga Denver is a South African KHOIKHOI First nations language and cultural activist and writer.

JoAnna Haugen
Founder of Rooted

JoAnna Haugen is a writer, speaker, and solutions advocate who has worked in the travel and tourism industry for more nearly 15 years. She is also founder of Rooted, a solutions platform at the intersection of sustainable tourism, social impact, and storytelling. Through Rooted, JoAnna responsibly documents, supports, celebrates, and shares sustainable travel-related initiatives that prioritize local communities and the planet and helps others do the same. A returned Peace Corps volunteer, international election observer, and intrepid traveler (when it’s safe to travel!), JoAnna currently resides in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Dirk Hermanus Pienaar
Tourism and Conservation Officer, Khomani San CPA

Dirk is the Tourism Officer of the Khomani San CPA Office since 2009. Through his work he is involved in numerous community development projects which include but is not limited to eco-tourism, education, sustainable resource use, traditional veldschool programs, benefit sharing agreements/ intellectual property protection. Dirk formed part of the delegation to represent the community at the 41st UNESSCO World Heritage Site Committee Meeting in Krakow in July 2017 specifically highlighting the important role that oral history played to conserve the traditional hunting grounds of the San people.

THE MODERATOR

Harold Goodwin
Responsible Tourism Advisor, World Travel Market

Harold puts together the flagship Responsible Tourism programme at WTM London which attracted 4000 participants in 2020 and the programmes run at WTM Africa, WTM Latin America and Arabian Travel Market. Harold has worked on 4 continents with local communities, their governments and the inbound and outbound tourism industry. He is Managing Director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership and chairs the panels of judges for the World Responsible Tourism Awards and the other Awards in the family, Africa, India and Latin America.