Confirmed Speakers are:

Adama Bah, employed by the UK Travel Foundation, Adama is a leading international practitioner in Responsible Tourism based in The Gambia where he has led a good many interventions. With a hospitality management background he established Gambia’s Tourism Concern and the influential Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism (ASSET). He currently works on the Gambia is Good initiative, which has engaged hundreds of farmers in the supply chain of hotels in The Gambia and reduced imports.

Dr Susanne Becken is an Associate Professor at Lincoln University, New Zealand, and Director of the Land Environment and People (LEaP) Research Centre. Susanne is currently leading two government-funded programmes on ‘Tourism and Oil’ and ‘Preparing the Tourism Sector for Climate Change’. She is a contributing author to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and invited representative on the World Meteorological Organisation’s Expert Team "Climate & Tourism"
 

Amina Al Balushi, Information & Statistics Department Head, 

Dr Harold Goodwin is Professor of Responsible Tourism Management and Founder of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism at Leeds Metropolitan University where he is Director of International Partnerships and Research . He established and co-chairs the series of International Conferences on Responsible Tourism in Destinations. 

Wael Al Lawati As Chief Executive Officer of Omran, Wael oversees the Government of Oman’s tourism development and investment efforts. Wael was appointed CEO of Omran in 2008 following his instrumental role in launching The Wave, Muscat, one of Oman’s most highly regarded tourism projects. An engineer by background, he has more than 15 years of experience in diverse roles in public-private partnership ventures, project management, major contract strategy development and investment promotion. 

Nombulelo Mfeka is Director of the Department of Tourism, in the Cape Town City Council. Nombulelo has been engaged in pushing forward the Responsible Tourism agenda in Cape Town since 2002– they are currently doing some of the best work on Responsible Tourism in destinations with a new policy and strategy focussed on the city’s, economic, social and environmental priorities.
 

Dr Venu V IAS is Secretary of Tourism in the Indian state of Kerala. He is responsible for a number of Responsible Tourism initiatives in Kerala and co-chaired with Harold Goodwin the 2nd International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations. 

Dr Dawid de Villiers is chair of the Global Ethics Committee of UNWTO and recently retired as Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). A South African Rugby Captain, academic, Minister in the Dutch Reformed Church and Cabinet Minister Dawid de Villiers participated in the first International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations in Cape Town in 2002.
 

Invited Speakers are:

Greg Anderson Regional Manager UK/Europe for Tourism New Zealand, one of the leaders in Responsible Tourism Marketing, based in London. New Zealand won the global Responsible Tourism Award in 2008 & 2009. Tourism New Zealand’s 100% Pure New Zealand brand is one of the most successful global brands.
 

Stephen Farrant, is Director of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) which represents the leading international hotel groups including IHG, Hilton, Fairmont – previously the IHEI. The ITP is part of the International Business Leaders Forum. Stephen has previously worked for British Airways, Visit Britain, and the Royal Society of Arts. He is a member of the UK Sustainable Development Commission’s Advisory Panel.
 

Eng Sultan Hamdoon Al Harthi Muscat Municipality

Fiona Jeffery – chair of World Travel Market and World Responsible Tourism Day
In 1998 she founded and is now Chairman of the International water-aid charity Just a Drop. Fiona also created an International environmental initiative for the travel and tourism industry in 1996 and launched World Responsible Tourism Day (WTM WRTD) in association with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in 2007. WTM WRTD is a global tourism initiative to highlight the issues and contributions travel and tourism companies can, and should, make to managing tourism responsibily. Fiona is also a trustee of the charity The Travel Foundation and a judge for the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards,
 

As you will see from the Conference Program there are opportunities for additional speakers and to present papers on the first day. If you would like to present a paper or speak on one of the conference themes please email speakers@rtd4.om introducing yourself and with an outline of what you would like to contribute to the conference