For the first time in its 28-year history, Ecotourism Australia’s annual Global Eco Asia Pacific Tourism Conference will be both held as a live conference in Margaret River, WA (1-3 December 2020) and be available to attend online via live stream.
 
The move comes as a response to continued COVID-19 restrictions on international travel and insecurity around the reopening of state and territory borders across Australia.
 
Conference convenor, Tony Charters AM, said the move will also create opportunities for delegates who in previous years may have struggled to attend:
 
“Live streaming was stimulated by COVID-19, but it opens up the conference to delegates across Australia and the globe who have long desired to come to the conference but couldn’t due to work commitments or other reasons,” Mr Charters said.
 
With the conference program centred around the theme of ‘Revolution, Driving Evolution,’ speaker topics will range from surviving the impacts of natural disasters and pandemics to ecotourism futures and revolutionary ideas.

The event is set to attract a myriad of stakeholders from public, private and academic sectors to share experiences and work together toward building back better.
 
As Ecotourism Australia CEO Rod Hillman said, there has never been a more important time for collaboration.
 
“Global Eco has always been about bringing people in the industry together to share ideas, forge new partnerships and learn from each other about the breadth of ecotourism products, experiences and innovations worldwide,” he said.
 
“This year, with the impacts of bushfires, droughts, floods and now COVID-19, the resilience of our sector has been tested like never before. Our 2020 conference will be a time for us to celebrate the wins – big and small – and to recognise the champions who have taken these challenges as opportunities to adapt, improve and reinvent their businesses.
 
“At such a time as this, it’s more important than ever that we, as an industry, support each other. It’s also important for us to work together on practical ways to ensure our sector is even more resilient and sustainable in a post-COVID world.”

For more information about the Global Eco Asia Pacific Tourism Conference, visit www.globaleco.com.au