Guest article - written by: Shinobu HAYAMA
We often talk about the impact of traveling on the planet. About its environment and wildlife. It is fairly visible. It is quite measurable.
Sometimes even more manageable, maybe because they don’t have a voice in the language that we know. And yes, it is extremely important.
But, so often, we forget about its people.
That is not a surprise because it sometimes feels more complex. Humans by nature, have a tendency to want to address issues like that another day.
But the truth is, ecology is just one leg of a three-legged stool, and sustainability is equally about our society and economy — it is “the balance” of this interconnected ecosystem.
So when we try to be sustainable by focusing on being green and doing the equation without the people, in fact, it becomes an unachievable goal. Just as much as we depend on our environment, our humanity is a necessity for us to share a healthy planet.

Beyond “Us” and “Them”
So what does that actually mean? It might seem like a big question to address, but to take it step by step, today, perhaps we can start off with simple questions such as “who’s making the food on our table?”
Sure, they may be organic and made with fewer chemicals, but sometimes, the people harvesting them — although we don’t like to imagine — may have had to work under inhumane labor conditions and unfair wages on the other side of the world.
Why? Because for so long, our society has asked to buy more “quantity” of the same for “cheaper” prices, and businesses try to create in mass — in the name of efficiency, cheapening people to do so. Even taking that one vegetable on your plate, there might be a story of unbalance behind the scenes.
And sustainability is also not just about issues more common in developing countries, but all across the world — even the more developed countries.

Let’s take the example of Japan. It’s interesting that the nation draws quite some positive attention for a unique culture, nature and some of the most advanced technology. But what we don’t hear about is, at the same time, 896 towns and villages are estimated to disappear by 2040 — that’s about half the number of today.
Why? Depopulation and aging population play a large part, but the “overconcentration” in cities, where jobs and schools are flocked also create such a phenomenon. Often the rural villages have a heavy weight on the older population continuing on with their farming, fishing or other primary industry, and the younger population in search of more diversified jobs flowing outside — sometimes never to return. This is not a case singular to Japan, and similar situations exist in other countries. 
​For instance, let’s visit a remote chain of islands in the southern Kyushu Region of Japan, the Amami Archipelago. The five islands are gifted with a bounty of the ocean and mountains — colorful coral of 220 species, endemic species and wildlife, and small village communities called “shuraku” exist there — home to some of the longest living people in the world as recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. These people carry some of the oldest cultures of Japan, passed down over generations and still live today, including the “island dialect” language recognized as almost extinct in the UNESCO. As much as it is such a beautiful place, the population is decreasing yearly, and some shurakus consist of only one household (one of the islands have only one traffic light in the entire island!). In terms of travel, the area is often undiscovered as a destination, even domestically.
These communities are gradually vanishing. With unpredictable changes happening all over the globe now, it could happen to yours as well, for reasons beyond our imagination.

The Power of “Exchange”
So how might we bring back the liveliness, people and industries? How might we preserve cultural heritage? And all of this in a way that respects the destination’s carrying capacity and innate assets (i.e. not constructing more or newer shopping malls by destroying its nature) — vitalization in a sustainable way. And we believe that people from the outside can also play a unique positive role — if we do it the healthy way.Here, warm islanders welcome guests to join their life as it is. Through appreciating the vast nature together, or joining their weekly practices for their traditional dances and songs with their almost extinct language and cultural heritage, towards their annual summer festival where they heat up and dance away until dawn (“Hachigatsu-odori”, praying for a bountiful harvest). For the islanders, these traditional arts are largely their “Ikigai”, or reason for being in Japanese (of course, together with enjoying the brown sugar distilled liquor “Kokuto-jochu” made from local sugar canes!) — many say that this is what creates their strong sense of community, which is one of the secrets to their extraordinary longevity and wellness.

Share and learn something from each other, new perspectives or ways of coexisting with nature, or ways to recover from a crisis or disaster. These may certainly contribute to your home-ground when you return.
Yes, you might think twice if you think about the pollution flying may cause — but it is worth thinking thrice about the communities and humanity that may be enhanced — friendships and knowledge created towards global solidarity.
How can we live caring not only for the environment but the people that we depend on? How can we create a resilient world where we can help each other in times of adversity, beyond borders?
You can make your traveling footprints worthwhile. The three legs of the stool hold together one ecosystem — let’s try to strengthen each one before we lose balance forever.
Who we owe is not the bank, but our common future.

About Shinobu HAYAMA, Founder & CEO of Journey for Change and co-Founder of Herost
​​Sustainable development through intercultural exchange has been a part of Shinobu’s heart and professional life for almost a decade. She has extensive experience consulting and designing travel and learning for sustainability, bridging Japan and overseas. With a significant focus on resilience and revitalization of regions in Japan after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, projects extend cross-sector, across companies, academic institutions, government entities, industries including tourism, fishery, agriculture and communities.

As part of its activities in the field of Community-Based Tourism (CBT), Millennium Destinations became a Partner Member of the Countrystyle Community Tourism Network - Villages as Businesses.  
Launched over 35 years ago in Jamaica, the Countrystyle Community Tourism Network (CCTN) has developed positive relationships with a large network of local communities willing to play an active role in community tourism development.
CCTN has been offering tailor-made community vacations, community experience tours, and Countrystyle community tourism consultancy and training, marketed through the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT). 
The Villages as Businesses (VAB) program was created by CCTN in collaboration with the National Best Community Foundation (NBCF), in order to offer professional training to the communities for a variety of areas including hospitality skills, small business management, product development, marketing and community governance. The initiative is funded through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) REDI. 
Catherine GERMIER-HAMEL, Founder & CEO of Millennium Destinations, also joined CCTN/VAB as Partner Consultant and will be in charge of supporting the CCTN/VAB consultancy and training programs, and developing the network in South Korea, as well as other countries in Asia.  

“Please confirm you are a human”
I don't consider myself a control-freak but I really don’t like when people make decisions for me. Being able to choose makes me feel empowered and I often enjoy being offered multiple options. At the same time, I sometimes feel relieved when I don’t need to choose or even when I believe I have no choice. Let me confirm it, I am a human.
To be responsible is to be in charge. This means at least two things: to have the capacity / authority to make decisions and to be accountable for the consequences of these decisions. Responsible decision-making is not easy, especially when losses are involved and choices are many, but in the end, this may be the best expression of human nature.  

Does the travel industry fear responsibility?
Fear and anxiety are arguably the worst enemies of travel. Over the past weeks, many travel and hospitality businesses have seen their activities frozen due to increasing concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. In particular, the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) sector has been seriously affected by serial cancellations of events. Early March, and for the first time in its 54-year history, the top world travel fair ITB Berlin was cancelled by its organizers, based on the recommendations of the Federal Ministries of Health and Economics. Although made with a heavy heart, and for obvious health and safety reasons, this last-minute decision has received mixed reactions from the travel industry. For some professionals, the cancellation of the not-to-be-missed trade show actually sent a wrong message to the world: if even travel professionals are discouraged to travel, what can we expect from the general public? The fact that many people, especially from Asia, were already in Germany at the time of the decision may explain this stance.  
​On the other hand, this 2020 edition could have been the last in the history of ITB Berlin if it had been maintained. But who knows? Someone took the responsibility to upset dozens of thousands of people who had themselves taken the decision not to cancel their participation, after evaluating the risk of being contaminated or contaminating their peers. Nobody should be blamed but everybody should feel responsible. According to the oxygen mask rule, we are advised to ensure our safety first before providing assistance to others and especially children. This could be called an adult decision and this is probably not what people would immediately choose to do but there is a rationale behind this seemingly selfish recommendation. If you are out of the game, how can you possibly help others?  I guess this also applies to travel professionals.
In this world of unpredictability and uncertainty, decisions are not easy to make and sometimes, we have no choice but to trust our gut (well, you'd rather not if you are a Head of State). In any case, we should be ready to assume the results of our choices, especially when they affect other sentient beings. 

​​Inaction as a pain (and gain) killer
For some, doing nothing may be the safest option even if the consequences of inaction can also be painful and far-reaching. In the case of the COVID-19 crisis, the decisions to cancel or postpone public gatherings are devastating economically, socially, culturally, and psychologically. They not only confirm our fears but also nurture and even intensify our anxiety. They may be seen as a defeat against adversity and at the same time, a safe escape from conundrum and choices.  
Doing nothing can also be interpreted as carrying business as usual as if in denial, instead of acknowledging the reality of an unpredicted situation. Like those airlines that are running empty “ghost” flights during the coronavirus outbreak because of European rules.
But then again, too many scenarios can be overwhelming, particularly when they are disaster scenarios. In today’s society, media are constantly feeding us with alarming news and scary stories of risks, dangers and losses. Climate change communication has generated a great amount of eco-anxiety and depression among Millennials and Gen-Z kids, but not only. As a result, our more or less rational fears are paralyzing us, and rather than making our own choices, we have become increasingly dependent on algorithms, decision-making tools, influencers and advisers that are choosing for us, not necessarily to our best interests. As a result, we have become irresponsibly passive. Or we may just panic and let our reptilian brains take control over our decisions and make us buy toilet paper in bulk. In this context, being nudged towards responsible choices and behaviors may be useful and even indispensable. 

A microadventure in Vietnam
A few months ago, we all wanted to believe that 2020 would be a fantastic year. At least, it could not be worse than 2019. As for me, my new-year resolution was simply to travel to Vietnam, where half of my roots are grounded. Although I was born and raised in France, it happens that my four Vietnamese Tonkinese great-grand mothers have married or dated French settlers at the time of the French Indochina. As a member of the third generation of Eurasians in my family, I’ve never really paid great attention to my Asian heritage until quite recently.  
At the very beginning of what was about to become a worldwide sanitary crisis, and more precisely on January 25, 2020, I resolved to undertake a journey to Vietnam. I had actually made that decision the previous month during a family gathering in France. I then confirmed this plan on the first day of the Lunar New Year, called Têt in Vietnam and 설날 (pronounced "seollal") in Korea. I have celebrated Têt every year for as long as I can remember but I only understood the meaning and significance of this special occasion after I moved to Seoul in 2005. This year, I wanted to properly pay respect to my ancestors and unmask myself. 
I visited Vietnam for the first time in 2004. For about four weeks, I have traveled throughout the country from North to South, together with my soon-to-be husband. The only thing I found familiar and rather comforting was the local food, which I had enjoyed during my whole life thanks to the culinary talents of my grand-mothers and my mother. Again, I had never really shared my family's love for Asian food, until I live in Korea. The second time I went to Vietnam was in October 2018, when I attended the International Conference on "New Tourism - Local to Global Initiatives" in Ninh Binh, Northern Vietnam. The third and last time was a couple of weeks ago. 

This time, I had planned to go to Hanoi on my own for many reasons which reason knows nothing of. Actually, I badly needed this journey to reconcile with my Asian half, which I had neglected or even rejected. This is probably one of the reasons why it did not come to my mind that I should cancel my trip over health concerns. Indeed, Vietnam was calling me in a more and more pressing way, and nothing would stop me from executing my project. 
Initially, my plan was to get in touch with a few persons and institutions in Vietnam in relation to the 24th Annual Forum of the World Association for Hospitality & Tourism Training and Education (Association mondiale pour la formation hôtelière et touristique - AMFORHT), which was expected to take place in Seoul, South Korea on May 19 to 22. On February 11 [updated: postponed to 2021]. The same day of my departure to Hanoi, I had introduced the AMFORHT Forum at the monthly meeting of Skal International Seoul. At that time, all my Skaleagues were confident that the COVID-19 situation was under control and would be over with the warming of the temperatures. I shared the same confidence, or let’s say that I chose to stay positive.
Although Vietnam is not that far from Korea, I did not want to travel there for just a few days, partly because I did not think it was a responsible way of travelling. Moreover, I keep telling people that overseas stays should be extended as much as possible and I felt I should be consistent with what I preach. I therefore decided to include visits and meetings in relation with sustainable, community-based tourism in Vietnam. In particular, I wanted to have a chance to introduce the consulting and training services offered by Millennium Destinations for tourism and hospitality marketing and sustainable development. In recent years, international tourist arrivals have increased significantly in Vietnam, to reach 18 million in 2019 (from about 2.1 million in 2000), hence the need to educate and train local human resources, and build their capacities. Moreover, smart, sustainable tourism development as well as Community-Based Tourism (CBT) have become a priority for the country. 
Finally, I also wanted to identify potential partners and hosts for Herost, a social impact platform that I co-founded with three other partners, aimed at promoting responsible, eco-friendly travel experiences that are primarily centered on the local communities and their environments.
With the precious support of friends and colleagues, such as Randy DUBAND, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and Theo NOH, CEO of NEO Marketing Plus, I had the chance to connect with extraordinary, courageous (considering I was coming from Korea) people such as Mr. David NAUDIN, Director of International Cooperation & Partnerships of CitySmart Hotel Management, Dr. Thu Hoang, Dean of Faculty of Management and Tourism, Hanoi University, Ms. Natalie DO, Director of Sales of Heritage Cruise, Ms. NGUYEN Thi Huyen, National Project Coordinator at the International Labor Organization (ILO), Mr. Bobby NGUYEN and Ms. LUU Quynh Va, respectively General Director and Deputy General Director of Crystal Holidays, Ms. PHAM Huong, Program Officer at UNESCO Vietnam, Dr. Hoang, Dean of Hospitality and Tourism School at National Economics University, and Ms. Phuong Tran, Head of Community Development at Evergreen Labs.  
I also took the opportunity of this journey to evaluate a variety of accommodations implementing remarkable green, sustainable practices such as Mai Chau Ecolodge, Sunrise Premium Resort and Spa Hoi An, and Novotel Danang Premier Han River. I was particularly impressed by the bold decisions taken by the General Manager of Sunrise Premium Resort and Spa Hoi An, Mr. Sven SAEBEL, such as installing water refill stations to replace individual plastic bottles. I consider it a responsible decision, especially because it is fully assumed. I also enjoyed sharing stories with Mr. DU Quang Huy, Director of Mai Chau Ecolodge which employs 90% of local community members, including Ms. THAO Phuong Ha, from the Tay community who became Sales Director of Mai Chau Ecolodge. 
​​Although I remained unmasked during my whole trip to Vietnam, involving stays in Hanoi, Mai Chau, Hoi An and Danang, I tried to follow basic recommendations to avoid catching the coronavirus and contaminating others. I was lucky to be able to enjoy Hoi An as it was ten years ago, but I quickly became a little concerned at the view of all those (relatively) emptied tourist areas. Whereas overtourism has become a hot issue for many destinations, we are now facing a worrying undertourism situation. ​

Responsible tourism: a booster shot 
The concept of responsible tourism has become increasingly popular over the past decade, often as a replacement for sustainable tourism. In fact, many people do not feel comfortable with sustainable tourism, often viewed either as an oxymoron or an absurdity, if not a lost cause. For some of them, sustainable travel involves nit travelling at all. Very often, sustainable tourism is considered a niche market or a product whereas its advocates will insist that it is a journey, a strategy, a paradigm, an approach, a model etc. embracing any form of tourism and any kind of destination. As a result, people tend to give preference to responsible tourism or travel, which seems more achievable and accessible.
Developed through a participatory approach and adopted in 2002 on the occasion of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism is about “making better places for people to live in and better places for people to visit.” As an integrated multi-stakeholder approach, responsible tourism:

• Minimises negative economic, environmental, and social impacts;
• Generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well-being of host communities, improves working conditions and access to the industry;
• Involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances;
• Makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, to the maintenance of the world’s diversity;
• provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues;
• Provides access for physically challenged people; and
• Is culturally sensitive, engenders respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence.

Also see: 8 Myths About Responsible Tourism. 
For me, responsible tourism is the spitting image of sustainable tourism (although we should refrain from spitting, and particularly these days). But let’s not play with words and let’s try to focus on what matters most: achieving net positive impacts on people and places, a purpose supported by the power to make the right decisions and to fully bear for the consequences of the choices we make, whether we are hosts or guests. 
I personally believe the tourism and hospitality industry should assert and demonstrate its determination, courage and sense of responsibility. Our main mission is to make people happy and we need to be positive, creative and audacious to fulfill it.
And as people say, including President John F. Kennedy in 1959, the Chinese word for "crisis" is a combination of two characters, one for "danger" and one for "opportunity". This may not be correct but why don't we pretend it is? Together, let's co-create these opportunities and let's support each other to demonstrate, once again, the resilience and responsibility of our sector. 
To be continued... 

The first Asia Workshop of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Inventories - INSTO was successfully co-hosted on November 17 to 20, 2019 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Minister of Tourism of Cambodia, in collaboration with the Monitoring Centre for UNWTO Sustainable Tourism Observatories (MCSTO).
​I attended this highly inspiring and energizing event aimed at further advancing the dialogues among the established and potential observatories in Asia-Pacific region and strengthening knowledge about the regular monitoring of tourism at the local level, as the Founder & CEO of Millennium Destinations and delegate representing South Korea.
The workshop was targeted at: 

• Representatives of National Tourism Administrations/Organizations in Asia and the Pacific region; 
• Representatives from Observatories already established  in Asia and the Pacific Region;
• Representatives from the interested destinations and other tourism stakeholders (such as Australia, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand etc.);
• Officials and industry representatives from Cambodia. 

All participants demonstrated a strong commitment to advance a transparent, evidence-based approach of tourism and to develop sustainable tourism observatories as tools of alignment for the purpose of transforming the vision and ambitions of destinations, so that tourism can effectively and efficiently contribute to the satisfaction of both visitors and residents, the well-being of local communities and the conservation of their environments, rather than just focusing on the growth of international tourists arrivals and tourist receipts. 

Considering the continuous growth of tourism in the Asia and the Pacific region, it seems crucial to be able to collect and monitor the necessary relevant data to make sure that tourism is planned, managed and controlled. 
​As of today, there are 28 observatories in the world (including 9 in China), and the Kingdom of Cambodia expressed its intention to establish one Sustainable Observatory in Kompong Phluk in 2020. Japan and the Republic of Korea also expressed their interest in establishing observatories.
​This was welcomed by Dr. Dirk Glaesser, Director of Sustainable Development of Tourism, and by Mr. Harry Hwang, Deputy Director of Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific.
The UNWTO International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories was created in 2004 with the main objective to support the continuous improvement of sustainability and resilience in the tourism sector through systematic, timely and regular monitoring of tourism performance and impact and to connect dedicated destinations in order to better understand destination-wide resource use and foster the responsible management of tourism.

On November 20, I took a field tour to Kampong Phluk Eco-tourism Community, located in Siem Reap province close to Tonle Sap Lake. The Kampong Phluk commune has 3,707 peoples (911 families).
Kampong Phluk Eco-Tourism Community was established on April 17, 2015. It covers 12,329 hectares in 3 villages and plays an important role to attract many national and international tourists.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) had its 2019 Sustainable Tourism Program in Seoul, South Korea on November 9 & 10, 2019 at the Seoul Global Startup Center.
​This session was hosted in partnership with Millennium Destinations, with Catherine GERMIER-HAMEL as Lead Trainer and GSTC Director for Asia-Pacific Mihee KANG as co-Trainer, with the exceptional participation of GSTC CEO Randy DURBAND. 
The training programme started with an introduction of GSTC and its four programs, as well as global trends in sustainable tourism, sustainability marketing, and sustainable tourism product development and management, followed by a detailed presentation of GSTC criteria for Industry and Destinations. 
It also included presentations by Luis RIESTRA, General Manager of Crescendo Hotel about Planet21 initiative of Accor group and its actions in 2019, Lin HWANG, Founder & CEO of Damogo, a Seoul-based startup specialized in food waste reduction, and Louis HAAG, Co-Founder and CEO of HEROST, developed as a digital platform for co-creating, promoting and sharing sustainable, community-based travel experiences. 
Through this interactive leaning journey, participants gained an in-depth understanding of the GSTC criteria as the global baseline standards for sustainability in travel and tourism, the roles of accreditation and certification in advancing the sustainability agenda in the tourism industry. 

​[Collaboration post]
Given its beautiful sights and rich history, Japan is an ideal place to visit for adventurous millennials. There are certain highlights that every millennial must see, and no trip would be complete without any of the places listed below.

Mount Fuji
The legendary Mount Fuji is the largest volcano in Japan, standing at 12,389 ft tall. Its spectacular core has made it a prominent feature in Japanese art and literature, and there are many ways for you to experience this magnificent sight – whether from a distance, or on the Fuji Visitor Center's observation deck. Travelling to the top can be an exciting adventure, with some trips around the mountain taking as long as 12 hours. It is quite cold at the top, so remember to pack layers. 

Snow monkeys
The snow monkey – also known as the Japanese macaque – is a species native to Japan. They are famous for their red faces and their love for bathing in the hot springs. They are also noted as being an exceptionally intelligent species, quickly learning new skills such as eating and hunting. You'll need to venture out a bit to Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park in the Nagano Prefecture to see them, but it's well worth the visit. 

Kyoto's temples
Kyoto is home to a large collection of temples. Popular temples include Ryoan-ji, where you can sit in the zen stone garden and achieve a tranquil mindset, which is perfect for anyone who has difficulty attaining peace of mind. Kinkaku-ji – the Golden Pavilion – is one of the most scenic temples you could visit, especially if viewed from across the lake. And there's also To-ji, which is immersed in nature and full of beautiful gardens and majestic trees. Japan's 1600 temples will simply leave you spoilt for choice.