Promotional DVD 1.6

SKÅL INTERNATIONAL “SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN TOURISM” AWARDS 19th SEPTEMBER 2011

In its tenth edition, the Skål International “green Awards” ceremony was a great success. The trophies were presented by the President of Skål International, Tony Boyle, and announced by Director of Communications & PR, Karine Coulanges, during the Opening Ceremony of the 72nd Skål World Congress held in Turku (Finland), on 19th September 2011. Read more

SKÅL Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Sustainable Tourism

Skål Mission: Skål members will deliver world-class cultural and leisure experiences, while preserving and sharing clean, safe and natural environments.

Skål Organization and members will be guided by the values of respect, integrity and empathy.

Sustainable Tourism actively fosters appreciation and stewardship of the natural, cultural and historic resources and special places by local inhabitants, the tourism industry, governments and visitors. It is tourism which is viable over the long term because it results in a net benefit for social, economic, natural and cultural environments of the area in which it takes place. Read more

Diversey Special Recognition Award

 At Diversey, we believe that sustainability and a healthy bottom line can go hand-in-hand, because solutions which protect the environment are more profitable and good business practice. At the same time they allow us to deliver on our responsibility to the wider community, a key component of the Diversey ethos.

The Diversey Special Recognition Award shares its aim with all other SDIT awards and designed to acknowledge projects which are new and innovative, set up to transform the conventional understanding of sustainability to deliver a most efficient output, closer to the idea of "integrated bottom line" where business and environment, along with safety, risk management, and corporate responsibility is managed.
Read more

Q R CODE: QUICK RESPONSE: NEW TOOL FOR NETWORKING

A tool for improving communications between Skål International and its members.  The QR code, a Japanese invention, is a sort of barcode which is already being used by many companies worldwide: airlines, train companies … all you have to do is to take a photograph of the QR code with your mobile, smartphone, IPhone, Blackberry …. to access the data contained in the code. President Tony Boyle and Karine Coulanges met with a company in Paris to study the possibilities of creating an application for Skål International which would allow Skålleagues the website and the membership database from their mobile telephone wherever they are in the world. To download the QR Code Reader, please click here.

Where to Go During an Earthquake

Remember that stuff about hiding under a table or standing in a doorway? Well, forget it! This is a real eye opener. It could save your life someday.

TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when building collapse are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a bed, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it...

Read More

Skål International General Secretariat Awarded Green Globe Certification

Green Globe Certification congratulates the Skål International General Secretariat on meeting the Green Globe Standard and has been awarded Certification for its sustainable operations and management.

Green Globe Certification CEO, Mr Guido Bauer said, ‘Skål is the preeminent global association for travel, tourism and hospitality professionals and achieving certified status is a clear endorsement of the importance of sustainability in our industry.

‘We now have the opportunity to work with the hundreds of Skål clubs across the world, as well as spreading information about the importance of sustainability to its membership of thousands of key travel, tourism and hospitality professionals’ added Mr Bauer.

The independent audit was carried out on 16th and 17th of September by Mr Yohann Robert, accredited Green Globe Auditor from François-Tourisme-Consultants based in France. In order to qualify, the Skål International General Secretariat located in Torremolinos, Spain has scored a conformity rate over the 51% of all applicable suitability criteria.

The certification process as identified the commitment of Skål International General Secretariat to a range of green initiatives, including:

Specific waste sorting actions (recycling/reusing) implemented.
Environmentally-friendly supplies purchased (recycled paper, biodegradable and eco-labeled cleaning products, etc.).
Water and energy consumption reduction goals (dual flush toilets, low-flow faucet aerators, energy-efficient lighting, etc.).
Sustainability educational programmes supported and encouraged (Skål Ecotourism Awards, 101 Skål Tips, UNEP, UNWTO ST-EP programme, Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Exploitation in Tourism, Code of Ethics in Tourism, etc.).

Worldwide all Skål members enjoy a 10% discount on the annual Green Globe Membership fee. Green Globe has agents in most regions of the world and offers services in the following languages: Afrikaans, Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese, Catalan, English, French, German, Hindi, Hokkine, Mandarin, Kiswahili, Portuguese, Punjabi and Spanish.

About Green Globe Certification
Green Globe Certification is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe Certification is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe is the only certification brand to be an affiliate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is partly owned by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and a member of the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) governing council. For more information visit www.greenglobe.com

Skål International Book

A special Skål Story book was launched during the celebrations in Paris. Honorary President Antonio García del Valle, who has written the history of Skål, provided numerous historical records going back to the foundation of Skål in 1932, two years before it became an international association.

The book was generously sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Turkey. The Skål Story is now available for sale from the General Secretariat at €25 plus postage and packing. Twenty per cent of the sale price will go to the Florimond Volckaert Fund. Please send us an e-mail if you are interested at skal@skal.travel