Since its recent Annual General Meeting, which took place in Ramberg on the Lofoten, the Board of Linking Tourism & Conservation (LT&C) was extended by two members: Oliver Hillel from the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada, and Anne Franze-Jordanov, sustainable tourism expert on Gothenburg, Sweden. To present them both to our audience, we interviewed them with a few short questions. Here are the answers of Anne Franze-Jordanov:
What is your personal history being involved in both sustainable tourism and biodiversity?
I studied sustainable tourism management with specialising courses in Qatar and Thailand among others on community-based tourism. Fieldwork in remote northern regions of Thailand had a formative influence on me. I was working in ecotourism and co-founded a startup related to sustainable tourism in Qatar. At the moment I am based in Sweden and am consulting a community-based tourism organisation. The two projects I am leading and supporting our aim at building capacity for forest guide education and sustainable tourism business development in the region Västra Götaland Sweden.
Biodiversity has increasingly been part of my professional life but has always been playing a big roll in my personal activities. In my
How did you follow activities of Linking Tourism & Conservation?
I met Peter 2017 while being on a hiking trip with my husband through northern Norway. He introduced me to LT&C and I was immediately intrigued. Since then I was following LT&C activities though conversations with Peter, attendance on the ITB, social media and conversations with LT&C members. Being an active member in the communications working group since summer 2018 allowed me to even co-shape LT&Cs activities.
What motivated you to become a member and now even a member of the LT&C-Board?
I believe that SDG 14 and 15 are the most important and fundamental goals of all SDGs. Using tourism as a tool for positiv change and contribution to reach these two goals is the most useful idea I see for myself, having studied tourism management. Tourism has always been there and it’s hard to stop – so we ought to make use of it wisely. LT&C is a welcoming, inclusive network of experts who have big hearts and a strong common goal which creates an incredibly positive atmosphere. It’s an honour and a pleasure to support LT&C.
What is your vision of the future of Linking Tourism & Conservation?
LT&C will be the most recognized lobbyist for nature protection in the tourism industry, supported by a broad spectrum of active members who exchange knowledge and support each other to produce best practices of sustainable tourism which promote nature protection.
