SUNx and ICTP are about to launch the New Year’s KISS4Climate fund, and are calling on Travel & Tourism Countries and Cities, and also travelers for support.

KISS stands for Keep it Simple Stupid.

Professor Lipman explains: ” All we want is for every Country and City that has a New Year’s Fireworks Show to give 5% of next year’s budget for fireworks to a fund for Climate Friendly Travel Scholarships. This fund will benefit young graduates from the World’s poorest countries.”

“I got this idea watching the fireworks to start the New Year in New Zealand.,” Prof. Lipman explains. “I am thinking this is going to happen in so many developed countries around the world. I remembered the enormous fireworks welcoming tourism ministers and delegates to the WTTC summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last month.

“If a tiny percentage could make such a difference to the world’s poorest countries – especially if used to build the next generation of leaders.

“We will call on the World Tourism Community to support this and target the Heads of State that will attend the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha, Qatar on March 5-9 to endorse the idea.”

Over five days of the LDC5 Conference in Doha, world leaders will gather with the private sector, civil society, parliamentarians, and young people to advance new ideas, raise new pledges of support, and spur delivery on agreed commitments, through the Doha Programme of Action. At the Conference, it is expected that specific initiatives and concrete deliverables will be announced that will address LDC-specific challenges.

Lipman continued: “We will provide Scholarships at ITS in Malta for these Students for our Climate Friendly Travel Diploma

“Travelers will join our Climate Friendly Travel Club and 10% of the annual fee will be put into the fund. They will get a unique carbon compensation initiative plus a clean and green rewards program.”

The International Climate & Tourism Partners (ICTP) is an initiative under the World Tourism Network (WTN) with tourism stakeholders in 129 countries as members.

WTN chairman Juergen Steinmetz said: “We’re excited to team up with Geoffrey and SunX to support such an initiative. KISS4Climate New Year 2024!” Click here to contact ICTP to be part of KISS!

Extract from e-Turbo News 31^st December 2022