News

Carbon neutral tourism in Montenegro

19.10.2015

Christian Baumgartner sets the second step in a large UNDP project 'Carbon neutral tourism in Montenegro'. On-site he discusses his scenarios for an eco- and climate certification with hoteliers and institutions.

Foto: © NTO Montenegro

Ecotourism training in Transylvania

1.9.2015

Christian Baumgartner develops together with CIPRA Schweiz, AER (Association of Ecotourism Romania) and ProPark trainingcourses and -material for ecotourism-destinations in Romania. Aside manager the project will train guides and mulitpliers in hiking, mountainbiking, horseback riding, ski touring, kayaking and wildlife watching / nature interpretation.

Foto: © Christian Baumgartner

Nature Experience in the Kaisergebirge (Tyrol / Austria)

31.7.2015

Christian Baumgartner moderated the successful strategy workshop of the Ferienland Kufstein (Tyrol / Austria) for the Kaisergebirge region. Aim is to establish nature experience offers in this mountain valley.
Picture: © W9 Studios / Ferienland Kufstein

Study ,Human Rights in Tourism‘ presented at ITB

13.3.2015

At the request of GIZ (Enterprise for International Cooperation), Christian Baumgartner was working on a study on Human Rights in Tourism. Cases that became known in the course of the past 10 years, were analysed with reference to human rights, perpetrators, victims, etc., and existing instruments are tested for their efficacy. With a view to devising recommendations addressed to governments, donor agencies, the tourism industry and NGOs on how to avoid human-rights incidents, a few examples have been analysed in greater detail by way of in-depth interviews and on-site visits.

The outcomes were presented at the ITB 2015 in Berlin.

The present study – still designed for Naturefriends International – was drawn up together with mascontour (Berlin).

Kyrgyzstan project finished

31.1.2015

Funded by the European Commission (DG EuropeAid), six decentralised training centres for sustainable village tourism are being set up in Kyrgyzstan. In cooperation with crafts initiatives and an educational umbrella organisation, trainers and train-the-trainers receive demand-oriented coaching.

The final workshops and ceremonies to hand over the certificates to the trainers finalsed the three years project.

The project was completed on behalf of Naturefriends International.

http://ngo-at-work.org/kg/

Study on ‚Sustainable Tourism in Austria‘

6.1.2015

At the request of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (BMLFUW), Christian Baumgartner was working on a brief study describing the status quo of sustainable tourism in Austria. A differentiated picture is to be drawn up Based on quantified estimates of several indicators relating to environment, economy and socio-culture as well as on an assessment of demand and political support, a differentiated picture is to be drawn up of the prevailing situation. The study was presented at the Tourism Fair Vienna 2015.

It will be finalised with the assistance of Cathrine Schwenoha still on behalf of Naturefriends International.

InRuTou

6.1.2015

The EU-project InRuTou aims at developing and testing a set of tools and innovative models for facilitating the development of sustainable tourism in rural areas, specifically in mountainous regions of Italy, Austria, Poland, Romania and the Ukraine. Community consultation processes are fostered, and selected opinion leaders are trained to act as multipliers in enhancing community tourism planning by training existing and new local tourism operators, with various degrees of experience, professional and educational background.

Christian Baumgartner is involved as expert for the IMC FH Krems.

http://inrutou.eu

Project development ‚The Burgenlaenders‘ Ways Out‘

5.1.2015

For the Protestant Church Augsburg Confession and the Parish of Gols, Christian Baumgartner came up with the project ‚Burgenländische Auswege’ – following in the footsteps of the Protestants during the Counter Reformation.

The people livig in the northern part of Seewinkel regularly walked to Bratislava, where they were allowed to pray and worhsip at the time of the Counter-Reformation.
New tourism products will be developed to provide a first-hand experience of these walks on foot or bicycle.

The rough initial plans for the project will still be made together with Cathrine Schwenoha and Naturefriends International; the final planning and execution will be effected by response & ability.

Brief study ‚Pastoral care in tourism in the context of Austria’s tourism industry‘

3.1.2015

For the Pastoral Care Working Group of the Protestant Church in Austria, Christian Baumgartner is preparing an overview designed to correlate the most important Austrian tourism centres with the most vital Protestant parishes, which by tourism standards are most capable of development. The options for a reorientation of pastoral care work in the context of tourism –with the emphasis on sustainable tourism – and the options for the church as provider of cultural values in the tourism region will be embodied in recommendations. In addition, the employment of new media will be critically assessed.