Event &#8211; 1st International Congress on Entrepreneurship in Tourism: Towards Green Growth

The congress on the theme of entrepreneurship in tourism: “Towards Green Growth” is being held in Dubrovnik, Croatia from 27 to 30 April 2014. This congress will be organised by Croatian Small Business Union (HUMP-CROSBU) in partnership with OECD Investment Compact SEE, Paris and StudioCentroVeneto, Vicenza and local partners.

The congress theme covers a range of issues critical to economies and to the development of entrepreneurship in tourism as a major engine of growth and jobs creation for social, economic, cultural and personal values.
Tourism is one of the most promising drivers of growth for the world economy and key to driving the defining trends of the transition to a green economy. Due to tourism’s cross-cutting nature and close connections to numerous sectors at destination and international levels, even small improvements toward greater sustainability will have important impacts in the shift towards more sustainable, cleaner and lowcarbon economic growth.

Like many other sectors, tourism faces a range of significant sustainability-related challenges. However, with growing awareness of the necessity and value of conserving unique natural, social and cultural assets, there is increasing motivation from both the private and public sectors to invest in improving tourism’s sustainability. The OECD’s Towards Green Growth states that green growth is about fostering economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which our well-being relies. To do this it is necessary to foster investment and innovation, which will underpin sustained growth and give rise to new economic opportunities.

A green economy can be thought of as one that is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. In a green economy, growth in income and employment should be driven by investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
These issues are preoccupying the minds of entrepreneurs, policy makers, and researchers all round the world.

The emphasis is increasingly on not just how to protect jobs but to identify where the new jobs are going to come from in different parts of the word. Realising new opportunities to create new jobs and economic activity in a sustainable way is at the heart of change for creative nations and global community of thinkers and practitioners who can identify new opportunities for sustainable social and economic change through green growth.

The congress aims to provide a platform for researchers, policy makers and practitioners in recognition of the increasing flow of ideas, resources and knowledge between businesses, institutions and policy makers. The particular role of entrepreneurship in tourism transforming society through greater and meaningful economic opportunity is to be found in this mix of these assets.

For more information contact HUMP-CROSBU, Croatian Small Business Union
hump@hump-crosbu.hr
Mob: +385 91 9594 201