GGDD20:
October 6-9 | Online conference
Welcome to GGDD20
The 5th. edition of the Global Green Destinations Days 2020 takes place from Oct 6 to Oct 9, 2020, wherever you are.
GGDD is a yearly conference for connecting sustainability professionals, destinations, and tourism boards in order to support peer to peer learning and finding sustainable solutions for tourism destinations. Whether you are a tourism professional, researcher, or just curious we invite you to our free online GGDD conference with interactive live presentations, discussions, and workshop.
Session recordings & downloads
Session 1: Opening and Top 100 presentation
Session 2: Certification To Support Destination Recovery
Presentations will be made available here as/if they are provided by presenters
- Rod Hillman: Rebuilding from a crisis
- Penny Spoelder: Does size really matter?
- Danica Banjevic: The Case of Tivat
- Prof. Tuncay Kuleli: A theoretical framework to measure the sustainability of coastal uses
Presentations will be made available here as/if they are provided by presenters
Session 1: Redefining Tourism Success
- Masaru Takayama: Motivating Governments to become Green Destinations
- Joanne Chang: A Case Study of Sun Moon Lake
- Susan Santos de Cardenas: Rebuilding Tourism in a More Sustainable Way
- Luca D’Angelo: Dolomiti Paganella Future Lab
- Blanka Kovacic: The pure power of nature
Session 1: Redefining Tourism Success
- Dağhan Mehmet Yazıcı: Zero Waste Blue
- Ayyoub Salameh: Tackling Waste Management on North Island
- Riine Rander: A Case Study of Saaremaa
- Bev Thornton: Partnerships, Innovation and Green Economy Reducing Climate Impact
Session 1: Beyond Tourism's Dependency
- Magdalena A.K. Muir: Utilizing GSTC and GD Criteria to achieve Sustainable Development During COVID-19 Pandemic
- Felipe Omar Vera Soto: The Experience of Natales And Futaleufu In Chilean Patagonia
- Anja Sedevčič: Tree for Cerje (Drevo za Cerje)
- Romana Purkart: Saving Lake Bled
- Greg Bakunzi: Rwanda – A Case Study
Session 2: Workshop Storytelling | The Future of Tourism Coalition
- JoAnna Haugen: workshop “What’s your story?”
- Kim du Toit: The Future of Tourism Coalition
Themes

GD’s President Albert Salman will open the conference and reflect on the future of tourism in times of Covid19 and the role of Green Destinations.
Top 100 Ceremony
At GGDD20 we celebrate the Sustainable Top 100 Destinations of 2020, recognising their efforts and steps towards sustainability helping to make tourism more profitable for all stakeholders by building awareness on the negative impacts and hidden costs of tourism development.
Session date:
October 6 – 14h00 – 14h45 GMT +2 (CEST)
Organiser: Green Destinations

Certification To Support Destination Recovery
This session will discuss how destinations manage broad stakeholder cooperation, stick to their sustainable values in times of crisis and how we measure sustainability with the help of destination certification programs.
Session date:
6 October, 2020
15h00 – 16h30 GMT+2 (CEST)
Single session Duration: 90 minutes
Organiser: Green Destinations
Host: Ahmet Aras, Mayor of Bodrum, Turkey
Speakers
Danica Banjevic
Rod Hilman
Destination: Turkey
Presenting:
A theoretical framework to measure the sustainability of coastal uses
Tuncay Kuleli
Destination: Niue
Presenting:
Does size really matter? The journey of the world’s smallest independent nation toward sustainable tourism
Penny Spoelder

Session Description:
It is time to rethink the way we want to go forward in dealing better with the social and environmental pressures that is why this session will include insights on topics such as quality of travel, local jobs and income, emissions and pollution, clean products and services in times of a pandemic. The crisis coming with COVID-19 highlights the fragility and the unsustainability of the sector: in this session, we show there is no way back but forward.
Session date:
7 October, 2020
14h00 – 15h30 GMT+2 (CEST)
Single Session Duration: 90 minutes
Organiser: Green Destinations
Host: Pekka Alhojarvi, Chairman and CEO, Finland
Speakers
Destination: Philippines
Presenting:
Rebuilding Tourism in a More Sustainable Way- Make Your Tourism Recovery Green
Susan Santos de Cardenas
Blanka Kovačič
Destination: Japan
Presentation:
Motivating Government of all sizes to become Green Destinations – Japan’s cases
Masaru Takayama
Luca D'Angelo
Destination: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan
Presentation:
___________
Joanne Chang

Reducing our climate impact:
Join the discussion on how to reduce climate impacts by marketing strategies aimed at domestic or regional tourism; reducing waste, creating space for hiking and biking; managing environmental crisis and a lot more.
Session date:
October 7, 2020
16h00 – 17h30 GMT+2 (CEST)
Single Session Duration: 90 minutes
Organiser: Green Destinations
Host: Gabriel Minas Amaya, Strategic Development of Tourism, Ecuador
Speakers
Presenter:
Daghan Mehmet Yazici
TURMEPA
Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association.
Presenting: Zero Waste Blue
Dağhan Mehmet Yazıcı
Destination: North Island, Seychelles
Presenting:
Tackling Waste Management on North Island
Ayyoub Salameh

Session Description:
COVID-19 is not expected to disappear, so destinations will have to adapt to the new reality. Learn about the newest innovations, traditions and tourism products adapting to a new normal, hereunder cooperating with governmental restrictions balancing the local communities and visitors. The overarching question will dig into what to do when the tourism product, the destination or its natural attributes, is changed.
Session date:
8 October, 2020
14h00 – 15h30 GMT+2 (CEST)
Session Duration: 90 minutes
Organiser: Green Destinations
Host: Katja Haase, Marketing Manager, Namibia
Add session to calendar:
Speakers
Anja Sedevčič
Romana Purkart
Destination: Caribbean-Pacific Islands-Remote Arctic Coasts
Presenting: Utilizing Global Sustainable Tourism Council Criteria and Green Destinations Standards to Achieve Sustainable Development for Caribbean and Pacific Islands During COVID-19 Pandemic
Magdalena A.K. Muir
Destination: Futaleufú, Chilean Patagonia
Presentation: The Experience of Natales And Futaleufu In Chilean Patagonia
Felipe Vera Soto
Destination: Rwanda and The Democratic
Republic of Congo
Greg Bakunzi

Workshop
Many destinations that have been suffering from disruptive over-tourism are hoping for visitors to return, but in controlled and much smaller numbers to reduce the risk of a second wave. Therefore, we offer one workshop that provides insights into what the first steps towards sustainability look like and how to tell stories that shape our future.
Session date:
October 8 2020 16h00 -16h45 GMT + 2 (CEST)
Organiser: Green Destinations
Speaker
JoAnna Haugen

Session Description:
For the first time at GGDD, we will host a session including presentations and discussions in Portuguese. More languages presented at GGDD is the way forward and we are excited to welcome all of our Portuguese speaking presenters this year. This double session will include presentations on cultural heritage, community involvement, protection of natural sites and new innovative management strategies in times of the pandemic.
Pela primeira vez nos GGDD, iremos acolher uma sessão que incluirá apresentações e discussões em Português. O futuro passa por ter mais idiomas presentes nos GGDD e estamos muito entusiasmados para acolher todos os oradores de Língua Portuguesa na edição deste ano. Esta sessão dupla irá incluir apresentações sobre património cultural, envolvimento das comunidades locais, proteção de espaços naturais e, ainda, estratégias de gestão inovadoras em tempos de pandemia.
Session date:
October 9, 2020
16h00 – 18h30 GMT + 2 (The Netherlands)
15h00 – 17h30 GMT + 1 (Portugal)
11h00 AM – 13h30 PM UTC-03 (Brazil)
Session Duration: 120 minutes
Organiser: Green Destinations
Speakers
Diuly Cristina Mähler
Azores DMO
Destination: Azores, Portugal
Presentation:
Reducing Climate Impact: local action with a global impact
When:
Andreia Melo Carreiro
THEME 4
Destination:Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Presenting: Centro Cultural Trampolim da Vitória
When:
Giovani Rodrigues
THEME 4
Destination:São Miguel do Gostoso/ Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Presentation: The Community-Based Tourism course
When:
Janielle Linhares da Silva
THEME 6
Destination:Tibau do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Presenting: Ecological Sanctuary of Pipa
When:
Elizabeth Susana Bauchwitz
A panel of experts
This year’s event will bring together online selected destination leaders representing globally important tourism destinations. A unique opportunity to learn from specialists in the field, peer-to-peer learning, and to discover practical tools and solutions in sustainability issues.