The Minister for Tourism, the Hon Christian Santos GMD MP, was a panellist in Paris last week at the inaugural ‘A World For Travel’ Forum, held at France’s National Assembly.

The event brought together leading representatives from the public and private sectors, major investors and academia to discuss the future of travel and tourism. The Forum is endorsed by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and UN Tourism.

Participating in two panel discussions, ‘From Overtourism to Destination Resilience’ and ‘The Blue Economy: The New Strategic Frontier’, Minister Santos presented Gibraltar’s Nature Positive Tourism Pilot, a world-first initiative recently announced in collaboration with the Ministry for the Environment and in partnership with Animondial.

The project will assess Gibraltar’s entire tourism offering and its environmental impact, with the aim of developing a framework for sustainable tourism growth that protects the Rock’s natural habitats and biodiversity.

A short video featuring the Hon Prof John Cortes MP was also shown during the sessions, highlighting Gibraltar’s ongoing efforts to protect its biodiversity and natural resources, and the important role these play in Gibraltar’s tourism offering.

The Nature Positive Tourism Pilot represents an important step towards ensuring that Gibraltar’s tourism sector can continue to grow responsibly. By assessing the relationship between tourism activity and the natural environment, the initiative will help identify opportunities for sustainable development while addressing the potential pressures associated with increased visitor numbers. It also recognises the growing importance of environmental responsibility in destination management and the expectations of future generations of travellers.

Minister for Tourism, the Hon Christian Santos GMD MP, said: “Gibraltar is proud to be leading the way with this world-first initiative, demonstrating that even a small destination can play a significant role in shaping the future of sustainable tourism. International forums such as this provide invaluable platforms to exchange ideas, learn from other destinations and showcase the innovative work taking place in Gibraltar. They also allow us to contribute to wider discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing the global tourism industry. This project is an exciting opportunity to put Gibraltar at the forefront of that conversation.”

Minister for the Environment, the Hon Prof John Cortes MP, said: “Gibraltar's natural environment is one of our greatest assets, and protecting it must remain central to how we plan for the future. Tourism and environmental conservation should not be viewed as competing priorities, but as areas that can and must work together. This pioneering project will allow us to better understand the impact of tourism on our biodiversity, habitats and natural resources, and use that knowledge to inform future decisions.”