UNWTO and MSC Foundation to educate on sustainable tourism at sea

07-06-23

• UNWTO and the MSC Foundation are collaborating to offer a series of courses on board the MSC Euribia cruise ship to promote sustainability education.

The initiative builds on the excellent results of the first Global Youth Tourism Summit (GYTS), held in Sorrento, Italy, in 2022, and will materialise with the creation of the MSC Foundation Youth Lab, a specially equipped facility on the new state-of-the-art, eco-friendly ship. One of the main programmes offered at the Lab will be "GYTS for MSC: A Sustainable Future for Our Next Generations", developed in close cooperation with the UNWTO.

The programme will offer 12 daily sessions with two-hour activities on key topics ranging from ocean health, recycling and climate change to sustainable tourism and social media, all focusing on the "sustainability challenge". These activities are planned with a view to giving young people the freedom to learn, create and express themselves according to their interests and ideas, with an eye on the future.

"We are proud to build on the huge success of the Sorrento Global Youth Tourism Summit and expand our partnership with the UNWTO to promote youth empowerment and sustainability education," said Ms Daniela Picco, Executive Director of the MSC Foundation, "The new MSC Foundation Lab, located on the MSC Euribia, will provide a state-of-the-art space for children and teenagers to engage in sustainability-focused activities. Our new bespoke 'GYTS for MSC: A Sustainable Future for Our Next Generations' programme has been designed with the specific aim of empowering young people to learn, create and express themselves, while addressing key sustainability issues such as marine conservation, climate change and responsible tourism. By putting our young guests at the centre of these activities, we aim to raise awareness among our next generations of the challenges facing humanity and equip them with the tools they need to create a better world.

Ms. Alessandra Priante, Director of the UNWTO Regional Department for Europe, added: "After the great results of our first Global Youth Tourism Summit, which brought together children from all corners of the world, we are excited to see that GYTS is not only crossing borders, but also seas and oceans. We are grateful to the MSC Foundation for its continued support in emphasising the leading role that young people can play in building sustainable tourism for the future. We are proud to support the MSC in its work to educate and train children and young people to increase their awareness, engagement and participation.

The MSC Group is committed to taking comprehensive action through the MSC Foundation to raise awareness of the major challenges facing humanity and to provide MSC Cruises' young guests with the relevant tools to foster their motivation and knowledge acquisition through information provided through its programmes and initiatives in four focus areas: environment (including marine conservation), education, community support and emergency relief. This involves inviting young cruisers to become Junior Ambassadors for the Foundation and to implement specific activities that empower them to express the right of our younger generations to live in a better world.