Global Webinar.
Planet Happiness, the
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On Saturday 20th March 2021, Planet Happiness, the World Tourism Network, International Institute for Peace through Tourism and SUNx convened a for a 3 hour Global Webinar to celebrate the UN International Day of Happiness. Following the devastating impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and calls from all sections of society for the travel and tourism industry to build back better.
UN Resolution 66/281 International Day of Happiness was passed in 2012. It followed the 2011 UN Resolution 65/309 Happiness: towards a holistic approach to development. With these resolutions, a growing number of nations around the globe are measuring the happiness and well-being of their people. At its core, the Happiness Agenda puts human well-being at the forefront, inclusive of economic growth and other factors of well-being, and within a definition of well-being that aligns with the SDGs. Our event will recognise and celebrate the role of Bhutan in advancing this agenda.
The webinar provided opportunities to discuss and learn about:
UN Resolution 66/281 International Day of Happiness was passed in 2012. It followed the 2011 UN Resolution 65/309 Happiness: towards a holistic approach to development. With these resolutions, a growing number of nations around the globe are measuring the happiness and well-being of their people. At its core, the Happiness Agenda puts human well-being at the forefront, inclusive of economic growth and other factors of well-being, and within a definition of well-being that aligns with the SDGs. Our event will recognise and celebrate the role of Bhutan in advancing this agenda.
The webinar provided opportunities to discuss and learn about:
- The origins and global significance of the Happiness and Well-being Agenda;
- Linkages between well-being measurements, sustainability in destination planning, and the SDGs;
- How destinations can use the Happiness Agenda for their branding and marketing advantage;
- Happiness tools, resources and approaches available to destinations to advance their competitiveness;
- The power of story-telling and digital innovation to support tourism and happiness.
Supporters
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Watch the videos of each session here:
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1. The origins and global significance of the Happiness and Well-being Agenda
Chair/Moderator: Laura Musikanski, Executive Director of Happiness Alliance, Co-Founder of Planet Happiness
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Sessions per Speaker
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Maksim Soshkin,
Research & Analysis Specialist: Aerospace, Aviation, Travel & Tourism World Economic Forum |
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2. Linkages between well-being measurements, sustainability in destination planning, and the SDGs
Chairperson: Ajay Prakash, Founding President of the India Chapter of IIPT
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Professor Larry Dwyer
Professor of Travel & Tourism Economics University of Technology, Sydney & Griffith Institute for Tourism, Griffith University |
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3. How destinations can use the Happiness Agenda for their branding and marketing advantage
Chairperson: Juergen Steinmetz, Chairman at World Tourism Network
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4. Happiness tools, resources and approaches available to destinations to advance their competitiveness
Chairperson: Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of World Tourism Forum Institute
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5. The power of story-telling and digital innovation to support tourism and happiness.
Chairperson: Jens Thraenhart, Executive Director, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO)
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Sessions per Speaker
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Dr. Ivana Damnjanovic,
Vice-dean for International Cooperation Singidunum University, Faculty of Health and Business Studies |
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Meet the Chairpersons and Speakers
Chairpersons
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Laura MusikanskiExecutive Director of Happiness Alliance,
Co-Founder of Planet Happiness Laura co-founded, Planet Happiness with Paul Rogers, a project of the Happiness Alliance, for which she serves as executive director,
a nonprofit providing resources and tools in the Happiness and Well-being movement since 2010. She co-authored The Happiness Policy Handbook, as well as Happiness, Well-being & Sustainability: A Course in Systems Change and other books. Laura served as chair for IEEE Standard 7010 Recommended Practice for Assessing the Impact of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems on Human Well-Being. Laura is on the editorial board of Springer's International Journal of Community Well-being. She is a lawyer with an MBA. |
Juergen SteinmetzChairman at World Tourism Network
Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1979), beginning as a travel agent up through today as publisher of eTurboNews (eTN), one of the world’s most influential and most-read travel and tourism publications.
He is also Chairman of ICTP, CEO of New York-based TravelMarketingNetwork, and founding member of the African Tourism Board. His experiences include working and collaborating with various national tourism offices and non-governmental organizations, as well as private and non-profit organizations, and in planning, implementing, and quality control of a range of travel and tourism-related activities and programs, including tourism policies and legislation. |
Dr. Taleb RifaiSecretary General,
World Tourism Forum Institute Taleb Rifai served as Secretary-General of the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization between 2010-2017, the first Jordanian to hold a UN agency Secretary General position.
Prior to assuming this position, he served as Deputy Secretary-General of the UNWTO. Rifai was also the Assistant Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and has served in several ministerial portfolios in the Government of Jordan, including as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Minister of Information, and Ministry of Tourism. In the three years preceding his service in the Jordanian Cabinet, he was appointed the CEO of Jordan’s Cement Company, one of the country’s largest public shareholding companies. In the mid-1990s, Rifai headed Jordan’s first Economic Mission to Washington DC, promoting trade, investments, and economic relations between Jordan and the United States. He was also actively involved in policy making and developing investment strategies as Director General of the Investment Promotion Corporation (IPC) in Jordan. Mr. Rifai currently holds several advisory roles, including with AirBnb, WTTC, African Tourism Board, IIPT, ITIC, UNITAR, ICTRCM, ISTO, and the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation. |
Ajay PrakashFounding President,
IIPT, Indian Chapter Founding President of the India Chapter of IIPT, Ajay has almost 40 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. A graduate in History from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and with a Masters in English Literature from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, he is the Chief Executive of Nomad Travels, Mumbai which he set up in 1988 after working for 8 years with Air India in the Commercial department. Nomad Travels specializes in corporate travel and custom designed leisure tours in India and overseas with a special emphasis on culture and tradition.
As a Past President of TAFI (Travel Agents Federation of India) and former Dy. Chairman of the WTAAA (World Travel Agents Association Alliance), he has participated in various tourism industry meetings across the world including addressing the European Tourism Forum in Bordeaux. He frequently appears on Indian national television to comment and debate upon aviation and tourism issues. |
Jens ThraenhartExecutive Director,
Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) Jens Thraenhart has over 25 years of international travel, tourism, and hospitality experience. In 1999, he founded Chameleon Strategies, an Affiliate Member of the World Tourism Organization, advising tourism organizations and travel businesses how to leverage digital engagement to drive sustainability. Previously, he co-founded leading [People’s Republic of] China] travel marketing agency Dragon Trail and headed up the marketing strategy and digital departments at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Canadian Tourism Commission, and Dusit International. Jens currently leads the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office as its Executive Director, where since 2014 he has spearheaded several award-winning sustainable tourism initiatives, and chairs the private-sector led Destination Mekong framework, operating award-winning initiatives such as the Experience Mekong Collection, Mekong Moments, the Mekong Mini Movie Festival, the Mekong Innovations in Sustainable Tourism program (MIST), and Mekong Heroes. Passionate about visual storytelling, he founded the Destination Film Forum. Mr. Thraenhart has been recognized the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association (HSMAI) as one of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Travel and Hospitality. An MBA graduate of Cornell University, he is currently a Doctorate in Tourism candidate at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
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Speakers
Makshim SoshkinResearch and Analysis Specialist: Aerospace, Aviation, Travel & Tourism, World Economic Fund
Maksim Soshkin is Research and Analysis Specialist with the World Economic Forum's Platform for Shaping the Future of Mobility. His primary area of focus is aerospace, aviation, and travel and tourism industry research. Maksim is also the co-author of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019. Prior to joining the Forum, he worked as a Lead for research firm IBISWorld, where he was responsible for the Canada and Global Industry Research Team.
Before that, he held various analyst positions specialising in aerospace and defence as well as transportation sector research. Maksim holds a BBA in Finance from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, City University of New York. |
Luis GallardoFounder and President,
World Happiness Fest Luis Gallardo is shaping the future of learning and being as President of World Happiness Foundation, and by being the Founder of bē, The TEOH LAb, The World Happiness Fest and World Happiness Agora. And by sitting on the Advisory Board at Trans Tech Technology Lab, UMindfulness, Innergy, and GivDay.
Former Managing Director of Global Brand & Marketing at Deloitte (Global CMO). In this role, Luis provided leadership to Deloitte’s member firm marketing and communications network (more than 3,000 Marketing and Communications professionals) in 150 countries. Over the years, Luis was instrumental in attaining for Deloitte the marketplace recognition it deserved. Deloitte became the #1 professional services practice globally in FY2010. Luis is the author of the award-winning marketing book ¨Brands and Rousers¨: The Holistic System to Foster High-Performing Businesses, Brands and Careers. And The Exponentials of Happiness, realizing exponential happiness, for ALL. Luis collaborates and teaches Reputation and Brand Management at IMD, IESE, ESADE. He is also frequently called on as a keynote speaker at numerous events around the world to discuss topics related to branding and how to Think Holistic, Act Personal is the key to helping businesses succeed in today’s global economy. Luis has created too the Gross Global Happiness Executive Program at The United Nations University for Peace. |
Nancy HeyExecutive Director,
What Works Centre for Wellbeing Nancy Hey is a global leader in the field of wellbeing. In 2014 she set up the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, the UK’s national body for wellbeing evidence and practice aiming to understand what governments, business, communities and people can do to improve wellbeing. The Centre is the first of its kind in the world and is working with the OECD, over universities across the UK and beyond and in partnership with HM Government, Business and Civil Society.
The Centre works on Working Age, Community & Connection, including Loneliness, as well as Measures & Methodology for Wellbeing. The work of the Centre brings together the global knowledge base on employee and community wellbeing as well as culture, recreation & heritage. Nancy is currently Specialist Advisory to the House of Lords Life After Covid Inquiry, the Global Council on Wellbeing & the SDGs, and has a wide range of other advisory roles across the UK and globally as she works to bring evidence into practice and work with partners to fill knowledge gaps. Prior to setting up the Centre, she worked in the UK Civil Service as a policy professional and coach, delivering cross Government policies including on Constitutional Reform and with VisitBritian. She has worked with the UK’s top Civil Servants to introduce wellbeing into public policy and to establish the professional policy community in the UK. She has degrees in Law and in Coaching & Development, and is a passionate advocate for learning. Her profile photo is by Rankin for the Lets Reset campaign. |
Jon HallPolicy Specialist, National Human Development Reports,
United Nations For the past 20 years Jon Hall has been thinking about how to quantify national progress and how to ensure the numbers influence government thinking. His 2002 work for the Australian Government on Measuring Australia’s Progress won a national award there as the “smartest” social project of the year, with one journalist describing it as coming “as close to the meaning of life as any statistician can get”. From 2005 – 2009 he led a project at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris promoting similar ideas around the world and now works for the United Nations Development Programme in New York. He has spoken about measuring wellbeing and happiness in some 50 countries and in 2013 was one of ten “global opinion leaders” to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss wellbeing and government policy.
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Gloria GuevaraPresident and CEO,
WTTC Gloria, President and CEO of the WTTC, has been recognised as one of the most influential women in Mexico by CNN and Expansion. She started her professional career in Travel and Tourism in 1995 with the Sabre Travel Network, and later became the CEO of JV Sabre Mexico.
She was appointed as Minister of Tourism by President Calderon in 2010 where under her leadership the “National Agreement for Tourism” in Mexico was created and signed on 28 February 2011. Gloria received the Good Neighbour Award from the US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and Virtuoso awarded Mexico the best tourism board in the world due to her successful branding and repositioning efforts. Gloria has been Special Advisor on Government Affairs to Harvard University, and part of the Future for Travel, Tourism and Aviation Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum (WEF). |
Geoff LipmanPresident and Co-Founder,
SUNxMalta Geoff Lipman is President and Co-Founder of SUNx Strong Universal Network, a global initiative to support Climate Resilience, related SDG’s and Emergency Response through Climate Friendly Travel.
With over 50 years of experience in Travel and Tourism, Geoff has served as a top Executive in the IATA, WTTC and the UNWTO. In that time, he has played a key role in the emergence of Tourism as a serious socio-economic sector, helped pioneer new systems of measuring the sector and spearheaded new development support systems, including the ST-EP Program, led the Davos Climate Summit and launched G20 Summit recognition program. Geoff has also served on both public and private sector Boards in Africa, Europe, Middle East and Canada. He’s worked closely with the World Economic Forum since the early 90’s on its Competitiveness and Smart Travel activities. Geoff has written and lectured widely on the topics of tourism strategy, and sustainability and liberalization as well as co-authored two books and numerous journal articles on Green Growth and Travelism. |
Dorji DhradhulDirector General
Tourism Council of Bhutan Dorji Dhradhul is the Director-General of the Tourism Council of Bhutan since January 2019. He served as Dzongda (Governor) of Gasa district for almost four years and has worked in various capacities in the fields of agriculture research, policy, and development.
Mr. Dhradhul was also the founding Director of the Department of Agriculture Marketing and Cooperatives and the founding Registrar of Cooperatives in Bhutan. He published a number of articles on subjects of contemporary relevance in the National newspaper, including a novel title Escapades: Awakenings. |
Professor Larry DwyerProfessor of Travel and Tourism Economics
Larry has held professorships at several universities in Australia and Europe. He is an elected Fellow and past President of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism. Larry has also served as President of the International Association for Tourism Economics, and currently serves on its International Advisory Board.
He is a Foundation Fellow of the Council of Australasian University Tourism and Hospitality Educators and Researchers (CAUTHE). With over 200 publications in international journals, books, book chapters, government reports and monographs, Larry has been awarded numerous research grants to contribute to tourism knowledge. He also has undertaken an extensive number of consultancies for public and private sector tourism organisations, such as the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism, and for international agencies, including the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the OECD. |
Jerry SpoonerDirector of the Department of Tourism,
Vanuatu Jerry Spooner’s career started in the field of finance, working variously as an account-controller and literacy trainer with organisations such as the Cook Island Bank, the Cook Island Investment and Promotions Board, and the Vanuatu National Audit Board.
His involvement in the tourism industry broadened, leading him to become the Vanuatu Department of Tourism as the Principal Accreditation Officer in the Vanuatu Department of Tourism and later the Director of Tourism in the government of Vanuatu. Under his leadership, the Department has embarked on an ambitious program of building government tourism policy around the principles of economic viability, social acceptability and environmental responsibility. Elements of these principles are embedded in documents including the Vanuatu Product Classification Standards, the Tourism Accreditation System, and the Sustainable Tourism Policy; demonstrating his commitment to forging a home grown model of tourism planning and development that is customised to the needs of Vanuatu culture and kastom, and that balances the needs of divergent stakeholders. |
Anna PollockFounder,
Conscious Travel Anna Pollock, Founder of Conscious Travel, and a key figure head in the regenerative travel movement. She has had over 45 years experience in tourism as a researcher, strategist and change catalyst serving the international tourism and hospitality sector.
She has co-founded and co-developed the UK’s first internet-based digital destination management, the first education and training strategy for the tourism industry, and has advised the EU on the 5th Framework for the application of information technology as well as developing early IT strategies for a series of destinations all across the globe. |
Chris FlynnPresident and CEO,
WTACH Chris Flynn has had 34 years experience in international tourism working in a wide range of countries across four continents.
He is currently the President and CEO of the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage. He is recognised as a leading specialist in terms of innovation and strategy in the tourism industry, and has been a key speaker at high profile conferences and events to provide insights to media channels like BBC World News Asia Business Report. |
Susan FayadCoordinator of Heritage and Cultural Landscapes,
Victoria Central Goldfields Susan Fayad is the Coordinator Heritage and Cultural Landscapes at the City of Ballarat where she is rolling out the Central Victorian Goldfields World Heritage Bid program across 13 local government areas.
The bid applies UNESCO’s approach to urban conservation and city development – The Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL). Since 2012, Susan has led the implementation of the HUL at the City of Ballarat as part of UNESCO's international pilot program. She is an active member of the global HUL program, contributing both internationally and locally in Australia. |
Paul RogersCo-Founder and Director,
Planet Happiness Paul’s PhD centered on tourism, conservation and development issues in Nepal’s Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) National Park.
He has over 20 years’ experience as a tourism advisor to national and local governments and tourism organisations, and has worked in more than a dozen countries in South and South-East Asia, Africa and Australia. His focus has been on the policy and planning arena – on using tourism, as one of the world’s largest and fastest growing industries that provides 1 in every 10 jobs worldwide, as a vehicle for development. |
Jake HaupertChairman of the Board and CEO,
Transformational Travel Council Jake Haupert is the co-founder of the Transformational Travel Council, ROAM Beyond and Explorer X.
He is an impact-driven entrepreneur, consultant, speaker, and facilitator and a veteran in the travel industry with over 20 years of experience. His work is rooted in his belief that we would all benefit from a more conscious, purposeful form of travel. His work with the TTC encourages a mindset, approach and model that measures success based on more holistic, virtuous and prosperous outcomes; a new conscious evolution in travel and tourism - a transformation economy, seeking to co-create desirable and regenerative changes in behaviour and form. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, Skift, The Guardian, Vox and many more. |
Elke DensMarketing Advisor,
VisitFlanders Elke Dens is marketing advisor for VisitFlanders and recently assigned as expert of the COVID’19 tourism recovery program of the United Nations. She is a proud member of the board of The Travel Foundation and the Impact Travel Alliance.
Ms. Dens serves as marketing chair of The European Travel Commission, aligning the marketing directors from 28 countries in Europe around one and the same brand and strategy, focusing on added value and benefits to lesser known places in Europe. As an ambassador for meaningful marketing, Elke Dens was rewared ‘marketeer of the year’ in 2019 by The Belgian Association of Marketing. She is one of the driving forces behind ‘Travel to tomorrow’, a vision on tourism that is based on regeneration and contributes to ‘flourishing’ places. |
Anna DrowzdowskaTravel Consultant,
Taste of Happiness Anna is a communication strategist and marketer with over 20 years' experience in creating and award-winning projects for international consumer brands and for the tourism industry.
She combines strong marketing background with expertise in culinary and cultural tourism. She started as an experiential travel tour operator creating tailor-made holidays and unique itineraries focused on culinary and cultural heritage, then moved to independent tourism consultancy and auditing, helping destinations attract visitors and guests. She also works as a Head of Communication, managing premium culinary brands. Anna is a passionate culinary travel journalist and wine columnist, publishing engaging stories in National Geographic Traveller, Business Traveller, Connoisseur Circle, and Food & Friends magazine. |
Pankaj ManchandaFounder and CEO,
Augtraveler Pankaj is currently based out of India and is working on his Startup venture ‘Augtraveler’. The Augtraveler platform adopts new age immersive technologies (AR/VR/MR, Geo-location & Analytics) to ‘promote’ and therefore ‘preserve’ the tangible and intangible heritage. The intervention is designed to dovetail into the Tourism business domain, which is one of the top GDP drivers across the
globe and at the same time aligns to UN SDGs 11, 8 (12.b) and 4. With a background in the Technology Education field for over two decades, Mr. Manchanda has experience in setting up Enterprise level global teams and spearheaded design, build and dissemination of award-winning training/ skilling/ performance support-based interventions for a myriad set of target audiences across the globe. In the context of his current project, he has been welcomed in the ICOMOS community. Besides being a member of ICOMOS India, he is also part of the Global Working Groups of ICOMOS SDGs and ICOMOS ICTC. |
Dr. Ivana DamnjanovicVice-dean for International Cooperation,
Singidunum University Ivana is a sustainable tourism expert with a decade of experience.
She has a Ph.D. with academic and scientific interests, including sustainable tourism (in protected areas particularly); tourist experience, interpretation, and its educational aspects; regenerative tourism, community wellbeing; and wellness through recreation, adventure, and nature-based tourism. She teaches internationally, focusing on educating future generations of sustainable tourism employees. She advocates enhanced students' educational experience through proliferation and transferability of teaching methods and applicability of the acquired knowledge. She is an assistant professor and Vice-dean for international cooperation at the Faculty of Health and Business Studies, Singidunum University, Serbia. She is also a wider network member of the IUCN WCPA TAPAS Group, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) member, and a Future of Tourism Coalition signatory. |
Prof. Mario QuinteroSecretary General ICOMOS,
Carleton Immersive Media Studio/ICOMOS Mario Santana-Quintero is a full professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Carleton University) in Ottawa, Canada. He is also the Director of the NSERC Create program Heritage Engineering and a faculty member of the Carleton immersive Media Studio Lab (CIMS). Besides his academic work in Canada, he is a guest professor at the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation (University of Leuven). Along with his academic activities, he serves as Secretary-General of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). He is the past president of the ICOMOS Scientific Committee on Heritage Documentation (CIPA).
Furthermore, he has been a Getty Conservation Institute scholar. He has collaborated in several international projects in heritage documentation for The Getty Conservation Institute, UNESCO, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, ICCROM, World Monuments Fund, UNDP, Welfare Association, and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi. He is currently the co-convener of Our World Heritage Initiative theme on Transformational Information technologies. |
