UNWTO AND MSC FOUNDATION TO DELIVER SUSTAINABLE TOURISM EDUCATION AT SEA

Geneva/Madrid, 05 June 2023 - UNWTO is working with the MSC Foundation to deliver a series of sustainability-related education courses on board the MSC Euribia cruise ship.

The initiative builds on the success of the first Global Youth Tourism Summit, held in Sorrento, Italy, in 2022, and will see the creation of the MSC Foundation Youth Lab, a specially-equipped venue on the advanced new eco-ship. One of the core programmes to be offered in the Youth Lab will be "GYTS for MSC: A Sustainable Future for Our Next Generations”, designed in close partnership with UNWTO.

The programme will deliver 12 daily two-hour activity sessions on key subjects ranging from ocean health, recycling and climate change to sustainable tourism and social media, all focused on the “sustainability challenge”. The activities have been designed to leave the youths free to learn, create and express themselves according to their interests and ideas for the future.

“We are proud to build on the tremendous success of the Global Youth Tourism Summit in Sorrento by extending our partnership with UNWTO to promote youth empowerment and sustainability education,” commented MSC Foundation Executive Director Daniela Picco. “The new MSC Foundation Lab on MSC Euribia will offer an innovative venue for children and teenagers to engage in sustainability-focused activities. Our new custom-designed programme ‘GYTS for MSC: A Sustainable Future for Our Next Generations' has been specially conceived to empower young people to learn, create, and express themselves while addressing key sustainability issues such as marine conservation, climate change and responsible tourism. By making our young guests the centre of these activities, we aim to raise awareness of the challenges facing humanity and equip our next generations with the tools they need to create a better world."

Matteo Mancini, MSC Cruises Senior Manager Kids Entertainment explained: "For MSC Cruises, keeping the younger generations entertained on a cruise means listening to them and taking real note of their interests and wishes. Last summer, during the Global Youth Tourism Summit, young people from all over the world also asked us for the space and time to discuss these topics on board our ships. We welcomed their request, believing it our duty to join with Gen Z youth to create a high-impact edutainment, creation and sharing programme with the power to generate concrete results. It’s an immense honour for us to join with UNWTO to achieve this, bringing the young people on our ships the latest information and powerful resources to build a sustainable future."

Alessandra Priante, Director of the Regional Department for Europe at UNWTO added: “After the immense success of our first Global Youth Tourism Summit, which brought together children from every corner of the world, we are very excited that GYTS will not only go across borders but also across the seas and oceans. We are grateful to the MSC Foundation for their continued support in highlighting the central role that youth can play in building a sustainable tourism of the future. We are proud to support MSC as they continue to educate and empower children and youth to become more conscious, committed and engaged.”

The MSC Group is committed to taking comprehensive action through the MSC Foundation to raise awareness of the big challenges facing humanity and to provide its young MSC Cruises guests with tools that inform and motivate through an understanding of its programmes and initiatives across four focus areas: the Environment (including marine conservation), Education, Community Support and Emergency Relief. This includes inviting young cruise guests to become Junior Ambassadors of the Foundation and running dedicated activities that equip them to voice the right of our younger generations to live in a better world.

For more information, contact info@mscfoundation.org

ABOUT THE MSC FOUNDATION:

The non-profit MSC Foundation implements the MSC Group’s marine conservation, humanitarian and sustainable development commitments worldwide, utilising MSC’s global reach and unique knowledge of the sea to protect and nurture our blue planet, its peoples and our shared cultural heritage.

Concentrating on four areas – the Environment, Community Support, Education and Emergency Relief – the Foundation promotes the protection and sustainable management of ecosystems, empowers vulnerable communities around the world to realize their full potential, supports equitable and inclusive quality education to foster enduring individual and collective development, and helps disaster-struck populations toward recovery.

The Foundation works to achieve this both independently and with dedicated partners: independently, by leveraging MSC Group engagement in designing and managing projects, connecting communities, raising awareness and mobilising the financial support of thousands of people, and together with trusted partners selected for their strong innovative vision or track record for effective action.

MSC Foundation, Chemin Rieu 12-14, 1208 Geneva, Switzerland

https://mscfoundation.org

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ABOUT THE WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION AND GLOBAL YOUTH TOURISM SUMMIT:

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

The Global Youth Tourism Summit (GYTS) is an innovative and inclusive platform created by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to harness the power of youth and enable them to actively participate in decision-making processes within the tourism sector. This dynamic initiative seeks to empower young individuals by providing them with opportunities to contribute their ideas and perspectives towards shaping the future of sustainable tourism.

The GYTS platform comprises a diverse range of international events, workshops, and educational initiatives that are designed to engage children and youth from around the world. Through these activities, participants have the chance to learn, share knowledge, and engage in meaningful discussions that foster their understanding of sustainable tourism principles.

Through GYTS, young participants gain a comprehensive understanding of the interconnectedness between tourism, socio-economic development, and environmental conservation. They explore themes such as community engagement, cultural preservation, climate action, and inclusive tourism, among others.

www.unwto.org

www.gyts.org

ABOUT MSC CRUISES:

MSC Cruises is the world’s third largest cruise brand as well as the leader in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Southern Africa with more market share in addition to deployed capacity than any other player. It is also the fastest growing global cruise brand with a strong presence in the Caribbean, North America and the Far East markets.

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Cruises one of the two brands that sit within the Cruise Division of MSC Group, the leading privately held Swiss-based shipping and logistics conglomerate with over 300 years of maritime heritage. MSC Cruises – the contemporary brand - has a modern fleet of 21 vessels combined with a sizeable future global investment portfolio of new vessels. The fleet is projected to grow to 23 cruise ships by 2025.

MSC Cruises offers its guests an enriching, immersive and safe cruise experience inspired by the Company’s European heritage, where they can enjoy international dining, world-class entertainment, award-winning family programmes and the very latest user-friendly technology on board. To learn more about MSC Cruises’ itineraries and experience on board its ships please see here.

MSC Cruises has long been committed to environmental stewardship with a long-term goal to achieve net zero emissions for its operations by 2050. The Company is also a significant investor in next-generation environmental marine technologies, with the objective to support their accelerated development and availability industry-wide. To learn more about the Company’s environmental commitment please see here. 

Finally, to learn more about the MSC Foundation, MSC Group’s own vehicle to lead, focus and advance its conservation, humanitarian and cultural commitments please see here.