In promoting tourism close to the North Pole, Visit Svalbard is not trying to attract more visitors. What they’re all about these days is attracting the RIGHT sort of visitors.

By the right sort of people, what they’re talking about is – pausing. A bit like the moment you first take in that famous Arctic Silence for the first time.

Pause…

Think…

Before you plan your visit, consider the great untouched wilderness and its growing part in our global story – as it shrinks.

To intrude further; to roam deeper might be – no… is certainly now unwise.

This is a changed and changing environment far beyond the obvious fading of the ice. With climate change, mountainsides have turned green, creatures – from the microscopic to birdlife – are visiting anew, or staying for longer. And each of these small changes, each disturbance of this ancient ecosystem will have consequences.

So, how to do it right? How can we be visitors that can experience all of this wonderful wilderness while limiting, or removing, impact?

In this film we hear from guides, visitors, a scientist and from Visit Svalbard itself – all sharing their experiences of how staying close to the town of Longyearbyen and joining organized activities can make a truly significant difference – while maintaining all of the richness, wonder and challenge you could wish for. And all of that hosted by a surprisingly international, undeniably colorful, warm and welcoming community.

Funded by Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund.

Visit Laguna Beach, the destination marketing organization for Southern California’s premier coastal destination, introduced a newly-formed partnership with Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. This collaboration instituted a comprehensive stewardship initiative that protects Laguna Beach’s natural resources by educating and empowering visitors, residents, and a network of local partners.

Leaning on a long heritage of protecting Laguna Beach’s natural terrain, the new program provides a proactive method for minimizing impacts that would otherwise lead to environmental degradation. We talk to Amber Torrealba, world champion skimboarder about her viewpoint on how we should protect the ocean, Scarlett Hensman, education specialist from the Laguna Ocean Foundation about the impact of people coming to Laguna Beach, and Toni Iseman, Laguna Beach local and Activist, about her part in saving the canyon.

This film offers an insight into the work Visit Laguna Beach is doing in partnership with the local community.

The Öresund straight between Skåne, south Sweden, and Denmark, is very vivid water. And right in the middle, is the beautiful island of Ven.

Through this film learn of the way Niels Mouritzen, owner of the House of Hven, a hotel and restaurant on the island, is utilizing the sea in his business. Neils talks about “Best Taste Closer” and blue tourism in Skåne, and we hear from Kathrin Baake, Head Chef at House of Hven, about how she is using the sea in her cooking.

We pay a visit to the Kullaberg peninsula and speak to David Arborelius, manager of Kullabergsguiderna, and Johanna Stedt, Marine biologist at Lund University. Kullabergsguiderna runs whale-watching tours in the area. They created the project “Think About Tumlarna” in collaboration with the County Administrative Board of Skåne. The project strives to encourage environmental measures to protect small, charming whales called “Porpoises.” Johanna lets us in on her captivating research on porpoises, her collaboration with David, and how they are working to preserve these aquatic mammals together.

The Isle of Man is the only entire nation that has been designated a UNESCO Biosphere. Who are the people that have made this possible? We speak to Bill Dale, Founder of Beach Buddies, who organizes a program of litter collecting on the beaches around the island. We talk to Pippa Lovell, Chef and Co-Founder of Versa, who forages from the coastline, using the produce in her cooking. And to Leigh Morris, CEO of Manx Wildlife Trust and Visit Isle of Man Board Member, who talks about how the Trust connects, respects, and enhances the island’s seascape, coastline, countryside, nature, heritage, culture, and communities. The Isle of Man is home to 18 national glens, 32 beaches, 26 dark sky discovery sites, 26 nature reserves, and 95 miles of coastline, with ancient monuments, landmarks, and historic castles dotted throughout the island’s extraordinary landscape.

This film looks at how Visit Isle of Man helps to engender these projects, trusts, and local businesses to make the island have a global impact. It also explores how local people are preserving and using the land and sea for the future of the island.

How do you make restaurant food from waste? How do you farm food in the middle of a city? Do you really have to work weekends in the restaurant business? What does it mean to unite under a one woman, one vote enterprise that helps immigrant women in Skåne find work? With the help of Tourism in Skåne, we visited businesses and social enterprises to answer these questions and discover the people who work and run sustainable food businesses and economic sustainable projects.

Four stories of people who have succeeded despite the odds. The challenges, highs and lows, the warmth and friendship, in a business that is traditionally cut-throat and non-progressive. How do we stop wasting food and how can we help each other to be economically independent, to have a work life balance that really means something? People want change, but how can we connect you and me and make the world of food sustainable for future generations?