The 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by theUnited Nations in 2015 call for collective action to address major crises facing humanity. These goals provide a common framework for governments, businesses and individuals. As key stakeholders in the global village, hotels and the tourism industry can help advance these goals. Parks and Trails and Regal Hotels have specially partnered to promote the awareness for and practice of sustainable tourism by encouraging tourists to go hiking, spreading the message of sustainable living.

TrailWatch is Hong Kong’s first mobile application combining nature conservation with hiking information, with over 200,000 users having downloaded the app. Besides providing practical hiking routes and information, the app features special functions including real-time hiking records and incident reporting, encouraging users to assist government departments in monitoring trail and country park conditions. Parks and Trails and Regal Hotels will also introduce hotel staff to the TrailWatch application and the Leave No Trace principle, working together to deepen tourists’ and hotel employees’ understanding of sustainable tourism.

As a key stakeholder in the hotel industry of Hong Kong, Regal Hotels International has always been committed to promoting sustainable development concepts to tourists and clients, including creating a carbon-neutral hotel and recently launching green meetings, in order to reduce carbon emissions together with tourists and business clients. Hong Kong’s natural beauty is widely acclaimed, and through this partnership, Regal Hotels hopes to let more tourists discover Hong Kong’s beauty and bring sustainable tourism concepts to individuals committed to environmental protection and planetary well-being, working together to create a better environment for the next generation and achieve sustainable development goals.

Agnes Cheng, CEO of Parks and Trails, calls for “active public participation in nature conservation and sustainable tourism, in an effort to promote nature ethics, hiking etiquette, Leave No Trace principles, and safe hiking, as well as responsible use of natural resources and contribution to nature conservation.”