A total of 150 travel operators and organisations have so far applied to participate in World Travel Market’s (WTM) World Responsible Tourism Day on Wednesday November 11.
Currently, applications are being processed to ensure they meet WTM World Responsible Tourism Day’s strict criteria. Once approved, successful applicants can use the official WTM World Responsible Tourism Day logo for 2009 on its sales, marketing and PR materials, as well as enjoy other business, publicity and profiling opportunities.
For example, all those participating will be invited to the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day networking reception on the day at ExCeL London, which last year was attended by 300 people, as well as included in the listings in the WTM catalogue and route planner.
In the UK successful applicants include Derwent House in the Peak District; Ullswater Steamers; Safari Consultants Ltd; the educational and school trips company Travelbound; adventure operators, Imaginative Traveller; and Flying Forest, the CO2 emission offset charity.
Overseas participants include: Black Mountain, Montenegro; Viator Travel, Dubrovnik; Africa: Wildlife Tours; Great Plains Conservation; Americas: Mayaland Resorts, Mexico; Authentic Caribbean Holidays; volunteering overseas company Travel2help.org; International Centre for Responsible Tourism Canada; Asia: Agri Tourism India; Ashex Tourism and El Nido Resorts.
WTM chairman Fiona Jeffery said: “This is a phenomenal result and demonstrates the power of responsible tourism, even in a difficult global economic climate.
“WTM World Responsible Tourism Day, is now in its third year, but we are already seeing tremendous early interest from the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
“We are keen to encourage companies from around the world to stage events, press conferences, fairs, presentations, workshops, giant picnics and even a charity run to mark the actual day.
“It is one of the industry’s most ambitious developments; bringing together people from across the world into one cohesive, united movement, communicating an important signal to consumers that we mean to act, not just talk.”
WTM World Responsible Tourism Day will once again host the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards, in partnership with online travel directory responsibletravel.com. In its recent survey of more than 900 tour operators, 53% of respondents have seen business increase since the recession started.
“People are searching for original local experiences with almost all respondents believing that more authentic travel will be increasingly popular following a global recession.
“Consumers have shown the way forward and it is now the turn of the travel industry to provide a clear response,” added Jeffery, who has pioneered sustainable tourism and environmental issues for the past 15 years.
“WTM World Responsible Tourism Day, in association with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and supported by all the leading international industry associations, is part of that sea change.”
A programme of presentations, debates and seminars, featuring international responsible tourism experts is planned on WTM’s World Responsible Tourism Day. Following the successful conference on The Business Case for Responsible Tourism last year, a further one-day conference on the same subject will be held on, Thursday November 12.
For more information or to apply for a WTM World Responsible Tourism logo, log on to wtmwrtd.com or contact Araminta Sugden on +44 (0)1892 535943.
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