Abta’s Travel Convention in Greece in October is due to host a special session of the Sustainable Travel Agora set up by the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) in 2023 to help develop a more sustainable industry.
The roundtable session on Integrating Nature Protection with Responsible Tourism, chaired by Abta head of sustainability Carol Rose, will be on the Tuesday of the Convention (October 8).
It will discuss best practice to ensure tourism does not harm local ecosystems and to promote sustainable tourism while protecting natural resources, how local communities can benefit from tourism without compromising the natural environment, policies for minimising tourism’s footprint and strategies for educating tourists.
Existing members of the Agora – representatives of tour operators, destinations, associations, communications professionals and media – will be invited to participate, with some additional places available on request.
Convention attendees can also join a volunteer community project in cleaning up a nearby beach. The project, Messinia Without Trash, will see up to 30 attendees join local volunteers at Divari White Beach to collect recyclable materials and remove rubbish.
The project is organised by local charity Save Your Hood in association with easyJet holidays.
EasyJet holidays is hosting 20 travel agents to attend the Travel Convention.
Natasha Marson, easyJet holidays head of distribution, said: “The hard work and continuous support of the trade has played a huge role in easyJet holidays’ rapid growth, so we’re delighted to be hosting 20 travel agent partners.
“We’re looking forward to being part of the business sessions while also running a dedicated hosting programme for our agents.”
The Travel Convention takes place on October 7-9 at the Costa Navarino resort in the southwest Peloponnese of Greece.
Registration remains open: the-travel-convention