A leading non-profit pushing sustainability in travel forward is expanding. It is undergoing a groundbreaking expansion of its Meaningful Travel Program. This initiative is right in step with the organization’s recently announced 20-year vision, which believes a future where travel creates positive social and environmental impact is the priority.
Expanding the Reach – Scotland Embraces Sustainable Practices
The program marks a significant milestone by welcoming its first European destination, VisitScotland. Travel professionals will gain valuable insights into culturally sensitive experiences and sustainable tourism options across Scotland from a dedicated Meaningful Travel Map on the Tourism Cares website.
“Our vision is for Scotland to be a globally recognized responsible destination,” says Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland’s chief executive. He speaks of travel intermediaries’ importance: “Over half of international visitors to Scotland book through them, so engaging the travel trade is vital.” This collaborative approach sets VisitScotland up as a leader in European sustainable tourism practices.
Meaningful Travel Takes Flight – FAM Tours for Experiential Learning
The Meaningful Travel Program will be trying something different introducing all-encompassing Familiarization (FAM) tours to give you a real enough experience. These tours are co-hosted with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. They also will provide travel professionals with firsthand exposure to responsible tourism initiatives and community-led experiences.
For instance, if you were on an FAM tour in Thailand, you might end up taking a kayak through mangrove forests with local conservationists. There you could learn about their efforts to protect endangered marine creatures. Or you might take a visit to a sustainable elephant sanctuary, where ethical principles carry out animal care. There are also many more experiences that may be part of the vacation itinerary. This gives you a sense of what’s possible.
The activities go beyond sightseeing. They also help increase understanding the value of responsible tourism and its advantages for nearby communities.
Participation in these workshops will provide its registrants with various ideas how to adopt sustainable practices into their offerings. Thanks to this knowledge exchange, they can provide their client with options for responsible tourism.
Meaningful Travel Summits – Collaboration Breeds Innovation
In an effort to expand its reach, Tourism Cares has also planned two Meaningful Travel Summits for 2024. The Global Meaningful Travel Summit will allow industry leaders to discuss and strategize sustainable travel solutions addressing environmental fallout from tours and tourism. It will be held in Panama City and El Valle de Anton, Panama.
The North American Meaningful Travel Summit is open to all and will be held from September 30th through October 2nd in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The summits will be a prime opportunity to introduce and implement sustainable practices in the tourism industry. Industry leaders plan to develop new ideas that will minimize tourism’s ‘carbon footprint.’
Those who attend the North American summit will ba able to join in the courses presented by sustainability experts and network with other travel professionals. The agenda could include things like talks on carbon-neutral travel packages, supporting responsible waste management practices in the hotel industry, and implementing educational tourism programs that benefit local communities.
A Call to Action – Transforming Tourism for a Sustainable Future
“The travel industry faces a critical turning point,” stated Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares. He emphasized the urgency of adopting sustainable practices and highlighted the Meaningful Travel Program as a resource for travel companies seeking to enact positive change.
Consider attending the North American summit to network with industry peers and participate in workshops led by sustainability specialists. Visit the Tourism Cares website (https://meaningfultravelplatform.org/main/ for more information about the Meaningful Travel Program and its initiatives.
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