Responsible Tourism features at opening of WTM

Today saw the opening of the 30th World Travel Market in London. Attendance is significantly up on last year and on the opening day the market felt much busier. Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of World Travel Market, said that Responsible Tourism is a hot topic ?which targets the core of our industry?. In 1994 WTM began with Environment Day ? World Responsible Tourism Day was launched in 2007 born, in Fiona’s words, ?from a simple belief that we have a responsibility to protect the very product we seek to promote.? World Responsible Tourism Day bring together destinations and operators ?in what we hope is an inspiring way, educating and spurring the industry on to positive action.?

Responsible Tourism now features on all four days of WTM. As Fiona said at the opening today, ?There’s a growing realisation that sustainability is absolutely integral to the industry’s future success?. the industry will not have a future at all unless it takes responsible tourism as seriously as customer service, value for money and comfy beds.?

You can see the WTM Responsible Tourism programme at http://www.wtmwrtd.com/page.cfm/link=9

Reed Exhibitions Ltd has joined BS8901, a new British Standard for Sustainable Event Management. As a result the organisation of the event will be independently audited by the British Standards Institute this year.