Thursday, March 7, 2024
Tourism Cares, a worldwide non-profit dedicated to promoting sustainability in the tourism sector, is expanding its Meaningful Travel Program in 2024. This expansion involves growing its destination member community with a specific focus on local, community-driven initiatives aimed at ensuring the prosperity of all regions affected by tourism. This initiative aligns with Tourism Cares’ new 20-year vision, unveiled during its 20th-anniversary celebration in December 2023, laying the groundwork for the organization’s continued support in reshaping the travel industry.
As part of this expansion, Tourism Cares is pleased to announce VisitScotland as the newest member destination to join the Meaningful Travel Program. VisitScotland will become the first European destination to launch its Meaningful Travel Map, marking a significant milestone in Tourism Cares’ global impact strategy. Scotland joins 15 other destinations committed to the program, which engages the travel trade in sustainable tourism best practices, cultural preservation, and community involvement through various initiatives. These initiatives include in-person experiences, professional development training, resources, product development tools, and more.
“The global tourism industry is at a critical juncture where sustainable practices are not just desirable but imperative,” explained Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares. “Our Meaningful Travel Program provides travel companies with the proper tools to enact positive change in their operations to help transform our industry where people, places, and the planet not only survive – but thrive. We look forward to fostering more partnerships with destinations and other businesses in the travel trade that make a lasting difference in travel.”
Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland chief executive, said: “Our vision is for Scotland to be a globally recognized responsible destination. We want to inspire and influence visitors to make sustainable choices at all stages of their travel journey, and joining the Tourism Cares member community represents another example of our efforts to achieve this. We know that over half of international visitors to Scotland book through intermediaries, which is why it is important that we engage with the travel trade.”
Roughead continues, “As the first European destination to build a Meaningful Travel Map, we look forward to working with Tourism Cares, the travel trade, and Scottish tourism businesses to share the unique, sustainable, and authentic experiences we have to offer in Scotland with a wider audience.”
In the upcoming year, Tourism Cares will introduce an exciting addition to its Meaningful Travel Program: destination familiarization (FAM) tours. These tours, organized in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau, aim to offer a more immersive destination experience. By connecting the travel trade with impactful experiences, sustainable businesses, and community-led initiatives, these FAM trips will contribute to establishing a more genuine and responsible tourism supply chain.
“This initiative takes a well-known travel component — FAM tours — and converts it into a more meaningful experience that educates the travel trade about the value of the impact partners featured on each destination’s Meaningful Travel Map and how they can create value for the traveler, the local community, and the industry,” shared John Sutherland, senior director of community impact at Tourism Cares. “We look forward to working closely with Thailand and Hawai’i to kick off this inaugural program and share their communities’ stories while also creating more economic opportunities for purpose-driven companies by engaging them in the tourism supply chain.”
Alongside the FAMs, Tourism Cares is set to host two Meaningful Travel Summits in 2024. These Summits represent Tourism Cares’ enduring commitment to educating industry professionals on sustainable practices and community-focused tourism. Moreover, they serve as a platform for connecting participants with local changemakers to enhance the economic impact on host communities.
The Global Meaningful Travel Summit, scheduled for June 1 – 6 in Panama City and El Valle de Anton in Panama, is an exclusive, invitation-only event. Meanwhile, the North American Meaningful Travel Summit, open to all members of the travel trade, will be held in Oregon’s Willamette Valley region from September 30 to October 2. Both Summits will introduce Meaningful Travel Maps, designed to facilitate connections between impact-driven organizations and attendees, further strengthening community ties.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
