Sustainability at the ITB Travel Trade Show in Berlin
The ITB Travel Trade Show in Berlin is committed to social and ecological responsibility in the travel sector.
The ITB is regarded as the leading forum for the travel industry – a sector that moves millions of people worldwide and turns over billions. And the numbers are rising. The leading trade fair in the tourism sector acknowledges that this growth industry must be about more than merely the bare figures. In the areas of sustainability and corporate social responsibility, the ITB cooperates with partners such as the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) , the Ecotourism Society and the Atmosfair climate protection organization. In 2014, the ITB signed the “Commitment to Human Rights in Tourism”, developed as a travel industry standard by the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism. Ever since, the trade fair has been pushing the issue of human rights, for example at the conference of the Pacific Asia Travel Association in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh in the autumn of 2014 and now by staging debates at the Berlin congress at the TV tower.
New prize in cooperation with National Geographic
In 2015, the ITB Berlin is launching a new initiative in cooperation with National Geographic Travel to reward outstanding achievements in the area of corporate social responsibility. For the first time, travel companies, organizations and holiday destinations which promote sustainable tourism will be able to win World Legacy Awards. Since 1995, the Institute for Tourism and Development has been presenting awards each year at the ITB to exemplary projects in the renowned “TO DO!” competition. This tourism think tank is one of the pioneers of responsible tourism in Germany.
ITB Travel Trade Show from 4 to 8 March 2015 in Berlin
www.nationalgeographic.com/worldlegacyawards
www.menschenrechte-im-tourismus.net/de/commitment.html
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