Luxury Leaders Look to Make Sustainable Tourism More Accessible for Travelers
Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The challenge before the travel and tourism industry is real.  In 2015, there were 1.2 billion international tourism arrivals, and billions more domestic tourists. This is predicted to nearly double by 2030, prompting the UN World Tourism Organization Secretary General, Taleb Rifai, to declare: “Will tourism bring us one billion opportunities to make the world a better place, or one billion disasters"”
Virtuoso® has always believed that tourism represents opportunities and it is that objective that recently inspired the renowned travel agency network, specializing in upscale and experiential travel, to hold its inaugural Sustainability Summit. For nearly a decade, Virtuoso has worked to advance travel as a force for good within its own network and globally. It was one of the earliest luxury travel organizations to offer professional development training on sustainable tourism for travel advisors and it launched the Virtuoso Sustainable Tourism Leadership Awards seven years ago to further shine a spotlight on best practices among travel companies and hotels. Virtuoso’s media platforms have long included stories and articles about travel with meaning to better educate travelers and travel advisors on how sustainable tourism can be part of their holiday planning ? a win-win combining a great vacation with care for local people and the plan...