Tourism Cares, Center for Responsible Travel and B Tourism Solidify Partnership to Advance Sustainability in Tourism

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 8:55 PM ET, Tue September 3, 2024

The leading nonprofits dedicated to sustainable travel are joining forces to transform the tourism industry.

Tourism Cares, the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) and B Tourism announced a new collaboration today that’s meant to “advance the organizations’ shared mission of promoting regenerative practices” within the travel industry.

The organizations also hope to empower travel companies to adopt and implement sustainable practices that will “promote the resiliency of destinations across the world.”

The announcement comes at a time when overtourism is back to, if not exceeding, pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, climate change continues to get increasingly more serious. Layered on top of these challenges, both social and environmental injustices continue to plague the travel industry.

Together, the three nonprofits hope to help mitigate such problems and chart a path that allows travel industry companies to become part of the solution.

“Collective action is critical to advancing an equitable and sustainable tourism market,” Wes Espinosa, CREST’s executive director, said in a statement.

“By uniting with Tourism Cares and B Tourism, we are only strengthening our networks and the impact we can have across tourism,” Espinosa continued. “There is power in numbers, especially when those represented have shared goals and missions. I’m confident that this partnership can help facilitate meaningful change in tourism, and I am looking forward to the journey.”

The new partnership represents a significant step forward in the journey toward a more responsible travel industry, the trio of nonprofits said.

While the three groups have worked together in the past, this new formal agreement represents a renewed, intentional commitment to the work that needs to be done in order to help tourism businesses use travel as a force for good.

The partnership plans to launch a series of initiatives that are meant to help travel companies and all of their stakeholders “to grow in their purpose while also finding success with conscious travelers around the world.”

One of the core efforts will be a Sustainability Workshop Series aimed at executive-level leaders and tour operators,who will be guided through structured learning sessions to expand knowledge and empower leaders to develop comprehensive sustainability plans for their unique needs and goals.

Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Care said in a statement today that nurturing the sustainable travel movement is a necessity for the future of our planet.

“Any travel professional has a responsibility to ensure that operations leave a positive impact on the environment and the cultures encountered,” said Takehara. “By prioritizing mindful and regenerative tourism through partnerships such as ours with CREST and B Tourism, we can create an experience that enriches both the traveler and the destination, fostering a world where tourism acts as a force for good.”