Travel Corporation Encourages Unity on World Tourism Day

This World Tourism Day, companies are looking to create a more sustainable future for tourism and the planet as a whole. 

The Travel Corporation (TTC) is highlighting the need for the travel community to come together in unity to support, foster and create opportunities for sustainability in tourism. 

“The international travel sector has the opportunity to play a lead role in shaping the future of sustainability,” said Brett Tollman, chief executive of TTC. 

“As one of the world’s largest sectors, supporting over 284 million jobs and generating 9.8 percent of global GDP, we can help to increase public appreciation of the environment and help to spread the word on the value of connecting with the unique cultures and communities of the world in a sustainable, respectful way, and keeping our respective footprints as small as possible,” Tollman added. 

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He believes that the travel industry has a unique chance to fulfill this responsibility. 

“There may very well be no industry with more opportunity to affect the positive transformation of the planet than the travel and tourism industry,” he continued. “Travel can help people see the fragile beauty of our planet, travel can help influence the decision makers. If the travel industry can move the world the way we move people around the world, then our influence can be incredible. But we have to act now, and we have to act together.”

Tollman further stressed the idea of unity.

“The industry needs to come together as a whole to do more, to make the economic case for sustainable tourism, and follow the example set by the Paris Agreement, which aligns myriad competing entities under a shared goal of sustainability,” he said. 

READ MORE: WTO Announces New Sustainable Tourism Campaign

The Tread Right Foundation is one of the ways that TTC already gives back and promotes sustainable travel. 

The joint initiative of the TTC family of brands is a nonprofit organization that currently supports more than 40 sustainable tourism projects around the world and is a sponsor of the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017. 

TTC brands also participate in recycling programs, volunteer trips and other endeavors around the world. 

“If we are to affect necessary change, we must do so collectively. Not simply to ensure that this beautiful planet can continue to provide us with the unforgettable experiences, but to stand as part of an industry community that recognizes that this is bigger than any single organization.”

Many tourism industry officials and partners gathered in Doha, Qatar, this World Tourism Day to discuss more ways in which the travel industry can develop better sustainable practices.