2012 - Americas

Aranwa Hotels Resorts & Spas, Peru – LA300  

Aranwa Hotels Resorts & Spas are continuing their support for WTM WRTD by highlighting the day on their website, through their newsletters promoting Responsible Tourism and during their US Journalists Press Trip with pictures being printed on their Social Media Tools.  The organization will also be continuing their ongoing work with the local community at Sacred Valley in Cusco, where they have a medical post to serve the local people. 2012 also sees the start of a new foundation in Peru, Tourism Cares – Peru which aims to improve the quality of services in the different regions of the country, especially those places that they will serve from tourism, so that they enhance the value and maintain with sustainability and responsibility these great resources.

AdvenTours, Puerto Rico 

AdvenTours will be highlighting and supporting WTM WRTD for another year by offering talks to local schools. 

Camino del Apu Ausangate– LA300
Supporting WTM WRTD for the first time this year, Camino del Apu Ausangate will be highlighting WTM WRTD with their on stand presentation, ‘Successful case in Rural and Community Tourism’.
 

Chile Way, Chile 

Supporting WTM WRTD for the first time this year, Chile Way will be highlighting the day on their website.

Columbia Eco Travel, Columbia

Supporting WTM WRTD for the first time this year, Columbia Eco Travel will be highlighting the day on their website together with an educational workshop about sustainable/responsible tourism that they will offer via the web to all tourism providers interested in Colombia.

Condor Travel, Peru – LA401 

Condor Travel is supporting WTM WRTD for the sixth year, not only will they be exhibiting at the World Travel Market and promoting their experiential tourism programs, but they will also be highlighting the day via their news section on their website.  The organization is committed to supporting development in the communities where they operate with the mission to identify and to develop business projects, whereby clients can experience something utterly unique and the quality of life of the community families is positively affected. 

Cooperbom Turismo, Brazil 

Cooperbom Turismo are supporting WTM WRTD for a second year and will be highlighting the day by organising an event to clean the beaches, promoting good practices for responsible tourism, educating children through recreational activities about the environment and promoting courses for environmental education to undergraduates at the local university.  The organization will also be launching their division for Social Tourism, CIVI (Center Interchange Volunteers International) which will promote social and environmental action in Ilhéus.

Crooked Trails, USA
Supporting WTM WRTD for the first time this year, Crooked Trails will be raising awareness of WTM WRTD with an article on their website highlighting the day and what it means.  The organisation will also be highlighting their latest project, Travelers Against Plastic (TAP) ), which aims to encourage and educate travelers to treat their own drinking water when traveling and not buy disposable plastic bottles.
 

Cuba Select Travel, Cuba – CA407 

Supporting WTM WRTD in 2012, Cuba Select Travel will be highlighting the day with their ‘People to People’ programme engendering positive social, cultural and economic development by engaging both tourists and hosting communities.

Ecoventura Galapagos Network, Galapagos Islands 

Ecoventura Galapagos Network are highlighting WTM WRTD for another year and in an effort to give back to the town of San Cristobal, Ecoventura has pledged to sponsor the salaries for teachers and physical therapists who work at the Alejandro Alvear school for children with physical disabilities and adults who are hearing impaired. The company also participates with the charitable organization “Pack for a Purpose” to benefit the school and New Era Foundation Galapagos.  In 2012, Ecoventura are pledging money to cover the cost of 12 scholarships for a one course/ module for Galapagos students age 16-17 through Ecology Project International. The goal is to develop critical-thinking skills and a conservation ethic along with knowledge of the problems that threaten the sustainability of the islands.

ECUADOR – AMAZON, Ecuador  LA191
Ecuador – Amazon represent ten ecolodges in the Amazon of Ecuador.  They will be highlighting WTM WRTD on Tuesday 6 November at WTM with a presentation of their destination to a select group of buyers and media.  The presentation will include some of the actions taken by their members regarding conservation and responsible tourism.
 

Green Expo, Mexico

Green Expo will be highlighting WTM WRTD 2012 in May of this year. The EXPO promotes green businesses, projects, proposals and solutions for sustainable development and integrating the community in Mexico.

Hertz Corporation, USA
Supporting WTM WRTD for the first time this year, Hertz Corporation will be highlighting the day across their global social networking sites, twitter & Facebook, and will be launching a twitter contest rewarding individuals who submit a sustainable tourism tip with a chance to win free green car rentals. Their goal is to raise awareness about sustainable tourism and the simple acts everyone can undertake to support responsible tourism.

IBCR (International Bureau for Children’s Rights), Canada 

IBCR will be launching an awareness campaign in Canada against sexual exploitation of children associated with travel and tourism, to highlight and support WTM WRTD. This campaign is an essential component of the IBCR's current project focused on preventing child sex tourism in Costa Rica. Throughout the duration of the project, the IBCR will work with local families, youth and members of the informal tourism sector in Costa Rica to raise awareness about the social and legal implications of the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. They will also launch an awareness campaign directed towards Canadians traveling to Costa Rica.

ICRT, Canada

Supporting WTM WRTD for another year, ICRT Canada is highlighting the day through the continued development and promotion of the concept of responsible tourism in Canada and through promoting and raising awareness of WTM WRTD via their social media.

Il Viaggio Travel, Costa Rica 

2012 sees Il Viaggio Travel supporting the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) with their rural tourism project, aimed at reducing poverty, helping the sustainability of local towns/areas, as well as including conservation projects, and the promotion of the Costa Rica’s culture and heritage. The project is hoped to ensure that rural tourism destinations have the standards, quality, regulations and permits to ensure the best and safe ‘Local Experience’. Il Viaggio Travel will be highlighting WTM WRTD this year on their web page and through facebook together with details and updates of the rural tourism project.

LATITUD SUR, Ecuador

Supporting WTM WRTD for another year, Latitud Sur will be highlighting WTM WRTD on their website and through their 2012 news.

Local Flavor LLC, USA
Supporting WTM WRTD for the first time this year, Local Flavor's members around Minnesota and Wisconsin will be holding responsible tourism discussions on November 7th in their local coffee shop together with WRTD articles on their website.
 

Mayaland Resorts, Mexico

Mayaland Resorts have been supporting WTM WRTD for the last five years.  Mayaland Resorts provides cultural experiences to their guests by inviting them to experience their Mayan heritage, practice sustainable travel, protect our fragile environment and promoting a culture of respect to their local communities and archaeological sites.  2012 sees the organization rescuing the remains of an ancient and historical hacienda, reforesting its grounds and providing new tourism alternatives to all of their visitors in the Uxmal area.

Metropolitan Touring, Ecuador – LA401

Supporting WTM WRTD for a fifth year, Metropolitan Touring will be highlighting the day with the official opening of Mashpi Lodge in Ecuador’s Cloud Forest.  The Mashpi Project is deeply committed to the environment and the local population. Its management seeks to promote the conservation of this crucially-important ecosystem by working hand-in-hand with its surrounding communities, providing jobs and futures soundly set on a sustainable course.

Místico Outdoors, Chile
Místico Outdoors is an adventure responsible tourism agency that operates at The Atacama Desert in northern Chile.  They will be highlighting the day on their website and linking the event to all of their social media sites.  Místico Outdoors is also designing a video with local images and examples to show; What is responsible tourism? How can I help?  The video will be available through their social media contacts and copies will be shown to their local schools and to schools of Huara commune, Tarapacá región, north of Chile during WTM WRTD.

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Montecristo River Lodge, Nicaragua 

Supporting WTM WRTD for another year, 2012 will see the Montecristo River Lodge installing a new bio digester to produce gas from their waste in their farm area, together with recycling rain water and planting trees.  To highlight the day in November, the lodge will be cooking a meal for all their personnel and guests using the methane gas produced by their bio digester, as well as using the recycled rain water for the laundry, dish washing and showers.   The lodge will also be planting trees from their nursery and highlighting WTM WRTD on their website.

Napo Wildlife Center, Ecuador 

Supporting WTM WRTD for another year, Napo Wildlife Center is an Ecolodge managed by the local Community of Añangu in the Ecuadorian Amazon dedicated to minimizing the impact of their endeavours on wildlife and sensitive natural habitats.  This year they will be highlighting the day via emails and on their website with the WRTD videos and WTM WRTD information.

Responsible Tourism Net, Argentina 

Responsible Tourism Net will be highlighting WTMWRTD with the fourth edition of RTWEEK.  All members of Responsible Tourism Net hold activities with the aim to promote the meaning and importance of responsible tourism in their communities.

The Lodge at Big Falls, Belize 

Highlighting WTM WRTD for a fifth year, the owners of The Lodge at Big Falls will be supporting the day by working on behalf of the Belize Tourism Industry Association and Toledo Cacao Growers Association to mount the Toledo Cacao Festival in May 2012.

Travel Matters, UK

Travel Matters are highlighting WTM WRTD for a second year. The company is committed to educating primary school children in 11 schools about responsible travel and giving back to their local school Parent Teachers Association. Travel Matters are also planting trees with Trees for Cities when clients book holidays. 

TTHTI (Trinidad & Tobago Hospitality & Tourism Institute), Trinidad & Tobago 

Supporting WTM WRTD for the first time this year, TTHTI will be holding a WTM WRTD Awareness Campaign at the Institute so that staff and students can learn more and discover ways in which they can contribute to responsible tourism.

 

Urban Adventures, Canada 

Supporting WTM WRTD for another year, Urban Adventures will be highlighting WTM WRTD 2012 with a photographic competition on Facebook and a board competition on Pinterest, asking people to express their experiences and perceptions on responsible tourism.