AITO Specialist Travel Agents launched its new sustainable tourism campaign, Lets Go Green, at the first-ever joint overseas conference with AITO ? 16-19 June 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania.
p> AITO Specialist Travel Agents launched its new sustainable tourism campaign, Lets Go Green, at the first-ever joint overseas conference with AITO ? 16-19 June 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Warning that the travel industry faces great risk without immediate education and action, Chairman of AITO Agents, Oliver Broad, revealed that the organisation?s new eco campaign will provide its membership base with practical advice on a monthly basis about how they can make a big difference.
This will include changing business practices, improving the impact offices have on the local environment and supporting a specific project abroad in a community desperately in need of help.
The 'Let's Go Green' campaign will also assist AITO Agents to communicate effectively to their clients a range of green tips, reminding holidaymakers how they can make a big difference to the destination they are visiting and to the local people there.
Reinforcing this point, Oliver Broad encouraged all AITO Agents to partake in The Travel Foundation's ?Make Holidays Greener? week, which begins on 2 July 2011 and encourages consumers to make three simple changes whilst they are on holiday ? to buy locally, to remove all packaging before leaving the UK and to turn off lights and air conditioning when not being used.
Broad said: ?Sustainable Tourism (ST) and the issues surrounding it can't be ignored. Without education and action now, our industry is at risk for the future. On a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands, which has various admirable measures in place to combat the impact of tourism, including clearing up rubbish and educating local children about the various species on neighbouring islands, it became even more obvious that we, as holiday retailers, should be aware of ST issues and how we can help.
?Travel agents communicate directly with holidaymakers, so we have a responsibility to take advantage of that position and raise clients' awareness of how they can be eco-friendly on holiday. As well as enhancing ST communication with customers, agents should also look at improving their business and office practices, along with supporting eco-projects. With this 'Let's Go Green' campaign, we will help AITO Agents to do just that - offering practical advice in a way that is easy to understand and simple to put into practice.?
?For more information visit www.aitoagents.com or call 020 8744 9271.
