2010 Testimonals

"As a result of being an Exhibiting WTM WRTD approved logo user, we have had more traffic to our Website from users from all over the world; ergo, our organisation has new interesting contacts which have expanded our network, for example, in Greece."

Adrià Flor, Associate, aQa Consulting 3.0

''Since we have displayed the WTM WRD logo, we have been approached by actors in the tourism industry and environmental NGOs for a global partnership to promote poverty alleviation through employment and income generation towards local communities in Africa''.

Serge Makoundou, Vice-President & UK Co-ordinator, ZM Finance Project

"Exhibiting as a WTM WRTD approved logo user gave important benefits to us.
Concerning medium-long term benefits, the logo helped us to reinforce the perception that possible clients can have about us: a tour operator involved in promoting Responsible Tourism.

In the short term, thanks to the WTM WRTD event we organized here in our town on Nov 10 2010, we had the chance to meet a new partner from the United States to collaborate with in the organization of responsible holidays here in Umbria for 2011."

Alessandra Mallozzi, Agency Director, Discovering Umbria

"It's interesting to join the WTM WRTD, this is a great chance to promote responsible travel to more people as responsible travel is still very new for many. We also find it useful as there are lots of hits from WTM WRTD linking to our website"

Son Dang - Product Manager, Footprint Vietnam

“World Responsible Tourism Day has been instrumental in raising awareness of sustainable tourism across the industry and it’s an important event for the Travel Foundation. Our aim is to engage tourism companies in action to help protect the environment and support local communities, and being involved in WTM WRTD and an approved logo user is an excellent way to raise awareness of our work.”

Sue Hurdle, Chief Executive Travel Foundation

"The Experience was awesome as the logo attracted more visitors and enquirers to my stand and had a photograph taken too. Some potential buyers talked to me because I exhibited the Responsible Tourism Logo."

Bridget- Jane Markwei, Chief Executive, Mibes Hospitality Travel and Tours Ltd

"The logo served as a focus to develop contacts with the same aims and will continue our efforts to back the WRTD message."

Stephen Sambrook, Director - Genua Madrigal Ltd

"Responsible Hotels is delighted to support WRTD for the first time this year. We have found a very precise and hard work being taken on promoting responsible tourism across the industry. The networking was very participative and effective and I am sure that we will continue working together in developing a framework for hotels to move forward in the coming years."

José Luque, CEO, Founder and Advisor. Responsible Hotels

"My first participation on WTM - honoured by the acceptance of using the WTM WRTD Responsible Tourism Logo for our company, Ace the Himalaya. Doing Responsible Tourism is very important for us and we invest a lot to do our best! Having the logo at our stand, people were attracted by it and I felt proud on answering their questions and seeing their interest in it.

The World Responsible Tourism Day was the highlight of the fair! A day full of happenings, information, speeches about this topic - highly interesting. Meeting mind-liked people from all over the world. Having fantastic conversations regarding Responsible Tourism. Creating new ideas and talking about possibilities. For me - it was an absolute highlight and a lot to learn and see thank you very much for offering this precious opportunities! I'm already looking forward to next years WTM with WRTD."

Melanie Kreuzer, Sales Representative Europe, Ace the Himalaya

"We at African Environments take responsible travel very seriously - not just because it’s trendy but because we feel it is important. For the past two years we have been proud to be awarded the use of the WRTD logo at the World Travel Market. During both shows we had a number of questions and enquiries based on displaying the logo and all that it stands for. It also proved a useful jumping off point to talk further about our ethics and commitment to other visitors to our stand. During the coming year we will continue our efforts here in Tanzania and will certainly be applying to use the logo again in 2011."

Mr Richard Beatty, Director - African Environments Ltd

"As a company committed to the principles of responsible tourism we have been proud to exhibit the WTM WRTD logo and play our part in promoting World Responsible Tourism Day. The collaboration has given us kudos and enabled us to describe and promote those principles to our clientele and also to our staff. In particular we have used the association with WRTD to focus our staff on their rights and their share in the spoils of tourism."

Gavin Bate - Adventure Alternative

“Green Ideas Expo is an event for the preservation of our cultural and natural heritage in the Quintana Roo state, Yucatán Peninsula. We believe that the WTM World Responsible Tourism logo is making our event be much more integrated with the actions that businesses and organizations are performing every day from their countries. If we put together our heart and focus businesses to this initiative, we are sure we will make a real change for our world and its inhabitants”

Gilda Sigie, Director, Green Ideas Expo

“Being granted the permission to use such a prestigious logo on one of our charity’s most important day’s of the year was fantastic. It allowed us to align ourselves with international representatives, putting our charity’s campaigns on the global map and engage more people through new channels. We hope we influenced new groups of people to consider the benefits of responsible tourism by promoting the values of the day and topic.”

Amy McLoughlin, Sustainable Tourism Adviser, Nurture Lakeland

"As the owner of a business trying to engage clients with responsible travel ideas and tips for responsible holidays, the membership of this forum and being able to use the logo is highly significant. It gives weight to our Make Travel Matter campaign and shows clients that we are genuine and that we care about how their holidays can have an effect on the people and places they visit."

Mrs Karen Simmonds, Director, Travel Matters

“I can say that the most important benefit of using WTRD logo in our website is to create awareness among both travellers and tourism professionals. We contribute to the social, environmental and cultural development of the regions we operate, and World Responsible Tourism Day is just one of the days we shout this to everyone. That’s the only way we can invite others do the same...”

Asli Haliç, Operations Manager, HTC Events

"2010 was a challenging year for the management of ecosystems and cultural heritage services. Engaging as many people as possible into WRTD - consciousness meant for me, investigating the experience of tourism value chains in Buenos Aires."

Dr. Marcelo Weissel – Fundacion Felix Azara

"Although we do a lot of work on the side with some schools and orphaned children’s centres, it is not regularly highlighted and publicized so having the responsible tourism logo is certainly an additional awareness stamp to our efforts."

Alan Dixson, Managing Director – Lets go Safari

"Displaying the WRTD logo on your website achieves three key benefits. It shows that your business is committed to a more sustainable tourism. It raises awareness that tourism needs to be responsible if we are to make a better world. And by displaying the logo and taking part in the Responsible Tourism campaign you are by implication indicating that your guests will enjoy a Real experience."

Chris Warren, Crystal Creek Meadows

“Having the logo behind us helped to cement and communicate to others the fact that responsible tourism is a key factor in our approach”.

Devon Concar, The Mozambique Collection

"Thank you for letting us be part of it. Including your logo in our web page makes us be part of responsible tourism, giving the benefit that our visitors find us in the right track."

Mariela Cárdenas, Napo Wildlife Centre, Ecuador Amazonia

"The World Federation of Tourist Guides Associations, an NGO in Operational Relations with UNESCO was delighted to be able to use the WTM WRTD logo which highlights our commitment to Responsible Tourism.Tourist Guides are the frontline people who directly influence visitor behaviour and therefore it is extremely important that we are able to support Responsible Tourism in this way."

Rosalind Newlands, President, WFTGA

"Telling the world that you support WRTD shows that you are not just another travel business. It says that you worry about more than your bottom line."

Iraklis Grous, Travel2help.org

“WTM 2010 including WRTD at Excel was four days of experiential travel, learning, referencing and networking whilst gaining insight into various aspects of the business of responsible tourism…”

Marian Thompson, Founder of M & J Travel and Tours Ltd 

“The opportunity of being able to display the Responsible Tourism Day logo on our stand at WTM 2010, helped us in promoting Pierre et Valances’ simple and efficient environmental management, environmentally friendly maintenance of outdoor areas, a sustainable catering charter, fun and educational awareness actions aimed at our clients, specifically children”.

Alice de Pierpont, UK, Ireland Sales & Marketing, Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs

“Using the WTM WRTD Logo is a way to express our commitment with the sustainable development. Our visitors were very interested in the way we work with our staff and how we include local communities and environment matters into our business. We expect to grow, having responsible tourism as natural way to travel around the world”.

Sammy Niego, Manager Director, Condor Travel Perú

“Being able to exhibit the logo on publicity material promoting an event in the Brecon Beacons ensured that local businesses could see that our agenda is tied into a much larger and significant global movement towards responsible tourism. I think this helps people feel that they are not making their efforts alone”.

Nick Stewart, Sustainable Tourism Office, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority

“We here at Agri Tourism India, is proud user of WTM WRTD Logo in all our communication since 2007, the WTM WRTD logo is mark of consistency in being responsible towards UNWTO'S Millennium Development Goals ,and further with the help of leader like the WTM team. We here in India are able to involve all tourism stake holders to take responsibility towards overall tourism benefits to local people, local environment, local destination, so that tourism itself will be more sustainable and responsible in coming years together”.

Mr Pandurang Taware, Director of Sales & Marketing, Agri Tourism India

“As Mahatma Ghandi once said: "Be the change you want to see". Exhibiting at WTM and promoting the WRTD logo really reinforces the key message of how important it is to be part of this global event. As the profile of World Responsible Tourism Day grows each year, Serendipity Africa is proud to be associated with other members of the industry committed to making a difference. Little can be achieved in isolation, but much can be done if we work together and encourage others to get involved”.

Ms Helen Turnbull, Director, Serendipity Africa

“We found being an Exhibiting WTM WRTD approved logo user was extremely beneficial as a way of engaging our suppliers and clients in our “plant a tree scheme” (which involved them sending in a photo of responsible living – for every 10 replies received, we will plant a tree). It felt more significant having a global “stamp of approval and support” from WTM and was perceived to have global impact and recognition. As a result, we were able to show our support in both making clients and suppliers aware of what we were trying to achieve and by them giving feedback in what we achieved it allowed them to be part of our goals. It was also an excellent way for us to tie in our newly launched “Going Green with Hello” Scheme with both our clients as suppliers”.

Miss Claire Scott, Project Manager, Hello Scotland Ltd

“Elite travel was delighted to use “WTM WRTD approved logo”. A clear message from all of our partners was certainly that; tourism is not possible without human beings and nature. WTM WRTD mission it`s glorious, means that we have to respect the HR capacities and our nature. This is precious for our and coming generations future”.

Elvis Kotherja, General Manager - Elite Travel D.M.C Albania

“The WTM WRTD logo supports, in a very positive way, the experience of staying at the Mayaland Resorts. Inviting our guests to get involved in our Mayan culture, to practice sustainable travel, protect our fragile environment and promoting a culture of respect to our local communities and the UNESCO world heritage and archaeological sites of Uxmal and Chichen Itza”.

Enrique Valdes Garcia, Sustainable Tourism Director, Mayaland Resorts

“We strongly believe that tourism must be sustainable and competitive. We specialize in rural tourism, ecotourism, nature and community based tourism. We have decided to include the WTM WRTD logo in a special sustainable tourism network, worldwide. Somehow, we do hope, we’ll be able to build up this network”.

Arturo Crosby, President, FORUM INTERNACIONAL NATURA

"Being a part of the World Travel Market's world responsible tourism day, offers us a voice to appeal to a new generation of customer, one who cares about the environment and the ways we can protect it".

Tracey Poggio, Gibraltar Tourist Board

"Using the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day logo has created increased awareness of the project in South Africa and most definitely contributed to us receiving a record number of entries in the 2010 Imvelo Responsible Tourism awards".

Martin van Niekerk, FEDHASA

"SAGA Volunteer Travel used the WTM WRTD approved logo during 2010 and Saga being one of the most respected brands in the travel industry it only added to our customer confidence in what we aim to achieve with our volunteering projects. It was also our privilege to be associated with the logo and WTM WRTD".

Chris Evans, Operations Manager - Saga Volunteer Travel

"As a Responsible Tourism Award winner 2009 Selena Travel Mongolia was allowed to use WTM WRTD logo for a year to raise public awareness on responsible travel. It was an honor for us".

Zola O, Selena Travel

"Wilderness Safaris is dedicated to responsible tourism and is proud to display the World Responsible Tourism Day logo on our website as recognition of our conservation initiatives. We were delighted by the opportunity to showcase one of our projects, Children in the Wilderness, as a case study on the WRTD website."

Lucy Lopez, Wilderness Safaris

“This year PURAVERA has been at the Adventure Travel World Summit and being a company which is concerned with the sustainability has helped us to work with specialized tour operators”.

Rodrigo Ortiz Hintz, PURAVERA S.L.

“Having WTM WRTD logo as part of our website simply makes our visitors to feel more comfortable to get involved to actions of a responsible company. Especially today's environmental conditions run people into kinda careful researches at making their choices. Which is an appreciable happening for us as the main actors of the sector. We are absolutely recognised with a good attitude by displaying the logo of WTM WRTD”.

Murtaza Kalender, Travel Shop Turkey