http://www.conservation.org/xp/news/press_releases/2007/061807.xml
New Partnership to Improve Environmental and Social Practices of International Adventure Tourism Operators Arlington, Virginia Conservation International (CI) and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) the world's only global adventure travel trade association have partnered to develop and distribute best practices for adventure tour providers operating in sensitive environmental destinations. This partnership is an example of CI's continued role working hand in hand with the travel industry to develop and promote a green supply chain approach, in part by encouraging the adoption of environmental good practices by the travel industry. "Many adventure travel destinations are the same extraordinary natural areas where CI works to conserve biodiversity," says CI vice-president Dr. Fred Boltz. "Our partnership with operators like ATTA provides an effective means of promoting the conservation of these sites and their biodiversity and economic values. We applaud this partnership with ATTA and the opportunity it provides to make sure that adventure destinations are still worth traveling to in the future." Adventure travel is increasingly popular worldwide, and approximately one-half U.S. adults (or 98 million people) have taken an adventure trip in the past five years. ATTA is the world's largest trade association involved in research, education, and representation on behalf of its global membership. "Our industry has been actively involved in environmental, economic and cultural protection and sustainability for years," said ATTA Director Chris Doyle. "CI's critical lead work on these important matters, combined with ATTA's marketing expertise and its access to thousands of tour operators worldwide, we believe, will contribute to increased awareness and an accelerated adoption of best practices among tour operators to preserve and protect the very areas and peoples upon which our business community depends." This partnership will give ATTA's hundreds of member travel companies operating around the world with access to CI's series of Practical Guides to Good Practice - including Mountain Tours, Tropical Forests, Hotel and Accommodations, Marine Recreation, and Marine-Galapagos. CI and ATTA are also jointly developing a series of web-based seminars and training guides for travel companies operating in each of these ecosystems around the world. *About the Organizations* Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) <http://www.adventuretravel.biz> Established in 1990, the Seattle-based ATTA (www.adventuretravel.biz) is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market worldwide. ATTA Members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, travel agents/agencies, guides, lodges/resorts/attractions, media, and service providers. Host of the annual Adventure Travel World Summit (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com), the ATTA provides professional support, development, education, research, marketing, career building, networking and cost-saving resources to its members. Conservation International <http://www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/> Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas and key marine ecosystems. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., CI works in more than 40 countries on four continents. For more information about CI, visit www.conservation.org<http://www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/>. Contact *Rebecca Rogers* Conservation International [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1-703-341-2764 *Chris Doyle* Director, Adventure Travel Trade Association [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1-916-847-0261 Neel Inamdar Senior Advisor, Ecotourism Conservation International 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22202 USA Tel: 703-341-2648 Cell: 202-297-6161 Skype: Inamdar1 ++Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail++ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] <*> To buy Marcus L. Endicott's new book: Vagabond Globetrotting 3: The Electronic Traveler in the New Millennium, go to: http://www.lulu.com/mendicott <*> To post a message to this group, send an email to: green-travel@yahoogroups.com {* Remember, it is important to include a descriptive subject line.} {* Please do not quote entire Digests or long messages in replies!} Yahoo! 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