Seattle, WA – This January the Adventure Travel Trade Association (www.adventuretravel.biz, ATTA) became a Top Member of The Code, an international initiative to provide awareness, tools and support to the tourism industry in order to combat the sexual exploitation of children in contexts related to travel and tourism. The ATTA was the first U.S. based association to sign The Code in October 2012 at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Switzerland.
“You may ask, ‘Why does it matter to be a Top Member of The Code?’,” said ATTA President Mr. Shannon Stowell. “It matters because we must all work together to eliminate sexual exploitation and trafficking of children at the hands of the tourism industry. It should be global zero tolerance and as an association, we're proud to take this stand.”To earn top member status, The Code requires completion of its six criteria:
Establish an ethical policy against sexual exploitation of children;
Train personnel and staff members;
Introduce a clause related to The Code in contracts with suppliers;
Provide information to travellers in the form of brochures, web pages or other materials;
Provide information to “key persons” at the destination;
Report annually on the implementation of actions associated with these six criteria.
Requiring all new and returning members to sign and agree to a Values Statement, which includes agreement with the full text of The Code. To date, 546 members have signed the Values Statement;
Hosting an educational webinar for members with a guest educator from ECPA, which now resides on-demand for members to view;
Utilized the consumer website, adventure.travel, and consumer social channels to educate travelers on how they can be aware and make a difference;
Utilized trade social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, The HUB and LinkedIn to pass along updates and information to the industry;
Continued to make stakeholders such as the ATTA advisory board, ATTA members and the wider adventure tourism community aware of ECPAT and The Code via updates and resources from the organization and their practices in eight of our twelve trade newsletters throughout 2013;
Promoted ATTA members that went through the process of committing to and signing The Code. Read more about them here:
The ATTA looks forward to continuing efforts to educate members and support The Code and its cause. Learn more about The Code at www.thecode.org.
Suggested Tweet: ATTA Continues Strong Commitment to @ECPAT by Becoming Top memberAdventure Travel Trade Association
Established in 1990, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) serves more than 900 members in 80 countries worldwide. Members predominantly include tour operators, tourism boards, specialty agents and accommodations with a vested interest in the sustainable development of adventure tourism. The ATTA delivers solutions and connections that propel members towards their business goals and the industry toward a responsible and profitable future. Through its regional AdventureConnect events and annual Adventure Travel World Summit trade conference, the ATTA excels in professional learning, networking and partnering services. With expertise in research, education, adventure travel industry news and promotion, members of the ATTA receive competitive opportunities that help establish them as leaders in adventure tourism. (www.adventuretravel.biz)
For more information:
● Adventure Travel World Summit
● Adventure.Travel – consumer portal to member tours
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