Khiri Travel in Action for World Responsible Tourism Day

24 November 2014
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Khiri Travel planting mangrove trees at Bangrong Pier in Phuket, Thailand to honor World Responsible Tourism Day
Khiri Travel planting mangrove trees at Bangrong Pier in Phuket, Thailand to honor World Responsible Tourism Day

Khiri Travel was active on three fronts to embrace World Responsible Tourism Day on 5 November.

Staff at all seven Khiri Travel offices donated time and money to Khiri's non-profit arm, Khiri Reach. Khiri staff in Asia planted tree saplings in the gardens at Khiri Travel offices or at specially nominated locations nearby in tandem with local community efforts.

At WTM London, Khiri Travel CEO Willem Niemeijer addressed the Responsible Tourism Debate on Child Protection. Niemeijer spoke in favor of the motion: "This House believes that the tourism industry could do a good deal more to take responsibility for child protection and urges it to do so."

Other speakers on the child protection panel represented organizations such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Home Office, ECPAT UK, UNWTO, and Save the Children.

Also at WTM London, Khiri Travel Regional Director Indochina, Jack Bartholomew, attended a practical advisory session on what travel operators can do to better highlight responsible and sustainable elements of their tour offerings. The session was organized by the Travel Foundation and Leeds Beckett University in the UK.

"World Responsible Tourism Day highlights the practical steps we can take to make tourism sustainable and ethical," said Niemeijer. "Responsible operators realize that people, planet and profit need to be closely aligned for long-term sustainable success."

Since its introduction in 2006, the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day, in association with the UNWTO, has motivated new and established responsible tourism advocates around the world.

WTM Responsible Tourism has four objectives every year: 1) help drive change by educating more responsible behavior with the travel and tourism industry and traveling public, 2) explore the issues of how countries and destinations are made more sustainable including case studies of best practices, 3) educate the market place and debate key environmental related issues, and 4) harness the influence of World Travel Market as an international business forum to encourage the industry to drive the responsible tourism agenda forward.

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