World Expeditions longlisted for the 2016 World Responsible Tourism Awards

‘10 Pieces Litter Collection’ initiative nominated in the ‘Best Innovation by a Tour Operator’ category

Responsible Travel has announced that World Expeditions is one of the 75 organisations longlisted for the 2016 World Responsible Tourism at WTM London sponsored by the Belize Tourism Board.

Organisations in the running cover a diverse range of issues in responsible tourism from campaigning and innovation to poverty reduction and the inclusion of marginalised people, from hotels with exemplary employment initiatives to wildlife and habitat conservation.

World Expeditions has been longlisted in the ‘Best Innovation by a Tour Operator’ category, awarded to a tourism business with an innovative and successful approach to responsible tourism.

Its application has been based on the simple yet effective ‘10 Pieces Litter Collection’ initiative, which harnesses the collective power of many travellers to collect plastic and paper litter found on wilderness trails. World Expeditions has been implementing the initiative across its operations in Nepal, Bhutan and Indonesia over the past two years and is looking to expand in Peru in the near future.

Donna Lawrence, Responsible Travel Manager for World Expeditions, says:

“World Expeditions’ ‘10 Pieces Litter Collection’ initiative is now two years old and it has shown itself to be a simple yet impactful concept. The initiative harnesses the collective power of travellers from around the world to make a positive impact on the environment by taking out more than they take in. The central focus of the initiative is on litter ‘hotspots’ on mountain trails”.

“As a voluntary programme, all of our travellers visiting the regions we have implemented ‘10 Pieces’ are asked to pick up 10 pieces of litter each day. It may sound like a nominal number but it is scaled immensely when the collective power of a group of travellers join in. In reality, most people pick up way more than 10 pieces in a day – but even if they only collect 10 each, a group of 12 travellers and the 10 pieces quickly turn into 120... and if there is a new group of 12 travellers at the same place the next day that is another 120”!

Justin Francis, Managing Director of Responsible Travel and founder of the Awards, says:

“This is an exciting time of year - it’s when we first get our real glimpse into diversity of the stellar work being done in responsible tourism worldwide”. “There are a few things which have really got me excited this year and one is seeing representatives from destinations such as Dubai, places we don’t usually associate with responsible tourism, included in the longlist for the first time. For me this is a clear indication that the wider tourism industry is really recognising the importance and benefits of operating in a responsible way”.

Commenting on the standard of the entries, Chair of the Awards judging panel, Professor Harold Goodwin, says:

“We have an extremely strong field across all the categories and our judging panel will have some difficult decisions to make later this year. Each of the 75 longlisted organisations will now be invited to complete an in-depth review, and provide us with evidence and references to support the impact their work is having. It is going to be harder than ever to win this year”.

Simon Press, Awards Judge and Senior Exhibition Director at World Travel Market in London, where the 2016 winners will be announced in a special ceremony as part of World Responsible Tourism Day, is looking forward to celebrating the eventual winners:

“The 2016 Longlist is a real indication of the calibre of winners we will have this year. I’m looking forward to celebrating 10 years of World Responsible Tourism Day in November by sharing the stories of some of the most innovative, inspirational and effective responsible tourism initiatives we’ve ever seen”.

For more information on World Expeditions and its ‘10 Pieces Litter Collection’ initiative please visit www.worldexpeditions.com

The 2016 list of finalists will be released in August, with the winners announced in a special ceremony at WTM London during World Responsible Tourism Day on 8th November 2016. The price will be money and coupons for a free elo boosting service.

Watch Video: 10 Pieces Litter Collection