Tourism promotion initiative presents around 30 sustainable travel providers from developing and emerging countries at ITB Berlin.
BONN / BERLIN – “Sustainable travel has become an integral part of the tourism industry”, emphasises Nora Eichkorn, sustainable tourism expert at Import Promotion Desk (IPD). “The demand for individual and sustainable travel offers is growing, and we support European operators in expanding their offer.” IPD will be presenting around 30 carefully selected tourism companies from Ecuador, Nepal, Tunisia and Uzbekistan at ITB Berlin, which takes place from March 7 to 9. All companies have been pre-screened by IPD experts and prepared for the European market requirements. IPD is a project of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Its matchmaking services are neutral and free of charge.
Sustainability: Extensive offer
The topics of sustainability, climate and environmental protection are high on the agenda of 80 percent of international travellers abroad, according to the consulting firm IPK International. The small and medium-sized tourism companies in the IPD programme base their offerings on the principle of sustainability. Many of them are involved in regional projects in environmental protection, nature conservation and social initiatives. For example, the Uzbek company “Responsible Travel Uzbekistan” develops community-based tourism offers and in this way creates additional income opportunities for rural regions.
Off the beaten track
The IPD companies offer a wide range of services, from broad-based incoming agencies to extraordinary adventure and special tours. A special experience, for example, is to spend the night in the Kuyana Lodge in the heart of the rainforest. For nature and bird lovers, providers such as Marakanda Travel from Uzbekistan and Tunisia Ecotourism offer botanical tours and bird watching. In Nepal and Uzbekistan, IPD also supports tourism projects such as the Community Homestay Network and Uztravel Silk Road, where travellers discover remote regions and stay overnight with locals. “Before we include tourism companies in the IPD programme, we visit and evaluate them on site,” says Nora Eichkorn. “With our preselection we aim to reduce the effort for European travel providers and thus offer them added value. This can be, for example, special accommodations, unusual tours that introduce travellers to little-known facets of the country, and responsible companies. We support them in taking advantage of the sustainability trend and making travel more ecologically as well as socially sustainable.”
“Sasane Sisterhood” from Nepal wins To Do Award for socially responsible tourism
“Sasane Sisterhood Trekking & Travels” from Nepal will be awarded with this year’s “To Do Award Human Rights in Tourism” of the Studienkreis für Tourismus und Entwicklung e.V. at ITB 2023. “Sasane Sisterhood” – in the IPD programme since 2019 – trains disadvantaged women, especially women who had been victims of violence and human trafficking, to become tourist guides. The training as tour guides contributes to the social, economic and cultural emancipation of the women. They learn to reconcile the needs of the local population with the requirements of the travellers. Services offered by “Sasane Sisterhood” include tours of Kathmandu, the surrounding countryside with views of the Himalayas and the Annapurna Mountains. Also nominated were the IPD companies Tierra del Volcán from Ecuador, Community Homestay Network from Nepal and Responsible Travel Uzbekistan. All four IPD companies work closely with local communities in their tourism offerings. The official presentation of the CHF 5,000 prize will take place on March 7 at 2 p.m. in Hall 3.1.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
