On December 16, the Wilmington Area Hospitality Association (WAHA) hosted a luncheon meeting with presentations on “sustainable travel” from the global, state and local level. Helen Marano, of Marano Perspectives, formerly the Director of the National Travel and Tourism Office, USA as well as the Executive Vice President of the World Travel and Tourism Council was the keynote speaker, presenting global initiatives in sustainable travel efforts.
She was followed by Amanda Baker of Visit NC who presented our state’s Green Travel initiative and Karly Lohan of the Plastic Ocean Project who oversees Ocean Friendly Establishment’s certification program for businesses in our area.
View Presentation: Helen Marano, Sustainable Tourism (pdf)
View Presentation: Amanda Baker, Green Travel Initiative (with audio)
View Presentation: Karly Lohan, Ocean Friendly Establishments (pdf)
There is an opportunity to be active at a local level, participating in Ocean Friendly Establishment’s certification program.
Additionally, providing these presentations to regional and corporate offices to engage them in efforts at their level will enable our community to be positioned at the forefront of both awareness and application of the principles of sustainable travel and tourism to the travel market.
We learned that more travelers than ever are seeking destinations that feature sustainable practices by destination businesses. The greater our participation, the more likely we are to be chosen by those travelers.
Joining the Wilmington Area Hospitality Association to learn more about initiatives such as these and all things happening within our local hospitality industry.