Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference 2010 Focuses on Triple Bottom Line Sustainability

Aug. 17, 2009 - PRLog -- Toronto – The organizers of the Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Conference (ESTC) have confirmed the recently announced date-change for the next ESTC conference as September 8-10, 2010. The ESTC 2010 will be held at the Hilton Portland & Executive Towers in downtown Portland, Oregon, USA.

"Together with our destination hosts, Travel Portland and Travel Oregon, TIES will utilize the coming months to raise an even greater awareness of the event and to enhance the conference experience for all," says Dr. Kelly Bricker, Chair of The International Ecotourism Society (TIES).

The ESTC 2010 will present new opportunities through partnerships and collaboration, underlining the importance of innovative multi-stakeholder approaches to sustainability. Among these new opportunities is TIES’ most recent alliance with the Planeterra Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on sustainable community development through travel and voluntourism. Gap Adventures, one of the world's largest adventure travel companies, created Planeterra to demonstrate its 20-year commitment to triple-bottom-line sustainability and giving back through travel.

TIES and Gap Adventures are both celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2010. The anniversary marks a significant occasion to celebrate pioneering efforts in the field of ecotourism and responsible travel.

"Both our organizations started in 1990 with small groups of dedicated professionals with a vision of transforming travel and making a difference in the world," said Dr. Bricker, "and are today leading forces supporting and promoting unique travel experiences that benefit conservation and communities."

The ESTC 2010 will not only commemorate the historic milestone, but also serve as an important occasion to share the lessons learned from past experiences and the opportunities for a sustainable future of tourism, as the industry stands at a critical juncture between mainstream and sustainable tourism development.

The ESTC is a one-of-a-kind industry conference where business leaders, tourism stakeholders and community members gather to discuss practical ideas and solutions, and to bring about change. With sessions highlighting timely topics such as tourism’s role in today’s growing green economy and effective strategies to promote volunteer and service opportunities, the ESTC 2010 will actively engage participants through dialogues and activities focusing on solutions, action, and giving back.

To review more information on the conference, visit: www.ecotourism.org/estc2010 and sign up to receive regular updates through the ESTC News emails.

Planeterra Foundation is a global non-profit dedicated to sustainable community development through travel. It was founded in 2003 by Gap Adventures, the largest independent adventure travel company in the world. Planeterra evolved out of a long history of travelers committed to finding ways to give back to the people and places they visit. Planeterra selects the projects and works with Gap Adventures to arrange voluntour travel programs.

For information on Planeterra’s year-round voluntour programs please go to www.planeterra.org or call 416-260-0999.

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