WTM World Responsible Tourism Day 2009, sponsored by BBC World News, will see the most ambitious programme of events ever seen at the premier business to business event.
Main focus of events will be on the actual day - Wednesday 11 November at ExCeL London.
Further responsible tourism highlights will be held on Tuesday 10 November and Thursday 12 November.
The aim is to bring ‘alive’ the top-of-the-agenda issue dictating the industry’s future.
The extended programme of stimulating, inspiring and educational debates, presentations, seminars and speeches has particular significance this year.
"The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, immediately after World Travel Market puts renewed pressure on the international travel and tourism industry to play their role in one of the most challenging problems the world has ever faced", said Fiona Jeffery, Chairman of World Travel Market and pioneer of responsible tourism over the past 15 years.
WTM World Responsible Tourism Day keynote events, hosted by Stephen Sackur, presenter of HARDtalk, BBC World’s flagship news and current affairs programme, starts at 10.30 hrs at ExCeL London’s Platinum Suite 4 .
The opening ceremony will be by Dr. Andrew Mitchell, senior advisor to The Prince’s Rainforest Project (HRH Prince of Wales) and director of the Global Canopy Programme, Taleb Rifai, incoming Secretary General of the UNWTO and Fiona Jeffery will also speak.
This is followed by presentation of the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards, in association with responsibletravel.com, who founded and organise the awards with World Travel Market, Daily Telegraph, Geographical Magazine and BBC World News. Winners are judged from a record number of 580 organisations, individuals and destinations worldwide.
At midday, Peter Long, Chief Executive of TUI Travel will be in the Hot Seat, interviewed by Sackur about the operator’s commitment to responsible tourism.
In the afternoon there are two major panel debates on climate change and making better places in which people live.
The day concludes with the highly popular WTM World Responsible Tourism Day Networking event.
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