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22nd Annual Educational Travel Conference
VolunTourism.org will be collaborating with Mara DelliPriscoli and Travel Learning Connections to host a series of "talk shows" and round-table intensives on the subject of Responsible Travel & VolunTourism at the 2008 Educational Travel Conference (ETC) to be held in Baltimore, MD, February 4 - 7, 2008.
ETC defines Educational Travel with the following words:
Educational travel facilitates deeper, more enduring connections and understanding between travelers and the communities they visit through strong interpretation, inspired leadership, experiential programming, and meaningful engagement.
Responsible Tourism Intensive
One day...two sessions...and three intensive roundtable discussions
with fabulous guests, at which you can truly learn how to
"walk your responsible travel talk."
The Responsible Tourism Intensive is made possible with the sponsoring partner support of: High Country Passage and the Greenland Tourism & Business Council.
As the concepts of linking community tourism income to conservation incentives, reducing environmental impacts, and cultural sensitivity all become more integrated into the work of nonprofit organizations, regardless of field or focus, or affinity (museums, zoos, alumni, etc.) ... and as the traveling consumer becomes more vested in engaging and supporting organizations that are responding positively to these environmental issues ... travel will emerge as a particularly useful and important way of engaging a motivated constituency on these vital topics. Several ETC members are taking a leadership role and working with the power of millions of their own members to promote the concept of responsible tourism through their travel program and relationships with suppliers and travelers.
The Responsible Tourism Intensive will take a close look at many of the different elements encompassed within the practice, purchase and promotion of sustainable tourism programs. Two session segments are featured:
Part 1 - Going Green: It isn't just "the thing to do" it is the thing we must do - now!
Want to implement a well-rounded response to global sustainable issues and consumer concerns in your program offerings? Going Green delves into the practical realities of what makes for a successful and sustainable tourism partnership - in your office, with your travelers and with host communities and suppliers. Tune in to creative responses and real time ideas from guest speakers during the opening ETC Live! discussion addressing some of the hot, current sustainable issues today, ranging from incorporating expensive sustainable practices affordably in remote lodges to working one's way through the maze of carbon offset program options. Learn how any nonprofit travel program...alumni, museum, or conservation...can take the decisions they make in creating and crafting a travel program (tour operator selections, destination choices, etc) and turn those into opportunities to promote responsible tourism agendas, while at the same time re-purposing them into selling points for marketing and attracting new members/alumni travelers.
The all new Intensive format moves quickly from ETC Live! to discussion roundtables facilitated by guest speakers and colleagues "in the trenches" who have been asked to share their own step-by-step approach to developing sustainable partnerships with communities, new research on the conscious consumers, and/or their pioneering efforts with carbon offset programs. Your interest dictates a choice of three provocative no-holds-barred discussions on:
1. Carbon Offsets
2. Community Development and Sustainable Suppliers
3. Travel Planner / Tour Operator Office & In Field Sustainable Partnerships
Outcomes:
1) Step-by-step approach to developing one's own Responsible Tourism Policy, and
2) Identify implementation support either through case studies or networking
Part 2 - VolunTourism: Transforming your travelers, transforming your travel program
Searching for a way to grow and/or enhance your travel program to attract a larger diversity of age and interests within your alumni and member-traveler base? VolunTourism provides a better understanding of the basic motivating factors for consumers, planners, operators, suppliers, and destination management organizations, and the reasons driving expediential growth in the field of service learning across generations of "conscious consumers." Focusing exclusively on VolunTourism, another ETC Live! talk show followed by a choice of one of three substantive roundtable discussions:
1. Millineals & Boomers
2. Destinations and Host Programs
3. Travel Planner / Tour Operator Programs
Outcomes:
1) Understand the basic motivating factors for consumers, planners, operators, suppliers, and DMOs as it pertains to VolunTourism,
2) Have case studies of some of these groups for comparison to one's own operations or goals and objectives to set for future implementation.
3) Networking and cooperative connections to facilitate one's own development of VolunTourism
About the Educational Travel Conference
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| J Mara DelliPriscoli , President & CEO of the Educational Travel Conference |
Now in the 22nd year, the Educational Travel Conference is the only forum of its kind dedicated to the education, training and networking priorities of professionals in the business of experiential learning through travel. Nowhere has such a highly qualified group of nonprofit travel planners, suppliers, specialty tour operators and destinations been assembled to focus on the development, operation and marketing of group educational and affinity travel worldwide.
Established in 1987, the Conference was initiated by the Conference Organizer, Mara DelliPriscoli and Travel Learning Connections, Inc., as a pioneering effort to provide highly customized educational programming, professional development and affinity-based networking forums for seasoned travel planners, as well as jumpstart training for newcomers to the field of nonprofit/educational travel. The Conference hosts over 500 delegates absorbed in 3 days of inspired sessions, first-rate social venues and educationally rich "experiences" on site. The Conference is purposely kept intimate and small to ensure high quality networking and small group educational experiences with like-minded individuals and/or like organizations.
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