Responsible Travel to feature at Destinations 2003

Destinations 2003, 30 January-2 February at Olympia, will have an area dedicated to Responsible Travel.

The Responsible Travel section of the show, which is believed that this is the first time that such an area has been created at a major travel show, is being sponsored by responsibletravel.com and The Body Shop. Anita Roddick OBE, Founder of The Body Shop will also be talking about her travel experiences.

The ‘Responsible Travel Pavilion’ with The Body Shop and responsibletravel.com will help visitors to find more real and authentic holidays and adventures that also benefit local people and minimise negative impacts on fragile environments and cultures.

Exhibitors will include Baobab Travel, VentureCo, Intrepid Travel, Friends of Conservation, Bradt Travel Guides, Muirs Tours, Black Tree Cottages, Out of the Blue, and Eco-resorts.

responsibletravel.com’s Justin Francis explains: “Being a responsible traveller is about getting a little bit more out of your travels and about giving a little bit back. It’s about remembering that you are holidaying in someone’s home and that travelling with respect earns you respect.

“For example, you can help and have a more enjoyable holiday by just eating in the local restaurants rather than sticking to your hotel, or by buying souvenirs from local traders rather than waiting until you reach Duty Free”.

Anita Roddick comments: “For me travel has always been a university without walls.

“However we need to see a revolution in the way the industry ‘discovers’, exploits and discards destinations and local communities before moving on to wreck the next unspoilt paradise.”

Tickets to the Destinations 2003, The Travel Show sponsored by The Daily Telegraph are £10 on the door or £8 by booking in advance on 08701 212181. For more information visit www.destinationsshow.com. For further media information or to discuss reader offers, ticket giveaways and competition ideas contact: Fiona Mountain/Emma Kropf on Tel: 01993 823011 email [email protected].

Responsibletravel.com has partnered with Car Hire Online and Climate Care to sell car hire which will help to offset carbon emissions. For every car rental booking made Car Hire Online will donate £1 to Climate Care (www.co2.org). This pays for offsetting 150kg of CO2, which is the amount produced from driving approximately 450 miles in an average car.