Leading adventure travel company, World Expeditions, has added its voice to the sector-wide movement by signing up to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.

As a signatory, World Expeditions has pledged to continue leading by example in the travel industry, driving action and sharing knowledge and helping motivate others towards the shared goal of reaching net zero.

Its first act as a signatory is to expand its responsible travel charter to further protect the communities and nurture the environments its traveller's loves, announcing its intention to incorporate regenerative travel practices into its global operations. 

“Regenerative travel aims to leave a place improved or restored,” says World Expeditions CEO Sue Badyari. “It goes beyond sustainable travel, which seeks to leave a place in the same way you found it.”

“Responsible Travel had always been at the core of the company's operations,” Ms. Badyari said, “and I'm pleased to join the industry-wide movement by signing the Glasgow Declaration, and I encourage others to do the same.”

“We're proud of our long list of firsts in this area but, as tourism has evolved, so has our commitment to responsible and sustainable travel, and now's the time to do more,” she said. “We're proud to be a front-runner in expanding our charter to incorporate restorative travel.”

“It's about actively improving the social and environmental conditions in the destinations we visit, integrating sustainable practices and offering purpose programs that leave the places better than we found them,” Ms. Badyari said. “Choosing regenerative travel won't just benefit you and the places and communities you'll visit, but also the generations to come.”

World Expeditions has already made progress towards the goals set out in its charter, thanks to its long involvement in programs such as 10 Pieces, an initiative that invites travellers to help remove litter from fragile remote environments.

“We're the founding partner of 10 Pieces,” Ms. Badyari said, “which is exactly the sort of direct regenerative action that the industry – and the world - needs now.”

“We've already begun working with a range of partners, including traditional indigenous owners, to ensure our in-field operations reflect up-to-date sustainable and regenerative practices at every level,” Ms. Badyari said.  

“We're researching new experiences that will be built into regenerative itineraries,” she said, “and we're confident our travelling community will love making a real difference while they experience unique places.”

The company's updated thoughtful travel charter is centred around 11 pillars, upon which its range of global adventure holidays are created and operated. 

The 11 pillars include policies to protect the vulnerable, particularly women and children, nurture the environment – importantly working to improve it, minimise waste and eliminate single-use plastics, respect animals and their habitats, to support local communities with a range of income-earning opportunities and, of course, to continue offsetting all trips, so the entire global range remains carbon neutral.

Visit worldexpeditions.com or call 1-800-567-2216 for more information.