Sustainable Tourism: The Tour Operators' Contribution

UNEP – United Nations Environment Programme
www.unep.org
UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the
environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality
of life without compromising that of future generations. It makes a particular effort to nurture
partnerships with other UN bodies possessing complementary skills and delivery capabilities
and enhancing the participation of civil society – the private sector, scientific community,
NGOs, youth, women, and sports organisations – in the achievement of sustainable
development.
The mission of the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (www.uneptie.org) is
to encourage decision-makers in government, industry and business to develop and adopt
policies, strategies and practices that are cleaner, safer and make efficient use of natural
resources. It also encourages them to incorporate environmental costs, ensure environmentally
sound management of chemicals, reduce pollution and risks for human beings and
the environment, and enable implementation of conventions.
UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization
www.unesco.org
UNESCO’s main objective is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting
collaboration among nations through education, science, culture and communication.
The main UNESCO partners in the Tour Operators’ Initiative are the World Heritage
Centre, which works to protect the world’s cultural and natural heritage, and the Man and
Biosphere Program, which promotes the development of a natural and social sciences
basis for the sustainable use and conservation of biological diversity, as well as for the
improvement of the relationship between people and their environment globally.
WTO – World Tourism Organization
www.world-tourism.org
The World Tourism Organization is the leading international organization in the field of
travel and tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical
source of tourism know-how. WTO’s membership includes 144 countries and territories
and more than 350 Affiliate Members representing local government, tourism associations
and private sector companies, including airlines, hotel groups and tour operators. With
its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, WTO is an inter-governmental body entrusted by the
United Nations towards the promotion and development of tourism. Through tourism, WTO
aims to stimulate economic growth and job creation, provide incentives for protecting the
environment and heritage of destinations, and promote peace and understanding among all
the nations of the world.