Tourism Cares at the U.S. Travel Association's annual IPW event in 2022.
At this week's Marketing and Communications Summit in Norfolk, Va., Destinations International announced a partnership with Tourism Cares, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the survival of the travel and tourism industry.
Tourism Cares works to be a catalyst for positive social, environmental and economic impacts on travel, and is committed to mobilizing the industry to create meaningful change through education and action.
"Tourism Cares was the 2022 recipient of Destinations International’s Spirit of Hospitality Award, and that great honor propelled us to deepen our partnership with Destination’s International to strategically engage on more thoughtful destination stewardship and shared values," said Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares. "Our organizations mirror each other in that we look to inform, connect, inspire and educate our members. We see no better time than the present to collaborate and partner on initiatives that will build sustainability, and bring tools and education to destination communities."
The partnership will establish cross-promoted programs that will benefit convention and visitor bureaus around the world, such as a collaboration on TC's Meaningful Travel Map, which is a way to connect small, community-led experiences and social enterprises to the tourism supply chain. The organizations also will create a volunteer project in conjunction with a DI event in 2023-'24, and will develop a disaster-relief program focusing on long-term recovery.
"We are at a significant time in the travel industry where we need to authentically reconnect with people and respect the places we choose to visit," said Don Welsh, president and CEO of DI. "Greg and the team at Tourism Cares have been making great strides to advance our industry and we are thrilled to partner with them on their many impactful initiatives for our industry and the communities our members represent."