Ecotourism Australia is pleased to release the Green Travel Guide Australia 2011/2012.

(TRAVPR.COM) AUSTRALIA - April 12th, 2011 - Ecotourism Australia is pleased to release the Green Travel Guide Australia 2011/2012. “Ecotourism Australia celebrates its 20th Birthday this year, and this year’s Green Travel Guide Australia is a tribute to the growth of responsible and sustainable tourism in Australia,” Ms Kym Cheatham, CEO of Ecotourism Australia said. “The 2011/2012 Green Travel Guide Australia features over 1000 Australian tourism experiences that offer responsible, ethical and sustainable tourism experiences.”

The Green Travel Guide Australia 2011/2012 also features the newly launch Eco Lodges of Australia brand, a marketing initiative of Advanced Ecotourism Certified accommodation experience in Australia.
“Australia is globally recognised for outstanding ecotourism experiences. Eco Lodges of Australia offers the ECO conscious traveller responsible, ethical and sustainable ECO experiences in Australia’s most amazing natural locations.” Ms Cheatham said.

The Green Travel Guide Australia 2011/2012 also highlights tourism operators who have been ECO certified for 10 years or more, under the logo of the Green Travel Leaders of Australia.

Ms Kym Cheatham said. ”Long before most people were thinking about green issues, these businesses saw the importance of creating minimal impact experiences by linking conservation and tourism, and ensuring they behaved in a responsible, ethical and sustainable way.”

The Green Travel Guide is the definitive consumer and industry guide to the best in environmentally responsible tourism experiences in Australia. It is available in limited number of hard copies and online, which sees nearly 8,000 copies downloaded every year.

Ecotourism Australia is celebrating its 20th year this year and its certification programs were announced by the Federal Tourism Minister as one of the first to be included in the newly formed National Accreditation framework, TQUAL on 2 April 2011. Ecotourism Australia introduced the world first ECO certification program in 1996 and now has more than 1000 tourism products certified through their programs.

For more information contact:
Kym Cheatham, Chief Executive Officer, Ecotourism Australia, E: ceo@ecotourism.org.au, M: 0427 279 414 www.ecotourism.org.au

The Ecotourism Australia vision: "To be leaders in assisting ecotourism and other committed tourism operations to become environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially and culturally responsible".

Ecotourism Australia was formed in 1991 as an incorporated non-profit organisation, and is the peak national body for the ecotourism industry. Ecotourism Australia aims to grow and promote ecotourism and to assist tourism operators to become environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially and culturally responsible.

Ecotourism Australia’s certification program ECO is a world first. It provides objective monitoring and auditing of organisations’ ecotourism claims and provides travel agents and tourists with an assurance of best practice ecological sustainability, natural area management and quality ecotourism experiences.

Ecotourism Australia recently added ROC (Respect Our Culture) Certification for Indigenous Tourism operators and Climate Action Australia Certification to help the tourism industry work towards a more sustainable future.

In 2008, Ecotourism Australia was awarded the prestigious World Travel and Tourism Council “Tourism for Tomorrow” Award for Conservation at the World Tourism Summit in recognition of Ecotourism Australia’s significant contribution to the conservation and preservation of natural heritage.

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