February 23, 2015 – The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is pleased to announce that GreenEarth.travel and VisionCSR’s Green Growth 2050 sustainable tourism certification program has achieved ‘GSTC Recognized’ status. The awarded status affirms Green Growth’s commitment to promote sustainable tourism products and services.

Green Growth 2050 has been developed to meet the needs of tourism and travel businesses seeking today’s solutions to the issues driving social, cultural and environmental change. It is designed to allow organizations to, not only undertake certification through third-party assessment, but also accurately measure their global impact across a framework of over 200 CSR and sustainability related metrics. The addition of business intelligence and analytics provides Green Growth 2050 customers with new insights into their organization on both an individual basis and across their entire portfolio.

To promote the importance of universal accessibility in tourism, UNWTO and the Government of the Republic of San Marino will jointly organize the First UNWTO Conference on Accessible Tourism in Europe. The Conference will be held in collaboration with Village for All (V4A) and the ONCE Foundation to advance the social inclusion of people with disabilities (San Marino, 19-20 November 2014).

Facilitating travel for persons with disabilities is a vital element of any responsible and sustainable tourism development policy. Universal accessibility in tourism is not only related to respect for human rights, but also to the considerable economic opportunities that Tourism for All entails.

With a focus on heritage cities, the First UNWTO Conference on Accessible Tourism in Europe will address how to maintain and develop quality, sustainability and competitiveness in accessible tourism.

More than one hundred tourism boards from around the globe, private and public, national and regional, form the Hawaii, Seychelles, Bali and Brussels-based International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP).

The president of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP), Professor Geoffrey Lipman, made this statement for World Tourism Day 2014. He says that World Tourism Day’s welcome focus on communities should be an awakening call for them to play a central role in climate resilience and green growth – the twin pillars of our global future.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced today that Hyatt has been named one of the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work®. The annual list honours 25 companies that have been recognised by their employees as an organisation that fosters creativity, trust and camaraderie.

This year marks Hyatt’s inaugural appearance on the list, following Great Place to Work® recognitions in the United States, France, Germany, United Arab Emirates, India, and the United Kingdom.

“This incredible recognition reflects how our people-focused culture and the care we show to everyone in the Hyatt family extends to our colleagues around the world,” said Robb Webb, Chief Human Resources Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation. “We encourage our colleagues to be innovative in every aspect of their work, and our culture is one where it is second nature for colleagues to treat one another with the same level of care and attention shown to our guests. This helps our colleagues’ personalities shine through and ultimately offers Hyatt guests a better experience.”