Australian tourism partnership launched to drive sustainable business practices

A three-year partnership has today been launched between the Australian Tourism Industry Council (ATIC) and Tourism Australia to drive excellence in visitor experiences and sustainable tourism business practices.

Through the partnership, Tourism Australia and ATIC will encourage business participation in the Sustainable Tourism Accreditation, Accessible Tourism, Tourism Emissions Reduction and Australian Tourism Awards programs.

The Tourism Emissions Reduction Program was launched last year in March - designed to empower tourism businesses to improve their environmental sustainability. The Tourism Emissions Reduction Program is aimed at boosting the competitiveness and marketability of Australia’sr world-class attractions to visitors who are increasingly looking for sustainable tourism experiences.

Today’s partnership announcement sees Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison noting that international visitors are seeking tourism businesses that offered world-class accessible and sustainable visitor experiences.

Harrison added “we encourage tourism businesses to assess their accessibility and sustainability efforts, measure their carbon emission and embed business practices and procedures to ensure sustainability goals are achieved.”

ATIC Chair Evan Hall said the suite of programs offers businesses across Australia a clear pathway to achieve sustainable tourism accreditation, evaluate their accessibility and emissions, and provide accurate information to visitors. The Australian Government, through Austrade’s Quality Tourism Framework Grant Program, is providing $8 million towards these programs.

Hall said the Sustainable Tourism Accreditation was the largest and longest-running sustainability program in the tourism industry, with more than 3,500 participating businesses. Accreditation incorporates sustainability across environmental, cultural, social and commercial business practices.

“The Sustainable Tourism Accreditation program is designed for small, medium and regional tourism businesses, and can be accessed online at any time,” Hall added.

“We encourage all tourism businesses to participate in the Sustainable Tourism Accreditation, Accessible Tourism and Tourism Emissions Reduction programs to strengthen Australia’s reputation as a high quality, sustainable and inclusive destination for all.”