ITB Berlin announced their membership in the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund (ATCF), an international nonprofit focused on funding on-the-ground conservation projects around the world. The ATCF provides members in the travel and outdoor industry an avenue to directly support projects that are critical to protecting the future of adventure travel.
“Adventure and outdoor organizations have an opportunity to come together as members of the ATCF to protect international travel destinations where we all love to explore, learn and play” says Soraya Shattuck, ATCF Executive Director. “We are thrilled to have ITB join as a member of the ATCF and demonstrate their commitment to the conservation of these unique environments, cultures and communities that travelers value.”
The adventure tourism industry is highly dependent on conserving the world’s natural and cultural resources, which is why ITB Berlin and ATCF members from across the globe are uniting to protect threatened communities, cultures and wild places for current and future generations. Once a year, the ATCF awards grants to organizations seeking conservation funding. Grant recipients are nominated and voted on by members of ATCF, and 100% of membership dues directly fund chosen conservation projects.
“The adventure travel community has the power, the resources, and the responsibility to make an incredible impact on the world,” said outdoor industry pioneer Steve Barker, Founder of Eagle Creek and ATCF Board Chair. “Through ATCF, companies around the globe unite their influence and passion to support organizations that protect, preserve and improve destinations, resources, and indigenous cultures so they’ll be around for years to come.”
“We, at ITB Berlin, are very active in bringing responsibility into the DNA of tourism: ATTA has been a strong partner of ITB since many years. Consequently, it is a perfect match for us to also support ATCF. The direct funding of local projects engaged in the conservation of cultural & environmental resources is an excellent initiative”, says Rika Jean-Francois, Commissioner ITB Corporate Social Responsibility.
Both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, which may include conservation groups, indigenous people groups, tour operators, or accommodations, can receive project funding from ATCF.
