Prague, November 7th, 2007 – whl.travel (www.whl.travel) last week held their first regional conference in the UNESCO town of Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic, to highlight the importance of sustainable tourism. Using Prague as the case study, the conference aimed to demonstrate how mass-tourism can put significant pressures on all aspects of a destination; the environment, the culture and the heritage.

In each destination that whl.travel is present, there is a local travel professional on the ground who owns and operates a local hotel and tour booking website. “This local connection gives travellers a more personalized way of connecting with the locals and the place,” says Len Cordiner, CEO of whl.travel “Our local partners each know most of their accommodation and activity providers personally, and they understand the difference between a real travel experience and the type of fast food options you find on many other travel sites.”

The conference was a great example of best practice in the industry in itself for the attendees. Gifts and materials were handmade by children of various orphanages sponsored by the Committee of Goodwill. This is a foundation that was set up by Olga Havlova, the first wife of the former Czech president, Vaclav Havel. Other materials were developed by the local street magazine Novy Prostor (The Big Issue), to support the homeless people of Czech Republic.

“Being in a team of travel professionals, each with different opinions, has made me realise that I should be doing more in Riga to support the local community, particularly the orphanages and making travellers aware of our problems so that they may support where they can,” says Anda Cirule, managing director of Your Vacation Host in Latvia, and the local whl.travel partner (www.riga-hotels.lv), “I also now see the negative impact that hosting stag parties from the UK is having on our city and its culture… no more will I do these!”

“With each of us doing something in our destinations to support the environment, the community, local culture and heritage, we are truly something unique in the online travel space,” says Ron Sayegh of Grey Matter SARL, another whl.travel partner located in Lebanon (www.lebanon.travel).

whl.travel is a private company, originating from a project sponsored by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, to help interesting and unique travel service providers in the developing world gain access to international markets. It is owned and operated by a team from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Switzerland, the USA and Vietnam.

In addition to the more than 70 destinations live, there are another 30 destination sites under construction in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, Asia, the Caribbean and in Central/South America. Expansion in the immediate future is planned for Russia, Albania and Seychelles with an increasing presence planned for South Africa, China and India. Visit www.whl.travel or www.praguehotel-link.cz for more information.

Luke Ford