Seattle, WA., 2013-03-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — Partnering for the benefit of Europe’s wilderness and its visitors, the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s (ATTA) and PAN Parks today announced the recent signing of the ATTA Association Partnership Program, committing each organization to shared networking, cooperative marketing and collaboration to enhance the contribution of the tourism sector to the protection of Europe’s last great places of wilderness.
Wilderness is a scarce resource in Europe. According to various resources, less than one percent of Europe’s land territory can be considered as wilderness. However, such areas, if well protected, serve as valuable places for tourism.
“PAN Parks Foundation has long been working with the tourism sector to prove that visitation and strict protection of wilderness can co-exist. We believe that this partnership with the ATTA will give us a tool to get broader engagement from the tourism sector and eventually prove that tourism benefits wilderness.” says Zoltan Kun, Executive Director of PAN Parks.
In their new partnership, PAN Parks and the ATTA aim to join efforts to further develop awareness and involvement among responsible and eco-conscious tour operators. The newly formed partnership will support the PAN Parks tourism model which engages international tour operators in working with local entrepreneurs around Certified PAN Parks (http://www.panparks.org/visit).
As a result, improved public appreciation of wilderness is achieved through increasing knowledge about the areas, decreasing conflicts between local people and protected areas and wildlife, and working with authorities to generate local revenues while also generating direct funding for wilderness protection through PAN Parks Foundation.
Both PAN Parks and the ATTA also are cooperating to increase the number of private enterprise tour operators actively involved in both organizations.
About PAN Parks
PAN Parks works to protect Europe’s wilderness, the continent’s most undisturbed areas of nature. PAN Parks, the leading European-wide organization focusing on the protection of wilderness areas, applies a truly integrated approach combining wilderness protection and sustainable tourism development. PAN Parks creates a network of European wilderness areas where natural systems of animals and plants are safe to thrive, and where people appreciate the pleasures offered by wilderness with the respect it deserves. These areas offer real wilderness with outstanding nature and high quality tourism facilities and is well balanced with wilderness protection and sustainable local development. Visit PAN Parks: www.panparks.org
About Adventure Travel Trade Association
Established in 1990, the Seattle-based Adventure Travel Trade Association, serving nearly 900 members worldwide, serves as the hub for tour operators, tourism boards, association partners, media, specialty agents, adventure accommodations and industry partners with a vested interest in the sustainable development of adventure tourism. Host of the annual Adventure Travel World Summit trade conferences, the ATTA is dedicated to unifying, networking, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure travel market. The ATTA also publishes www.AdventureTravelNews.com, the adventure tourism community’s news source and makes possible www.Adventure.Travel, the traveler’s guide for trusted tour operators from around the globe specializing in physical, cultural and nature-based adventures.
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The cooperation aims to further develop awareness and involvement among responsible tour operators.