Sustainability is one of the most important global issues facing us today and it relates to every single aspect of our existence. It’s about going green and attending to pressing environmental issues, for sure, but it’s also about social responsibility – how we contribute to solving the world’s economic, cultural and social problems.

The Brundtland Report describes sustainable development as ‘that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ It doesn’t mean companies can’t make a profit – it means that they can’t trash the world while they’re doing so, as really, what would be the point? Experts call it the Triple Bottom Line – if businesses become responsible and look at their social and environmental value as well as their financial one, they might just find that they all increase. Otherwise, we may not have a planet they can run their businesses on.

2017 is the Year for Sustainable Tourism – the year when right here, right now, we as travellers, and the travel industry that serves us, can be a Force for Good, stepping into our power as individuals and companies to effect change – not just for ourselves and the travel industry, but for the whole world and the generations ahead of us.