We are pleased to inform you that the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI) is returning once more to the International Tourism Fair Fitur, which will be held from January 17 to 21 in Madrid. Fitur is a key global meeting for tourism professionals, being the leading fair for the source and host markets of Ibero-America.

This time, this appointment is doubly important for us: in addition to having the opportunity to present our new corporate image and our novelties for 2018, we will host the first meeting of the Biosphere Destination Community, the community of sustainable destinations that have already obtained our Biosphere Certified Destination seal or are in the process of obtaining it.

We are bringing together all destinations committed to sustainability to share experiences and concerns, as well as to generate synergies and discuss future challenges for a more sustainable tourism at a global level. Our doors are also open to guests and observers of interest.

In this first meeting, which will take place annually, the city of Barcelona will carry out the coordination tasks -this paper may change every year-, having been the first destination to obtain our certification, which it has held since 2011. Each year we will present the Work Plan for the following year, sharing experiences and considering the new challenges that can contribute to extend tourism sustainability in an international scenario.

In addition, we have organized a series of presentations on tourism and sustainability that will undoubtedly be of your interest, in which we will intervene personally. We will discuss about how to redirect the tourism industry, how to contribute positively in local tourism, how is the profile of the new responsible tourist, the revaluation of the brand through sustainability ... and many other topics.

This year the Responsible Tourism Institute also co-organizes with the Instituto Tecnológico Hotelero "Fitur Tech y Sostenibilidad" #techYsostenibilidad, a day within Fitur that arises with the clear objective of bringing to the hotel sector a series of actions and concrete measures that can help them achieve goals in terms of sustainability, in addition to reducing the environmental and social impact caused by tourism. To obtain more information about the program and content of this day, you can visit the following link.

New image and new spaces for the meeting

Our meeting with Fitur will also serve to present our new corporate image, which we will apply to both the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI) and its Biosphere brand. With this step, we will combine both concepts and integrate them as the whole that they are. The objective is to modernize our image and project with it, in a clearer way, our future goals, but also to offer a more homogeneous and simple service for any interested party.

Therefore, we also bet on the renewal of the web pages that are currently available to you: http://responsibletourisminstitute.com and www.biospheretourism.com . Both will have a new structure and contents that will make it easier for any person, company or institution interested in sustainable tourism to search for information and solutions for their specific case.

All this work is focused on tourists living sustainable experiences. With this third pillar we hope to close what we have wanted to call the 'circle of sustainability'. Thus, not only we will be responsible for certifying tourist destinations (covering the public) and companies (covering the private sector), but we will create a space for the final recipients, that is, citizens and tourists, through the Manifesto of the Responsible Enterprise and the Manifest of the Responsible Traveler.

This project is linked to the figure of our ambassadors of sustainable tourism, to which we will give specific promotion. Bloggers of tourism, television programs, media ... become allies of sustainability, as is the case of Diario de un nómada, the first television program in the world to obtain the Biosphere certificate.

All these novelties will be presented at the Fitur Fair. Stay tuned to not miss any news!