IRT Biosphere Hotels / Institute of Responsible Tourism http://www.biospherehotels.org/
The Institute of Responsible Tourism (IRT), an organisation closely linked to UNESCO, was born with the objective of implementing Sustainable Development actions and programmes in the tourist industry. IRT emerged from the World Conference on Sustainable Tourism celebrated in Lanzarote in 1995. This event was sponsored by the leading international organisations within the fields of Tourism, Culture, Development, Environment and the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage, such as UNESCO, PNUMA, OMT, etc. The Institute of Responsible Tourism promotes tourism models that actively contribute to maintaining and protecting the cultural and natural assets of tourist destinations. Its final objective is to promote sustainable development in the tourist industry and foster the use of the endogenous skills of each destination and host community. The philosophy of the Institute of Responsible Tourism focuses on enhancing the value of the environment and cultural heritage within tourism, by promoting sustainable policies of excellence and quality within the industry. The IRT focuses a large part of its activities on reinforcing the huge potential of tourism as a mean of inter-relation and understanding among people from different cultures, religion or languages.
