The Galapagos Islands is a region folks love to visit. Managing environmental and infrastructure demands created by upwards of 145,000 visitors a year is front of mind with one visionary travel company. Ecoventura has taken an environmental leadership role to create structure that will ensure that visitors can continue to come here. This family-owned cruise company transports 4,000+ passengers annually aboard a fleet of three expedition vessels, identical, superior first-class 20-passenger yachts with 10 double cabins.

Intrepid Travel’s team spirit has made the company one of the top “Best Places to Work” by Outside Magazine (May 2009 issue), reports the award-winning Intrepid Express newsletter. Intrepid was ranked No. 1 out of 30 selected companies that best enable employees to balance productivity with an active, eco-conscious lifestyle. As Tiffany Richards, President of Intrepid Travel’s Boulder office, notes, Intrepid’s philosophy is “very much about promoting responsible travel, getting off the beaten path, helping to support positive change, and having fun along the way.”

Alaska Wildland Adventures offers you an interactive and intimate experience of Wild Alaska in a manner that involves a constant care and concern for the environment. Since 1977, Alaska Wildland Adventures has been leading high quality, small group trips and adventures in Alaska’s national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges. Explore the spectacular wilderness areas of the Kenai Peninsula- the forests, mountains, rivers, trails, lakes and seacoast…

The April 2009 edition of TIES EcoCurrents eMagazine is now available! You can view or download the eMagazine online at Member Center (Member log-in required). EcoCurrents is the quarterly e-magazine of TIES, featuring current industry trends and best practice examples from around the world. Each issue focuses on a specific theme within ecotourism and sustainable travel. TIES members receive EcoCurrents as part of their member benefits. If you are not yet receiving EcoCurrents, please join TIES to receive complimentary copies of EcoCurrents and other great benefits!

Boundless Journeys’ annual charity event incorporates meaningful community service into an amazing travel adventure. Boundless Journeys’ August 2-9, 2009 Peru: The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu trip serves as a special charity event to benefit the Instituto Machu Picchu and a community school in the village of Huanca. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people visit Peru and its iconic archeological site, Machu Picchu, but very few visitors get off the beaten path and truly connect with the people and places they are there to experience.

Go Native America’s responsible travel policy is “Mitakuye Oyasin” – the final phrase in Lakota prayer which translates to: “We are all related in the Circle of Life – the two-legged, four legged, winged, and all living and growing things upon the Earth.” GNA operates in an environmentally-friendly fashion with the utmost respect for the Native American community, employing only Indigenous people as guides, and using tribally owned accommodations for tour members.

For Bardessono Inn and Spa, one of this month’s featured businesses, being a green hotel is a conscious choice that does not interfere with the commitment to providing a fully luxurious guest experience. The hotel, designed to achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest standard for environmental design, strives to be as transparent as possible in communicating its environmental initiatives.

Lapa Rips Ecolodge has received many major awards and recognitions – including National Geographic Adventure’s “50 Top Ecolodges: The Most Earth-Friendly Retreats in the World’s Most Spectacular Wilds” in 2009 and Conde Naste Traveler’s “Gold List” in 2008 and 2009. A recent addition to Lapa Rios Ecolodge’s inspiring achievements is the 2009 Coastal Living Awards (Tourism category). The Coastal Living Awards honor those working to protect and preserve coastal environments and coastlines for generations to come.

“If you want to see the Amazon first hand, if you want to support local communities in their efforts to preserve the rainforest and all of its treasures and you want to keep your footprint barely visible then look no further than the Cristalino Jungle Lodge. For over 16 years, Vitoria Da Riva Carvalho and her crew have managed to make an almost entirely self-sustainable resort that is single-handedly responsible for preserving over 200,000 hectares (and counting) of rainforest.”

Tourism Australia, Tourism Queensland and Gold Coast Tourism are staging the seventh National Conference on Tourism Futures from 17-19 August 2009 at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa, the Gold Coast. The Conference takes a forward perspective on the industry, looking out over a ten year timeframe and examining opportunities and issues for the future. The 2009 conference theme is ‘Redefining the Future’ and will examine the ‘over the horizon’ trends and opportunities that are reshaping the future of Australian tourism.