United States Tour Operators Association Introduces Sustainable Suzie
The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) launched a first-of-its-kind comic book that introduces a superhero for responsible travel: Sustainable Suzie. Equal parts superhero and cheerleader, Sustainable Suzie fights the good fight towards a more sustainable future for travel around the globe.
By day, she's a USTOA tour operator guide named Susan who provides tips for travellers as well as examples of destinations and travel companies that are adopting workable, sustainable practices to ensure there is a world to explore for future generations. Meanwhile, her alter-ego, Suzie, battles with the villains determined to contaminate the planet. Sustainable Suzie's adventures can be found at USTOA.com/SustainableSuzie.
Terry Dale, president and CEO of USTOA, said:
"Travelling sustainably means being aware of the impact of tourism on the environment and the communities we visit, and our goal for the comic book is to break down barriers that travellers might have to understand that even small steps can make a big difference. While a comic might seem unorthodox, Sustainable Suzie conveys the core messages of responsible travel with humour, a much more digestible way to understand the issues, the stakes, and the solutions."
Among the main responsibilities of sustainable tourism highlighted in the comic is the need to protect the natural resources and wildlife in destinations, and to conserve cultural heritage while creating authentic experiences for tourists.
While Tour Guide Susan leads a small group of travellers to the experience-rich destinations of Korea, Tenerife, and Norway, all of which are committed to sustainable practices to preserve and protect their natural and cultural resources, onboard sustainability pioneer United Airlines, Sustainable Suzie is called into action to fight wasteful comic villains determined to continue their destructive paths to pollute the planet.
Meaningful tourism also provides socio-economic benefits for communities that live in tourist destinations. USTOA tour operator members provide truly local experiences for guests in destinations throughout the world, such as sampling Korean street food from some 5,000-odd vendors at Gwangjang Market in Seoul, visiting one of the nearly 1,200 fjords along Norway's 18,000-mile coastline, and biking 185 miles of trails throughout the forests of Tenerife, among many others.
Source: PRNewswire
