CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE

At National Geographic, we are always pursuing our mission to push further to illuminate the unknown and the spectacular. Travel fits perfectly within this broad mission, and we see travel as a positive force to inspire more people to care about the planet through exploration, science, discovery and, yes, a great trip shared with friends and family. Fifteen years ago, National Geographic and Conservation International came together to launch the first-ever global sustainable tourism awards that included rigorous on-site inspections, led by a team of international travel experts. Our goal was to make sure that what a company said they were doing on paper was real in practice. We sent film crews to document sustainable tourism in action and, in 2003, the first World Legacy Awards were celebrated on stage at National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C., with Queen Noor of Jordan serving as our official Chairperson. The World Legacy Awards grew in stature and National Geographic went on to partner with ITB Berlin in 2015, bringing the awards to the largest travel-industry gathering on Earth.

We look forward to the day when there may be no need to put "sustainable" as a qualifier for describing better tourism. We look forward to the day when helping to protect global heritage and improve local livelihoods will be expected of any travel outfitter, hotel or destination. So, nearly two decades after we first introduced the World Legacy Awards, we are now setting our compass towards the next frontiers of travel. We will continue to embrace exploring our planet while safeguarding cultural and natural treasures for future generations. As we push beyond the World Legacy Awards, we will embark on new stories and innovations, taking the positive power of travel further.

We are proud to thank our friends at ITB Berlin, Adventure World, TreadRight Foundation, and Botswana Tourism, who joined us in making the World Legacy Awards a great success.

Costas Christ World Legacy Awards Chairman