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Our Foundation projects
AAT Kings is a founding contributor to The Travel Corporation Conservation Foundation. Since the Foundation launched in 2008, it has worked to encourage sustainable tourism and supports threatened communities, natural environments and historic sites all over the world.
To ensure every dollar donated by these companies goes to people and places in need, each project is carefully vetted by the Foundation's Members of the Board with advice from a specially selected Advisory Panel of conservation and development experts.
The Travel Corporation's Conservation Foundation grant program has, so far, supported the following projects:
In Australia, the Kimberley Coastal Tourism project has been formed out of a partnership between The Foundation, WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and the Kimberley Land Council to establish a project to help and support local communities in the Kimberley, develop indigenous sustainable tourism - protecting the natural environment and cultural heritage values.
Project partners want to see an increase in the number of Traditional Owners working in and benefiting from the thriving tourism industry in the Kimberley region. With the Kimberley rapidly becoming a global tourism hot-spot, it is critical to put in place effective measures to safeguard the region.
After three years’ of work on the project, Bardi Jawi rangers now deliver cultural awareness talks to visitors. The cultural awareness program ensures that visitors engage properly with the uniquely magnificent Kimberley environment in ways that respect the local Traditional Owners’ connection to their country. The Bardi Jawi ranger visitor program won the 2011 Western Australia Coastal Award for Excellence in recognition of an exceptional contribution to protecting the environment.
Through the project, Traditional Owners worked with tourism businesses on a voluntary code of conduct. The guidelines cover making guest visits safe and eco friendly, and respecting cultural values. These visitor guidelines set the standard for sustainable tourism in the region and may be adapted across the Kimberley.
The Travel Corporation’s Conservation Foundation has helped Conservation International (CI) protect the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, the world’s most threatened tropical forest, with a grant of $US350,000. Known as one of the “hottest biodiversity hotspots” on Earth, the Atlantic Forest region is one of the world’s most important and highly threatened regions for conservation The Conservation Foundation grant has gone towards protecting more than 3 million hectares of forest in key priority regions within the Atlantic Forest which is recognised by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve.
CI will employ a strategic, large-scale plan to create nature corridors for plant and animal life by implementing a set of existing protected areas and establishing new protected areas. This will not only preserve forest habitat for rare species facing extinction, but it will also help combat climate change.
Venice is visited by over 16 million tourists a year and this level of mass tourism as well as flooding, degradation and the relocation of permanent residents is threatening the city's future. With research and consideration there is great potential to establish sustainable tourism in Venice but without it the city may be largely uninhabitable within the century.
The Travel Corporation's Conservation Foundation has funded research in Venice undertaken by UK charity Venice in Peril and Cambridge University which has published a major research project which aims to ensure Venice remains for future generations of residents and tourists.
In Africa the Foundation has supported Wilderness Wildlife Trust's work which protects both the environment and incredible wildlife of Africa. A US$50,000 grant has gone towards constructing three environmentally sustainable research camps and purchasing a vehicle for each camp. These camps will allow top conservation researchers to investigate elephant zebra and antelopes to ensure their habitat and species are protected for the future.
The Travel Corporation's Conservation Foundation has been a co-sponsor of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards in 2009 and 2010. The contribution made by the Foundation encourages the sharing of best practice among tourism operators, promote sustainability throughout the industry and help raise awareness about the environmental and cultural challenges faced by destinations and communities.
The awards are an initiative of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) that seek to promote, support and reward best practice in sustainable tourism across the world.
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