WildChina founder Zhang Mei was recently invited to serve as a panelist at the International Luxury Travel Market Asia in Shanghai. In a conversation moderated by Dorinda Elliot of Condé Nast Traveler, Mei will join Claire Howse of &Beyond and Jose Ramapuram of Orange County Resorts & Hotels to speak on the topic of How to Sell Authentic & Sustainable Travel.

Together, they will reflect on the following:

Luxury travelers are increasingly looking for truly unique experiences that are deeply personal. Additionally, high-end travelers want to know that the people they travel with have a CSR policy that supports their local community. In this seminar, we hear from some travel suppliers, who offer real experiences that get under the skin of a destination and local cultures.

When asked, “What is WildChina’s understanding of ecotourism?” Zhang Mei replied, “Ecotourism. Basically, TIES (The International Ecotourism Society, of which I am an advisory board member) defines ecotourism as Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. WildChina in general agrees with this definition. I personally prefer the term “sustainable tourism”, as it goes beyond the natural areas to include many historical sites as well. For example, our visits to the hutongs in Beijing is going to be hard to be defined as ecotourism, but what WildChina does is sustainable tourism – through story-telling, interactive activities, we encourage a healthy exchange between local residents and travelers, and thus creating a positive impact on the local culture. That’s sustainable tourism.”