We travel because we must! It's almost a primal drive... a need for movement, for seeking and finding the unknown, the untold. The pandemic has only shown us, yet again, just how strong that drive is, deep down, drilled into our bones. But with more and more people travelling for leisure today, and a changing climate that is blindsiding countries and continents alike, can we continue to travel as we always have?

As the cry for sustainability gets louder and louder with each passing year (and greenwashing threatens to become more normalised), we find that our role both as the touchstone of responsible tourism and the amplifier of best practices in India becomes more vital than ever. It is with great pride and joy therefore, that in 2023, we begin the next leg of our journey at the Outlook Indian Responsible Tourism Awards (IRTA) with our knowledge partner, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), which has been consistently setting standards and creating goalposts for the international tourism industry. Together, we shall vet, celebrate and learn from individuals and organisations who have been fighting the good fight for low-impact, locally relevant, and truly responsible tourism.