Few will ever manage to scale the towering heights of Mount Everest – the summit of the world. Even fewer will fail five times… and come back for more.
But that’s just what Gavin Bate, managing director of Adventure Alternative, who finally got to the top of the world’s highest mountain – complete with a WTM World Responsible Tourism Day poster to help spread the word.
Gavin has been a keen supporter of WTM World Responsible Tourism Day since it was launched five years ago to educate, motivate and inspire travel companies to engage in year-round responsible tourism activity
Gavin, aged 45, came within 250m of the summit on each of his last five attempts to conquer Everest. But recently he achieved his goal.
“By getting to the top of Everest, Gavin has joined an extremely elite international club of climbers”, said Fiona Jeffery, chairman of World Travel Market and pioneer of responsible tourism.
“But by promoting WTM World Responsible Tourism Day at the summit, he demonstrated that responsible tourism is indeed scaling new heights.
“Gavin is among a growing band of enthusiastic industry professionals who are helping to make WTM World Responsible Tourism Day into a global phenomenon. Responsible tourism is becoming an essential part of a company’s strategic direction.”
A programme of presentations, debates, seminars and a networking reception is spread over three days at World Travel Market in London this year, although the main focus is on the actual day, Wednesday 9 November.
Of his feat to reach the top of Everest, Gavin said: “It was an amazing feeling. You can see the curvature of the Earth, the sky is black because you can see space.
“Your brain can’t quite compute the height that you’re at.
“You’re just beside yourself with emotion.
