With a steady eye on identifying fun, interactive and ethical travel experiences, the whl.travel global online travel-booking network taps into and magnifies the excellence of local tourism experts who. Alone, these experts are local leaders, but united they have become a forceful global presence for the right kind of tourism, sharing with major markets all…

Last weekend, in the Bahamas, the TravelMole Caribbean Web Awards 2012 singled out several websites for their excellence in online travel. While it did not take top honors, Gunyah.com, the WHL Group’s marketplace for authentic local-travel experiences and short break holidays and vacations, was shortlisted in the Tour Operator category.

It’s hard to believe another year has gone by. And with it the grace of another 44 incredible Photos of the Week. We are nevertheless once again proud to present our Photos of the Year – the travel pictures of the year 2011 that most captured the imagination of The Travel Word team and a group of expert external judges. Unlike our Photo of the Year 2010, this year, we had a tie for first place.

The winners have now been announced of the Ecotourism Travel Blog Contest sponsored by whl.travel. The goal of the contest was to promote ecotourism and responsible travel through shared stories about real-world adventures. Now, from a shortlist of 10 finalists established by popular opinion, three winners have emerged, each entitled to an ecotourism adventure for two people courtesy of whl.travel.

Yesterday saw the official launch of the Geotourism Development Foundation, a global not-for-profit organisation committed to elevating travel as a force for good through community development projects. Responding to a growing interest in independent, experiential and local travel, the GDF aims to cultivate community, cultural or environmental projects that link to tourism and derive revenue from visitors.

No, that’s not its age. That’s also not 50 miles or even kilometres an hour. Rather, just a few days ago the Green Path Transfers vision of competitively priced local transfer operators all across the globe committed to environmental sustainability, especially through the use of low-carbon-emission fuels or engines, surpassed 50 destinations in more than 30 countries.