WYSE Travel Confederation has been recognised by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and BestCities Global Alliance as a leading example of excellence within the meeting industry. The Incredible Impacts Programme awards organisations going “beyond tourism” in areas such as legacy development, sustainability and accessibility within their hosted events. This was the inaugural year for the programme and winners were announced this week at the ICCA Congress in Prague, Czech Republic.

“I’m sure this is the start of something really special, and Incredible Impacts will inspire many other associations to either share their great stories, or to initiate similar projects,” said Martin Sirk, CEO of ICCA. “We’ve always believed that the “beyond tourism” impact of international association meetings is far more valuable than the more easily understood delegate expenditure impact. Now we are starting to accumulate the evidence that we’ve been searching for.”

Judges for the Incredible Impacts Programme were impressed by the Dr. Taleb Rifai Outstanding Volunteer Award, which is a collaborative effort with Alliance Abroad. This award is given each year during the World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC) to a young conference volunteer who contributes exceptional support for the three-day youth travel industry event. This year, Tamirez (Tammy) Viera Marques received the award.

“Tammy was a standout in an impressive group of volunteers. She was cheerful, helpful, energetic, enthusiastic and dependable. But what really set her apart, was her selfless motivation. Tammy’s ambition and hope is that, by her words and actions, she will not only realize her own dreams, she will inspire dreams for others,” said James Bell, President of Alliance Abroad Group.

As winner of the 2017 Dr. Taleb Rifai Outstanding Volunteer Award, Tammy will receive a US J-1 trainee visa and an Australia working holiday visa, round-trip airfare, and a monthly stipend. Alliance Abroad has organised the details of her travels and internship. Additionally, Tammy will now receive a cash prize from the Incredible Impacts Programme – which can be used during her travels.

“We are very pleased, not only to be able to acknowledge and support young people who help make WYSTC a success, but also to encourage other organisations to develop their own initiatives and make a positive impact with their events, beyond tourism,” said David Chapman, WYSE Travel Confederation Director General. “We are most proud that volunteers who have received our award have had life-changing experiences as a result. That’s what we believe the youth travel industry should stand for.”

For more information about the Incredible Impacts Programme, visit: https://www.iccaworld.org/incredibleimpacts .

Hear from previous WYSTC volunteer award winners on what winning the award has meant to them.