by Any business can place a small green leaf on its website. If we really want to travel more sustainably, it’s up to us to dig deeper and ask harder questions to hold our hosts accountable. They won’t always know the answers, which in itself says something about their green credentials, but more importantly it could push them to improve as a business when it comes to environmental, social and economic impact. We asked some of the industry’s smartest traders to give us a guide on what to ask and why it’s important.
1. How do you try to make sure money stays in local pockets?
Bruce Poon, founder of adventures g
Because it is important: “The best and easiest way to ensure that money stays in a destination is to do your research; Find out where your money goes in the places you visit and make sure local people benefit. As pioneers of community tourism, G Adventures offers a ‘domino score’, which is designed to provide transparency around the local economic impact of a tour, but does not reflect the quality of the experience during the trip – the higher the local operating costs . They stay local, the better the ripple effect will be in those communities and the higher the domino score will be. A score of 100 means that all of the services we have used to create that specific tour are locally owned. “We also have over 100 community tourism projects integrated into our travels around the world that directly benefit local people.”
2. The question: Can you recommend an itinerary that allows me to travel abroad without flying?
Cat Jones, founder of train travel specialist Byway
Why this is important: “Flying less is one of the most impactful things we can do as individuals for the climate. Choosing to travel by train instead of plane not only reduces CO2 emissions per passenger by up to 90 percent, but also makes it a really fun way to travel. Experience scenic travel (perhaps even from a bed on an overnight train), enrich your vacation by staying in more than one place, and support local economies by choosing routes away from overly touristy airport hubs. The obstacle many face when considering traveling without flights is the initial uncertainty (Where to go? What route? What to do? What tickets?). That’s why this question is important: it’s hard to know where to start! If your agent doesn’t have free flight options, maybe let them know Byway can help. Partnering in this way helps us empower the travel industry to bring free flights into the mainstream, making it easier for people to travel more sustainably. We want people to feel encouraged to immerse themselves and enjoy train holidays, for the planet and because it is a richer way to travel. At Byway we make it easy for you without flights, with personalized trips by train, boat and bus that also include accommodation as a protected package. Our trip creation technology also allows for the planning and booking of free flights for our partners, so we can easily work with agents like Kuoni, Intrepid and Exodus, where we offer flight-free round trips to already booked tours. “
3. The question: How does your company work with local businesses to ensure you support the destination you are visiting?
Jonny Bealby, founder of wild frontiers
Because it is important: “As a tour operator, you cannot create and support responsible and sustainable forms of tourism without understanding the needs and challenges on the ground, which can differ greatly from country to country. It is vital for us that we communicate very closely with our global partners, who are essentially the eyes and ears on the ground. It is through these partners, in addition to the time we spend in each of our destinations, that we are able to develop solid and effective local initiatives and projects, which not only allow us to offer excellent trips to our clients but also support communities. we visit. Look for companies that have an ethos like this, which is key to our Wild Frontiers Foundation, which we established to raise awareness and provide additional funding to projects within the destinations we visit.”
4. The question: As an operator, how do you collaborate with the broader travel industry to achieve change?
Justin Wateridge, founder of Journey to the steppes
Because it is important: “Collaboration is difficult: we have to share more. We have to work together. Discuss what a company is doing to raise awareness of the issues and how advocacy is part of the company’s vision to create a greener, more biodiverse planet. Are you pushing for a “green right to fly”, for example: this is a version of the current air passenger tax in the UK that would end the tax exemption given to aviation and reduce demand for flights with higher prices, with ring income? -Fenced for investment in sustainable versions of aviation and other ways to decarbonize air travel. “It would make short-haul flights much less attractive and first class would be proportionately more expensive.”
5. The question: Can you book me to stay or travel with a B Corp travel company?
Thomas Power, founder of Pura Aventura
Why this is important: “A company that has been successfully assessed as a B Corp is legally committed to doing business in a more ethical manner, and is an easy way for a consumer to identify a company that has considered its environmental and social impact. There are so many labels, badges, and promises that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I sincerely feel sorry for consumers who want to have a wonderful vacation instead of having to do a lot of homework. That’s why I suggest you ask your agents about B Corp businesses. We are members of Travel By B Corp, a group of B Corp certified companies in the UK covering everything from self-catering homes, hotels and holiday parks on our shores to adventures in remote places thanks to members like Intrepid Travel and De Sawday. “The more tourists know about this distinction, the better, and this generates a debate about values.”
6. The question: Can you help me ensure my money goes beyond my hotel stay and impacts the local community?
Jessica Blotter, co-founder of Kind traveler
Because it is important: “97 percent of travelers want their travel dollars to have a positive impact on the communities they visit, according to our 2022 Friendly Traveler Impact Tourism Report, and with our Every Stay Gives Back program, every trip stay A guest at participating hotels mobilizes funds for local charities connected to the destination’s well-being, regardless of where the reservation originates. Hotels can easily communicate and celebrate the measurable positive impact of their efforts through a QR code and a performance report. live community impact. As an example, The Stavrand, a woman-owned boutique hotel in Sonoma County, California, has designated Farm to Pantry as its local beneficiary and has already mobilized 3,184 servings of county-grown fruits and vegetables of Sonoma for underserved families, while solving food waste problems, and has saved the emissions equivalent of taking 79 cars off the roads for one day.”
7. The question: What are you looking for when booking sustainable accommodation?
James Jayasundera, founder of Trip to Ampersand
Why this is important: “I think the key is sensitivity to nature and local culture, from the style of architecture to being in harmony with nature, location and community. Travel companies must teach locals to be proud of what they have. Encourage them to be more supportive: stop polluting, organize clean-up operations and develop an appreciation among locals for what is local. You want to ask your agent how they support companies that think this way.”
8. The question: Do you recommend this trip as a seller or can you genuinely speak to its sustainability credentials?
Byron Thomas, Founding CEO of Trip to Niarra
Because it is important: “There is a big difference between a trained and certified travel advisor (our team is made up of GSTC certified travel researchers) recommending the most sustainable trip available for your dates and the salesperson proposing the one for which the supplier has given you a sufficiently ecological suggestion. but more than anything, a nice order. In tour operations, which most people use to book high-end safaris, up to 35 percent of the room rate will not reach local people on land. “It’s important to ask for transparency around the finances and structure of the commissions if they truly want to support the communities and conservation efforts that the trips are about.”
9. The question: If I want a unique honeymoon, away from mass tourism and all-inclusive, what can I do to encourage a more authentic experience?
Katie Terrington, founder of Katie Terrington’s Private Trip and member of The Conscious Travel Foundation
Why this is important: “Instead of looking for an all-inclusive two-week beach getaway, honeymooners are increasingly asking to spend their valuable time slowly discovering destinations, learning about cultures, staying in off-grid properties, learning something new, relying on specialized local guides and delving deeper into the destination. As an independent travel designer, it is incredibly important that I work alongside a carefully selected selection of hotels, hostels, local guides and other local partners who can help me create these experiences. In Instead of booking with large wholesalers who are pushing local properties for higher commissions, have standardized tours and I tend to focus on booking larger properties, I actively look for partners who are smaller, more creative, who work closely with their communities, who They are committed to conservation and partner with a lot of amazing local suppliers. “.
For more tips on how to be a more climate-friendly traveler, explore the sustainable travel hub.
