ROUND-TABLE T ravel Weekly hosts sustainability discussion in partnership with Switzerland Tourism to
Firms discuss best practice on path to sustainability
T
ravel companies at different stages of their sustainability missions met last month to swap
stories and share advice. Intrepid Travel and sister brands
Cosmos and Avalon Waterways were among those represented at a sustainability round-table in London hosted by Travel Weekly in partnership with Switzerland Tourism. While those businesses have
built up considerable experience on sustainability, Newmarket Holidays is “in the early stages” of its sustainability journey, according to Kate Liberty, the operator’s head of marketing and brand. Newmarket’s ‘Travel For Good’
initiative, launched last autumn, details the steps it is taking to improve its global impact, while a carbon audit had been carried out recently, Liberty said. The efforts already appear to
be bearing fruit, Liberty suggested, One of the things
we’re assessing is our supply chain and how suppliers can become more sustainable
judging by the results of questions posed to internal departments as well as suppliers. “By asking all of these questions,
we realised we’ve come much further than we thought we had,” she said. As a certified B Corp, Intrepid
Travel is considerably more established on sustainability, but the small-group adventure specialist is targeting further progress. “In terms of sustainability, there
are so many things we still need to do and so many things we still need to work on,” said general manager Hazel McGuire, revealing that the company was “looking at emissions at all levels”.
“One of the things we’re assessing
is our supply chain and looking at how our suppliers can become more sustainable,” McGuire said. The operator wants its transport
providers to be “fully electric” as far as possible, McGuire said, adding that focus was also being placed on the flow of money into the countries being visited and seeing how much could be retained there. Cosmos, Globus and Avalon
Waterways UK chief executive Giles Hawke said one of the brands’ earliest steps regarding sustainability was the ditching of single-use plastic bottles. “We used to give three million
single-use water bottles to passengers,” he said. “Taking that away suddenly takes three million single-use bottles out of the chain.” More recently, Hawke said, the
sister operators had been considering the extent to which animals are involved in any of their tours and whether their role is appropriate.
Herrmann hails 2,500 suppliers for joining ‘Swisstainable’ initiative
Switzerland Tourism’s ‘Swisstainable’ programme has attracted about 2,500 suppliers just two years after being launched, the tourist board’s director has revealed. The initiative, open to all
businesses involved in Swiss tourism, grades companies based on their level of commitment to sustainability. Switzerland Tourism director Alex
Herrmann said: “We’re trying to pull along the entire industry with us and move from step to step.” The first level of the scheme
is ‘Committed’, while the next is ‘Engaged’ and the top bracket is ‘Leading’. Businesses in the highest
12 6 JULY 2023
category are recognised as having a “comprehensive, recognised sustainability credential that covers all dimensions of sustainability and is regularly audited by third parties”. Herrmann described the
Swisstainable programme as a “huge campaign” that is heavily advertised, including at railway stations. While the initiative has enjoyed
significant success since launching in 2021, Herrmann said the drive towards sustainable practices must keep up momentum. “It’s a process and it’s never done,”
he said, adding that the task is not as simple as “switching from not sustainable to sustainable”.
travelweekly.co.uk
Alex Herrmann with Travel Weekly’s
Lucy Huxley
Kate Liberty and Hazel McGuire
Panellists with Travel Weekly moderator Ian Taylor (left)
PICTURES: Ali Elmes
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
