NEWS SPECIAL REPORT


Drivers of change Richard Sinclair, chief executive of ski specialist Sno, said: “We see interest from customers, but usually only those who already care. We put a page up on our site about driving to the Alps by electric car, showing all the charging points along the routes. “There are hundreds of hotels in


resorts that have at least two charging points. There are people that are super-keen but we just need to help them do it.” Travis Pittman, chief executive


of online marketplace and OTA TourRadar, said: “We [feature] 2,500 tour operators and we can’t control what they are doing on the ground [regarding sustainability], but we’re talking to travellers who are trying to close the gap between intention and action. “Our challenge is how we get the


content curated and categorised so customers can search, filter and make decisions on it.”


Government intervention Der Touristik’s Jones said one of the most pressing issues was aviation and the government’s strategy for reaching net zero. “We have to make sure the


travelweekly.co.uk


meet certain environmental criteria. “You have to be Tier 3-compliant,


The group in Tignes


government is investing in a solution and not just taxing the problem,” he said. “We can all convince ourselves that we’re doing the right thing, but if the cost of travel goes up and the number of people travelling goes down, that’s not the solution. “We have to accept the part


we play in global warming, but airlines can’t do it themselves. It needs government.” Ponte agreed, adding: “Who


solves the problem? Industry or government? It feels like industry is doing more than the government.” Phil Gardner, chief commercial


officer at Ambassador Cruise Line, said legislation could provide a framework for different sectors, adding: “The cruise industry is legislated and there are certain places we can’t go to unless we


which requires older ships to be fitted with massive catalytic converters. It’s not needed until 2025, but we’ve done it now, from the start, so we can go to more places. If you could copy this kind of control in other industries, it would be good.” Gordon McCreadie, general


manager at If Only, said staff were increasingly becoming drivers of change. “We’re all finding challenges around recruitment and increasingly candidates are asking what our CSR [corporate social responsibility] and wellness policies are, so operating sustainably has an even wider impact,” he said. Dean Harvey, Kuoni marketing


director, agreed, saying: “Customers aren’t knocking on our doors about it, but potential employees are. They are not going to join your business unless sustainability is part of your strategy, so they are going to push the agenda.” Ponte said: “We’re very


well-progressed with this in the adventure side of our business [Explore]. We have even had some people join us for less money because they want to be part of a purpose-led organisation.”


Positive impacts Shane Riley, vice-president of UK and international sales at Virgin Voyages, said companies needed to focus on sustainable efforts alongside the positive impact of travel. He said: “We urge people to


take a voyage – not a guilt trip – and we tell them all about the positive impact we are having, such as working with homeless people in Barcelona to make them our tour guides. “Our commitment to


sustainability is way deeper than just removing plastic straws. We’re focused on the entire end-to-end product.” Jones added: “There are huge


benefits of travel and we should be proud of what we do and remind people of what we give back to the communities we travel to.” Mark Mitchell, head of product


and commercial for travel at Midcounties Co-operative, said: “There are so many wonderful stories in the industry, but we need to find a way to bring them to the surface. As agents, we’d like to know all these great things that suppliers are doing, but how do we collate them to pass


them on to their customers?” i Decarbonisation ‘threat’, page 46


7 APRIL 2022 11


PICTURES: Shutterstock/Christian Kober, Brian A Jackson


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