Travellers seeking ‘meaningful’ holidays with help of expert travel agents, report reveals

Pictured: Trattoria Terra Madre, a farm to table experience in Alberobello, Italy which features on select Insight Vacations’ Italian itineraries

Travellers are seeking a meaningful holiday experience with the guidance of a knowledgeable travel agent, according to an update to The Travel Corporation’s five-year sustainability strategy.

The group’s first official impact report details progress against 11 sustainability goals launched in September 2020.

The ‘How We Tread Right’ review covers progress group’s 41 brands have made in 15 months up to December 2021.

It highlights the cumulative progress made as the company seeks to shape a brighter future for the travel industry, local people and communities it visits, the planet and wildlife. 

TTC said it recognises the growing expectation from passengers across global markets who want to make responsible choices and travel more sustainably, including supporting local communities and reducing environmental impacts.

Chief sustainability officer Shannon Guihan said: “This first, and future impact reports, enable us to evaluate the progress we’re making as a company as well as individual brands, so we can track our increasing achievements and acknowledge the areas that need more work. 

“Our sustainability strategy was carefully designed to enable meaningful measurements with a clear focus on action.

“We are singularly focused on the success of these actions on the issues we aim to address, and recognise that our impact can only be understood through measurement and transparency.”

TTC chairman Brett Tollman added: “With the upcoming Stockholm+50 international environmental conference convened by the United Nations General Assembly, issues including climate change, sustainable food production and animal welfare are global issues which require urgent action.

“In sharing our blueprint to do better, we hope to engage our industry to join the fight against these critical planetary challenges, as it’s only in working together with clear intent that we can truly make travel a force for good and safeguard our planet for future travellers,” he concludes.

Cumulative progress against TTC’s 11 sustainability goals include:  

• Developing net zero targets aligned with a science-based targets initiative, currently under review and to be shared later in 2022.
• Carbon-neutral trips announced in January by four brands including Contiki.
• Sourcing 28% of global electricity needs from renewable sources.
• Switching nine additional properties to 100% renewable electricity.
• Reducing food waste by 39% at 12 Red Carnation hotels.
• Introducing food waste management systems at 30% of hotels and Uniworld ships
• Cutting printed brochures by 88% from 2019.
• A total of 554 Make Travel Matters experiences introduced across TTC itineraries.
• 51% of all TTC itineraries had at least one Make Travel Matters experience, surpassing a goal set to reach 50% by 2025.
• Offering 65 itineraries visiting 110 developing regions.
• Assessing more than 400 wildlife experiences to ensure full compliance with the group’s Animal Welfare Policy.

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