The newly formed Travel by B Corp hosted its first event, discussing what it means to travel sustainably and sharing ideas on how people can become more responsible travellers.
A poll of more than 100 viewers found that in answer to the question “What steps are you most likely to take to travel better in the future”, 62% would choose to use an operator that gives back.
Asked which things they’d like to see stop and begin in the industry with regards sustainability, the panel had varied answers.
Zina Bencheikh, managing director EMEA, Intrepid Travel, said she would like to see fewer words and more actions, with Juliet Kinsman, sustainability editor, Conde Nast Traveller, agreeing she wanted “more show, less tell”. “We need more measurables, more science and detail around financials.
“I still want to see the lovely emotional stories, but we need to qualify these statements around sustainability specifically.”
While Rory Boland, travel editor, Which?, said he called for managed government intervention to prevent overtourism, and an end to short flights: “Particularly in this country I’m hugely frustrated with our approach to rail and the benefits that could bring.”
Thomas Power, founder and chief executive of Pura Aventura, focused on flight sales.
“Don’t fly somewhere just because it’s cheap, and start building carbon into pricing,” he said. “It can’t be treated as an externality any more. It’s unbelievable that it still is. We have to take it in on the chin.”
The panel highlighted that aviation fuel remains untaxed.
