The Asia specialist tour operator said it had decided to apply for B Corp certification after the pandemic made the company “reappraise what travel means”.

B Corporations are businesses that “balance profit and purpose” by meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. The number of UK travel companies achieving this status has increased rapidly in the past two years from four in 2020 to around 30 this year.

Sam Clark, founder and director of Experience Travel Group, said: “By working with a B Corp-certified tour operator, agents have concrete evidence to show their clients they go the extra mile to deliver ethical holidays with a positive impact.”

To become certified as a B Corp, an organisation must address questions across a range of areas, including governance, staff, community, environment and customers.

“Embarking on the journey to become a B Corp made us deep dive into the company’s workings and provide evidence that ethical practices are at the core of everything we do,” said Clark.

“We reckon we were 70% of the way there already – due in no small part to our membership of Aito – and the advice they have provided via their sustainability efforts over the years.

“B Corp is also about much more than sustainability in so far it is about ‘People, Profit and Planet’ and people have always been core to our conception of travel and how to run a business.”

To secure B Corp status, Experience Travel Group made strides in tightening up processes and communication to “ensure that we followed through on our agreements and promises”. The operator also implemented frameworks and commitments to “measure and mitigate our impact”.

This work included strengthening the operator’s existing sustainability agreements with in-country suppliers and the commitment to work together to achieve their sustainability objectives.

Clark added: “Valuing the people who deliver our holidays – our guides or our local partners – and treating them as human beings with something to offer, rather than just as picturesque backdrops for an experience – has been central to our conception of immersive travel. 

“Everyone wants to be seen. It’s about reciprocation and a fair exchange and we believe that in championing this type of travel we can and have made an impact disproportionate to our size.”

He said this concept also applied to Experience’s employees and their relationships with agents too.

“We believe in high value partnership where everyone gains, makes for better holidays for our customers and ultimately more profit,” explained Clark. “This is also part of the B Corp assessment.”

Practical examples of this approach include: selling holidays that are “tip-inclusive” for guides to ensure they receive a fair wage; reducing the amount of single-use plastic on trips; investing in carbon capture projects for long-haul flights taken by clients or staff; and supporting workers when they are in need, such as its chauffeur guides in Sri Lanka after the terrorist attacks in 2019.

’Journey of continuous improvement’

Experience Travel Group earned an overall score of 84 in its B Impact assessment – a minimum score of 80 is required to be certified as a B Corp. The median score for businesses across all sectors completing the process is currently 50.9.

Clark stressed that achieving B Corp status was only part of the journey for Experience Travel Group towards achieving improved sustainability.

“We share the B Corp ethos that sustainability is not a single badge to be gained: it doesn’t mean standing still, rather a journey of continuous improvement and we’re proud to be on it,” he said.

“We plan to use the B Corp framework to grow the company and make an even bigger impact.”