TTG’s Sustainable Travel Heroes campaign was named Sustainability Initiative of the Year at the 2023 Professional Publishers Association (PPA) Awards on Wednesday (28 June), with the campaign – which is now in its second year – besting efforts by Marie Claire UK, Bauer Media Group and Haymarket Media Group.
Sustainable Travel Heroes is all about progressing and supporting the travel trade’s sustainability journey. The PPA said the initiative met its clear objectives, had the ability to influence on a large scale, and had produced impressive results that had actively driven change.
Last year, Sustainable Travel Heroes saw TTG partner with several suppliers to educate travel agents on what sustainable travel is, and then inspire them to sell more responsible travel experiences through fam trips, features and videos.
This year, the programme has developed to appoint 20 agents as TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassadors, with the aim of these ambassadors taking their learnings away to share with the wider agent community.
TTG was shortlisted for another four awards at the PPAs – PPA Commercial Partnership of the Year (Business) for Sustainable Travel Heroes; PPA Diversity and Inclusion Award; PPA Employer of the Year; and PPA Media Brand of the Year (Business Media).
TTG special projects editor Madeleine Barber, who oversaw the Sustainable Travel Heroes initiative, said: "In its first year, the TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes initiative increased agents’ confidence when talking to clients about sustainability challenges.
"These included reducing single-use plastics and carbon emissions, choosing ethical animal encounters and supporting local communities. Some 91% of agents agree the campaign has encouraged them to take small steps, and their clients to do the same, showing how agents can make a difference.
"Our supplier partners Avis, G Touring, Hurtigruten, Iberostar and Intrepid Travel provided 36 agents with fam trips that have changed the way they sell sustainable travel, with lots more valuable advice and transformative experiences to come in 2023. This initiative is key to TTG’s mission to help create a smarter, better, fairer travel industry, and we’re excited to build on its success."
Head to TTG’s Sustainable Travel Heroes hub to find out more about the initiative.
