The Japan and Asia specialist will increase its sustainability focus next year with the return of Robert Moran as global sustainability manager, based in Japan. Moran, who is on long-term paternity leave, will work with suppliers and promote responsible tourism.
He will join the operator’s global head of sustainability Sophie Walker, who took up her role earlier this year, and sustainability executive Dominic Hughes, who joined in March to lead carbon reduction.
Walker tells TTG the trio, who are among 185 staff, demonstrated Inside Travel’s commitment. “In 2018 I spent four hours a week on sustainability, now we have nearly three full time members.
“I think it is very much needed. In a normal business, the sustainability team would be focussed on the business side of things, but we look at responsible tourism, overtourism, the charity side, volunteering. I think travel companies should have more people on their sustainability teams.”
She says becoming B Corp Certified was a major attraction for new staff, adding that “nearly everyone mentions it at interview".
But Walker admits the group has “not had a lot of feedback from clients – maybe it’s one of those things that would tip the balance between us and another tour operator, although that’s not why we have done it”.
The operator’s 2023 impact report, released this week, details how the InsideJapan and InsideAsia brands carried almost 11,000 people to 10 Asian destinations, generating record revenue of £50.1 million. Charity donations totalled £128,000 – 5% of profits.
Inside Travel offsets all trips plus its own carbon footprint through projects such as wind turbines in India, forest conservation in Borneo and initiatives to protect the Japanese giant salamander. Staff also gave 380 hours to local projects, with volunteering hours set to double.
Overtourism strategy
The next initiative, an overtourism strategy, will be revealed in 2025. “We already recognise it’s a problem around Kyoto and Mount Fuji – people always want the must-sees on their first trip,” Walker says.
Remedies, she adds, include offering lesser known parts of cities, advising on how to avoid peak times and giving back via community tourism. “We have the product knowledge, we just need to draw on that to channel people to places where they get the best experience.”
The report details other initiatives already in action, Inside Travel aims for a 10% reduction in emissions caused by client travel by the end of 2025. With 97% of emissions coming from customer trips - 67% from international flights – the operator now recommends the least emitting flight option, favouring direct routes and the most modern aircraft types. Public transport in the destination is also encouraged.
Another initiative is for clients in Japan to donate the remaining credit on subway transport cards to a foodbank. In 2023, the scheme provided more than 23,000 meals. In addition, the brand’s offices in Bristol, Colorado, Nagoya and Brisbane are 62% powered by renewable energy.
’Not there yet, but on the right path’
Inside Travel Group co-founder Alastair Donnelly adds: “The report brings into the open the big issues that the company and industry face. It has helped us in developing strategy to address the carbon impact that comes with long-haul travel and the growing issues around overtourism whilst also generating new ideas for how we deliver on our mission to be a business that makes genuine positive impact.”
“We want to ensure that travel is a force for good in the world. That means taking everything that’s so great about travel – cultural experiences, new perspectives, creating shared memories – and blending it with genuine environmental and social impact. We’re not there yet but we believe we’re on the right path.”
