'To really engage people, we need to use specifics'

We know Explore customers are interested in making more sustainable choices, but what does that actually mean? The word “sustainability” is vague, and the subject covers everything from measuring carbon emissions to fostering diversity and inclusion.

To really engage people, we need to use specifics – talk about the locally owned partner businesses you work with; the fresh food grown in the homestay your clients will visit; and how travelling by train instead of flying reduces the carbon footprint.

It’s much more engaging to talk about an amazing meal in a local restaurant than a bland statement saying this holiday puts money into the local economy. Because when it comes down to it, these experiences are often the things our customers remember most about their holidays.

As businesses, we need to ensure we’re letting customers know sustainability is important to us, while explaining what it means to us and what actions we’re taking. We’re committed to taking our customers and agent partners on the journey with us.

The fourth step in our Climate Action Plan is “communicate”. Our marketing team have a KPI to ensure 20% of our communications are purpose-led. We promise to be transparent. We share our successes while acknowledging where we’ve fallen short. We’re all on a steep learning curve and we’re learning all the time.

Communication is key for industry progression, too. There’s no room for competition in sustainability. We want other businesses to learn from what we’re doing. This is why we publish our methodologies and results, and why we take part in events such as TTG’s Fairer Travel Month and other open discussions on these crucial topics.

Together, we’re stronger and have a bigger voice.

Hannah Methven is sustainability specialist at adventure tour operator Explore Worldwide.

'We aspire to cultivate a culture of sustainability among our clients'

Clients recognise the importance of sustainability, but it often doesn’t drive holiday choices. They’re open to our eco-friendly suggestions, but hesitant to change their specific needs or pay extra.

We’re committed to guiding clients towards making “unconscious” sustainable choices. We don’t use the “S” word at all. We seek to make them more aware of these options without being explicit.

We embed sustainability in all aspects of our operations and communications, from promoting direct flights and longer journeys, to integrating rail where possible.

We prioritise working with B Corp Certified suppliers, and although only a fraction of the more than 300 suppliers we work with are B Corp, we make sure sustainability features in every package.

This includes advocating for eco-friendly hotel groups such as Ikos and Iberostar, and promoting ethical local tours and excursions.

We’ve enhanced our “travel ready” meetings, which are held 72 hours before departure, where we advise clients to pack reusable water bottles and invest in “bar” toiletries to reduce plastic waste. Also, our loyalty scheme rewards Diamond clients with complimentary UK airport transfers in electric vehicles.

We’ve also improved our business operations by investing in energy-efficient lighting and devices, and installing solar panels.

By embedding these efforts into our operations and client interactions, we aspire to cultivate a culture of sustainability among our clients. If every travel agent adopted similar practices, we could collectively make significant strides towards promoting sustainable travel.

No effort is too small.

Gilly Bachelor is a Not Just Travel personal travel consultant. She was named TTG's Smarter, Better, Fairer Travel Agent of the Year at the Travel Industry Awards 2023 by TTG.

'There’s a need for new metrics that go beyond volume or income'

Communicating sustainability effectively via multiple channels, and also with the help of travel agents, is a major responsibility for the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK.

Spain welcomed 85 million international visitors in 2023, breaking its pre-pandemic record. With interest in Spain at an all-time high, the country is now focused on managing this success and sustaining responsible tourism.

The Spanish government has developed a national agenda to meet the sector’s medium- to long-term challenges. Instead of just attracting visitors, the strategy aims to boost Spain’s commitment to the planet by integrating more sustainable practices.

We want to attract visitors who provide economic, social and environmental value to destinations. To do so, Spain has shifted its focus from visitor volumes to using new indicators that better reflect quality of life in local communities and the quality of tourism jobs.

We’re running a pilot project based on a survey (the result of more than 25,000 interviews across various Spanish communities) to better understand and assess how tourism growth impacts local residents.

We also know the importance of collaboration across sectors and want to help tourism find ways to develop new products, market segments and sales channels to encourage consumers, companies and destinations to pursue more sustainable practices.

There’s a need, though, for new metrics and KPIs that go beyond volume or income. Turespana is working with UN Tourism to measure and implement KPIs to manage tourism sustainably.

Jesus Ruiz is head of sustainability and impact at the Spanish Tourist Office.