How these inspiring agents have become champions for change

The Class of 2023 TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassadors may have “graduated” from their responsible tourism training programme, but they’re not resting on their laurels. Our sustainability-savvy agents are championing selling responsible travel within their own agencies, at industry events and by teaming up with sustainability stalwarts such as World Animal Protection to educate their peers on the importance of understanding the ins and outs of responsible tourism. 

Our TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes – Avis, G Touring, Hurtigruten, Iberostar, Intrepid and the Greek National Tourism Organisation – alongside the likes of Responsibletravel.com and consultancy TerraVerde Sustainability have been supporting them with expert advice, invaluable resources and marketing spend to help them magnify their reach. As a result, our first intake of TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassadors have become reliable role models. 

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TravelTime World director Ashley Quint, for example, was named ESG Champion of the Year 2023 by The Advantage Travel Partnership last month. He was praised for driving TravelTime World towards B Corp status (which they haven’t quite achieved yet, but watch this space), his participation on stage at Abta’s Carbon Literacy Day in September, and contribution to a roundtable on animal welfare with Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer, as well as the agency’s It’s Easy Being Green travel guide for clients. 

“I felt I had a credible narrative and a good story to tell,” Quint says. “I was pleased I won it because we’ve put a lot of effort into [becoming a responsible business] over the past nine months of our sustainability journey.” 

As part of the TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes programme, the trainee Ambassadors were asked to complete a number of tasks, which included writing an animal welfare policy and researching the most sustainable suppliers across the cruise, touring and accommodation sectors. 

“I’ve since built upon the homework,” explains Quint, adding: “We’ve launched a database on our website of ethical tour operators and I wrote a whole journal on sustainable travel, which I will now do quarterly.” 

The director will be making a big marketing splash in local Hertfordshire media this month to celebrate his impressive achievements.