The Travel Corporation is on a mission to reduce the impact tourism has on the planet
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
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As Cop28 draws to a close in Dubai, there is one clear takeaway message: the time for discussion has been and gone – it is now time for impactful action.
If the world is to have any chance of limiting global temperatures to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, every industry must strive to mitigate its greenhouse gas emissions, and every business must reduce its carbon footprint.
Since 2020, The Travel Corporation (TTC) – and its family of 40 travel brands including Trafalgar, Contiki, Uniworld and Red Carnation Hotels – has been on a mission to reduce the impact tourism has on the planet, its people, and wildlife.
Aligning itself with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, in 2020 TTC launched an updated five-year sustainability plan. The 11 goals of this strategy are addressing food waste, equity and inclusion, and wildlife conservation in the 70+ countries in which it operates, and are reported on annually.
Critically, TTC is also committed to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“We see it as investing in our primary resource – the planet,” explains Shannon Guihan, Chief Sustainability Officer at TTC and head of its charitable arm, the TreadRight Foundation.
“It is up to us – an industry that wouldn't exist without these beautiful destinations – to invest in and facilitate an equitable transition to a low carbon industry.”
Action over words
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The goal of reaching net zero by 2050 requires TTC to reduce its carbon footprint by 90 per cent compared to 2019 levels.
This is by no means an easy feat. Measuring and reporting emissions is a labour-intensive process – involving endless data input and analysis of Scope 1 (owned or controlled), Scope 2 (electricity and heating derived) and Scope 3 (all other indirect or supply chain) emissions.
Yet it is this commitment and attention to detail that separates TTC’s work from the greenwashing that is rife across the industry. While the net zero target of 2050 may sound like a shot into the distance, it obliges TTC to also commit to near-term, deeply ambitious targets including the reduction of absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 46.2 per cent by 2030 and absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, business travel, and use of sold products 27.5 per cent within the same timeframe – all over the group’s 2019 baseline.
So, how does an asset-heavy company, rooted in transportation – touring is centred around travel by coach – cut its emissions? By gradually moving towards fossil-free biofuels and the electrification of its fleet.
Last year, TTC's UK-based tour operator Evan Evans introduced the UK's first zero-emission coach for guided day trips to its fleet, and has since continued to add more e-coaches to its fleet. In addition, Contiki will begin to transition its coaches in Europe to HVO biofuels beginning January 2024.
“We need infrastructure and technology to catch up,” admits Guihan. "So, we are actively investing in both.”
Investing in the future of the planet
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The creation of TTC’s Carbon Fund last year, to support innovative technology and renewables that will reduce TTC's emissions, is perhaps the company’s most powerful move, and a first in the industry. The biannual contribution from all brands according to their carbon footprint has the potential to bring in 3-5 million US dollars this year.
Since its conception, the Carbon Fund has paid for the completion of a solar energy system for the company’s data centre in Sydney (its Toronto branch already runs on geothermal power), implemented the use of renewable energy credits across US and Canada-based offices, secured global energy audits across Red Carnation Hotels, and pushed forward in Contiki’s transition to using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuels.
In addition, TTC is working with TU Delft University in the Netherlands to find net zero shipping solutions. Donations via the TreadRight Foundation to nature-based solutions including reforestation and conservation programmes, such as Rainforest Rescue Australia, are made regularly.
Building meaningful travel experiences
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Designed to support the destinations where the brands operate, TTC’s MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences – available through its family of brands such as Trafalgar, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold – are enriching and educational experiences designed to have an environmental and social benefit for a destination.
Brendan Vacations' Seaweed Discovery Workshop, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience in County Kerry, Ireland, includes delicious seaweed dishes and local brews – including kombuchas and fruit kefirs. The guided walk sees guests learn to forage for coastal plants, while learning how to conserve fragile marine ecosystems.
Another MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience is Contiki’s work with Al Fresco Giardino e Bistrot. Situated in a now-reimagined former 17th-century Palermo convent, the bistro is run by two social workers turned entrepreneurs. The bistro employs former inmates of the local juvenile prison, helping them to find their feet again through food and work, with a dedication to curating a locally-sourced and seasonal menu, and reducing food waste.
With such impactful work already taking place, it is inspiring to imagine what might happen in the near future.
For industry-wide progress to be made, Guihan says, there has to be widespread collaboration. “Of course, we’re not always getting it right but by sharing our knowledge, we have the space to adjust, change course and evolve. We must align, as an industry, to support our supply chain, so they too can make manageable changes.”
Meanwhile, the message to travellers is clear. Book with a tour operator, hotel or business that is actively investing in a more sustainable tourism industry and “you are helping to ensure that there will still be experiences to be had in 50 years’ time”.
TTC and its family of brands have been offering tours for everyone. In operation for more than 104 years, this next phase of the evolution of the business can be experienced on the trip of a lifetime with Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Luxury Gold or Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, while you can be assured that your travel is working hard to have a positive impact