The importance of sustainability leadership in the tourism industry

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, and faculty and scientists of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has released two vital case studies on Sustainability Leadership by The Travel Corporation (TTC) and Intrepid Travel.

We are thrilled to be involved in one of the few case studies on sustainability undertaken in the Travel & Tourism sector. We hope this work will help usher in a new era within the sector – one in which both the public and private sector work together to ensure social and environmental responsibility

Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC

WTTC and Harvard researchers aim to support and highlight Travel & Tourism companies leading the way, as they work to build the business case for sustainability in the sector.

This collaboration has encouraged the sharing of best practices and has supported sustainability as a core strategic priority to ensure the viability of the sector and the co-creation of thriving sustainable societies.

WTTC and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have a long history of collaboration, working towards a more sustainable future for Travel & Tourism. Together, their work can help raise awareness, shift mindsets, and enact systemic change.

Similarly, The Travel Corporation and Intrepid Travel have a mutual understanding that sustainability is a shared challenge and have championed sustainability for many years. The two believe it is best addressed through cooperation and support of one another’s efforts to address the topic.

This is an important collaboration where sustainability, public health and business come together to advance research-led practice in the Travel & Tourism sector. Given the importance of the Travel & Tourism sector for people, planet and shared prosperity academic inquiry in the field is central to inclusive and sustainable growth

Dr. Wendy Purcell, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) case study focuses on the group’s efforts to ‘make travel matter’ and explores the way in which TTC has linked their sustainability strategy, as well as travel experiences directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

It champions sustainable travel through the setting of measurable goals, and ensures they are achieved through an integrated business function approach. The strategy aims to close any potential gaps in the expression of sustainability across the group, ensuring the efforts to achieve its goals are fully ingrained in the way TTC brands operate and how the group supports this through its non-profit foundation, TreadRight, which the group funds entirely from its own profits.

Intrepid Travel’s case study showcases its status as the world’s largest certified travel B Corporation (B Corp). Intrepid’s certified B Corp status entailed external, independent assessment of its interactions with its workers, customers, community and the environment. The B Corp status is not specific for the travel sector, rather it brings Intrepid alongside global organizations across all sectors, including leading brands such as Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s, and is an example in the sector.

These case studies are designed to help other Travel & Tourism businesses further develop their own sustainability endeavors drawing on these best practices.