The Travel Corporation hosted an event on 19 July 2023 at Re-Bar in Sydney’s Eveleigh, the world’s first zero-waste bar. An appropriate setting given the organisation was launching its second annual global impact report, and sharing findings from recently commissioned consumer research.
The impact report tracks progress against the group’s five-year sustainability strategy, How We Tread Right (HWTR), launched in September 2020. HWTR’s 11 sustainability goals are anchored to the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and include brands such as Contiki, Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, AAT Kings, Adventure World, Costsaver, Luxury Gold, and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, and more.
“Our Impact Report 2022 provides direct insight into the work we’ve done to achieve our sustainability ambitions to date as we continue to work towards achieving our long-term goals. These focus on climate action, sustainable food production, responsible consumption, travel experiences, diversity, equity and inclusion, and animal welfare,” said Shannon Guihan, TTC Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of The TreadRight Foundation, who addressed the room via video.
The event included a panel discussion with Neil Rodgers, Managing Director, Adventure World; Alice Ager, Managing Director, Uniworld; David Hosking, Chief Executive Officer, The Travel Corporation Australia; Toni Ambler, Managing Director Oceania TTC Tour Brands; and Ben Hall, Chief Executive Officer, AAT Kings Group.
Subscribe to LATTE’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury travel industry.
Consumer research commission by TTC in conjunction with the report found that Australians want to travel more sustainably but find the cost a barrier, and want to book with operators that focus on sustainability. Furthermore, Australians want to reduce food waste while travelling and to support local tourism, trade, and wildlife – and Gen Z is leading the charge. TTC has implemented positive changes across its suite of brands as a result. Furthermore, TTC has replaced its goal to become carbon neutral by 2030 with the more ambitious aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
“Our impact report highlights that we now include at least one MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience on 62% of itineraries across our brands – this represents 571 immersive experiences designed to benefit a destination or community, educate our clients, and support the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development,” said Toni Ambler, Managing Director of TTC Tour Brands, Contiki, Trafalgar, Costsaver, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold.
Notable achievements
TTC’s Impact Report reveals Uniworld has achieved a reduction in food waste by 34% across six ships by introducing the Leanpath food waste technologies in 2022 with a rollout to be completed across the remaining fleet in 2023. Moreover, TTC has been steadily increasing the use of local and organic products across their properties and ships to reduce impact, support local producers and create delicious authentic cuisine.
All wildlife experiences included on TTC brand itineraries are free from animal cruelty, with a full audit completed every two years to confirm adherence to TTC’s Animal Welfare Policy. Keeping wildlife protected in the wild is a core ethos of Adventure World’s Conservation Collection: a series of intimate small-group journeys released in 2022 featuring behind-the-scenes wildlife experiences and once-in-a-lifetime encounters.
“It is encouraging to see increasingly positive consumer sentiment around sustainable travel, but this is not what drives TTC’s efforts. Reducing the environmental impact of our business, as articulated in our HWTR strategy, is at the core of all that we do,” said David Hosking, Chief Executive Officer, The Travel Corporation (Australia) and Director of TreadRight.
“It is too great a risk not to address these issues in a meaningful, timely and transparent manner. Our investment in a Carbon Fund to support achieving near-term, long-term and net zero validated targets is, I believe, a critical step forward in our sustainability journey.”
Lead image: Panelists at this week’s event, from left: Neil Rodgers, Managing Director, Adventure World; Alice Ager, Managing Director AU/NZ, Uniworld; David Hosking, CEO, The Travel Corporation, Australia; Toni Ambler, Managing Director, Oceania TTC Tour Brands and Ben Hall, CEO, AAT Kings Group.