Group Tour Magazine - May 2023 - 17

biodiversity safeguards into companies and policies, in
addition to finding ways to actively protect and restore
nature. " This has the added benefits of helping us
toward global climate change goals and protecting our
product, since so much of what makes travel amazing
is our natural resources, " Sutherland says.
Tourism Cares offers many practical resources for
tour operators looking to implement sustainability
practices into their companies. The Meaningful
Travel Map connects tour planners to impact organizations
in destinations like Jordan, Colombia, and
North America, with more destinations being added
soon. " The organizations on the map are vetted by
Tourism Cares for impact and all offer immersive,
engaging experiences for travelers, " Sutherland says.
Additionally, the Meaningful Travel Platform is an
educational tool providing training and resources
around topics in meaningful, sustainable, and regenerative
travel. " It is designed for travel industry professionals
to understand the issues, to learn what
they can do to make a difference, and to get activated
to make change, " Sutherland says.
Finally, the Guide to Meaningful Travel Product is
a PDF training resource for product developers to do
a deep dive into how they can use their tour product
and their supply chain to generate positive impacts
for destinations, communities, and environments.
Sutherland explains, " It is a step-by-step guide on how
to create a strategy, source product, evaluate the experiences,
and understand success. "
TAKING ACTON
You might still be wondering what actionable steps
you can take to make an impact. Should you only frequent
restaurants using paper straws? Do you need a
fleet of electric buses? How can you make sustainability
fit seamlessly into your tour business?
" Your tours themselves are your most powerful
weapon for creating change, " Sutherland says. " You
can use philanthropy and other partnerships in your
value chain to achieve some sustainability objectives,
like reducing single-use plastics, reducing carbon, etc.
But the experiences on tour are an opportunity to
support organizations that are protecting natural
resources and to do so in a way that generates ongoing
income for locals, creating a positive feedback loop. "
Focusing on your carbon footprint is another way
to make positive change. Tour operators can create
climate action plans and reduce tour carbon through
multiple approaches like minimizing or removing
on-tour flights, planning longer stays in each location
with fewer transport miles, and using alternative forms
of transportation. In addition to your own footprint,
it's wise to ask suppliers about their climate action
Leading the Way
Last year, the U.S. Travel Association
launched its Sustainable Travel Coalition,
which aims to align the travel, transportation,
and technology sectors in developing and
advancing strategies to enable a more
sustainable future. More recently in March,
U.S. Travel announced the Journey to Clean
Sustainable Tourism Campaign. The website
shares statistics, stories, and sustainability
commitments and visions from industry
organizations and leaders in all areas of
travel, including attractions, destinations,
and transportation companies.
ustravel.org; journeytoclean.com
plans and to support those that have similar sustainability
goals. " Offsetting has a role to play, but it won't
be enough, " Sutherland says. " We need to focus on
driving down emissions and expecting that not just
of ourselves, but all of our partners and supply chain,
including the airlines. "
Above anything else, educating yourself and your
staff about sustainability and responsible tourism is
key, and new initiatives surrounding this topic should
be treated like any other new product or program.
It's important to understand your competition, the
best practices out there, your business' strengths and
weaknesses, and the stakeholders at play. " Putting a
group together of cross-departmental employees who
care about this topic is a great way to get started and
keep people accountable, but it is also good to hire
experienced professionals in this space since some
expertise is always good, just like other business
departments, " Sutherland says.
" Training is key, " Dale agrees. " A sustainability initiative
is only as strong as the staff training behind it.
Implementing sustainability into the onboarding process
is vital to ensure that it will last and grow with the
company. " He also recommends implementing new
tour initiatives in small, pilot programs to monitor
successes and hurdles before applying them across
your entire business.
Both Sutherland and Dale emphasize the importance
of leaning on and learning from the overall
sustainable tourism community. Sutherland says,
" We all have the same goal: to make travel a force
for good and something we can keep doing for many
decades to come. "
grouptourmagazine.com 17
http://www.ustravel.org http://www.journeytoclean.com http://www.grouptourmagazine.com
Group Tour Magazine - May 2023

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