7 ways to reduce the negative impacts of travel
In the third TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassadors workshop, experts advised how you can help clients minimise the negative impacts of their travels.
If you asked your clients if they wanted to minimise the negative impact from their next holiday, most would say yes. But while many travellers would struggle to know where to start, it’s an area where agents can provide vital advice.
To help TTG readers do just that, TTG’s Sustainable Travel Heroes have shared their top tips, including Intrepid Travel’s general manager of global product, Erica Kritikides. She co-hosted the third TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassador workshop, and told agents that while Intrepid is laser-focused on sustainability and responsible travel, the operator also relies on holidaymakers “to help us on our mission to make a positive impact on the communities we visit”.
Here are the TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes’ suggestions for actions your clients can take to lessen the negative impacts of their travels:
1. BE A RESPECTFUL GUEST
Kritikides says visitors will create trust with locals and have a deeper and more meaningful experience by being a respectful guest. Being aware of local customs and dress codes is important, and it’s useful to know a few words in the local language, especially hello, please and thank you.
She also encourages travellers to be mindful of the diversity of local culture within a country. This is something Hurtigruten also promotes, and the company works closely with local communities, building strong and respectful links with the places its ships visit, to help empower people, strengthen local economies and protect the environment.
2. SPEND INTENTIONALLY
Encourage travellers to think about where their money is going. By eating in a local restaurant, staying in a local guest house or buying genuinely locally produced handicrafts they can help support the local economy.
Look for suppliers that proudly follow a similar approach. For example, 80% of all food and beverages on Hurtigruten’s Norway ships are sourced from sustainable local Norwegian producers.
3. INCLUDE EXPERIENCES THAT MAKE AN IMPACT
Another way in which travellers can support local people is by carefully choosing experiences that make a positive impact. Intrepid clients have the chance to visit women-owned businesses, social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations. Kritikides says these have a “fantastic impact” and allow clients to make handicrafts alongside locals, meet new people and buy their products. More on this to come in TTG!
4. CONSIDER LOWER-CARBON TRANSPORT
To encourage people to reduce the carbon output of their travel, Kritikides suggests looking for ways to reduce “unnecessary” flights if a train or bus is a viable alternative. Keep abreast of major railway developments happening globally, as huge levels of investment are transforming rail infrastructure in many counties.
Another option is renting a car, which Avis promotes as a safe, convenient and cost-efficient alternative to other forms of public transport. Avis’s fleet consists of the newest, most fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles, including electric vehicles, hybrids and internal combustion engines. They’re available in a range of destinations, including Crete.
5. STAY FOR LONGER
If clients do fly to a destination, they can maximise their stay by choosing a longer duration, which allows for a more in-depth experience.
6. REDUCE WASTE
Reduce and reuse are the key concepts for clients to remember. Bringing a reusable water bottle and bag is a great starting point to avoid plastic alternatives. It’s something Iberostar actively encourages, and its hotels have been free of single-use plastic since 2020. The hotel brand is also working towards its goal of not sending any waste to landfills or incinerators by 2025.
Other clever ways clients can dodge unnecessary plastic include bringing a raincoat to avoid plastic ponchos, using their own bamboo cutlery and opting for solid soap and conditioner bars. Encourage them not to buy lots of new equipment for a holiday, and instead borrow specialist gear from friends and family, especially for active trips such as hiking or skiing.
7. GET OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
“Encourage your travellers to think more broadly when they travel,” Kritikides says. She acknowledges many visitors want to see popular tourism destinations, but says agents can design itineraries that disperse tourists. Is there an alternative, more unusual option to a major tourist hotspot, or even another country clients could consider? This helps spread the benefits of tourism more broadly, and these unique experiences often end up being the ones travellers recall most fondly. “They do genuinely feel they are travelling off the beaten track, which is pretty exciting,” Kritikides adds.
Trade & tested
During the workshop, TTG’s trainee Sustainable Travel Ambassadors shared how they have minimised the negative impacts of travel on their recent trips and fams
- Many consciously choose their accommodation. Self-catering was popular, with agents highlighting the value of buying local produce. Others opted for Hilton and Iberostar properties due to their sustainability credentials, or chose centrally located properties so they could walk to places of interest.
- Agents chose restaurants that supported the local community, and others purchased pre-made picnics using local produce.
- They researched what seafood was sustainably fished in a destination, choosing it when eating out
- They booked local guides and tours which took them to restaurants, shops and experiences outside of main tourist areas.
One agent offset her flight, while others used e-bikes and walked where at all possible.
Another volunteered with non-profit organisation Tourism Cares to pick up litter while abroad.
Agents worked with DMCs who shared their insight into countries and supported trips that helped locals and didn’t harm wildlife.
Many opted out of daily towel and bedding changes in their hotels.
FIND OUT MORE
For more tips on selling sustainable travel, and information on the Ambassador programme, visit ttgmedia.com/sustainabletravelheroes
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