The tourist board and the travel company shaping the future of travel
Switzerland Tourism and The Travel Corporation Group are turning sustainable philosophies into practical action with a memorandum of understanding, which will deliver more bookable products to your door. We find out more
It’s a rare event, travel agents are telling us, when a customer comes through the door to request flight-free travel, a plastic-free hotel and tours to social enterprises, and all that in the low season too. There’s only so much compromise, it appears, the general public is willing to make in exchange for the holiday they really want.
However, such is the momentum gathering behind the sustainable travel movement, it is now becoming a determining factor and something that can help clients decide between two evenly priced choices. They’re receptive to hearing about greener, better choices.
Imagine a day when it’s not treated as a deciding factor anymore, because all the options on the table are sustainable.
The onus is on the industry to take the lead with this.
This is what Switzerland Tourism is working towards, first with its Swisstainable strategy, that encourages travellers to enjoy nature close up and at first hand, to experience the local culture in an authentic way, to consume regional products, and to stay for longer and delve deeper.
Now it is taking that a step further, drawing up memorandums of understanding with DMCs and tour operators, to make sure that Swisstainable is visible and bookable.
Switzerland Tourism has recently signed an agreement with The Travel Corporation, owner of Insight Vacations and Trafalgar Tours among other brands.
The partnership means Switzerland’s sustainable travel options will help TTC achieve its target of Net Zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 across the entire value chain, while TTC will open up Swisstainable to a potential global customer base of 1.9 million guests.
“Our goal is to support our tour operator partners in creating new offers in Switzerland and jointly promote these in our markets. To our knowledge we’re the only tourism board pursuing this approach in our sustainability initiative,” says Alex Herrmann, UK & Ireland director, Switzerland Tourism.
Shannon Guihan, The Travel Corporation Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of TreadRight, adds: “Advancing the sustainability agenda, which we recognize as critical, will be successful only when destinations and industry work towards a shared vision of positive impact. This is precisely what our partnership with Switzerland Tourism means to TTC: it’s a model of progress.”
Swisstainable is open to any business in the Swiss tourism industry to join, with three different levels of participation, based on recognised sustainable qualifications. Herrmann says: “It’s a win-win for all concerned. We help operators put together more attractive itineraries for travellers and we hope to encourage and motivate more suppliers to join the programme, because they will see that members gain exposure with tour operators.”
“We want to get the entire industry involved,” he adds.
Six ways in which Switzerland leads with its sustainability
- Rail network
Every day 9,600 trains travel along Switzerland’s 3,000km rail network. Even small, remote locations can be accessed by public transport. Depending on location, the rail network is 80-100% powered by hydro electricity. “When you have the mountains, you can build the dams,” says Alex Herrmann. “They don’t look too pretty but they are clean – and James Bond can fling himself off them.” (007 plunged from the 220m high Verzasca Dam in GoldenEye.) - Water
Switzerland has some 1,500 lakes – not only can you swim in some beautiful alpine lakes, outdoor swimming is also encouraged in Swiss cities. - Nature conservation
One eighth of Switzerland’s land is covered by 19 different Swiss parks, while 30% of Switzerland is forested, a share that continue to rise. What's more the country boasts 65,000km of hiking trails, and the views aren't too shabby. - Clean air
Air quality in Switzerland is excellent – the health-boosting climate of Davos’ mountain air was promoted as far back as 1853. - Food
The Swiss consume the most organic products per capita, when compared with international counterparts and Swiss retailers have led sustainability rankings for years. - Recycling
Switzerland is a world leader when it comes to recycling and waste management – almost 90% of PET bottles are put to new use.
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