Use your business to help the planet become more sustainable
Join sustainably-minded community The Long Run and help drive positive change for the planet. By Katherine Masters
Membership organisation The Long Run is encouraging more trade members, including travel agents, to join its movement as it seeks to drive positive change for the health of the planet and the wellbeing of people.
The Long Run’s executive director, Delphine Malleret-King, says: “We are always looking for more travel partners – tour operators, agents, travel designers and any business selling travel that aligns itself with The Long Run’s community and commitment to the 4Cs – Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce.”
Travel partners gain access to The Long Run’s network of experts and can tap into a menu of “pay as you go” services for further dedicated technical and strategic support. In return, partners support and promote the work of The Long Run and Long Runners.
Malleret-King adds: “By partnering with The Long Run, you will be part of a community of like-minded people guiding the tourism industry towards a more sustainable future.”
HOW IT WORKS
Prospective members first need to complete an initial screening to ensure alignment of purpose and ethos. They then need to sign a memorandum of understanding outlining mutual roles and responsibilities, and they would need to pay an annual contribution to support and engage in the work of the organisation.
As a member you benefit from opportunities to develop, learn and share knowledge, expertise and innovations. Partners are profiled on The Long Run website and on social media. You are able to benefit from affiliation with The Long Run, using its name and logos and you’ll receive the organisation’s newsletters, reports and invitations to relevant events.
In return The Long Run expects members to act as ambassadors, helping to raise awareness about The Long Run and its Global Ecosphere Retreats (GER) standard.
GER members of The Long Run are centres of excellence in sustainability, with examples including Lapa Rios Lodge in Costa Rica and Cottar’s 1920’s Safari Camp in Kenya.
The annual contribution is £500, plus members agree to support The Long Run in raising funds through selling a number of bed nights voluntarily donated by fellow members (properties) based on pre-agreed conditions.
Members help to sell these nights and still earn commission on the bed nights unless they agree to donate this commission to The Long Run.
For free online training materials, visit thelongrun.org/resources. For more on membership, email info@thelongrun.com
NEW: IMPACT STATEMENTS
Given the sheer volume of “greenwashing”, especially online, it can be tricky for consumers to identify genuinely green certifications. Nevertheless, there’s evidently a growing number of travellers who are willing to spend more to travel sustainably.
To help address this, The Long Run has recently launched Impact Statements for guests, helping members clearly label how the cost of each stay benefits people and the environment. Each one breaks down how guests’ money is spent supporting positive impact at each location. They also demonstrate how much money stays in the destination. Impact Statement launch members include Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and Basecamp Explorer in Kenya.
Jarrod Kyte, product and sales director at Steppes Travel (a travel partner member of The Long Run), says: “This level of transparency is key to helping the whole value chain measure and improve the positive impact of its operations and, in doing so, instil confidence in the market that travelling sustainably is both imperative and credible.”
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Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
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