How does B Corp benefit travel businesses and their customers?
Sarah DennisIn the first of a series of profiles of Travel by B Corp members, TTG throws the spotlight on Experience Travel Group and Inside Travel Group.
Experience Travel Group became B Corp certified in July 2022 while Inside Travel Group achieved the certification almost a year later. Here, Experience Travel Group’s managing director Sam Clark and Inside Travel Group’s trade sales manager Gabo Quiros give us insight into why their businesses went on the journey to become B Corp Certified, and how they think it will benefit both agent partners and their customers.
Both agree that it is far from a consumer priority at this stage, but can see evidence of rising awareness among agent partners of exactly what being a B Corp business means, and how it demonstrates discipline behind creating benefits for “people, profit and planet”.
'We didn’t become a B Corp Certified business for commercial benefits'
If I’m honest, at this stage, being B Corp Certified doesn’t mean a huge amount to the majority of our agent partners, as they are understandably focused on value and quality for their clients. It does give them comfort that we are going about things in the right way, but they would by and large take that as given in our sector.
But we didn’t become a B Corp Certified business for immediate commercial benefits. We did it to strengthen our business and ensure rigour and discipline behind our efforts to create benefits for people, profit and planet.
Where it does help is in that initial conversation with a potential new partner. A recent conversation was exciting in seeing how much our values aligned, and B Corp was a big plus in highlighting this and validating what we were saying outwardly. I’m convinced that as B Corp recognition grows, these conversations and benefits will become increasingly frequent.
Our philosophy of “Give Back” means trying to ensure every holiday we arrange should have a net beneficial impact on the destination. We aim to include a specific Give Back experience that demonstrably benefits the local community or environment within each holiday, so customers can experience this for themselves.
One such example is our Hidden Hotels & Secret Adventures to explore the very best of Thailand. This trip includes some wonderfully immersive community-based excursions in the rural Phayao Province, where travellers spend time with residents to experience their way of life, try their delicious food and stay in authentic homestays. In turn, this contributes economically and gives back to these lesser-visited communities.
We believe travel, done with care and compassion, is a force for tremendous good and we want our holidays to exemplify that.
Sam Clark, managing director, Experience Travel Group
“Agents can have a positive impact with becoming B Corp Certified themselves”
B Corp certification is not just a logo, it is a way of operating, a thread woven through every part of Inside Travel Group’s business. We believe it is the future of how we should all be operating in the industry.
Working with B Corp Certified companies reassures agent partners of their commitment to a strict set of guidelines to produce a better quality of trip that is good for the destination and the planet. Agents can also be part of this movement and have a positive impact without being B Corp Certified themselves and in our experience, more agent partners are becoming aware of B Corp and its value for both them and the industry as a whole.
Meanwhile, awareness of what B Corp means is on the rise among consumers. It’s not necessarily top of their list of priorities, but we believe it will be seen as a positive and will have more influence over buying a trip.
Through choosing a B Corp adventure with InsideJapan or InsideAsia, consumers can be reassured they are booking with a company that cares about the planet and does the right thing by its destination, the culture and the people.
Our 12-night Hidden Japan small group tour, for example, travels to a quieter part of Japan with journeys by train, stays at local traditional guest houses and visits to a small town called Joge where it engages with the local community and aids regeneration. Elsewhere, in South Korea customers get outside of Seoul, to rural Korea and lesser known regions. We travel by train where we can and stay in traditional hanok guest houses.
A trip of a lifetime is a commitment, and most will want to make sure they are doing it right in every way. B Corp Certification reassures customers they are “travelling for good” and demonstrates Inside Travel is continually committed to improving what it offers.
Gabo Quiros, trade sales manager, Inside Travel Group
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