Leading independent travel company, Travel Counsellors, is teaming up with sustainable tourism charity, the Travel Foundation, to launch a partnership that will put sustainable tourism firmly on the map for its franchisees and customers, across its seven operating countries.
The tie-up will see the Travel Foundation supporting the business with identifying and embedding sustainable practices across its operations, and connect Travel Counsellors and its customers with the charity’s global programme of destination projects, research and advocacy work.
Travel Counsellors CEO Steve Byrne said: “We are a business that puts people at its heart and that includes how we support our people, customers and our wider communities, both in which we live and in which we send our customers to every day. As a fast-growing travel business, it’s our duty to make sure this is done in a responsible way – the partnership with the Travel Foundation will help to ensure our only impact is a positive one.”
Travel Foundation CEO, Salli Felton, said: “Our partners are leaders and visionaries of the industry; those who understand and can help shape the impacts of tourism, to make sure our holidays are the best they can be for people and the planet. Having Travel Counsellors on board is a fantastic endorsement of our work, and takes us a step closer towards making sustainable tourism mainstream.”
The Travel Foundation will support Travel Counsellors with developing its own internal training programme, and to introduce more sustainable practices across the business, and will help it identify and signpost sustainable products and ancillaries to customers. Travel Counsellors donations will also support the Travel Foundation’s worldwide research and destination projects, which aim to measure and manage the impacts of tourism, and test and demonstrate new ways of thinking.
Byrne adds; “We are really excited about the partnership and the difference we can make, and it’s something we know our global network of Travel Counsellors franchisees and their customers really care about too. Sustainable travel is related with a more authentic travel experiences, visiting unspoilt places, which is truly reflective of our focus on providing this type of experiential travel to our customers.”