ASTA Awards Virgin Voyages with Second-Annual ‘Green Partner in Travel Award’

Virgin Voyages’ commitment to sustainable marine fuel among other initiatives led to their win.

INDIAN WELLS, CA, November 21, 2023 – The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) is proud to announce Virgin Voyages as their 2023 ‘Green Partner in Travel Award’ winner, presented at the 2023 Premium Business Summit held in Indian Wells, California.

Virgin Voyages was selected for this prestigious honor by attendees of the event, made up of thought leaders from the travel industry.   

Second place was awarded to The Travel Corporation with Royal Caribbean taking third place. Delta Air Lines won the inaugural award last October.

“Congratulations to Virgin Voyages and to The Travel Corporation and Royal Caribbean as well,” said Zane Kerby, ASTA President and CEO. “Of course, what’s important is not the award itself, but the actions that Virgin Voyages and our other finalists have pursued in making travel not only enjoyable, but also sustainable.”

Candidates are self-nominated for the ‘Green Partner in Travel Award’ based on the following criteria: 

Path to Net Zero: The partner company's commitment to science-based targets and a path to Net Zero by 2030 (e.g., a B Impact Assessment, GRI Assessment, etc.) 
Carbon Reduction: Confirmation of the amount of carbon reduced over the last year by the partner company. 
Community Impact: The number of projects and/or jobs developed in local or at-risk communities .
Resource Use: Examples of how various resources utilized by the company are used in a sustainable manner. 
Over-Consumption and Waste: Trending data specific to the company showing the reduction of overconsumption and/or waste. 
Corporate Planning: Examples of any methods used to integrate sustainable tourism into the company's planning. 
Environmental Metrics: Examples may include data showing how the company has reduced electricity usage, changed its fuel consumption, carbon emissions reductions, gallons of water saved, increased waste diversion, etc. 
Social Metrics: Employee and traveler health & well-being measures, diversity & inclusion goals, supply chain management, etc. 
Governance Metrics: Examples of existing policies specifically pertaining to sustainability in any pillar on a wide range of issues such as company values, business resilience plans, etc.

“Our purpose drives our ambition to offer the best holiday at sea,” said a spokesperson for Virgin Voyages, “while creating positive change for both people and the planet.”

Notable recent achievements that led to Virgin Voyages winning this year’s award include: completing their first test using sustainable marine fuels, having one of the highest representations of female crew members at sea, and contributing more than 1,500 volunteer hours to our communities in 2023.

“We are honored to be recognized with the Green Partner in Travel Award from ASTA,” continued Virgin Voyages. “While we are proud of what we have accomplished, we know there is more work to do!”

More photos of this year’s award winners and of the 2023 Premium Business Summit can be found on ASTA’s event Flickr page.

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ABOUT ASTA
Rebranded in 2018 as the American Society of Travel Advisors, ASTA is the leading global advocate for travel advisors, the travel industry and the traveling public. Its members represent 80 percent of all travel sold in the United States through the travel agency distribution channel. Together with hundreds of internationally-based members, ASTA’s history of industry advocacy traces back to its founding in 1931 when it launched with the mission to facilitate the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of professionalism. For more information about the Society, visit our mission statement.

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ASTA Awards Virgin Voyages with Second-Annual ‘Green Partner in Travel Award’