Alexandria, VA, October 21, 2024 — The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) is proud to announce The Travel Corporation (TTC) as their 2024 Green Partner in Travel Award winner, presented at the 2024 Premium Business Summit held onboard Virgin Voyages’ Valiant Lady during its stop in Nassau.
The Travel Corporation was selected for this prestigious honor by the ASTA board of directors and those ecotourism panelists participating in this year’s Premium Business Summit whose companies were not in the running for this year’s award. The panel discussion titled, Overtourism Dilemma: Creating a Balanced Future, was led by Marc Casto, Chief Executive Officer, MVC Solutions: with Julie Higgins, Sustainability Officer and Director of Hotel Operations, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises; Greg Takehara, Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Cares; and John Diorio, Vice President, North American Sales, Virgin Voyages.
Second place was awarded to Sandals Resorts with Globus Family of Brands taking third place. Virgin Voyages won the award last year, joining Delta Airlines, the inaugural winner of the award in 2022.
“This top honor is a testament to The Travel Corporation’s exceptional dedication to creating eco-friendly travel experiences that not only delight travelers but also protect our planet for future generations. It is our privilege to recognize their efforts in making travel more responsible, hopefully inspiring others to follow suit. Congratulations to The Travel Corporation, Sandals Resorts and Globus Family of Brands,” said Zane Kerby, ASTA President and CEO. “Of course, what’s most important is not the award itself, but the actions that The Travel Corporation and our other finalists have pursued and continue to pursue in making travel not only enjoyable, but also sustainable.”
Candidates were evaluated based on six ecotourism-specific criteria identified at the launch of this year’s program.
- Environmental Impact: Promoting sustainable practices to reduce emissions, managing resources responsibly, and improving waste management to preserve natural environments.
- Socio-cultural Impact: Fostering community harmony, respecting local traditions, and enhancing quality of life by managing visitor numbers and minimizing disruptions.
- Economic Impact: Strengthening local economies through responsible tourism practices, ensuring profits benefit communities and supporting sustainable development.
- Visitor Management: Developing infrastructure and sustainable tourism strategies to support responsible travel and minimize negative impacts on destinations.
- Transparency and Accountability: Ensuring transparency in operations and accountability for environmental and social impacts, fostering trust and responsible tourism practices.
- Examples of Specific Practices: Advocating for responsible tourism initiatives, prioritizing cultural preservation, and promoting sustainable tourism models in sensitive and overcrowded destinations.
“We are just so incredibly proud to be recognized by ASTA for our sustainability initiatives across our brands at The Travel Corporation, and in particular, our focus on ensuring that we bring positive impact to the local communities and incredible destinations that we are bringing our guests to,” said Julie Higgins, Director of Hotel Operations and Uniworld Sustainability Officer, GRC Global River Cruises GmbH. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises is part of the Travel Corporation Family of Brands. “We are truly honored to be the recipient of the ASTA 2024 Green Partner in Travel Award in Ecotourism and grateful that this is highlighted as such an important and critical topic for the tourism industry here at the ASTA Premium Business Summit.”
There are just a few of TTC’s recent achievements that led to their winning of ASTA’s Green Partner in Travel Award:
- TTC’s five-year sustainability strategy consisting of 11 goals, including achieving a 20% increase in itineraries visiting developing regions from their 2021 baseline. In 2023 they achieved a 37% increase.
- The Make Travel Matter Experiences, itineraries available across their family of brands are designed to make a positive social or environmental impact on the communities and those who experience them. Their goal is to include at least one Make Travel Matter Experience on 50% of TTC itineraries by 2025. TTC offered 824 MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences in 2023, supporting communities, the environment, and wildlife.
- Addressing the environmental impact of their tours through decarbonization, aiming to reach net zero by 2050. Their near-term, long-term and net zero targets are validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). In 2023, they invested $1,880,533 USD through their industry-first Carbon Fund to the reduction of their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions across the group.
More photos of this year’s award winners and of the 2024 Premium Business Summit can be found on ASTA’s event Flickr page.
