This recognises the company’s ongoing commitment to responsible business practices and sustainable travel. Travel Counsellors complies with more than 100 criteria related to an operator’s office management, product range, international business partners and customer information.
The Travelife Partner level standard also covers the ISO 26000 Corporate Social Responsibility criteria, including the environment, biodiversity, human rights and labour relations.
Joe Whittle, Sustainability Lead at Travel Counsellors, said: “Achieving Travelife Partner status is a recognition of the work we continue to do to embed sustainability across our business. The Travelife Partner award is a reflection of our ongoing journey and commitment towards social and environmental sustainability. We comply with more than 100 criteria related to sustainability and are working towards further improvements, aiming to eventually reach the Travelife Certified stage.
“For us at Travel Counsellors, sustainability is not a standalone initiative, it is something we’re working to embed across the way we operate every day, how we support our Travel Counsellors business owners, and how we guide and advise customers in making more informed and responsible travel choices.”
Naut Kusters, Manager of Travelife for Tour Operators, commented: “I am delighted to see that sustainability in the tour operator sector is obtaining momentum. The Partner award for Travel Counsellors will inspire other companies in the UK to follow the same path.”
Travelife is the leading international sustainability certification programme for the travel sector. More than 35 national travel associations promote the scheme to their members, including ABTA in the UK, ANVR in the Netherlands, PATA in Asia, FTT in South Africa, SMAL in Finland, UHPA in Croatia, JARTA in Japan and APAVT in Portugal.
Whittle continues: “Travelife Partner level is a key milestone, and we will continue building on this progress as we work towards Travelife Certified status and further strengthen sustainability across the Travel Counsellors community."
