by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 12:09 PM ET, Wed August 11, 2021
Contiki, the social tour company for young adults, has released a new plan to achieve total carbon neutrality by as soon as next year.
The tour company has aligned with the United Nations' Sustainability goals and will work to offset carbon emissions of its over 350 trips in 2022 through investing in forest conservation in Australia, renewable energy in the U.S. and biogas energy in Thailand.
Spearheading this initiative is Contiki's first Chief Sustainability Officer, Tasha Hayes. "Living sustainably is non-negotiable at this stage in the game. Our world is at stake and it's imperative that as a global travel brand that we are taking responsibility to ensure our trips operate as sustainably as possible," said Hayes.
Hayes continues: "Our goal is to leave only a positive economic impact on the beautiful places we visit, and a minimal carbon impact behind. As a market leader for 18-35-year-olds - a generation of activists - it's our responsibility to do everything in our power to reduce travel's carbon footprint, mitigate climate change and give back to the environment, people and places we visit."
Other initiatives include working with Contiki's philanthropic foundation, TreadRight, as well as with Flourish Forever and GreenBronx Machine to mitigate food insecurity and supporting regenerative farming with GreenWave. Contiki will also invest in renewable energy for coach buses and for properties that are owned by the tour company.
Contiki is just one out of many tour operators, airlines, cruise lines, destinations and other travel industry leaders that are committing to sustainability initiatives. Just a few others are Iberostar, Colombia, LATAM Air and TourRadar.
To learn more about the importance of the travel industry's impact on our world and how sustainability initiatives can help, please visit the World Travel & Tourism Council's website.
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