by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:00 AM ET, Tue November 28, 2023
Intrepid Travel, the certified B-Corp and carbon neutral tour operator, is the first global travel company to join the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Hotel Sustainability Basics program as a way to offer more sustainably minded accommodations during its tours.
For Intrepid, this partnership is aimed at reducing Scope 3 emissions in its travel supply chain, which include the processes that the tour operator does not actively control but impacts nonetheless. This includes the emissions created by the accommodations Intrepid travelers stay in during their tours.
The program will be trialed with Intrepid’s accommodation suppliers in Nepal and Bhutan in January, 2024. There are plans to expand across its global supply chain after this trial.
"Our suppliers have told us that they want to improve their practices, but as small and medium-sized businesses, they often don’t know where to start, or don’t have the resources,” says Sara King, GM of Purpose for Intrepid Travel. “By offering our hotel suppliers access to this internationally recognized program, we can make focused improvements that will support them, and the overall impact of our business.”
The program was launched back in March, 2023 and is overseen by the Sustainability Hospitality Alliance. The program’s goal is to make it easier for accommodations, regardless of their size, to begin their sustainability journey.
They undergo a three-year evaluation process across twelve different areas. Hotels are required to achieve at least eight of the twelve criteria in their first year. After three years of improvement, they can work towards the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) certification, which is the global standard for sustainability in tourism.
“Our research shows that most business owners are aware of their responsibility to the environment but need a step-by-step guide that is scientifically verifiable,” says Chris Imbsen, WTTC Director of Sustainability. "We are incredibly proud that Intrepid has joined the Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative, demonstrating their seriousness to becoming a more sustainable organization.”
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