May 9, 2024 by Ilaria Grasso Macola
The travel industry needs to be proud of its impact on the global economy and its efforts to decarbonize, industry experts have said.
Participants were told that customers are looking for companies that take proactive action (Credit: iStock)
Clive Rutten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association, told representatives of the Barclays Travel Forum that the industry should stand up to its critics and remind them that travel is “an essential part of human activity”. That's what he said.
“It's time for us to stand up and say we're proud not only of the way we're delivering economic growth around the world, but of the work we're doing to make our planet better,” Rutten said. Stated. On Thursday (May 9), he spoke at the Forum on an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) panel discussion.
Wratten said ESG is rapidly becoming “everywhere” in the travel industry, and the industry is making strides in becoming more environmentally and socially conscious.
Harry Hastings, co-chief executive of Ocean Holidays, agreed, telling forum guests there was a “significant commercial opportunity” for doing the right thing. “Customers and stakeholders want you to act, and they want to be associated with companies that do the right thing,” he said.
Hastings also urged travel professionals, particularly those working in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to not be paralyzed or overwhelmed by the scale of action that still needs to be taken in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. I encouraged him to do so.
“People don't know what success is and how great it feels when they succeed until they actually start trying and really trying,” he added.
