Travelife msolutions webinar

1. Introduction to
Travelife Sustainability System
Travelife Sustainability System
for hotels and accommodations
Fiona Humphries, Travelife Relationships Manager
11 April 2012
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2. Why is sustainability important to tour
operators?
• Because it’s the right thing to do
• Reputation and brand value
• Commercial advantage
Commercial advantage
• Attraction / retention of employees
• Risk management
Ri k t
• Protecting our tourism product
• Examples include TUI UK’s “Holidays Forever”
Commitments – www.holidaysforever.co.uk
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3. What is Travelife Sustainability System?
• Framework for managing sustainability, including:
– Organisation, Reporting and Management
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• Policy, training and monitoring
– Minimising Environmental Impacts
• Energy, waste and water management
• Responsible purchasing
• Conservation & biodiversity
– Treating People Fairly
• Employment & employee relations
– S i l&C
Social & Community Issues
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• Working with suppliers & local communities to foster
understanding
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4. What is Travelife Sustainability System?
• Developed by the industry for the industry
across Europe as
across Europe as
– Supply chain management tool for tour operators
– Performance management system for hotels
Performance management system for hotels
• International sustainability certification
scheme
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• Affordable and achievable
• Starting point for hotels to get started or to
continue on their sustainability journey
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5. Who is supporting Travelife?
• Supported by tour operator members, including
– TUI Travel (multi source markets)
TUI T l ( lti k t)
– Thomas Cook Group
– KUONI Group
KUONI Group
– Oad Group, Transat, Corendon Vliegvakanties, Virgin
Holidays, Hotelplan Suisse, Sunvil, Belleair, Fox
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Vakanties …
• Hotel chain subscriptions and commitment
– SENTIDO, Sandals, Atlantica, Louis, Suntopia …
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6. Who is supporting Travelife?
• European Parliament and Commission
– Endorsement in new EU Tourism Framework
• Associations
– ECTAA tool of choice
– Strong support from ANVR and others
Strong support from ANVR and others…
• National and int’l certification schemes
– Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
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7. What are Travelife’s main steps to certification?
• Registration and self‐assessment
– Registration is free at www travelife org
Registration is free at www.travelife.org
– Invitation to complete self‐assessment checklist
against Travelife sustainability criteria
against Travelife sustainability criteria
– Indication of possible outcome of Travelife audit
• Basic, Bronze, Silver or Gold
Basic, Bronze, Silver or Gold
• Suggestions where improvements are needed
– Travelife leaflet available in 8 languages
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– Quotation provide for combined costs of first year,
including subscription & audit
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8. What are Travelife’s main steps to certification?
• Subscription & Pre‐Audit
– Following subscription, hotels & accommodations
Following subscription, hotels & accommodations
become members of Travelife
– six months to prepare and complete Travelife audit
– access to tools & information to support audit
preparation on www.travelife.org
• Audit
– Third party, qualified auditor assigned
– Auditor visits hotel to conduct audit
– Results verified before communicated to hotel
– Valid for 2 years
V lid f 2
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9. What are Travelife’s main steps to certification?
• Post‐Audit & Continuous Improvement
– audit results released to both hotel & relevant
audit results released to both hotel & relevant
tour operators
– irrespective of award hotels encouraged to
irrespective of award, hotels encouraged to
continuously improve
– Invitation to include hotel details in online
tat o to c ude ote deta s o e
consumer brochure: Travelife Collection at
www.travelifecollection.com
– Marketing support on how get the most out of
Travelife award
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10. What are the costs of Travelife?
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11. Why should I choose Travelife over
ISO14001?
• Developed by travel industry for travel industry
• Low cost, straight forward implementation
L i h f di l i
• Preferred by European tour operators
• Showcases Travelife‐awarded hotels in online
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consumer brochure – www.travelifecollection.com
• R
Responds to increasing consumer expectations
d t i i t ti
– Increasing demand for sustainable accommodation
(
(ABTA consumer survey 2011)
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– Positive correlation between customer satisfaction
scores &Travelife hotels (TUI UK CSQ questionnaires)
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12. Where can I find list of Travelife‐awarded
hotels?
• Online consumer brochure: Travelife Collection
• www.travelifecollection.com
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• Search by destination / region, tour operator and/or
accommodation type
accommodation type
• Showcases sustainability attributes of Travelife‐
awarded hotels
awarded hotels
• Links to both tour operator & hotel websites
• Travelife awarded hotels also highlighted in tour
Travelife‐awarded hotels also highlighted in tour
operator brochures & on their websites
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13. Importance of sustainable tourism on
global scale?
global scale?
• Stimulates local economies, bringing benefits to host
communities
• Helps to enhance ‐ rather than damage – environment
• Supports climate change mitigation by reducing
carbon emissions
• Encourages employment of local people, increasing
quality of life
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Encourages purchase of local goods and services
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• Supports creation of built environment that supports
sustainable living
sustainable living
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14. Future of sustainable management in
tourism industry?
tourism industry?
• Currently a way to differentiate from
competitors
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• But will become an industry norm
• And customers will expect sustainable
management
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• Licence to operate
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15. What are main benefits of Travelife?
• T
Travelife Sustainability System is
lif S t i bilit S t i
– Supply chain management tool for tour operators
– Performance management system for accommodations
Performance management system for accommodations
– Internationally recognised
– Affordable and achievable
– Encompasses all aspects of sustainability
– Preferred choice of European tour operators
• Delivers cost savings and demonstrates action on
sustainability
• R
Responds to increasing consumer expectations
d i i i
• Sustainability increasingly becoming a “Licence to
Operate
Operate”
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16. Sustainable potential of Greek and Cyprus
tourism destinations?
tourism destinations?
• Travelife will support Greek & Cyprus destinations by
– Supporting travel businesses to identify cost efficiencies that
Supporting travel businesses to identify cost efficiencies that
promote their long‐term economic sustainability
– More sustainable travel businesses promotes growth, safeguarding
and creating jobs for local communities
d ti j b f l l iti
– Safeguarding and creating jobs reduces unemployment, as well as
improving well‐being of local communities
– Shared tourism benefits for local communities
– Promoting environmental conservation and protection preserving
destination’s natural capital
– Ultimately, clean and beautiful natural environment provides
• better quality of life for local communities and
• entices tourists into destinations, contributing to economic development
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