THE TRAVELIFE SUSTAINABILITY SYSTEM ROLLED OUT TO ABTA MEMBERS
Date published: 08 October 2008An all-in-one solution to help manage the environmental and social issues facing travel businesses is being rolled out to all ABTA Members, ABTA announced today, Wednesday 8 October 2008.
The Travelife Sustainability System is an initiative that the FTO (Federation of Tour Operators) has developed with funding from the European Commission with the input of about 60 different organizations from around the world and now, as a result of the merger of the two organizations is being rolled out for all ABTA travel agents and tour operators to use.
The Travelife Sustainability System is a simple, easy to use, management system which has been built up from the FTO´s Sustainability Handbook, which itself took two years to put together with the consultation of numerous travel partners. The robust system provides a set of guidelines for both tour operators and their suppliers to follow, which can, through an online checking process be rated. Hotels and accommodation providers can then be assessed as having reached the levels of ’bronze’, ‘silver’ or ‘gold’ depending on how successful they are at being sustainable and socially engaged businesses.
UK tour operators are already beginning to display the Travelife Sustainability ‘bronze’, ‘silver’ or ‘gold’ awards in their brochures for hotels worldwide, and because it is being launched globally, customers, tour operators and tourism businesses are beginning to build a single recognisable brand that is dependable and stands for success.
Andy Cooper, ABTA´s Head of Development said: “There is a huge degree of confusion and misunderstanding about sustainable and responsible tourism. We hope that by providing a simple tool we will be able to help our Members and suppliers find a simple path to address all their sustainability needs.”
Chris Thompson, Head of Responsible Tourism of FTO who has developed the The Travelife Sustainability System said: “This is not another “eco-label” or “environmental management certificate”, it is a sustainability recognition scheme that enables businesses to actively promote their environmental and general sustainability efforts to as wide an audience as possible.”
For further information
Chris Thompson, Head of Responsible Tourism, FTO, tel. +44 7900 698 675.Sean Tipton, Communications Officer, tel: 020 7307 1902/1900, Frances Tuke, Public Relations Manager, tel: 020 7307 1903/1900, Casia Zajac, Head of Communications, tel: 020 7307 1987
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