Sustainability in all its different forms is an increasingly important issue in our lives as we all deal with the consequences of global warming and other social and economic pressures. It’s particularly relevant to our industry and we can see the impacts both negative but also positive, that travel and tourism can have on the destinations and local people where we take our customers.

It is crucial that we continue to adopt strategies that minimise harmful impact and maximise beneficial effects on people and the planet.

There is great work being carried out by the travel industry to address the environmental and social challenges, with many ABTA members at the forefront of these efforts. Too often the negative impact of travel is emphasised in the media and with a general election likely this year, ABTA’s manifesto urges the next government to position the UK as a sustainable travel leader.

We have support available to members on their sustainability journey. If you are looking for guidance and inspiration from leaders in sustainable travel, I would recommend you look no further than next week’s Delivering Sustainable Travel Conference to be held in London, full details can be found here.

We also have free guidance materials and training on the member zone, including a sustainability assessment tool to get you started which you can see here. 

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive