Travel agents and tour operators should encourage clients to ‘fly less and stay longer’ and invest in local carbon absorption schemes to become more sustainable.
Responsible Travel customer director Tim Williamson told a Future of Travel conference sustainable tourism debate there was no need for “dramatic change” in how firms operate to have a positive environmental impact.
He said: “The amount we need to fly less is a lot less than we thought.”
He urged the trade to tell clients to “fly less, stay longer, and make a difference on the ground” which would “reduce carbon without throwing away the complete business model based on flying.”
By encouraging clients to fly on one 14 night break, instead of two seven-night holidays could make all the difference, he said.
Williamson stressed the importance of talking to clients about the positive impact of a longer trip on local communities on a longer trip.
He added: “If you can convert customers to two weeks you have probably achieved your carbon reduction.”
He added: “Why not use coming out of Covid as a reason [to become more sustainable]. You don’t have to put prices up dramatically or change your behaviour dramatically. Even better you are a responsible company and that will guarantee money stays in the local community. “
Added to this, firms should invest in carbon absorption schemes, he said. “Invest in a peat bog preservation scheme and tell customers about it, make a big song and dance about helping to preserve the planet.”
Thomas Power, chief executive of tour operator Pura Aventura, agreed travel firms had to act but added that mass market holidaymakers flying on one or two short-haul trips a year were “not fierce polluters” while those travelling on long-haul business class flights were more likely to be the “baddies”.
Intrepid EMEA managing director Zina Bencheikh said the whole industry had to “come together to make a change” to meet “growing demand for more sustainability in travel”.