Opinion: ABTA members should commit to Tourism 2023

The Tourism 2023 presentation at The Travel Convention was dramatic stuff. The aims are laudable – but does everyone believe that, as individual companies, we can make a difference?

I am curious to know how many delegates indicated they were interested in committing to the 2023 principles. How many will forget it all as they battle to stay afloat during this recession? How many more were not there?

Responsible tourism used to be the stomping ground of the smaller specialist operators. It took several years to create The Travel Foundation and to persuade market leaders to collaborate. It is The Travel Foundation that is set to be the vehicle for delivering the 2023 principles.

I remember, when asked to help set up the foundation, I insisted we should recruit the then ‘big four', otherwise it would be a waste of time. How it has all changed. I would hate to remind market leaders how long it took to get them involved, and how often the movement towards creating The Travel Foundation came close to collapse.

What brought the change? TUI Travel's Dermot Blastland has said the requirement to submit corporate social responsibility reports helped formalise what he was beginning to feel personally. Blastland is now an unlikely but valuable champion – hardly one of the socks-and-sandals brigade.

Each one of us can begin to make a difference, but we need guidance as to how to go about it and, most important, we need to be forced to do it before the government imposes rules.

There is only one way, and that is for ABTA to make movement towards fulfilling the 2023 principles an integral part of membership.

We need to add a small amount to ABTA's subscription fee to enable us to do this. It will need careful planning to demonstrate that the benefits reaped by members will far exceed the amount of the charge. We will be safeguarding our future.

The stakes are high. If we can't pull this off, the Tourism 2023 initiative will be just talk.