In association with: Weeva
Weeva’s pioneering platform helps travel and tourism businesses understand how sustainable their operations are
When it comes to putting sustainability at the forefront of a travel business, it may be hard to know where to start. From single-use plastics to flight emissions, the travel and tourism industry is responsible for 8.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to research from the World Travel & Tourism Council.
With a growing number of travel companies, destinations and aviation businesses implementing carbon emissions and other sustainability targets, now is the time to start thinking about what your travel business can do to help make a difference.
Measuring your sustainability data and operations is an important first step in the global shift towards sustainability reporting, and that’s where Weeva comes in.
Weeva’s management platform is built for travel and tourism businesses, and helps them to keep track of their impact on people and planet, from the labour rights of local employees to the biodiversity of local areas.
The platform measures impact across 18 different areas encompassing conservation, commerce, culture and community, which can help businesses obtain sustainability certifications. Weeva’s features mean that it can be a real-time aide to businesses who don’t have in-house sustainability experts.
Julie Cheetham, co-founder and managing director of Weeva, explains why it’s important for travel and tourism businesses to track their progress and show their credentials, and how they can help local communities.
Q: Why should travel companies consider measuring their sustainability efforts now?
“Studies show that there is growing consumer demand for travel and tourism to become more sustainable. In fact, consumers believe that the industry isn’t doing enough. Hotel owners and destinations need to urgently start measuring their environmental impact so that they can improve upon it.
“For those already operating with sustainability front of mind, given the growing demand for conscious travel, you’ll want to start shouting about it and showing your credentials. But if you’re marketing yourself as a green destination, hotel, airline or other travel and tourism business, you will need to have the data to back up your claims.
“There’s a lot of greenwashing in the industry, and those who are committed to change can stand out from the crowd if they have a robust data set to prove their credibility.”
Q: Sustainability is not just about the environment – what else does this term cover?
“We need to think holistically about the sector’s impact, which considers not only the natural environment but the impact of travel and tourism on local culture and heritage.
“If we want to build a fair, future-proof industry, we must ensure that the traditions that attract tourists and create a rich and vibrant world are preserved. We need to ensure that, where possible, hotels endeavour to employ people in local communities and support local businesses and ensure overtourism isn’t destroying heritage sites and monuments.”
Q: How can companies become more sustainability aware?
“Most companies already have a sense of the transition towards sustainability that needs to happen. Weeva set out to build a tech platform that enables users to pinpoint where to start, structure their sustainability journey and act as a trusted advisor along the way.
“Our hope is that by using tech we can cut across borders and enable more organisations to move from awareness to action, at an accessible price.”
Q: What about smaller companies? Can they make a difference in the field of sustainability?
“Smaller organisations are nimbler in their procurement and able to embrace new ideas or innovations faster than big groups, as well as setting the pace for the rest of the industry. Given that 80% of the market is made up of SMEs, there is huge potential for collective impact.”
Q: So, how can Weeva help?
“The pioneering technology developed by Weeva uses gamification traits to help users collect, input and analyse data. There are educational resources to demystify sustainability and cut through the jargon. We’re a sustainability officer in the pockets of hundreds of users across the world, committed to sparking a change in how organisations manage their data for long-term impact.”
Find out more and sign up for a free trial.
How Weeva has worked for Tswalu, a game reserve in southern Kalahari, South Africa
Tswalu is made up of 43 ecologically degraded cattle and sheep farms and is now dedicated to regeneration and rehabilitating biodiversity, to restore this fragile ecosystem.
From ensuring community welfare to overseeing conservation studies and managing energy and water footprints – a lot goes into Tswalu’s operations, and it’s a constant balancing act.
Weeva makes operational efficiency and resilience more accessible and achievable. Tswalu relies on Weeva to gather data in real-time from every aspect of its operations. With all the information in one place, the organisation can make informed decisions as it pursues its regeneration journey. Seeing this in action is a huge motivator for both staff and guests.
PICTURES: Weeva