Intrepid Travel and the Flight Centre have launched a travel consortium aimed at measuring and addressing modern slavery supply chain risks across the industry.
In a statement, Intrepid defined modern slavery as “an atrocious and covert crime which refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and abuse of power”.
Walk Free, an international human rights group, reported the problem is getting worse, with an estimated 50 million people affected around the world in 2022.
Intrepid added: “Every company is at risk of being involved in this crime, whether they know it or not, and while governments have taken some measures to ensure businesses are complying with human rights standards, supply chains continue to present a great risk due to lack of transparency and access to resources.
“The tourism industry is no exception. From souvenirs purchased, to hospitality services provided, exploitation within travel continues to exist within supply chains.
“Intrepid has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to modern slavery in its own operations, and is taking this a step further, by more deeply evaluating and providing support to its 5,500 direct suppliers.”
The consortium, established through the Informed365 platform, will engage with tier one (direct) suppliers, through an annual, online assessment to identify risks and provide the support needed to improve practices.
Sara King, general manager of purpose for Intrepid Travel, said: “For so long businesses in every industry have ignored or fallen short of addressing the risks of modern slavery in their supply chains.
“The reality is, we are our suppliers, and we hope the tourism industry can lead this change in mindset for businesses everywhere, to protect vulnerable people and communities around the world.”
The consortium is open to travel and tourism companies around the world that have reporting obligations related to modern slavery. For details, click here.
Supply chain image by Studio concept/Shutterstock