Post by jorinaparvin147 on Feb 24, 2024 23:35:17 GMT -5
B Corp Intrepid Travel shares 4 ways to rebuild the tourism industry for a more sustainable future A version of this article was previously published by Geoff Manchester, co-founder of Intrepid Travel on B the change.com Today, we find ourselves in a place we could never have dreamed of (asking our travelers to stay home after 31 years of helping them explore the world). While this situation is heartbreaking in many ways, it also provides the travel industry with an opportunity to pause and reflect on our wrongdoings, and spend this time challenging ourselves to emerge from this crisis (better than before) more sustainable, more ethical, with more power, more responsible. I've heard people say that we were living in the golden age of travel until COVID-19 brought it to a screeching halt. But the reality is that the golden age of travel ended some time ago. Somewhere along the way, the journey (which is supposed to foster compassion, build empathy, and break down barriers) took a wrong turn. Animals were physically and emotionally abused to act and support travelers, orphaned children were even turned into tourist attractions and in the interest of short-term profits, we selfishly consumed and built on almost all vacant lands, forcing our planet to a climate emergency.
This is not to discredit the many wonders of our industry in recent decades, but tourism in recent years was brilliant and ruined. And while the golden age of travel appears to have passed, COVID-19 should usher in a golden opportunity to change its course. We should not hope for things to return to normal. We should aim to completely redefine what normal means. It is so rare in life that we are given a second chance and it is important that we do not treat it as a fork in the road, but as an opportunity to forge a new path. One in which the rules can be rewritten to Job Function Email List benefit the most vulnerable people, to protect the natural world, all the animals and humans that inhabit it also to heal our planet from the damage we have caused. While we are firmly planted in an indefinite period of stagnation, we must use this time as a force for good. Together, we must exercise a level of transparency and vulnerability with each other so that we can rebuild this industry the way it should have been built from the beginning. There are four key areas that we have identified as essential for a more responsible recovery. At Intrepid, these areas are rooted in both action and intention, but they all require the power of the collective: travelers, airlines, hotels, operators, and more. So what does responsible reconstruction look like? For Intrepid, these are our four areas of focus. 1. Advocate for net zero emissions by 2030 In 2019 we emitted 32,152 tonnes of carbon from our travels and 4,392 tonnes from our 44 offices around the world.
In we became climate positive. Achieving net zero emissions requires detailed measurement of all the carbon your company produces. Building on what we've learned, we'll soon open a 10-step guide for other travel companies to use to reduce their carbon. For travelers, I encourage you to consider personal trade-offs through options like the Intrepid Forest for those who want to. 2. End wildlife exploitation tourism Around 550,000 wild animals around the world are in captivity in tourist entertainment venues. When we rebuild tourism, we must establish a clear objective that no animals return to their cages. In the coming months we will continue our work with World Animal Protection (WPA) to continue advocating for sustainable wildlife tourism. We are also working to open up our Animal Welfare Policy, so that every travel business can recover with a framework around interacting with wildlife in an ethical way. 3. Empowering communities and our value chain There is no supply chain to serve you. In the post-COVID-19 world we need to redefine this relationship as our value chain, with greater focus on creating shared value with suppliers.