The online
initiative For Good, For Travel has
formed to help travel advisors inform their clients about simple steps they can take to
travel more sustainably.
Created by travel
industry veteran Tim Morgan, the not-for-profit project encourages donations based
on a destination’s progress toward achieving the 17 sustainable development goals that were
agreed upon by all 193 United Nations member states.
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“There is a
real need and a real desire for greater education about sustainable travel
among advisors and their clients,” Morgan says. “My hope is that For Good, For
Travel will help put a complicated subject into simple terms that serve as a
starting point for travelers’ continued growth as global citizens.”
The platform
suggests a daily donation amount for travelers. For example, a business sending
employees to Canada page would see that Canada has 22% remaining to achieving
the 17 goals. For Good, For Travel recommends equating that 22% to
$22 and using it as a minimum daily travel donation. The platform also recommends that travelers walk instead of taking a car whenever possible, decline plastic straws at restaurants and take direct flights instead of connecting flights to reduce carbon emissions.
For Good, For Travel points to Booking.com’s 2022
Sustainable Travel Report, which shows that nearly three-quarters of travelers want to travel more sustainably – a 10% increase
over the 2021 study. One-quarter of travelers are willing to
pay more to give back to local communities, but 34% don’t know where to find
the information.
“More and
more, travelers are looking for guidance on sustainability,” says Jackie
Friedman, president of Texas-based travel agency Nexion.
“This platform presents an opportunity for travel advisors to help educate
themselves and their travelers from the beginning of the trip planning process,
providing a valuable added resource in the advisors’ toolkit.”
Else where in travel, Fora
is reinventing the travel agent by allowing people with a passion for
travel to become a part- or full-time travel advisor.
And cruise companies still
need travel agents to reach their full potential.