Intrepid Travel and Flight Centre Travel Group have teamed up to attempt to mitigate modern slavery in travel industry supply chains.
The sustainability-focused travel experiences company and global travel agency, both based in Australia, announced Monday that they have launched a new consortium with the goal to measure the risk levels and confront the issue.
Intrepid Travel said the new consortium will be established through a platform called Informed365, an Australian-based tech company focused on sustainability outcomes. The consortium will work with travel industry suppliers to identify risks and provide support to improve practices.
"For so long businesses in every industry have ignored or fallen short of addressing the risks of modern slavery in their supply chains," said Sara King, a general manager of purpose at Intrepid Travel. “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.”
Modern slavery, which includes human trafficking crimes, forced marriage, servile marriage, servitude, debt bondage and more impacts an estimated 50 million people, according to global human rights group Walk Free’s 2023 Global Slavery Index.
Intrepid Travel said in its announcement that “every company” is at risk of involvement whether conscious of it or not. Part of the problem, the company said, is the lack of transparency and access to resources in supply chains.
Intrepid Travel and Flight Centre Travel Group have started to share their surveys and tools with their global suppliers and are hoping to entice other businesses to help put an end to modern slavery in the tourism sector.