Trip.com Group promotes sustainable travel through "Country Retreats," enhancing local economies and reducing carbon emissions, aligned with UNGC sustainability principles.
Publish Time：
2024-12-03 17:28:12
Source：
Travel Daily News
Trip.com Group has taken significant strides in promoting sustainable travel through its innovative and responsible initiatives. Recently, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) featured the company's "Country Retreats" project in its latest ESG 20 Report.
The initiative highlighted the alignment of Trip.com Group to UNGC's sustainability principles, showcasing a positive correlation between Trip.com Group's 'Local Focus, Global Vision' strategy and its commitment to sustainable travel practices.
Trip.com Group's Country Retreats – A Model for Sustainable Tourism
Trip.com Group's 'Country Retreats' project, launched in 2021, is an initiative that aims to create a model of villages and homestays for rural revitalisation. It has created enormous employment and economic benefits for local regions, such as creating jobs and supporting local industries across the value chain.
To date, thirty-two such retreats are now operational, resulting in a 122% surge in local B&B revenue. Additionally, locals employed by these retreats have gained an average annual income boost of over USD 5,500. The retreats have also achieved a 30.8% annual reduction in carbon emissions – equating to 80,000 kilograms – by incorporating energy-saving transformations, such as utilising a wastewater recycling system and installing photovoltaic panels.
This approach aligns with the UNGC Principles in committing to responsible business practices. It also contributes to many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as ending poverty (SDG1), fostering affordable and clean energy (SDG7), promoting decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), building sustainable cities and communities (SDG11) and so on.
The initiative exemplifies the Group's 'Local Focus, Global Vision' strategy, which combines local expertise with global operations, allowing the company to meet customer needs through local initiatives, while maintaining a clear, global perspective for sustainable growth and partnerships.
Travellers Increasingly Prioritise Local Communities in Sustainable Travel
The success of the 'Country Retreats' comes amid travellers' increasing appetite for trips that prioritise local economies, preserve cultural authenticity and enhance environmental protection.
This observation is reflected in Trip.com Group’s latest Sustainable Travel Consumer Report. Among the most-cited motivations for practising sustainable travel, environmental protection ranked first (47.3%), followed by cultural heritage preservation (38.2%), positive economic impact (32.5%) and societal factors (24.7%). This highlights a broader trend where travellers not only aim to reduce their environmental footprint but also actively seek to benefit the communities they visit, ensuring that tourism's positive effects are felt locally.
The report also indicates travellers' growing desire to actively practise sustainable travel, with 54.7% surveyed looking for more sustainable options when booking online. Staying in eco-friendly accommodations was also the second most favoured form of practising sustainability.
Moreover, 32.5% of respondents believe that sustainable travel involves supporting local businesses and communities, underscoring a growing awareness of tourism's economic impact.
Holistic View of Sustainability
Over the years, Trip.com Group has actively integrated sustainability into its operations and offerings, from flights and accommodations to car rentals and corporate travel services.
It joined the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) and is working towards carbon neutrality by 2050. The Group also plans to introduce over 10,000 lower-carbon travel products, encouraging over 100 million travellers to adopt sustainable choices.
Recently, the Group expanded its sustainability efforts in accommodations through a strategic partnership with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), and its flagship brand Trip.com. This partnership allows Trip.com to label hotels that minimise their environmental impact and meet GSTC certification criteria for sustainability. This provides travellers key information to make informed choices easily when selecting accommodation options.
Recognising that corporate travellers wish to reduce their environmental impact, Trip.Biz, the Group's corporate travel division, offers lower-carbon transportation, including flights, trains, and car rentals. It also provides businesses with tools, such as accounts and budget quotas, to help track and manage their carbon emissions.
Guided by its sustainability ethos, Trip.com Group aims to create a transformative sustainable travel ecosystem that not only preserves the planet, but also empowers communities worldwide.
