Heritage Expediciones wins Travelife Partner sustainability award

Thursday, 10 October 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Heritage Expediciones Sri Lanka received the Travelife Partner award in recognition of their long-term efforts and frontrunner position regarding sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Heritage Expediciones complies with more than 100 criteria related to operators’ office management, product range, international business partners and customer information. The Travelife Standard covers the ISO 26000 Corporate Social Responsibility themes, including environment, biodiversity, human rights and labour relations, and is formally recognised as being in full compliance with the UN-supported Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.

Heritage Expediciones is the fifth company in Sri Lanka to have achieved the Travelife Partner award.

Travelife for Tour Operators Manager Naut Kusters said, “I am delighted to see that sustainability in the tour operators sector is gaining momentum. The award won by frontrunner Heritage Expediciones will inspire other companies in Sri Lanka to follow the same path.”

Established with the support of the European Commission, Travelife is the leading international sustainability certification for the travel sector. More than 35 national travel associations promotes the scheme to their members, including the British Travel Association ABTA and the Pacific Asian Travel Association (PATA). Since 2012, more than 600 Asian companies have been trained in CSR with the support of the Dutch Government’s CBI program. They now work step by-step towards more sustainable operations.

Travelife is a certification system dedicated to achieving sustainable practices within the tourism industry. It provides companies with realistic sustainability goals, tools and solutions to implement positive changes within their businesses and supply chains. Travelife is managed by the UK Travel Association ABTA and by ECEAT Projects, a not-for-profit organisation based in the Netherlands.

Travelife has two key focuses: Tour operators and travel agents. The system provides online training and practical tools for sustainability management and certification. These are suitable for tour operators and travel agencies of any size and cover all management aspects of the travel business including office operations, the supply chain, destinations and consumers. Upon submitting a report in compliance with the Travelife standard (based on an independent onsite audit), the company can obtain the ‘Travelife Certified’ status.

The Travelife Standard for tour operators and travel agencies is based upon Corporate Social Responsibility themes, including labour conditions, human rights, environment, biodiversity and fair business practices. The management requirements are compatible with EMAS and ISO 14001. The system is supported by more than 35 national travel associations to further its implementation among members.