With youths at the forefront of the sustainability agenda,
youth-focused travel company Contiki is attempting to meet the social
travel and sustainable needs of the youth market by being more
transparent about its sustainability initiatives.
The Travel Corporation (TTC), released its first official Impact
Report that details the progress of its 41 brands, including Contiki.
The report highlights how Contiki is attempting to shape a brighter
future for the travel industry by allowing its 18- to 35-year-old
travellers to create a positive impact on the community and wildlife
when they travel with the tour company.
Contiki’s 11-goal sustainability agenda detailed in TTC’s 2021 Impact Report includes:
1. Achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 or sooner
- From 2022, all Contiki trips are carbon neutral
2. Source 50% of electricity from renewable sources by 2025
- From 2022, 100% of Contiki’s properties are powered by renewable energy
3. Reduce food waste by 20% across all hotels and ships by 2025
- As part of a local programme, food from Contiki’s Haus Schöneck is donated to a nearby farm
4. Increase use of local and organic food products in supply chain by 2025
- As of 2022, Contiki’s Haus Schöneck gets 63% of its food from local suppliers
5. Reduce printed brochures by 50% by 2025
- Contiki has reduced printed brochures by 82%
6. Eliminate all unnecessary single-use plastics
-
100% of Contiki-owned properties have replaced all single-use cups,
cutlery, straws etc. with reusable or compostable alternatives
7. Include at least 1 Make Travel Matter experience on 50% of TTC itineraries by 2025
- Contiki now offers Make Travel Matter experiences across 81% of its itineraries.
8. Achieve a 20% increase of itineraries visiting developing regions by 2025
-
Contiki now has 19 itineraries in developing regions, where it supports
local communities and gives it travellers a fresh perspective on the
world
9. Increase employee and market sentiment regarding diversity and inclusion
- In 2021, Contiki launched its diversity, equity and inclusion strategy to guide the business over the next three years.
10. Complete 30,000 volunteer hours across all brands by 2025
- Contiki and its TTC sister brands completed 6,517 volunteer hours in 2021
11. Ensure all wildlife experiences adhere to TTC’s animal welfare policy by 2021
- 100% of Contiki’s wildlife experiences adgere to a stringent Animal Welfare Policy.
Despite the progress made in prioritising carbon reductions and
achieving net-zero, Contiki’s sustainability officer Tasha Hayes says
that there is still much more to achieve in the operator's journey
towards sustainability, adding that this is why it’s “so important that
we continue to hold ourselves accountable and measure our progress
against our goals.”
In Contiki’s next step towards its net-zero journey, it will follow
TTC’s carbon reduction targets aligned with the Science Based Targets
initiative.
“We know our travellers share our vision for sustainable travel,”
said Contiki’s CEO Adam Armstrong. “But this is just the beginning. We
need to keep the momentum going as we continue to reduce food waste, use
more renewable resources, eliminate single-use plastics and ultimately
shape a net-zero future for travel.”