Leading global bedbank Hotelbeds has vowed to make tourism a “force for good” as the central aim of its new Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy. The Palma-based firm says the new corporate strategy builds on existing initiatives and will “galvanize our commitment to making travel a force for good”.
Hotelbeds claims it has already achieved carbon neutral status for the last four years and to be the first B2B companied to sign up to The Climate Pledge. It has also launched a Green Hotels program and is providing on-going support for Ukraine through its Make Room 4 Ukraine initiative.
Hotelbeds said during the pandemic reacted quickly to move its volunteering activities for employees online to support NGOs and groups supporting vulnerable communities.
Chief executive Nicolas Huss said: “As one of the world’s leading travel technology companies, we have the opportunity to make tourism a force for good and contribute to creating a sustainable future.
“We are committed to supporting and developing green tourism and to continue to reduce the environmental impact of our daily operations and offices, while also supporting our partners to achieve their own ESG goals.
“Another important part of our strategy is to make sure we lead our ESG agenda from the front, ensuring our employees can contribute themselves to creating a stronger and healthier society as well as supporting local communities to thrive and progress.
“Furthermore, our well-being programme, which is embedded in our culture, is one of our key tools to support our people on their journey towards happiness and work-life balance.
“From a governance perspective, although we know we have more work to do, we have achieved 50 per cent of our executive team being women, reflecting our determination to have an inclusive and diverse workplace.”
Among initiatives Hotelbeds plans to launch in the coming year is a global reforestation project and a mentoring scheme for small scale or start-up businesses, particularly those with a focus on sustainable travel.
It also plans to introduce filters identifying hotels that are committed to sustainability initiatives like eradicating single use plastics or offering electric charging points for vehicles.
As part of its wider strategy launch, the company also announced to its employees this week an increase in the number of volunteer hours it will match. Hotelbeds said this underlines its belief that its employees are passionate about making a difference in the communities where they live and work.
