Strive 4 Sustainability
According to recent research, over 70% of travellers want to travel more sustainably. In April 2022, Expedia released a report stating that 74% of customers “would choose a destination or experience that is committed to supporting the local community and culture even if it is more expensive.”
Genuine sustainable and responsible tourism is more than recycling paper and glass, only including seasonal produce in menus or using electronic key card systems that ensures energy usage only occurs when a room is occupied.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has defined sustainable tourism as, “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”
Sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability.
With more and more travellers searching for responsible travel options, providing genuine and sustainable tourism experiences is growing in importance every single day. Ecotourism Australia, in partnership with Tourism Australia, has launched the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard program – providing an affordable pathway for tourism operators to begin their sustainability journey.
“You cannot manage what you don’t measure.” - Peter F Drucker
Strive 4 Sustainability is a pre-certification scorecard that helps you, as a business owner, develop an understanding of sustainability practices and enables you to measure where your business is at on its journey at a specific point of time.
It looks at the following four pillars of sustainability:
Environmental impact and carbon reduction
Socio-economic impact
Cultural impact
Sustainability management
For the annual cost of $250 your business will receive a benchmark score, and detailed report, from which you can continue to work on the improvement of your sustainability practices. It will provide you with an industry recognised rating that can be used to promote your business - making your experience more attractive to your staff, travellers, suppliers and partners who are choosing to align with, and support, like-minded businesses.
“Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.” - Jochen Zeitz
Once you have your scorecard, you can create an action plan for your business to create continuous improvement and make lasting change. Anything from reducing your carbon footprint, working with sustainable suppliers, managing waste and engaging with your local community.
Ecotourism Australia recommends reviewing your score annually to focus on consistent growth. Your score is focused on measuring and reducing your impact on the environment in which you live, it is not about offsetting.
If you have been wondering how to begin your sustainability journey, but did not know where to start, this program is a great pathway to a more sustainable business.
Once you have your scorecard and plan in place, please reach out to the RevenYou team to discuss how to incorporate this within your sales and marketing messaging to your guests, suppliers and partners.
We look forward to supporting you and your businesses sustainable growth.
