QUEENSLAND, 26 February 2018. EarthCheck has partnered with the Green Travel Index (GTI), a B2B database for sustainable certified service providers in travel and tourism.
GTI’s hotel mapping and profiling will open a virtual door to more than 4,300 travel agents who will be able to access EarthCheck Certified, EarthCheck Evaluate, EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations and EarthCheck Design Members.
“With EarthCheck as an official partner of the Green Travel Index we reach an important milestone, integrating an online portfolio of clients in over 70 countries,” President of Green Travel Index, Stephan Busch said.
The GTI also has a strategic partnership with GIATA, the market leader in non-bookable tourism content, including the world’s largest unique hotel database.
GIATA has more than 21,000 users worldwide including internationally-established tour operator groups and travel agency chains TUI, Thomas Cook, DerTour, Kuoni and American Express, as well as all GDSs and internet booking engine providers such as Amadeus/Traveltainment, Sabre, Traffics, Bewotec, Peakwork and Travelport. Additionally, many internationally-renowned travel portals including Priceline, Expedia, Orbitz, TripAdvisor, HolidayCheck, Opodo and Kayak trust in their solutions.
This is excellent news and timely for consumers and travel operators worldwide as tourism spend from responsible travel is on the rise. EarthCheck is known for its scientific rigor and is the only organisation in the world to have three programs accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
“In this era of on-line transparency and accountability, tourism brands are increasingly aware of their social and sustainable responsibilities,” Founder and CEO of EarthCheck, Stewart Moore said.
EarthCheck's membership around the world
“From corporate clients, to governments and environmentally aware guests, tourism brands are growing in sensitivity to best practice and the commercial impact of their sustainability commitments.”
“The GTI partnership means all our members’ achievements, from destinations such as Snæfellsnes Peninsula in Iceland, luxury resort The Alpina Gstaad in Switzerland to theme parks like Xcaret in Mexico, will be recognised by many of the world’s leading agencies,” Mr Moore said.
EarthCheck claims to have helped realise more than $500 million in savings for its partners in over 70 countries. It clinched the UNWTO Innovation Award.
The GTI connects sustainable travel businesses with the point of sales and integrates sustainable non-bookable information into technical systems through advisory tools for travel agents, booking engines and all systems where transparency in travel sales is on demand. It does not interfere in contracts between suppliers and sales organisations.
While the GTI does not by itself certify suppliers, it is interested in improving the quality of sustainability by passing negative feedback on listed providers back to the certification body.
There are membership plans for Certifications and Sustainable Management Plans on GTI website, where premium accounts come with a charge.