Sustainability
Airbnb is committed to ensuring that as tourism becomes a larger portion of economies around the world, local people and the communities they live in are the primary beneficiaries. Through the Office of Healthy Tourism, we will foster initiatives that drive economic growth in communities, empower destinations from major cities to emerging destinations, and support environmental sustainability. Airbnb’s local, authentic, people powered travel ensures that as more people travel, more people can harness the benefits.
As one of the fastest growing travel technology companies, with a network of more than 2 million properties, Agoda recognizes that we have a shared responsibility to protect destinations around the world. We aim to be a positive force that encourages exploration of earth’s amazing destinations in a way that lifts up communities and creates a positive future for all environments and destinations.
To this end, we are actively connecting with civic society, partnering with local governments to help manage their destinations, giving our customers more sustainable choices and supporting our hotel partners in their sustainability journeys. Ultimately, Agoda’s moonshot goal is to mainstream sustainable travel. We have doubled our investments in sustainability and are testing tools and partnerships to help all our stakeholders move towards more sustainable choices.
With a mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, at Booking.com we want to help lead the travel industry towards a more sustainable future. This is not only a benefit to the planet and all global citizens, but to our customers and partners, as well by building longevity and health in the industry.
Over the last five years, Booking.com has been testing different ways to support the travel ecosystem. With our Booking Cares Volunteers program, employees have participated in over 2,100 projects. In addition to hands-on tasks, employees also contribute their time and expertise, for example through mentoring Booking Booster participants.
In 2017, we launched our Booking Booster accelerator program to support sustainable travel startups, supporting them to grow their impact through equity-free grants and ongoing mentoring. In 2020, the program will bring together innovative organizations offering technology-led sustainability solutions along with accommodations to help them develop their efforts in this space and operate more sustainably. Through the last three years of our external grant programs, we have funded 45 organizations around the world with more than €10 million.
In 2019, we stepped up our industry collaboration by co-launching Travalyst. In this partnership, we are working with major players in the travel industry (TripAdvisor, Trip.com, Skyscanner, & Visa), as well as the Duke of Sussex, to explore and develop pan-industry solutions to make it easier for everyone to experience the world in a way that protects both people and places.
We also officially partnered with World Animal Protection, as part of an alliance of committed travel industry leaders from across the globe working to end cruel wildlife entertainment.
Expedia Group is committed to improving the lives of people around the world through initiatives focused on protecting the planet, providing access to education, advancing equality and enabling a more tolerant, just and peaceful world.
Expedia Group has a number of partnerships that enable long term sustainable growth in tourism, many of those in Asia Pacific:
- UNESCO and Expedia Group joined forces to create a sustainable tourism pledge aimed at reducing single-use plastic and promoting local culture across the travel industry.
- The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Expedia Group have a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance future tourism growth to Thailand while highlighting the country’s secondary destinations as well as skills transfer to the local hospitality industry..
- Expedia Group has two tourism cooperation agreements with the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia to promote and help drive tourism to 15 key destinations in Indonesia.
Expedia Group is taking measurable steps to lower our environmental impact, for example:
- Through Carbon Offsets and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), Expedia Group has offset the annual greenhouse gas emissions of our business operations which we control —from internal air travel, employee commuting, energy, waste disposal and other day to day activities.
- Our Seattle campus (HQ) is LEED we are striving toward the highest level of LEED certification when our campus is complete.
Our CSR programs, community support and charitable gifting is a direct reflection of the interests and passions of our employees worldwide.
Sustainability expands through all we do as a business. With our technology, global network and travel industry expertise, we are in a unique position to make a positive contribution to the sustainability of our industry. Our sustainability strategy is rooted in three pillars: addressing and optimizing the impact of our operations, helping our customers improve their operational and sustainability performance and working in partnerships in the industry.
We embrace a broad concept of sustainability, including environmental, social and governance matters. We are conscious sustainability is a road, rather than a destination, and continuous improvement is required if we want to contribute to the long-term sustainable growth of our company and our industry. Amadeus participates in various initiatives like the UN Global Compact and works in cooperation with other industry stakeholders, including UN agencies, academic institutions, industry associations, etc. Amadeus has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the last nine consecutive years. More detailed information on our sustainability initiatives and credentials can be found at Amadeus Global Report.
At Travelport, we strive to go beyond our business objectives to improve and grow the communities in which we live, work and play. We support our global and local communities across three distinct pillars: Community, Education and Sustainability. Whether it’s through supporting employee volunteerism with paid time off and donation matching; promoting the success of underrepresented communities in STEM and travel education; or implementing technology that highlights certified-sustainable tourism offers – we’re aiming to make a difference through Travelport’s worldwide reach.
Sustainable travel is a commitment and part of Skyscanner’s mission. To make it easier for our fellow travellers to fly greener, we identify and use our Greener Choices label on flights with lower-than-average carbon emissions.
We also invest in technologies and innovations that aim to make travel more sustainable in the future. For example, we predominantly purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to offset our corporate travel footprint through a partnership with SkyNRG, a global leader in the SAF space that utilises sustainable, non-fossil resources to produce fuel. The SAF made from renewable biomass, such as cooking oil, is intended to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by at least 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.
Likewise, as founding members of Travalyst, a coalition that aims to build awareness through more transparent information about sustainable travel, we’re at the forefront of efforts to help future generations travel smarter and preserve the communities that they visit.