As part of our goal to educate consumers and businesses about sustainability in tourism, we started an interview series with various industry professionals. Here you can learn everything there is to know about responsible tourism, including some insight knowledge that may not be represented in mainstream media.
Interviews with ecolabels
We chatted with ecolabels like ibex fairstay, Eco-Romania and NEPCon about the development of their labels and sustainable tourism in their countries, responsible practices they incorporate and which aspects they find most important.
ibex fairstay
ibex fairstay is the leading Swiss label for sustainability in the hospitality industry. It stands for a personally and independently tested quality for hotels, hostels, guest houses and even hospitals. In our interview with Anita Gschwind, Head of Office ibex fairstay about the ecolabel’s experience in the sustainable tourism sector, their role in making the industry more transparent and responsible practices that every person and every accommodation can implement.
interview ibex fairstay
Eco-Romania
The Romanian partner of bookdifferent.com, the Association of Ecotourism in Romania (AER), is an organization that assists in developing a series of ecotourism destinations in Romania, supporting small scale local services and products, keeping tourism standards at the highest level and supporting local and national nature conservation efforts. We talked to Bogdan Papuc, executive director of the Association of Ecotourism in Romania (AER), about the importance of discovering places close to your home instead of flying abroad, the uniqueness of Romania as a destination and the ecolabel’s main focus in their certification system.
NEPCon
NEPCon, as a non-profit organisation works to create solutions to major global challenges, such as sustainable land use and responsible business practices through innovative projects, capacity building and sustainability services. We chatted with Saúl Blanco Sosa, NEPCon Sustainable Tourism Services Manager, about the development of the tourism sector since 1994, the main focus of the ecolabel’s certification and the responsible practices he implements in his day-to-day life.
interview NEPCon
Interview with eco-certified accommodations
There’s no better way to learn more about implementing sustainable practices in accommodations than from the hotels themselves. These interviews provide you with hands-on knowledge about the incorporation of responsibility in day-to-day business.
Mangrove Lodge in Tanzania
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to stay in a small sustainable lodge in a country as beautiful as Tanzania? Do you want to know more about the sustainable practices smaller hotels implement in their day-to-day operations? In our interview with Marina, owner of the RTTZ-certified Mangrove Lodge, she talks about the responsible practices they incorporate, unique aspects travelers can expect when staying at the Lodge and the importance of sustainable operations, especially in smaller hotels.
Interviews with travel companies
If you have always wondered how travel companies incorporate sustainability throughout their whole supply chain, we have the answers for you. We talked to DMCs like EXO Travel and tour operators like Corendon about the importance of sustainability in all aspects, from tours to accommodations to transportation.
EXO Travel
We had the honor of talking to Mrs. Alexandra Michat, EXO Foundation Manager & EXO Travel Director of Sustainability, about the importance of implementing responsible practices when traveling, the benefits of offsetting carbon for flights and accommodations and the ways EXO Travel communicates sustainability in their tour offers.
interview EXO Travel
Corendon
Back in September this year, we finalized a sustainable travelscan for one of the biggest Dutch tour operators – Corendon. Now we were happy to talk to Anne Jet Niermeijer, MVO Manager and CSR Manager of Corendon. In the interview she tells us how the Dutch tour operator incorporates sustainability in their offer, the benefits they gained from our sustainable travelscan and the importance of leading as a good example in sustainable tourism.