Is the future of sustainability in travel just about travelling less and doing more carbon offsetting? Do we need to think about alternative ways to solve this challenge?  

To explore this topic Vibe recently held an event called ‘Great Minds’ at the Mercedes-Benz World in Brooklands in the UK that was attended by around 30 representatives of travel suppliers such as bedbanks, transport providers and senior people from the main GDS companies.

During the day a panel session was held that was moderated by Lee Hayhurst, Editor of Travolution, along with Kirsty Given from Agiito, Sarah Grao from Bioscore, Nico Nicholas from Trees4Travel, and Matthew Chapman, CTO from Vibe.

Read more: EU emissions trading system for air traffic “insufficient for climate protection”

A very clear consensus emerged from the panel – and also from the audience via questions and voting – on two important points:  

• Firstly, that some kind of regulation should be introduced which regulates the consistent and easy-to-understand display and presentation of sustainability information when searching for and booking travel experiences.
• Secondly, that responsibility for providing and enforcing such communications falls to not just travel suppliers, but the whole of the travel ecosystem including tech providers, B2B distributors and B2C travel sellers.

Read more: Dimerco sets aggressive carbon reduction goal

Reflecting on the panel session and responding to both the panelists and audience’s views, Matthew Chapman, CTO from Vibe called on the industry to take action:

“At Vibe we’re acutely aware that great minds around the world are working on impactful solutions to climate change, especially within the travel industry. To action and implement truly effective solutions requires every single part of the industry to be engaged in that process. At Vibe we have the experience and passion to provide meaningful insight and comment in our specific expertise of technology and booking solutions.

“We know sustainability information is not consistently or meaningfully presented to travel bookers, both in the leisure and corporate world. As a consumer, it’s almost impossible to understand the environmental impact of your choices, and even harder to compare between multiple flights, different accommodation options, and other services on an “apples-to-apples” basis.

“At Vibe, we are eager to play our part by completely re-thinking the way travel websites communicate climate impact information. We want bookers and travellers to make educated decisions on their travel purchases. The solution we all need is standardised data, consistent global ratings and certifications, and clear and recognisable key information on all websites.”