Make Travel Matter Experiences are unique travel experiences chosen for the ways in which they advance the United Nations Global Goals, and are available across all of The Travel Corporation’s brand itineraries. They are selected with great care using a proprietary assessment tool, exclusive to TTC and our family of brands, which analyzes experiences against a transparent set of qualifying criteria, allowing TTC to identify whether the experience advances the UN Global Goals, and if so, which Goal in particular. Read the endorsements of Make Travel Matter Experiences and our qualifying criteria by leading travel industry and sustainable development experts below.

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of the UNWTO

The importance of tourism has never been more evident. I salute The Travel Corporation’s new Make Travel Matter Experiences initiative to make tourism matter at every level, and I am happy that UNWTO can contribute to this important work through our shared efforts to re-start Tourism as a critical part of sustainable global development.

Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council

More than 330 million people across the world (1 in 10 of all jobs) depend on Travel & Tourism for their livelihoods. It is an economic activity that not only creates jobs, but has an unmatchable social impact, with a proven record on helping nations around the world to reduce poverty, sharing income from the most developed to the poorest destinations, creating opportunities for people to work in their own country. This is in addition to being the most inclusive sector employing more than 50% women, and more than 30% youth. Regardless of the level of education, gender, religion, beliefs or nationality, Travel & Tourism offers an opportunity to all for a better life.

I am thrilled to see the launch of the ‘Make Travel Matter’ E-Assessment tool, which is a great initiative and a powerful tool to advance sustainable tourism and increase the positive impact of Travel & Tourism.  Our personal choices matter and travel connects directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, so with this tool you can really make a difference and see the positive impact of sustainable tourism in the environment, protecting our ecosystem, our assets, and especially wildlife, while at the same time providing a significant positive social impact.

Anita Mendiratta, Special Advisor to the Secretary General – UNWTO / Founder & President – Anita Mendiratta & Associates 

Travel & Tourism has been, and remains, a vital force of economic, social, cultural and environmental progress. COVID-19 has strengthened not only the world’s desire to travel, but awareness around the essential impact it has on destinations, especially their local communities. By being a world temporarily grounded, the value and values of travel have evolved, elevating respect and appreciation for the sector. Through my role as a global advisor to governments and businesses directly and indirectly connected with Travel & Tourism, my focus is firmly on embedding awareness and inspiring commitment towards sustainable growth and advancement of the sector, especially in times of crisis where, as now, our shared global challenges demand shared solutions.

In this spirit, viewing this historic year as an opportunity for sector betterment, TTC turned its attention towards the development the group’s new 5-year Sustainability Strategy – HOW WE TREAD RIGHT – with its smart, simple Make Travel Matter Experiences program. The supporting E Assessment tool developed by TTC’s sustainability leadership is a thoughtful approach to determining how travel experiences delivered to guests of TTC and its family of brands directly impact the UN SDGs. By doing this, the program enables travellers to become inspired by their own efforts to make travel matter. Why so needed as we ready for a post COVID-19 world of travel? Because good intentions are not good enough – sustainable action is critical and must be measurable.

Dr. Wendy Purcell PhD FRSA, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University

The ‘Make Travel Matter’ E-Assessment tool is a commendable initiative to advance sustainable tourism.  It brings rigor to the process making visible the choices we make to benefit people and planet.  Tying our decisions directly to one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals connects our personal choices with global impact.  There is an opportunity now to reset travel and tourism by prioritizing the United Nations 2030 Agenda¹, both to assure long-term resilience of the sector as well as enabling it to make its fullest contribution to sustainable development.  This new tool could help the sector deliver the SDGs and a world where “no-one will be left behind.” ¹

Costas Christ, President, Beyond Green Travel and Chairman, TreadRight Foundation 

The Travel Corporation (TTC) is taking sustainability to the next level of innovation with the launch of the Make Travel Matter E-Assessment tool. With more than 40 individual travel companies under the TTC banner, this tool provides a way to incorporate experiences into TTC’s itineraries that provide guests with inspiring local and authentic ways to explore and learn about the places they visit on a meaningful level, while also directly connecting those experiences to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Not only does this truly help to Make Travel Matter, to benefit people, wildlife and our planet, it demonstrates leadership to chart a new way forward in travel that recognizes the direct connection between personal well-being and planetary well-being

Jeremy Sampson, CEO, The Travel Foundation

The Travel Foundation has done a considerable amount of work to understand the invisible burden that destinations carry as a result of tourism development. Make Travel Matter Experiences by TTC and its family of brands represents a leading experience provider recognising the critical role that destination health has to the future of our industry.

I’m pleased to see Make Travel Matter experiences are backed by a set of rigorous criteria that keeps the wellbeing of the destination at the forefront. Make Travel Matter Experiences accomplish this by advancing the UN Global Goals and ensuring the benefits of tourism are kept local. This can positively impact on the destination’s economy, its people, and its environment, and lead to stronger and more resilient destinations – the ultimate goal of sustainable tourism. Moreover the program represents a considerable shift, on behalf of a major player in the industry, to educate guests and travellers on the many issues facing our world today. The opportunity for impact is impressive.

Arnie Weissmann Editor in Chief, Travel Weekly

The scope of activities the Tread Right Foundation is implementing across The Travel Corporation brands and around the globe is impressive indeed. These initiatives address a host of problems, from animal welfare to the quest for carbon neutrality to community support, that cross the spectrum of challenging issues related to sustainability. That they involved their guests in the programs, as well, is a critically important feature. In aggregate, the programs provide a near-perfect blueprint for how the travel industry can be a force for good.

After working alongside Trafalgar, Contiki, and The Travel Corporation for over 10 years, it’s super exciting to see progress in their sustainability journey and alignment of their strategy to the United Nations’ Global Goals. It’s so key that we all play our part in protecting and regenerating our planet, and how we travel is no exception. Travel has a unique role in educating people about global issues and fuels the desire to protect what we love. I believe this new E-Assessment tool will grow the number of meaningful travel experiences around the world, providing a framework from which travel experiences can be measured and improved.  As we’ve found with our Litter Intelligence programme, data helps us make better decisions to take action for positive impacts. Well done to all the TTC brands and the TreadRight Foundation for their progress and leadership in sustainable travel.

The Future of Tourism Coalition places destination needs at the center of tourism’s new future, and has developed 13 Guiding Principles that prioritize destination health. The Coalition has recognized Make Travel Matter Experiences as an example of Guiding Principle #1: See the Whole Picture. This principle recognizes that “most tourism by nature involves the destination as a whole, not only industry businesses but also its ecosystems, natural resources, cultural assets and traditions, communities, aesthetics, and built infrastructure.”

As part of TTC’s 5-year sustainability strategy How We Tread Right (HWTR), our goal is to include at least one Make Travel Matter Experience on 50% of our itineraries by 2025. Learn more about our HWTR goals.