Travel experts rely on Ecolabel: Sustainability in the booking system
A big step toward more sustainable travel means getting support from major technology providers like Travelport, which helps travel agents plan trips.
The international booking system Travelport supports sustainable tour operators by enabling travel agencies to search specifically for offers, which are certified with reputable labels such as the Ecolabel, via the CETS system and the integrated search engine PowerSearch.
Advantage for travel agencies: Sustainable travel in CETS
This makes it easier for travel agencies to recommend and thus promote trips: They can use the CETS tourist booking system and the integrated PowerSearch search engine to specifically look for offers that have been certified for sustainability by a neutral body. The new service is free of charge for travel agencies and is available to all CETS users in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Eye with globe
The technology company Travelport, which manages CETS, has introduced a new symbol to identify sustainable travel: an eye with the globe instead of the iris. If you drag your mouse over it, you can immediately see who certified the offer. By clicking on it, all the important details appear in a new window.
It is also possible to search for sustainable hotels only.
Sustainability has high priority
"Recent scientific studies have shown that consumers attach great importance to the issue of sustainability, including when traveling. Travel agencies that can advise accordingly are not only doing something good for the environment, but also have a clear advantage," says Dieter Rumpel, Travelports Managing Director Germany, Austria & Switzerland.
Four pillars
Only offers (currently more than 3,500) that have been checked by internationally recognized quality seals and meet the framework conditions of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) can be found in CETS. National, officially recognized sustainability labels such as the Austrian Ecolabel are therefore also included. Based on the four pillars defined by the GSTC, "Sustainable Management", "Socio-economic Aspects", "Cultural Aspects" and "Environmental Aspects", the labels are awarded for one or more pillars. The travel agencies can see quite clearly who has evaluated and certified which areas of a provider.
"Environment" as a minimum requirement
Offers labeled as sustainable must at least consider the dimension of the environment and/or pay special attention to human rights or provide economic benefits to the locals of the visited region. However, Travelport only labels offers that have a reputable label, such as the Austrian Ecolabel, at least in the area of the environment.
Cooperation with partner organizations
Travelport is working closely with the European network Ecotrans on the project, as well as with the European Environment Agency (EEA) and other partner organizations.
Author: Karin Chladek