As a responsible tour operator, Intrepid Travel, which has been a carbon neutral business since 2010 and in 2020 aims to become climate positive, has created an open-source step-by-step guide for the travel industry to decarbonize and emerge from the COVID-19 crisis more responsibly.

The 10-Step Quick Start Guide to Decarbonize Your Travel Business is meant to provide an easy-to-follow action plan on reduction and offsetting for tourism businesses, to encourage the industry to rebuild more sustainably amidst the pandemic as part of the travel company’s #RebuildResponsibly advocacy work it has been focusing on while international travel is halted.

“The COVID-19 crisis has brought our sector and the global economy to a halt this year and we would be remiss to not let it be for something good. We shouldn’t be aspiring for things to go back to normal, but rather redefine what normal means and use this period of travel stagnation to focus on rebuilding our businesses more ethically and sustainably, so that our earth is preserved for future generations to explore,” said James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel.

As pioneers in sustainable travel for over 30 years, Intrepid Travel has focused on using this time to think about how it can rebuild better itself, while also using the tools and insights the company has built over the years to encourage others in the travel industry to emerge from this crisis more responsible.

The Quick Start Guide provides a low barrier way for other travel companies to get started on their carbon journey by offering straightforward steps – from understanding how climate change is impacting your business to developing a carbon management strategy – and using real world examples from Intrepid to show how others can implement similar strategies within their own organization.

The resource was written by Intrepid’s Environmental Impact Specialist, Dr. Susanne Etti, who has over 15 years of experience in sustainability and is responsible for measuring and driving environmental performance, as well as developing and implementing a culture of sustainability leadership within Intrepid Travel.

Advocating for net zero emissions by 2030 is one of the key areas that Intrepid has identified as critical to a responsible rebuild of the travel industry, along with ending exploitative wildlife tourism, establishing stronger governance and compliance, and empowering communities and supply chains. In the weeks and months ahead, the company will continue to roll out several other initiatives and partnerships to support these areas.

To download the guide, visit www.intrepidtravel.com/carbon-management.

Photos courtesy Intrepid Travel.