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If you care about the environmental and ethical credentials of your holiday provider, you’re on the crest of a wave. According to ABTA, the organisation of travel advisors and providers, the number of holidaymakers keen to know the environmental credentials of their destinations is growing. Their 2011 Consumer Trends Survey found that 33% – one in three – holidaymakers think holidays should have environmental ratings – much like the star ratings awarded by tourism organisations. That’s an increase from 29% since the 2011 survey. ABTA estimates that this represents over 10 million people taking foreign holidays.

The figure has is higher among women – 38%. And among the demographic group classed as ‘cosmopolitans’ – who take the most holidays per year and are early adopters of trends – the figure rises to 49%. About 19% of consumers, a rise of 2% over last year, say they would pay more for a holiday with a company that has a better environmental and social record.

New Certification Scheme

ABTA, a membership organisation that establishes standards for the travel industry and provides financial assurance for travellers, has recently launched the Travelife Sustainability System. It’s a certification scheme for hotels and holiday accommodation that ranks environmental and social practices. Accommodation providers are able to achieve bronze, silver and gold awards depending on their achievements after a full, independently conducted audit.

The global scheme is supported by some of the largest tour operators in the world as well as smaller independents. The bronze, silver and gold awards can be displayed in accommodation suppliers’ own marketing materials and websites as well as in the tour operator brochures and websites that use them. The key online selling tool for travel agents – Gazetteers – now also displays the awards.

To date 17,000 properties have registered with Travelife, 1,500 have completed a full third party audit and well over 500 properties have been granted a Travelife award of Bronze, Silver or Gold.