Touring category-leader Trafalgar and its sister brand, Costsaver, announced their plans to increase their sustainable travel and tourism initiatives in celebration of World Tourism Day. The brands will offer a minimum of one MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience on every land tour by 2023, furthering their commitment to responsible tourism as the tourism industry looks to rebuild in a post-pandemic world.

Since the launch of MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences in 2020, both brands have been contributing directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) by offering guests rich, meaningful travel opportunities that have a positive impact on the places they visit. Using a proprietary assessment tool endorsed by industry experts and developed exclusively for Trafalgar and The Travel Corporation’s (TTC) family of brands, MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences are assessed against a robust set of criteria directly tied to these UN Global Goals.

Already available on 100 per cent of trips through Asia and with a total of 98 experiences across the globe, the brands are committing to extend the offering to include one on every tour. This comes at a crucial time as the industry looks to rebuild after more than 62 million jobs were lost last year*, with local communities and small businesses that rely on tourism amongst the hardest hit. This is just one of the many initiatives the brands are making to ensure they do their part to support the rebound of travel after the devastating impact of COVID-19. 

“As a company with sustainable and responsible travel ingrained in our DNA, we are taking every step possible to secure the future for our industry,” says Gavin Tollman, Global CEO of Trafalgar and Costsaver. “In the wake of the pandemic, every travel organization should be reviewing and assessing their operations in line with the UN Global Goals and this is just one way we are securing a more inclusive future for the people and places we visit and our guests,” he concludes.

“With this change, not only will our guests continue to have incredibly rich experiences when they tour with us,” adds Gemma Myhill, Trafalgar and Costsaver’s Global Sustainability Officer. “They will also know their travels will meaningfully give back to local communities, wildlife and the planet, no matter the destination they choose.”

Travellers can identify these experiences by looking out for the MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience seal on trafalgar.com and costsavertour.com/en-ca. Download the brands’ full commitment to responsible travel in their How We Tread Right strategy.