Trafalgar has released its 2024 Impact Report, detailing the company's progress against its five-year sustainability strategy. The report shows Trafalgar achieved seven of its sustainability goals while working to address overtourism, carbon emissions and more.
The brand, part of The Travel Corporation, reports that 85% of its itineraries now include at least one local dining experience. These experiences support local agriculture and businesses through initiatives such as Be My Guest experiences, where travelers dine with local families. Examples include lunch with a tea plantation farmer's family in Japan's Nara area and visits to a 17th-century goat cheese farm in France.
"As travelers return in greater numbers, the conversation must shift from growth to balance, a change we have been advocating for at The Travel Corporation," said Shannon Guihan, chief sustainability officer for The Travel Corporation and Head of its TreadRight Foundation. "That is why, across our brands, we are taking meaningful steps to reduce pressure on overcrowded destinations and to ensure our trips bring benefit, not burden."
Trafalgar made progress toward its 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target. The Travel Corporation reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 23% and Scope 3 emissions by 20%, from a 2019 baseline year. The company invested $353,307 in decarbonization projects through its Carbon Fund in 2024, bringing total investments to more than $2.23 million since 2023.
The company also reports that 98% of Trafalgar itineraries include at least one Make Travel Matter experience. These experiences are designed to advance United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and provide social or environmental benefits to destinations and communities. Examples include visits to an organic vineyard in Portugal and conservation education at Scotland's Dundreggan Rewilding Centre.
"What we need is a systemic approach, and so, I'd like to be clear: We support destination-led approaches,” Guihan said. “We believe that thoughtful, community-informed policies are essential to preserving the very qualities that draw travelers in the first place.”
The 2024 Impact Report tracks progress across The Travel Corporation's 18 brands against 11 measurable goals outlined in its How We Tread Right sustainability strategy. The company launched a Partner Sustainability Hub in 2024 to provide guidance and tools for supply chain partners.
"I understand the value that tourism can bring to communities when managed in partnership with key stakeholders,” Guihan said. “Ultimately, tourism shouldn't happen to a community; it should happen with them. And so, we not only welcome collaboration with governments, destination management organizations and local leaders to build smart frameworks that ensure tourism delivers real value, limits harm and supports communities, we are seeking it out. If the past few years have taught us anything, it's that tourism must evolve proactively, transparently and together."
Editor’s Note: This article was generated by AI, based on a press release distributed by Trafalgar. It has been fact-checked and reviewed by a TravelAge West editor.
