Custom travel specialist, Avanti Destinations, has been certified as a B Corporation, joining a small but growing group of U.S.-headquartered tour operators to earn this designation.
To receive the certification, the company must meet third-party standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency relating to five key areas of governance, workers, community, environment and customers. All three of Avanti’s main offices — Portland, Oregon; Barcelona, Spain; and Manchester, England — are now certified as B Corporations.
For-profit companies must earn at least 80 points through the B Corp assessment and must be re-certified every three years, at a higher level than the previous certification. Avanti received an audit score of 81.1, compared with an average score of 50.9 among companies taking the assessment.
“B Corporation standards are in alignment with our company values, and they give us a framework not only to do good now, but to continue to do even more good in the future,” said Paul Barry, CEO of Avanti Destinations.
Avanti began the certification process in 2024, with Alison Atkinson, commercial director for Avanti, leading the company’s sustainability efforts. After an initial internal audit found that the company was short of the required score, additional documentation, policies and programs were implemented. Among the changes was an animal welfare policy designed to ensure that tours offered through Avanti’s suppliers do not harm wildlife.
The certification builds on Avanti’s existing sustainability efforts, including its Footprints program, which launched in 2025 and currently encompasses 2,000 products. The program allows travel advisors to identify accommodations, transfers and tours in Avanti’s portfolio that have made significant commitments to sustainability. Those products are marked with a three-leaf logo on Avanti’s advisor portal.
“We focus on something we call ‘symbiotic tourism’ — working hard to benefit the local communities where our travelers go,” Barry said. “Many of our suppliers are involved in sustainability initiatives, such as wildlife protection, supporting local businesses or community-building.”
