Responsible Travel
 | |
| Company type | Online travel agency and publisher |
|---|---|
| Industry | Tourism |
| Founded | 2001 in Brighton, Sussex, England |
| Headquarters | Brighton, England |
Key people | Justin Francis (British entrepreneur), Chair and Founder; Richard Skinner, Joint Managing Director; Tim Williamson, Joint Managing Director |
| Products | Responsible holidays, travel guides and editorial |
| Website | www.responsibletravel.com |
Responsible Travel is an English travel agency and publisher.
The company sells holidays it says are designed to maximise the benefit and minimise the harm involved in tourism.[1][2][3] It has claimed to be the "first online guide to responsible international travel".[2]
History
Responsible Travel was founded in 2001 by Justin Francis and Harold Goodwin. Anita Roddick of The Body Shop was one of the first investors.[4][5]
An article in The Independent in 2011 stated that “the ResponsibleTravel business model overturned conventional travel thinking. Instead of intervening between the travel enterprise and the tourist, as most agents do, Francis urges them to talk directly.”[1]
In 2004, it organized the World Responsible Tourism Award.[6] In October 2009, Responsible Travel stopped offering carbon offsets (which it offered since 2002) claiming that people were using the offset as an excuse to pollute more.[7][8][9][10]
In 2014, the company removed elephant trekking and elephant performance trips from its collection.[11]
In April 2017 Responsible Travel stopped promoting holidays that included a visit to a zoo, describing them as “relics of the past”.[12] The move was supported by The Born Free Foundation.[13] In 2018, Responsible Travel implemented a policy on sea turtle hatcheries, following concerns about the conditions in some hatcheries. It published guidelines for volunteers and tourists wishing to visit one.[14]
References
- ^ a b Calder, Simon (6 April 2011). "Justin Francis: 'I want to be a challenger'". The Independent. London: Independent Digital News and Media Limited. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Your ticket to green tourism". The Argus. Brighton: Newsquest Media Group Limited. 24 April 2001. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ^ Greenwood, Susan (15 July 2011). "The best travel websites ever". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ "Roddick backs responsible travel". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Limited. 6 April 2001. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ^ Amodeo, Christian (December 2002). "New Horizons: Anita Roddick, Co-Founder of the Body Shop, Is an Outspoken and Active Supporter of Responsible-Travel and Sustainable-Tourism Initiatives". Geographical. 74 (12). London: The Royal Geographical Society. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ Francis, Justin. "World Responsible Tourism Awards 2015 - A way to bring tourism down to earth". The Independent. London: Independent Digital News and Media Limited. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ Rosenthal, Elisabeth (17 November 2009). "Paying More for Flights Eases Guilt, Not Emissions". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ^ Taylor, Jerome (7 November 2009). "Ethical travel company drops carbon offsetting". The Independent. London: Independent Digital News and Media Limited. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
- ^ Datar, Rajan (31 January 2010). "fast:track examines carbon offsetting". Fast:Track. London. BBC News Channel. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
- ^ "ResponsibleTravel cancels carbon offset program". USA Today. Washington DC: Gannett Company. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
- ^ Francis, Justin (18 August 2014). "Elephant tourism: why the call of the wild is too loud to ignore". The Independent. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Pollock, Ian (3 April 2017). "Wildlife travel agent drops zoo trips". BBC News. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Coldwell, Will (3 April 2017). "UK travel firm becomes the first to drop zoos". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Taylor, Mia (21 March 2018). "Responsible Travel raises questions about turtle hatcheries". TravelPulse.