Travel4Impact: working together to support travel and tourism SMEs

September 15, 2022

Last updated: November 3, 2022

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Concepción Galdón

Director, IE Center for Social Innovation & Sustainability, IE University

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"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." —A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens' opening of 'A Tale of Two Cities'
locates the reader in the upheaval of the French Revolution. A turbulent time, and a period of spread of liberty and equality ideas. It was a foundational time, just like our time might very well be remembered as a foundational one. It may be a foundational time right now, but it has been certainly turbulent. None of us expected to go through as much turmoil as we have experienced. These crises have affected the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in the travel industry very critically. If you are reading this Amadeus blog, you are most likely involved or, at least, interested in the travel sector, and you may view the times we are in as somewhere in between Charles Dickens' two cities. However, we genuinely believe that by working together, in partnership, we can make it the best of times.

Travel4Impact is an initiative brought to life by collaboration between Amadeus and the IE Foundation, part of IE University. Together, we aim to support SMEs in the travel and tourism industry to work hand in hand with us as well as external collaborators to promote travel through sustainability, digitalization, and community building. It is a Corporate Social Responsibility program that aims to show the value this sector could bring to generate a positive impact, united in its diversity. Our experience, and that of the SMEs that participated in the first edition, is that sustainability, digitalization, and collaboration are powerful tools with which to gain a competitive advantage.

During the first edition of Travel4Impact, we selected 22 SMEs that represent the values of this project. They are led by people who love travel. People who strive every day to generate the kind of transformational experiences that only great travel provides. And travel is only great if it respects and blends with the destination's social, cultural, and natural wealth.

Many of the small business owners who’ve participated face daily barriers as they aim to boost the digitalization and sustainability of their business models. Some of the main challenges they have identified are the following:

Access to resources, training, and financing: Until now, these resources have been easier to access for larger companies that have the necessary equipment and, therefore, more time to know and manage access to them.
Lack of access to digitalization: Their barriers are not only economic, but they’re also challenged first-hand by the digital divide. They struggle to train and empower their teams to use new technologies.
Image of sustainability: SMEs, with their limited time and budget, have to make great efforts to explain well the work they do, educate their customers and demonstrate the reality of their commitment.

Nevertheless, beyond all these challenges, there are great opportunities that make their effort worthwhile:

Collaboration and alliances: Although not all organizations and clients in their environment are yet prepared to understand this approach, prioritizing sustainability generates much more valuable and lasting relationships with those clients, suppliers, and partners that connect with their efforts.
Changes in the market: Their clients experience first-hand how digitalization and sustainability generate more valuable travel experiences, and they reward this with their loyalty and great reviews. Additionally, growing numbers of customers get an intrinsic reward from supporting initiatives that protect the natural environment and generate value for society. Which further increases the perceived value of their trip.
Innovation and new business models: In a particularly challenging sector, the focus on digitalization and sustainability places them at the forefront of innovation.

For SMEs in the travel industry, as much as at times it might feel turbulent, the best of times may be still to come. Travel is a sector with no expiration date. It is no secret for any of us that humans are curious beings, always eager to grow and renew themselves. Working together with Amadeus, at IE University, we want to continue supporting SMEs to jointly drive positive impact in our communities and help renew the travel and tourism industry. As Hans Christian Andersen beautifully put it, "to travel is to live."

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