Why now is the time to promote an inclusive and sustainable travel industry

July 5, 2022

Last updated: November 3, 2022

4 Min read

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Esther Villena

Head of Social Sustainability - Amadeus

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As we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the travel industry is at a pivotal turning point and has an opportunity to renew itself in a responsible, inclusive and sustainable way

One of the defining characteristics of the last few years has been volatility, and the lessons learned during this period can help our industry to become more resilient in the long-term. The pandemic has provided key learnings to our industry when it comes to sustainability, digitalization, and inclusivity.

At Amadeus, we hold a central role in the travel ecosystem. Through our Powering Good with Partners program, we want to help in connecting the different players of the travel and tourism industry to co-generate initiatives that increase our joint positive impact on society. By identifying and developing partnerships, we can hook up people and organizations which are focused on sustainability, digitalization, and continued collaboration.

About Amadeus’ Powering Good with Partners Program

Our Powering Good with Partners program mobilizes our global network of customers, industry players, intergovernmental and non-profit organizations, educational institutions and public and private sector leaders to collaborate on initiatives that may have a positive impact on society and on the environment. Our goal is to help people and organisations that depend on travel to make a living while protecting our natural habitats and encouraging social progress. To make a real difference, Amadeus has started to work with stakeholders across the travel and tourism ecosystem to attain a maximum reach and impact.

Here are three projects where we have joined forces with our partners to help provide solutions to some of the new social and environmental challenges our industry and our society are facing:

1. Travel4Impact Network: Helping travel and tourism SMEs

Microbusinesses and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the travel industry, they make up 80% of the industry. In collaboration with IE University and other industry players, Amadeus has launched a global network to support travel and tourism SMEs. We support them through the promotion of digitalization, collaboration and sustainability as drivers of their recovery, to generate positive impact at the local level, and to create a more responsible and sustainable travel industry.Watch this video to learn more about Travel4Impact, orclick here to hear about EoloFLY’s experience with the Travel4Impact Network. EoloFLY is one of the SMEs that is participating in the program. In addition, if you are a travel and tourism SME and want to be part of this network,apply here .

2. Skills to Empower Good: Upskilling current and future industry professionals

Many people are rethinking their career paths, and a whole new generation is entering the workforce. Our Skills to Empower Good program aims to empower these individuals with digital upskilling opportunities that can serve the travel and tourism sector, while improving their employability. We are partnering with customers and educational institutions around the world to offer current industry professionals complimentary Amadeus training, while students and young people can access free specialized training and certification through our Amadeus scholarship program. We are confident that this training framework will enable us to address our industry’s demand for upskilled professionals while contributing to tackle global unemployment.

3. Travel for Good: supporting NGOs and promoting travel and tourism as a force for good

Joining forces with our industry stakeholders to support NGOs and foster travel as a force to increase together our positive social and environmental footprint is the main objective behind this initiative. And we do so by using our products, services and expertise to amplify the reach and impact of global non-profit organizations, such as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Since 2013, we’ve worked together with UNICEF to maximize its positive impact. An example of this ongoing partnership is Click for Change, an initiative powered by the Amadeus Donation Engine that gathers microdonations for non-profit organizations from people buying travel online. Since launching the partnership, almost USD 3.5 million has been donated to UNICEF by travelers purchasing travel products and services on our partners’ websites

These are just some of the ways that Amadeus collaborates with NGOs. The travel industry is uniquely capable of uplifting grassroots organizations in destinations all over the world by encouraging travellers to give back to the communities that they visit.

What I’ve outlined in this blog is more than just an opportunity, it’s also our collective responsibility to help one another succeed

We achieve more if we come together to promote a fair and inclusive transformation of travel and tourism industry. We have a collective responsibility to promote travel as a driver of positive and sustainable change. Amadeus plays a key role in facilitating that collaboration and we understand that we can only enact impactful progress by working together with our partners. That’s why our Powering Good with Partners program builds on our existing and new networks to collaborate on initiatives that increase our positive impact on society.

Stay tuned for the latest news and join Powering Good with Partners to co-generate a positive change together!

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