After six months of intense work, BDP has now become fully sustainability certified through Travelife. To achieve the certification BDP complies with 200 criteria related to an operators’ office management, product range, international business partners and customer information.
Travelife is a three-stage certification program for tour operators and travel agents: (1) Travelife Engaged; (2) Travelife Partner and (3) Travelife Certified. We were awarded the Travelife certified (stage 3). The Travelife Certified award is a recognition of our excellence towards social and environmental sustainability. We comply with more than 160 criteria related to sustainability management, office operations, working with suppliers and customer communication. Travelife is a certification body that is formally Accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the highest global body for sustainability in tourism, supported by the United Nations.
As early as June, BDP was awarded Travelife Partner, the second step on the certification ladder. To become a Travelife Partner was just the beginning and soon after, BDP started taking the next step to graduate to the last and most important step in the Travelife auspices: becoming Travelife Certified as the first incoming agency in Denmark.
Mr Naut Kusters, manager of Travelife for tour operators, “I am delighted to see that sustainability in the tour operators’ sector is obtaining momentum. The award of the front runner BDP will inspire other companies in Denmark to follow the same path.”
“We are proud and truly happy that we have received the certificate, as this is an important milestone. We do hope that fellow industry colleagues will join the same path. Especially in times where expressions as “over-tourism” and “hordes” are heard more often, it is important that we all take responsibility, “ says Hanne Nehmar, CEO & owner of BDP.
Amongst some of the action we have taken to get the certificate was:
- Involving the community in developing more sustainable products
- Logging and reflecting upon our CO2-emissions when we travel
- Focus more on sustainability when choosing suppliers
BDP look forward to continuing the work with these – and new – sustainable actions in the future!
About Travelife
Travelife, which has been established with the support of the European Commission, is the leading international sustainability certification for the travel sector. More than 35 national travel associations are promoting the scheme to their members including ABTA, The British Travel Association and the Danish ReiseVerband (DRF). In 2017 Travelife for Tour operators have reached the GSTC Accredited status from the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).