Explora Journeys, the luxury cruise line of the MSC Group, has announced a partnership with Travelife for tour operators, according to a press release. Travelife is a training, management and certification program for sustainability in tourism.
Explora Journeys said that its aim is to “create a strong awareness among its partners for effective sustainability planning, maximizing social and economic benefits for local communities where its ships will visit, enhancing cultural heritage and reducing environmental impact.”
The partnership with Travelife will allow all Explora Journeys’ tour operators and partner travel advisors with free access to the Travelife online platform to provide a range of benefits towards sustainable tourism.
These benefits include a comprehensive learning platform with 16 on-demand sustainability modules including final exams and certification upon completion of each module; activity-specific excursion checklists that meet internationally recognized sustainability standards; practical reporting and action planning tools for the effective implementation of sustainability practices, plus best practice examples from the travel and tourism industry.
“Working toward more sustainable travel experiences for our guests is an important part of our vision to become a truly defining and desired luxury lifestyle travel brand. Our deep respect for the ocean is the principal component of our journey and out of deep respect for local communities, our destination experiences are being designed to leave a positive impression and footprint. We are committed in this regard to work towards building and maintaining a mutual understanding and firm commitment to sustainable tourism and so I am delighted, therefore, to partner with Travelife who can help us, our tour operators and travel advisor colleagues to achieve our ambition,” said Chief Executive Officer of Explora Journeys, Michael Ungerer.
“Travelife’s sustainability management system naturally complements Explora Journeys’ commitment to creating sustainable destination experiences. DMCs, tour operators, travel advisors and ports are integral to support any sustainable implementation and they will be encouraged with education and incentives. We applaud Explora Journeys for its efforts to promote holistic sustainability,” Naut Kusters, the general manager of Travelife, added.
Earlier in September 2021, the Cruise Division of MSC Group reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability by pledging to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its cruise marine operations by 2050.
According to the press release, the target covers both Explora Journeys and MSC Cruises and goes “beyond” the International Maritime Organisation’s ambition to reduce emissions from shipping by 50 percent by 2050 compared to 2008.
The luxury brand’s sister company MSC Cruises has partnered with Travelife for Tour Operators since 2018.
