RTTZ and Travelife share a common interest towards promoting sustainability and social responsibility within the travel sector and recently launched the Certification Program for Tour Operators which is now available and ready to offer the services in Tanzania.
The Certification program rules the co-operation on the Travelife training and management system for tour operators and Responsible Tourism Tanzania Certification Program and does not consider the Travelife system for hotels, which is managed by ABTA, the British Travel association.
WHY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR TOUR OPERATORS
Travelife is a fair and affordable system which helps tour operators and travel agencies to manage and improve social and environmental impacts by complying with sustainability criteria. Ultimately, when a company meets the requirements, it will receive a Travelife award. To support you on your road to sustainability, Travelife offers a wide range of services which include training, management, planning, and reporting and B2B tools.
Operating your business in a socially and environmentally friendly manner makes good business sense! Both consumer and business demand for responsible products is growing and the public wants to know how you manage your business.
Companies ready to get to work towards sustainability will therefore score better on customer satisfaction, staff motivation and business efficiency with positive effects for their competitive advantage.
Sustainability management is all about commitment and consistent sustainable business practices. This includes your products, how you monitor and manage your impacts, and how you support your suppliers on their road to sustainability
The aims for this program are;
- Promote sustainability awareness and CSR among the Tanzania Tour Operators.
- Introduce sustainability management (policy, action planning, reporting) for Tanzania Tour Operators;
- Developing and implementing a Tanzania relevant sustainability standard which has global recognition;
- Provide market access support into the European Market for companies who have reached a minimum sustainability level.
CERTICATION LEVELS FOR TOUR OPERATORS
Travelife offers Tour Operators companies a 3-stage approach towards sustainability linked to different membership packages:
1) Travelife Engaged
2) Travelife Partner
3) Travelife Certified
Stage 1. Travelife Engaged
During the engagement stage the sustainability coordinator learns about the relevance of sustainability for the company. He /she will learn about the concrete steps to take. He /She can evaluate the company based on the Travelife best practices and create his own improvement plan. He /she will also be able to link up with Travelife-Partner and – Certified companies and establish new business relations.
Included in the package
- Access to the Travelife Training and exam for a sustainability co-ordinator.
- Access to the Travelife best practices and tools.
- Guidance on improving the company sustainability performance.
- Travelife action planning tool.
- Travelife reporting tool for internal reporting.
- Travelife self-evaluation tool indicating its present status.
- Access to Travelife partner and certified companies.
Contribution
- Small companies (< 25 full-time employees), 200 Euro per year.
- Medium companies (> 25 full-time employees), 300 Euro per year.
- Large companies (> 250 full-time employees), 400 Euro per year.
Stage 2. Travelife Partner
During the implementation phase the sustainability coordinator establishes the basic management principles of the company: mission statement, policy, action plan. He will also have to implement basic best practices which take little effort but will provide direct and motivating results (quick wins). After reporting the achievements to Travelife and a desk-audit by the Travelife technical team, the company will receive the Travelife Partner status. This provides the ideal starting position to continue step-by-step towards certification.
Included in the package
All benefits of Stage 1 plus:
- Access to the Travelife Training and exam for 10 staff members.
- Use of “Travelife Partner” logo (based on compliance with Travelife basic standards).
- Travelife ISO 14001, EMAS III and ISO 26000 compatible management system.
- Access to the Travelife certification tool to start working step-by-step towards compliance with the certification standard.
- B2B featuring of the company and products to all Travelife Engaged, Partner and Certified companies.
Contribution
- Small companies (< 25 full-time employees), 200 Euro per year
- Medium companies (> 25 full-time employees), 300 Euro per year
- Large companies (> 250 full-time employees), 400 Euro per year
Stage 3. Travelife Certified
The Travelife Certified status is the most comprehensive and rigorous of the three stages and provides an international recognition for the companies´ excellence in sustainability. Based on compliance with the Travelife certification criteria the company can request for an independent third party assessment. The company will be evaluated during an onsite audit based on international standards. After compliance it will receive Travelife Certified status as proof of internationally recognised high sustainability performance.
Included in the package
All benefits of Stage 2 plus:
- 2 yearly on-site company audit to confirm certified level.
- Compliance with international recognised sustainability standard.
- Use of the internationally recognised “Travelife Certified” logo in all promotional materials and website(s).
- International promotion of the company for its excellent sustainability achievements.
Joining Travelife is easy!
Joining Travelife is easy and affordable. Our practical web-based solutions make Travelife convenient for both small and (very) large companies. Step-by-step we will guide you towards sustainability.
To find out more about Travelife for Tour Operators and Travel Agencies or to join, please visit https://www.travelife.info/index_new.php?menu=home&lang=en
Also you can contact us directly through julius@rttz.org n.kusters@travelife.info visit us at www.rttz.org or visit https://www.travelife.info
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