From time to time, it’s great to have someone from outside the travel industry to look in. Elise Parkinson – Click here for Elise’s LinkedIn profile – is a young graduate in sustainable food production. TCT, a comprehensive and dynamic database that includes detailed and constantly updated information on travel companies in your English-speaking markets, gave her the task of exploring sustainability in the travel industry.

Please also see her article “What sustainable and responsible travel really means today”.

Dear reader, if we have missed something out, please do let us know by emailing claire@tct.guide. We will be happy to update our glossary.

B Corps (Certified Benefit Corporations)

Companies verified through rigorous certification processes to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. They include businesses committed to more inclusive, equitable and regenerative practices. These types of companies are increasingly discoverable through travel trade platforms and verified travel company databases used by suppliers to find travel companies aligned with their values. What is a B Corp? – B Lab UK

Carbon Footprint

Total greenhouse gas emissions generated by business activities, measured in carbon dioxide equivalents. Carbon footprints are one way to empirically measure the environmental impact of tourism operations, allowing for reduction targets to be set in order to adhere to net zero targets. This type of data is often included within tourism data insights and travel industry intelligence tools used for outbound travel market analysis. Can be calculated through companies like the World Land Trust and Ecollective. Carbon Footprint Consultants | ecollective Carbon Balanced with World Land Trust

Carbon Offsetting

Projects that reduce or capture greenhouse gas emissions to balance those produced by the tourism industry, such as reforestation or other ecosystem regeneration. Some travel companies choose to create or fund projects directly, while others use carbon credit companies such as Gold Standard to offset emissions. These initiatives are often highlighted within travel trade research tools and supplier trade insights platforms. Gold Standard Marketplace

Community-Based Tourism

Owned, managed, or significantly shaped by the local community of a destination, this kind of travel aims to generate maximum economic, social and cultural benefits for local residents rather than international companies. For travellers, it emphasises meaningful local engagement and authentic cultural experiences, while also supporting supplier-to-buyer travel connections that prioritise local communities. This model is increasingly visible across travel trade partner discovery platforms. What is community based tourism?

DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)

An approach rooted in fairness and inclusion that ensures all people have equitable treatment, access, opportunities, and pathways for advancement. It involves recognising and removing systemic barriers that limit full participation for certain groups. DEI promotes inclusive practices, equitable structures, and diverse representation across identities such as race, gender, ability, and class. These principles are essential for creating a tourism sector that is genuinely inclusive and fair for everyone, and are increasingly reflected in travel trade engagement strategies and tourism marketing. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Tourism: Beyond Tokenism — Inclusive Travel Forum

Decolonisation

Supporting indigenous sovereignty and ensuring communities control the narrative, experiences and benefits associated with tourism on their lands. This is an important consideration for suppliers seeking to identify outbound travel companies and partners aligned with ethical and responsible tourism values. Tourism and decolonisation: Locating research and self – ScienceDirect

Ecotourism

Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of local people and involves interpretation and education. Ecotourism providers are often featured in travel company databases and tour operator databases used by suppliers looking to find tour operators with sustainability credentials.  GlasgowDeclaration_EN_0.pdf

Glasgow Declaration

A commitment to a decade of tourism climate action. Companies on TCT that are signatories include 50 Degrees North, Adventure Canada and Absolute Escapes. These commitments are increasingly tracked through destination sales intelligence tools and travel data platforms that help suppliers see which travel companies feature them and track who sells their destination.

Leave No Trace

A set of ethics promoting conservation and responsible recreation or travel. As the name suggests, it encourages visitors to leave a natural environment the same way they found it. These principles are often promoted through tourism marketing and travel trade engagement strategies to ensure consistent messaging across supplier and travel company partnership processes. 7 Principles – Leave No Trace

Net Zero

The target to achieve balance between the amount of carbon being released and the amount being sequestered. Net zero is a key component of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Progress towards net zero is increasingly monitored through tourism data insights and travel industry intelligence tools used by suppliers and destinations.  Net Zero Coalition | United Nations

Regenerative Travel

Tourism that actively seeks to restore and renew communities, ecosystems and cultural heritage. This approach goes beyond sustainable travel and is often highlighted in supplier trade insights and destination sales intelligence, helping travel suppliers identify high-value travel buyers aligned with regenerative principles. 20+ Regenerative Tourism Stats & Projects – Original Travel

Responsible Travel

The Cape Town Declaration (2002) outlines responsible tourism as having the following characteristics:

• minimises negative economic, environmental and social impacts
• generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the well-being of host communities
• involves local people in decisions that affect their lives
• contributes to conservation of natural and cultural heritage
• provides meaningful connections for tourists
• ensures accessibility
• is culturally sensitive

Responsible travel can take many forms depending on the location and stakeholder priorities, but the environmental, social and economic impacts of tourism must always be managed responsibly. This is the term most frequently used by travel companies across source markets and is widely referenced in travel trade platforms, travel trade partner discovery tools, and supplier-to-buyer travel connections.

Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism – Responsible Tourism Partnership

Slow Travel

A type of travel which encourages travellers to spend more time in fewer places to foster deeper connections with local communities, cultures and environments. It also supports local economies and reduces emissions. Slow travel experiences are often promoted through travel trade sourcing tools and tourism marketing strategies aimed at high-value travel buyers.

Sustainable Travel

Defined by the UN as tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts. This concept underpins many travel trade insights, tourism data insights, and travel industry intelligence tools used by suppliers to better understand outbound travel markets and prepare for travel trade shows. UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

Tourism Leakage

Revenue from tourism that leaves the destination rather than staying in the local economy. Understanding and reducing leakage is a key focus in outbound travel market analysis and supplier trade insights, helping destinations maximise value from travel trade partnerships. Economic Leakage In Tourism: What Is It, And What Can Travel Brands Do About It?

Tourism Linkages

The links between the tourism industry and other sectors of the local economy such as agriculture, transportation and services. Strong linkages are essential for building effective supplier and travel company partnership processes and are often analysed using travel trade research tools and travel data platforms. A comprehensive literature review of theoretical and empirical aspects of economic linkages intourism destinations | Tourism Critiques | Emerald Publishing

Voluntourism

Combines travel with hands-on volunteering for meaningful service to a community. Platforms like WWOOF and Worldpackers connect travellers with volunteer opportunities. These experiences are often included in travel company databases and can be identified by suppliers looking to find travel companies or tour operators offering purpose-driven travel. Worldpackers: Work Exchange, Volunteer Abroad, Gap Year.