Business Travel Show Europe (BTSE) kicks off at the end of the month, and will feature a new Ethical Travel Trail as well as focus on CSR and sustainability throughout its conference programme.
The show takes place both in person at Excel London between September 30 and October 1, as well as online at businesstravelshoweurope.com.
This year the Ethical Travel Trail will take attendees on a journey “highlighting companies that are championing sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, carbon neutrality and human rights to challenge behaviours for the good of the planet”.
Firms on the trail include Agiito, booking.com, Chabe, CTM, Direct ATPI, Egencia, FCM, Freenow, LNER, Peregrine, Roaming Expert, Selective Travel Management, Serviced Apartments NL, Traxo and United Airlines.
The show’s conference programme will also feature several presentations on CSR and sustainability, including how to reduce your company’s travel-related carbon emissions. Full details on this year’s conference programme can be seen here.
Meanwhile BTSE has published the results of a survey of European travel managers, showing an increased focus on sustainability since the onset of Covid-19.
The survey of 313 travel managers showed that 62 per cent now have “sustainable travel programmes”, compared to 40 per cent in November 2019.
Just 1 per cent of managers viewed a sustainable travel programme as being “too expensive an option”, compared to 25 per cent in 2019.
When quizzed further on “how sustainable” their programme is, one in five respondents said that they relied on their TMC (travel management company) to ensure a programme’s sustainability, and the same percentage said that they “consider their programme’s impact on the environment and make choices to limit this”.
Just over one in ten (11 per cent) “are conscious of the human rights impact of their programme and make choices to limit this”, while just 4 per cent have introduced policies designed to improve their travellers’ mental health.
