Inside Travel Group, parent company behind cultural adventure brands InsideJapan and InsideAsia, has released its 2023 Impact Report marking its inaugural year as a B Corp Certified company.
This announcement comes as Inside Travel Group is named finalist in the 2024 National Travel Industry Awards for the Sustainability Award (Category 33).
Achieving B Corp Certification in 2023 following a rigorous two-year verification process, the Group joined a global movement of businesses dedicated to using their influence for good. This certification underscores the company’s commitment to governance, workers, customers, community, and the environment.
In 2023, sister brands InsideJapan and InsideAsia carried almost 11,000 people to ten destinations across Asia, generating its highest ever revenue of over $99 million. The company’s ‘every trip offset’ policy saw 50,695 tonnes of CO2 offset, whilst its Giving Back commitment resulted in more than $249K being committed to its charity partners.
Inside Travel Group Global Head of Sustainability Sophie Walker said the Impact Report highlights the company’s multifaceted approach to responsible travel including carbon monitoring and reduction, supporting local communities and investing in conservation projects whilst also instating a ‘Giving Back’ commitment, donating 5% of annual operating profits.
“We have implemented several initiatives across the business that demonstrate our commitment to propelling environmental and social responsibility, and we’re encouraging other operators to do the same,” Walker said.
“Through our ‘Every Trip Offset’ initiative, we offset 100% of our company’s carbon footprint through projects like wind turbines in India and forest conservation in Borneo (from 2024).
“Complementing this effort, we support nature-positive projects that protect and regenerate habitats in our destinations. This includes a reforestation project in Malaysian Borneo, efforts to reduce human-bear conflict in the Japanese Alps, and initiatives to protect the Japanese Giant Salamander.
“Beyond that, we partner with various charities worldwide that are dedicated to helping give families in difficult circumstances a break. Out staff also volunteered 380 hours to various conservation efforts, food banks and local projects.”
Inside Travel Group Co-founder Alastair Donnelly said that 2023 was the Group’s most successful year yet, noting that operating as a Certified B Corp has not only benefited the bottom line, but has also attracted the right talent to the business.
“Becoming a B Corp has had a positive impact across our entire business. Not only does it thread through everything we do in destination and at home, but it has also been extremely positive for recruitment and workplace culture too,” Donnelly said.
“We are proud of our Impact Report. It documents our sustainability journey and demonstrates our commitment to transparency and our desire to hold ourselves accountable. It showcases our values and celebrates our successes whilst being realistic about the scale of the challenge ahead of us.
“The report brings into the open the big issues that the company and industry face. It has helped us in developing strategy to address the carbon impact that comes with long haul travel and the growing issues around overtourism whilst also generating new ideas for how we deliver on our mission to be a business that makes genuine positive impact,” he said.
Inside Travel Group’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility is apparent with the sustainability team slated to increase from two to three members in 2025. The tour operator and DMC has also highlighted its Impact Milestones through to 2030 with a promise of publishing its overtourism strategy in 2025 and its aims to recertify as a B Corp with an improved score.
“We want to ensure that travel is a force for good in the world. That means taking everything that’s so great about travel – cultural experiences, new perspectives, creating shared memories – and blending it with genuine environmental and social impact. We’re not there yet but we believe we’re on the right path,” Donnelly said.
