TSC reaches 500 sign-ups, well on the way to goal of 1000

The number of sign-ups to the Tourism Sustainability Commitment have now exceeded 500, marking the half-way point of TIA’s goal of 1000 sign-ups by March 2019.

The TSC was launched in November 2017 at the Tourism Summit, after months of consultation with an external reference group and surveys of TIA members. 40 ‘early adopters’ signed up on the spot, a positive sign of the industry support that has continued.

The TSC aims to ensure economic, environmental and social sustainability becomes a genuine underpinning of our industry. It was developed by the tourism industry for the tourism industry, and establishes 8 industry-level sustainable Goals and 14 Commitments that individual businesses can achieve to help the industry reach the Goals.

In June this year, TIA appointed two Sustainability Advocates, Megan Williams and Lynn Robinson. Lynn is based in Cambridge, Waikato, and Megan is based in Wanaka.

Between them, they reach many tourism operators and organisations around the country to promote the New Zealand Tourism Sustainability Commitment and help businesses achieve the 14 business commitments.

TIA’s Industry Strategy Manager Bruce Bassett calls it “really encouraging” to hit the 500 sign-ups mark.

“With 500 businesses and organisations having already made the Commitment, we are well on track to having all TIA members on board,” Bruce says.

“Through the actions of each tourism business, big or small, we can collectively make a real difference. The best approach we can take as an industry is to embrace the challenges and opportunities that come with operating sustainably – we thrive economically, we increasingly keep our visitors happy with their experiences, we involve and benefit the communities in which we operate, and we ensure there is a positive relationship between tourism and our special environments.”

You can search on the TSC business directory to see which businesses are signed up, and check out our news section and case studies to see what some of these businesses are doing to achieve the 14 business sustainability commitments.

Any New Zealand tourism business or organisation can sign up to the TSC. There is also the opportunity for organisations and businesses outside tourism to come on board as endorsers.

TIA has been tracking our own sustainability journey on our blog, as we move forward in implementing strategies in our workplace and creating a lasting culture change. When we launched the TSC last year, we had the big plan to become the most sustainably-run organisation in New Zealand, and slowly but steadily we are making strides towards being an industry leader in sustainable practices.

“The industry has just started on the TSC journey,” Bruce says.

“We look forward to building this programme with you to ensure the sustainable growth of the tourism industry for many years to come.”