Wikipedia
responsibletravel.com is an online travel agency offering over 7,500 responsible holidays from over 3,000 holiday providers around the world. It is one of the world’s largest green travel companies. The company sells holidays designed to maximise the benefit and minimise the harm involved in tourism and was the first of its kind in the world. Holidays are screened for their compliance with environmental, social and economic criteria with an emphasis on grassroot initiatives and local providers. The company asks travellers to leave reviews, rating their holidays and the social and environmental credentials from 5 to 1.
responsibletravel.com was founded in 2001 by Justin Francis and Professor Harold Goodwin, Director at The International Centre for Responsible Tourism.
Anita Roddick of The Body Shop was one of the first investors, believing that: “Responsible travellers want experiences rather than packages, authenticity rather than superficial exoticism and holidays that put a little bit back into local communities and conservation. This is the future of tourism.” The company introduces travellers directly to responsible travel and tourism options including accommodation owners and holiday providers. There are several membership models for holiday companies, ranging from full service commission through to free listings for smaller scale responsible tourism businesses.
According to Simon Calder, Travel Editor at The Independent, “the ResponsibleTravel business model overturned conventional travel thinking. Instead of intervening between the travel enterprise and the tourist, as most agents do, Francis urges them to talk directly.” The company has sold over $100 million worth of holidays. In 2010 www.responsiblevacation.com was launched in the US. The company is based in Brighton, East Sussex UK. As of November 2013 there were 19 employees.