The Global Sustainable Tourism Council signs up a travel unicorn

Traveloka is the latest company to become a member of the GSTC

Indonesian unicorn Traveloka, which provides online travel, accommodation and activity booking services via its “superapp”, has announced its membership of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

The Traveloka “superapp” – valued at more than US$1 billion – has been downloaded more than 100 million times and boasts more than 40 million monthly active users as of January 2022.

The GSTC establishes and manages global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets of criteria: Destination Criteria for public policy-makers and destination managers, and Industry Criteria for hotels and tour operators.

Commenting on the announcement, Traveloka chief operating officer Alfan Hendro said: “We believe our partnership with GSTC will enable us to promote sustainable tourism principles and practices effectively across the hospitality industry in southeast Asia and beyond.”

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The newly announced membership underlines Traveloka’s strategic effort in preserving the environment through implementing sustainable practices in various sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.

Traveloka aims to educate stakeholders about the significance of environmental sustainability and social responsibility, while setting an example.

One of its most recent initiatives includes planting 40,000 seedlings along the shoreline of Buleleng Regency in northern Bali.

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“With borders reopened and restrictions eased, tourism will resume its role as a key economic driver after a hiatus for two years, and the traveller of 2022 will be much more refined, caring more about sustainability, local communities, people and brands that align with their own personal principles,” added Hendro. “It’s important that businesses prioritise sustainable tourism with the commitment to preserve nature and utilise natural resources responsibly. Traveloka will continue to play a strategic role in supporting the environmental agenda anywhere we operate.”

GSTC chief executive officer Randy Durband added: “GSTC is very pleased to welcome Traveloka into our network of businesses and policy-makers striving to make sustainability an integral part of the tourism industry. We applaud their plans to seek more and better ways to inform travellers of sustainable product options.”

For more information, visit www.traveloka.com and www.gstcouncil.org