Matthijs Keij, CEO.
By being B Corp certified, Withlocals will encompass B Corp’s philosophy of full transparency and continuous improvements as a company, as there’s always room for growth and how to get better.
In anticipation of World Tourism Day, this is the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at how the travel and tourism industry impacts our planet, positively and negatively. Withlocals has been working on its mission to reshape the world of travel since 2013 by offering authentic experiences that connect people and culture. And now, all that hard work has paid off. Withlocals are proud to announce that as of August 2022, is B Corp certified. Withlocals now joins more than 5,000 other B Corp companies committed to solving social and climate problems worldwide. Well-known certified brands include Ben and Jerry’s, Tony’s Chocolonely, Alpro, and Patagonia.
Influencing sustainable tourism
Sustainable tourism is a possibility, as long as the effort is made to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive ones. Part of the negative impacts to a destination include economic leakage, damage to the natural environment and overcrowding to name a few. But there are ways to tilt the balance with positive impact actions like job creation, cultural heritage preservation and interpretation, wildlife preservation, landscape restoration, and more.
And while the contrasts are very much real with examples such as the tourism industry contributing to around 8% to 11% of the global greenhouse gas emissions, at the same time, the positive facts also speak for themselves with the industry contributing to 10% of jobs and GDP. With that last example, it’s easy to say that when done correctly, tourism can be and must be a force for good, especially when we understand that sustainability isn’t just about the planet; it’s also about people & places. And yes, it’s easy to say, but the work must be done.
That’s why Withlocals is proud to be part of a movement that prioritizes purpose beyond profit and has now joined other forward-thinking travel brands such as Intrepid Travel, Much Better Adventures, and Better Places in their journey to change the way we travel: “We are on a mission to reshape the world of traveling with people, places, and the planet in mind. By maximizing locals’ benefits, we make sure the money ends up in local communities” says Matthijs Keij – CEO.
The road to B Corp
Being B Corp is a process, not a destination. By obtaining and, above all, maintaining this certification, B corporations will always be on the right track in terms of sustainability and social impact.
In recent months Withlocals went through an extensive certification procedure to measure their sustainability efforts and social impact. The company has received the certification thanks to the enormous work of the team. To earn this certificate, Withlocals worked on optimizing several of its processes. They revised their policies to benefit its primary stakeholders, travelers, local hosts, their communities, and our planet. Some of those improvements include a focus on host happiness, fair pay analysis, updates of policies prioritizing the health of the Withlocals destinations, employee success enablement, and many other practices needed to maintain a positive impact on the team, community, governance, the environment, and customers.
"Joining the B Corp movement means joining a group of amazing fellow companies that see the need for a better future, prioritizing honesty and transparency and knowing we can always do better, and pushing ourselves to do the right thing for society and our precious planet" says Peigi Rodan – Sustainability Manager.
Now, this is when all the hard work gets put into practice. By being B Corp certified, Withlocals will encompass B Corp’s philosophy of full transparency and continuous improvements as a company, as there’s always room for growth and how to get better. Being B Corp certified is an honor and a big commitment. This official (and internationally acclaimed) certificate is only issued to companies that opt for a working method where people, the environment, and society comes first. In other words, Withlocals is officially recognized for its positive impact on the world.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
