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Traveloka has joined as a Member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council

  • Written by The Southern Cross

This membership is a part of Traveloka's strategic effort in preserving the environment, which underlines the company's commitment in realizing sustainable tourism, by participating in and contributing to the efforts to advance sustainability in various sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.

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Traveloka started its humble beginnings as a one-stop travel tech solution platform catering to the needs of Indonesians, and has since evolved to be Southeast Asia's lifestyle superapp, bringing its services to six other markets in the region. This includes transport booking services such as flight tickets, buses, trains, car rental, and airport transfer, as well as access to a large accommodation inventory across the region, not limited to hotels, apartments, guest houses, homestays, resorts and villas, making Traveloka an all-encompassing platform with the widest selection of accommodation and packages.

With a strong local customer base in Southeast Asia, the Traveloka superapp has been downloaded more than 100 million times and boasts more than 40 million monthly active users as of January 2022. As a technology company with a strong presence in the tourism sector, Traveloka realizes the importance in educating stakeholders in the industry, including its partners and users, on the significance of environmental sustainability and social responsibility. One of its most recent initiatives includes lending assistance to the Indonesian government's plans to develop domestic tourism sustainably by planting 40,000 seedlings along the shoreline of Buleleng Regency, North Bali.

As a member of the GSTC, Traveloka plans to support the GSTC mission to promote sustainable tourism standards in the hospitality sector in Southeast Asia.

"With borders reopened and restrictions eased, tourism will resume its role as a key economic driver after a hiatus for two years. The traveler of 2022 will be much more refined, caring more about sustainability, local communities, people and brands that align with their own personal principles; and it is important that businesses prioritize sustainable tourism with the commitment to preserve nature and utilize natural resources responsibly," said Alfan Hendro, Chief Operating Officer at Traveloka. "Traveloka will continue to play a strategic role in supporting the environmental agenda anywhere we operate. 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."

GSTC Welcomes Traveloka

"As travel within Asia is rebounding, both businesses and governments push for greater adoption of the GSTC criteria by hotels and other types of accommodations," says Roi Ariel, General Manager of GSTC. "We welcome Traveloka to utilize the GSTC framework, which can bring about a positive impact in the region."

"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," says Randy Durband, Chief Executive Officer of GSTC. "We applaud their plans to seek more and better ways to inform travelers of sustainable product options."

About Traveloka

Traveloka, Southeast Asia's lifestyle superapp, provides users access to discover and purchase a wide range of travel, local services, and financial services products. Traveloka's comprehensive product portfolio includes transport booking services such as flight tickets, buses, trains, car rental, airport transfer, as well as access to the largest accommodation inventory in Southeast Asia, including hotels, apartments, guest houses, homestays, resorts, and villas, making Traveloka a booking platform with the widest selection of accommodation and packages.

Traveloka is also a key player in the local services category (currently specific to certain markets), offering reservations for a wide range of local attractions, activities, wellness and beauty clinics, culinary directories as well as food delivery. Traveloka also offers financing, payment, and insurance products to help Southeast Asian consumers fulfill their lifestyle aspirations. Traveloka provides 24/7 customer service in local languages as well as more than 40 different local payment methods. Traveloka lifestyle superapp has been downloaded more than 100 million times, making it the most popular travel and lifestyle booking application in the Southeast Asian region.

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About the GSTC

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council® (GSTC®) establishes and manages global sustainable standards, known as the GSTC Criteria. There are two sets: for public policy-makers and destination managers, and for hotels and tour operators. They are arranged in four pillars: (A) Sustainable management; (B) Socioeconomic impacts; (C) Cultural impacts; and (D) Environmental impacts (including consumption of resources, reducing pollution, and conserving biodiversity and landscapes). Since tourism destinations each have their own culture, environment, customs, and laws, the Criteria are designed to be adapted to local conditions and supplemented by additional criteria for the specific location and activity.

The GSTC Criteria form the foundation for GSTC's assurance role for Certification Bodies that certify hotels/accommodations, tour operators, and destinations as having sustainable policies and practices in place. GSTC does not directly certify any products or services, but provides accreditation to those that do. The GSTC is an independent and neutral USA-registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that represents a diverse and , including national and provincial governments, leading travel companies, hotels, tour operators, NGOs, individuals and communities – all striving to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism.

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