Supplier Sustainability Handbook

The Federation of Tour Operators is pleased to release a set of guidelines for suppliers to help them to understand and manage the environmental and social issues that affect their businesses. The guidelines were developed over a two-year period through a multi-stakeholder process .

A suppliers role as a key partner in our supply chain is a fundamental one, and we are confident that the good working relationship we have developed when working with them in recent years will prove to be a good basis for the introduction of our new Supplier Sustainability Handbook - A preferred code of Environmental and Social Practice. 

We are convinced of three factors:

1. This makes long term business sense. As the statistics in the handbook illustrate, environmental and social issues are becoming more and more important in the holiday decisions of our customers. We must respond to these issues to ensure we survive in a competitive market.
2. To deliver the right balance we must work together. Suppliers are at the sharp end of the holiday experience. What happens in the destination matters most; from the warm welcome and the quality of the local environment to the services available. In other words, the balance between the local economy, nature and the community.
3. The FTO is not alone . A recent global survey found that more than 70% of tour operators consider 'sustainable' tourism important to the quality of experience they are able to offer their customers. We are working with other EU Tour Operators to synchronise efforts.

The handbook for Sustainable Tourism has been developed to respond to these three factors. Our aim here is to clarify the many crucial issues relevant to our business and to give suppliers a useful source of reference.

We hope that this handbook will help us to work together with our suppliers to meet the increasing expectation of our customers and other interested groups in the future.

Download the sustainability guidelines here