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The travel industry has no shortage of sustainability promises, but new research suggests many organisations are failing to turn their good intentions into measurable commercial outcomes.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Brands with Heart research, conducted by Expedia Australia and New Zealand country director Philippa Durant, found that while travel businesses increasingly recognise the importance of purpose, relatively few have embedded it into the commercial mechanics of their organisations.<\/p>\n The findings are based on 26 in-depth interviews with senior travel industry leaders conducted between May and August 2026, spanning Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Africa.<\/p>\n The research included executives from Intrepid Travel, Qantas, Air New Zealand, G Adventures, Bunnik Tours, Virtuoso, Six Senses, Scenic and several other major travel brands.<\/p>\n Its central conclusion is that the industry does not have a values problem. It has a process problem.<\/p>\n \u201cTravel has more intent than rigour. Intent gets you the values statement. Rigour gets you the revenue,\u201d Durant said.<\/p>\n According to the research, many travel companies continue to measure their environmental and social contributions through sustainability reports, carbon offsets, conservation initiatives and community projects.<\/p>\n While these activities can deliver meaningful benefits, the report argues that they are rarely integrated into the financial and operational metrics used by executives and boards to evaluate business performance.<\/p>\n By contrast, organisations demonstrating the strongest integration of purpose and commercial performance are measuring it through executive bonuses, financing arrangements, revenue targets and employee engagement.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most striking finding was the unanimous recognition of Intrepid Travel as the industry\u2019s leading example of purpose-driven business.<\/p>\n All 26 executives interviewed independently named Intrepid when asked which travel organisation does purpose well.<\/p>\n The research highlighted several initiatives that distinguish the operator from its competitors.<\/p>\n Intrepid links B Corp certification to bonuses for eligible employees, including executives. Its sustainability-linked loan facility also offers more favourable interest rates when greenhouse gas emissions intensity targets are achieved.<\/p>\nIntrepid sets the benchmark<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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