At a ceremony in PATA Headquarters on June 23^rd 2015, EXO Travel received the much coveted ‘Travelife Certification’ award.

Presented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recognizing our long-term efforts as pioneers of sustainability and corporate, social and environmental responsibility, the accolade was awarded for our work within EXO’s Cambodia and Vietnam operations.

Janet Salem, Programme Officer on Sustainable Consumption and Production from UNEP commented that “EXO Travel have set an example of how business success, client satisfaction and sustainability can go hand in hand. They have paved the way for other companies in Asia to follow and to make a real difference for the industry at large.”

Travelife, which was originally established with the support of European Travel associations, is the leading international sustainability certification across the industry.

EXO Travel CEO Olivier Colomès was delighted with the news “At EXO Travel, we are really proud to have reached this important milestone; as a major company it meant getting over 300 members of our team throughout Cambodia and Vietnam committed to the comprehensive and demanding requirements of Travelife. We committed ourselves to undertaking Travelife certification in early 2014 because it is the most comprehensive scheme available, and perfectly in tune with our core values, dedicated to improving the ethics and contribution of the tourism industry towards the sustainable development of our wonderful destinations and their people”.

“This latest achievement is the continuation of a great adventure that started 3 years ago under the guidance of the EXO Foundation, and which has become a continuous commitment integrated into our daily routines. Everyone involved in the process can look upon the certification with pride, and we are excited to take what we have learned here across all of our destinations. Most of all, we are enthusiastic about spearheading change across the sector at large, and taking a pioneering role in the movement towards truly responsible travel.”

Achieving certification requires compliance with a total of 229 criteria, among which 150 are compulsory measures, covering the company’s office management, product range, supply chain and customer information. The Travelife standard integrates the ISO 26000 Corporate Social Responsibility themes, including environmental efforts, biodiversity, human rights and labor relations; and is formally recognized to be in full compliance with the UN supported Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria. Worldwide, 35 national travel associations are promoting the scheme to their members in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America.

Find out more about the fantastic work of the EXO Foundation by visiting EXOFoundation.org and learn about how they are driving responsible travel issues into the very core of what we do.