Inclusivity and Diversity is Central to Sustainable Travel
The Long Run believes responsible travel is underpinned by a longing to explore, understand, connect, and seek inspiration from different races, ethnic groups, cultures, genders, and viewpoints. Travel, therefore, has an enormous opportunity to foster greater tolerance, connection, and understanding. For this to be achieved, the industry has to be inclusive and represent diverse voices.
We also believe social justice, inclusion, and racial equality are central to combating the climate and biodiversity crisis. People and the environment are intricately linked; we cannot halt the climate crisis or achieve widespread conservation without sustainable solutions that support, connect, and empower people of all genders, beliefs, and races. Any organisation, business, or individual seeking to halt the climate crisis must actively promote and support inclusivity and diversity within the conservation and sustainability agenda. We must also amplify local and underrepresented voices.
As an organisation that drives environmental and social betterment via tourism, we strive to be part of the change. We welcome open and honest discussions to identify ingrained bias and blind spots, and the opportunity to take stock and further promote diversity and inclusion at every level of the travel supply chain. We want to help and encourage our members and partners to do the same.
Anne-Kathrin Zschiegner, Director of The Long Run, comments, “It’s important that we go beyond reflecting greater diversity—where it can become token—and aspire for change on a deeper level in how we address prejudices, challenge them, and create truly inclusive opportunities in everything we do.”
Most importantly, we want to turn words into action, so here are the guidelines we work by:
Be the change: We explore how we can actively encourage fairer representation within the conservation, sustainability, and travel sectors. We continue to check and challenge any unconscious and conscious discrimination we encounter in our daily work. We talk openly and continuously about how we can be more inclusive and better promote diversity as a team and organisation.
Listen and challenge: We strive to actively listen to, challenge, and provide solutions to our members so that they continue to contribute to a more diverse, inclusive, and equal travel industry. We invite our members to reflect on and better consider inclusion and equality in every aspect of the travel supply chain, including sales, communications, guest experience, employees, partners, and suppliers.
Connect and collaborate: We continue to seek more partners and connections that promote and reflect diversity within travel, sustainability, and conservation and help support our community in pushing for greater inclusivity.
The 4C framework: The Long Run’s 4C framework advocates for the protection and betterment of people and the environment and recognises that you cannot have one without the other. Within this framework, we ensure that members consider diversity throughout every level of their operations and communications, but there is always room for improvement.
Seek continual improvement: We will continue this conversation and remain open to criticism and advice so that we can continually improve and strive for better racial equality, inclusion, and diversity within tourism, conservation, and sustainability.
