We’re very happy to share some good news from Discovery Travel.
Following a recent independent audit, we have successfully renewed our Travelife Certified status for another two years. This is our third renewal, continuing a sustainability journey that has been an important part of Discovery Travel for many years.
We are also proud to remain the first and only tour company in Khao Lak to achieve Travelife Certified status.
For us, this is much more than receiving another certificate. Travelife certification requires an independent assessment of more than 200 criteria covering the way we manage our business, our environmental and social responsibilities, our relationships with suppliers and partners, and the way we communicate with our guests.
It means looking at the whole business, not just the tours themselves.
Sustainability is an ongoing process
Every renewal gives us an opportunity to look again at how we operate and ask some fairly straightforward questions: What are we doing well? Where have we improved? And where can we still do better?
Since we first started working towards Travelife certification, Discovery Travel has changed considerably.
We’ve developed conservation projects and environmental initiatives, strengthened our work with local communities, introduced ways of reducing and measuring the impact of our tours, and become increasingly involved in sustainability initiatives beyond our own business.
Some of these changes have come directly from the certification process. Others have come from listening to our guests, working with our local partners and simply recognising that there are better ways of doing things.
That continuous improvement is important to us.
What does Travelife Certified mean?
Travelife is a leading sustainability certification programme for tour operators and travel agents. It covers a wide range of social and environmental issues, including sustainability management, environmental protection, biodiversity, human rights, labour practices, office operations, supplier relationships and customer communication.
The Travelife Certified level is the final stage of the programme and is awarded following an independent third-party audit.
Discovery Travel must demonstrate compliance with more than 200 criteria to maintain this status.
The certification therefore provides an independent assessment of our sustainability practices rather than simply relying on our own claims about what we do.
A recognition of the whole team
Sustainability affects many small decisions made every day — how we work with our guides, how we choose suppliers, how we communicate with guests, how we manage our office, how we approach conservation and how we respond when we find something that could be done better.
It takes a team to make those things happen consistently.
We are therefore particularly proud that our efforts have once again been recognised through the Travelife audit.
We are also grateful to the local communities, suppliers, partners and guests who have been part of our journey. Much of what we have achieved would not have been possible without their support and cooperation.
Another two years — and more work to do
Renewing our Travelife Certified status for a third time is certainly something we want to celebrate.
But it isn’t a finish line.
There is still plenty we can improve, and we know that sustainability in tourism is an ongoing process. The challenges facing our environment and local communities continue to change, and our responsibility is to keep learning and adapting with them.
So, while we’re very proud to have another two years of Travelife Certified status, we’re already looking ahead to what we can improve next.
The certificate has been renewed. Now it’s back to work.
Stay tuned for more updates, insights, and eco-friendly adventures with Discovery Travel!