Should green / sustainable tourism certification be trusted by tourists at its current state?
Should it ever be trusted? Rachel Dodds: As to whether certification should or ever be trusted well, a company which is moving in this direction is better than one who isn’t so that is a good start! I believe that companies that have been certified have had to improve their overall operational efficiencies and have therefore realised that being environmentally and socially focused makes good business sense. It is confusing to the consumer that there are so many standards and often quality is not ranked along side environmental indicators but it is slowly moving in this direction. I believe the biggest issue with certification is marketing most people don’t even know certified companies exist and there is currently no one-stop-shop where all certified companies are accessible to the consumer. I am hoping that large on-line booking companies will see the value in offering certified or companies with a strong CSR or environmental focus to be offered to the consumer beside other mainstream
