#8: Pushing for change from within the travel industry, with Zina Bencheikh

This week, we hear from a big player in the travel industry that’s serious about sustainability. Zina Bencheick is Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa of Intrepid Travel, a global tour operator that took more than 460,000 people on trips in 2019. Intrepid is also the world’s largest travel company to have earned B Corp certification, a rigorous standard that measures companies’ social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.

Zina joins the show to talk about misconceptions around the term “sustainable travel,” the importance of vaccine equity, and what travel companies can do to reduce their carbon emissions. She also shares how tourism has opened up new job opportunities for women in her home country of Morocco.

Are you looking to plan a trip for next year? What issues are you thinking about, or what questions would you have for a tour operator? I’d love to hear your thoughts and hope you’ll share by sending me a voice message.

Thanks so much for listening, and have a great week!

Resources

Intrepid Travel on being a responsible traveler and a responsible business

What is B Corp certification?

Follow Zina on Twitter

Paige’s Q&A with Rick Steves in The New York Times (unlocked article!)