SINGAPORE, 17 July 2024: HBX Group, a global leader in the TravelTech sector, presented its Sustainability Report earlier this week. The report includes the initiatives developed to date and the key elements of its ESG strategy for the next three years, focusing on the tourism industry’s positive impact potential.
HBX Group, with over 3,700 employees and activities in more than 170 countries, has established a plan with over 75 actions linked to fulfilling various ESG commitments. To achieve this, HBX Group conducted a double materiality analysis, during which consultation with its stakeholders was crucial in aligning the plan with their expectations.
The company has also established a new work and result reporting framework that considers multiple current regulations and certifications. In this context, HBX Group has recently joined the United Nations Global Compact, which sets out the 10 principles guiding companies to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies.
HBX Group has also initiated a three-year plan to align its reporting with the new European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which analyses the company’s and its entire value chain’s impact. This plan has been based on the identification of over 4,000 key performance indicators, enabling the implementation of concrete and tangible changes in environmental protection.
Collaboration in the tourism Industry
As an example of our objective to work collaboratively with partners and clients to achieve a greater positive impact, HBX Group has implemented a Sustainable Hotels Programme. This programme aims to highlight the most environmentally, socially, and community-respectful actors. It already includes over 40,000 properties with official sustainability certifications. Thanks to awareness-raising actions in collaboration with multiple partners, the number of hotels with a no-single-use plastics policy has increased from 500 to 5,000 in just one year.
HBX Group Chief Human Resources & ESG Officer Elena Pérez explains: “We want to leverage our position as leaders in tourism technology to promote sustainable growth and contribute to real, positive change. Our action plan includes training and promotion initiatives, the adoption of increasingly ambitious certifications and reports, and strategic partnerships with our associates. Only through an efficient and collaborative plan will we be able to ensure that the travel industry has an increasingly positive impact on society.”
The human factor as a driving force for initiatives
The employees of HBX Group worldwide are a precious asset. The Think Big corporate volunteering programme, created by the group, enables the development of sustainable micro-destinations in rural areas, empowering these communities and encouraging their economic growth while protecting natural and cultural resources. The pilot project was launched in Quintana Roo, Mexico, at the beginning of 2024, and collaborates with the “Caminos Sagrados” area. Over two weeks, 10 group employees worked with Mayan cooperatives to enhance their tourism products, achieve greater digitalisation, and ensure the application of sustainability criteria.
The HBX Group Sustainability Report also shows the growing commitment of employees, who have undertaken 40% more volunteer hours compared to the previous year. Among other actions, their work has been fundamental in reforestation efforts, which have resulted in the planting of over 12,000 trees in areas such as Mallorca, Brazil, and Thailand up to 2023. These actions have contributed to the company being certified as Carbon Neutral for six years in Scopes 1 and 2 by Carbon Footprint LTD.
The HBX Group Sustainability Report can be accessed here
