Webjet.co.nz Launches Carbon Offset Program

Leading online travel agent Webjet has today announced the launch of its carbon offset program, Sustainable Traveller, in New Zealand, which enables customers to take action on climate change by offsetting their flights when booking with Webjet.co.nz.

From today, Webjet customers in New Zealand will be offered the option to offset the carbon emissions of their flight by making a financial contribution to verified environmental projects, including a key initiative in New Zealand.

Travellers opting into the Sustainable Traveller program will directly contribute to a range of vital projects across the world, including forest regeneration in New Zealand, protecting ancient rainforests in Peru, strengthening renewable energy work in Asia, and funding smoke-free kitchens through the distribution of efficient cookstoves in Malawi.

CEO of Webjet OTA David Galt explains that by launching this program Webjet is taking action on climate change and responding to powerful customer sentiment.

“Customers are increasingly looking for more sustainable travel options, and through Sustainable Traveller we can now offer Webjet New Zealand customers the ability to contribute to efforts that work to balance out the carbon footprint of their travels.

We are acutely aware of our responsibility to promote sustainable travel and help protect the destinations, landscapes, and habitats our customers love to visit.

As part of this launch, we are especially proud to be supporting important projects in New Zealand – Forests for the Trees. This initiative supports the regeneration of forests across New Zealand which capture and store carbon while also reducing erosion, supporting healthy waterways, providing sustainable income for local communities, and securing precious habitat and food sources for native wildlife.”

The Sustainable Traveller program is being delivered in partnership with Tasman Environmental Markets (TEM), Australasia’s most experienced carbon offset provider.

TEM is providing Webjet with its BlueHalo software which seamlessly integrates into the Webjet booking system and instantly calculates the emissions associated with any flight itinerary, anywhere on the planet.

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Peter Castellas, TEM CEO, believes customers will respond positively to the initiative to make travel more carbon neutral.

“Through this partnership with Webjet and the deployment of our climate technology BlueHalo, we are empowering New Zealanders to join a growing global community of people taking action on climate change. The travel and tourism industry is at the forefront of climate change impact and Webjet New Zealand customers can now simply ‘tick the box’ to offset emissions from their travel activity.

We are proud to support Webjet’s commitment to provide the option to offset flight emissions, which means increased investment in projects in New Zealand and around the world that have significant environmental and social impact.”

Source : Scoop Business, 26 April 2021