The Future of Green Travel: Sustainable Technology in the Travel Industry
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- Published: 11 Mar 2025
- By: Jonathan Carter-Chapman, Marketing Director, Northstar Travel Group
- Topics: Sustainable Travel, Travel Management Platforms, Green Technology, Corporate Travel, Future of Travel Tech
- Read Time: 7 minutes
Quick Summary
Sustainable technology is reshaping the future of corporate and managed travel. From automated carbon tracking to real-time data enrichment and flexible, modular platforms, today's travel tech is enabling businesses to reduce emissions, improve duty of care, and report on environmental and wellbeing metrics with greater accuracy.
Solutions like TripStax are leading the charge, centralising data across the ecosystem to drive smarter decisions, lower emissions, and greener travel choices at scale. In a world where travel businesses must demonstrate their green credentials, technology provides a critical opportunity to transform travel into a positive impact industry.
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Introduction
As the global tourism industry faces increasing pressure to reduce its environmental impact, the spotlight has turned to the role of technology in supporting greener, more responsible tourism. The transition to sustainable travel options isn't just about carbon offsetting — it's about making mindful choices that minimise carbon footprint while maximising economic benefits for communities.
Platforms like TripStax are at the heart of this transformation. With its modular stack of cloud-based tools powered by a centralised data engine, TripStax exemplifies how connected travel technology can deliver both commercial and environmental value, while addressing the impacts of tourism at scale.
🌍 Green Travel Starts with Smarter Data
The foundation of sustainable travel lies in data — specifically, the ability to capture, centralise, and act on carbon emissions and risk-related insights. Traditional travel systems often struggle with siloed or inconsistent data, making it difficult to report accurately on greenhouse gas emissions or assess alternatives like public transport over air travel for short-haul trips.
TripStax’s approach addresses this head-on. Its TripStax Core acts as a real-time data warehouse that sits at the centre of the platform’s ten modules. It stores and enriches each booking with information from multiple third-party systems throughout the trip lifecycle — an average of six times per booking.
By providing visibility into sustainable travel options, from trains to eco-certified hotels, the platform empowers travel agencies and corporate clients to make authentic experience-led choices that benefit both travellers and the environment.
🔁 Automated Carbon Reporting at Scale
One of the key trends shaping the future of green travel is the surge in demand for automated carbon data
— Jack Ramsey, CEO, TripStax
In 2023 alone, TripStax sent over 43.6 million automated CO₂ data requests to sustainability platform Thrust Carbon — a rise of 18% year on year. Each request retrieves carbon emissions data for a specific booking segment, supporting better decision-making and seamless reporting.
This capability allows TMCs and travel businesses to:
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Calculate total carbon footprint across business units or regions
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Compare the environmental impact of travel options
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Align international travel strategies with broader ESG goals
Ultimately, automating carbon tracking supports more responsible tourism by making sustainability a core part of daily life for corporate travellers.
🛡️ Sustainability Meets Duty of Care
Sustainable travel is about more than reducing energy consumption or cutting emissions. It also encompasses traveller wellbeing, safety, and ethical decision-making. In 2023, 88% of all bookings within the TripStax Core received requests from third-party providers such as security and wellness services — a 54% increase year on year.
By combining sustainability with duty of care, travel businesses are responding to traveller demand for a more holistic approach that considers both environmental and personal impacts.
💡 The Role of Modularity and Flexibility
Legacy travel systems have long been criticised for their complexity. TripStax’s modular model enables travel agencies and businesses to build flexible, scalable platforms that accommodate sustainable travel options without disrupting operations.
— Jack Ramsey, CEO, TripStax
Clients can integrate features like carbon reporting, sustainable hotel directories, public transport recommendations, and more, choosing only the tools they need. This modularity ensures that even smaller players in the tourism industry can evolve their platforms without prohibitive costs.
💷 Commercial Incentives for Going Green
Sustainability doesn’t have to come at the expense of profitability. TripStax’s commercial model — charging only once for booking data ingestion — helps reduce third-party tech vendor costs and improves margins, while supporting responsible tourism initiatives.
Furthermore, promoting sustainable practices enhances a company's green credentials, attracting clients and travellers who value community engagement and prefer businesses that support local tourism revenue over mass, high-impact tourism models.
🔮 Looking Ahead: Green Tech as Standard
The future of green travel lies in platforms that are designed for sustainability from the ground up, not retrofitted with greenwashing features. Governments, corporations, and travellers increasingly demand transparency in carbon emissions and greenhouse gas reporting, pushing the tourism industry toward real change.
Key trends such as modular innovation, real-time carbon tracking, and integration with authentic experience providers will define the next generation of travel technology. The tourism industry's embrace of these technologies presents a critical opportunity to rebalance economic benefits with environmental stewardship.
Jack Ramsey sums it up:
Final Thoughts
Sustainable technology is no longer a "nice-to-have" — it’s a necessity for the future of international travel. Tools that automate carbon tracking, support mindful choices, enhance duty of care, and centralise travel data are laying the groundwork for greener, smarter, and more resilient travel ecosystems.
By embracing platforms like TripStax, the travel industry can reduce its role as a major contributor to carbon emissions, while delivering positive impact through sustainable tourism revenue and authentic experiences. The journey towards responsible tourism starts now — and it begins with smarter, greener technology.
Further Reading
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TripStax Celebrates Two Years of Significant Business Growth
https://traveltech-show.com/latest-news/tripstax-celebrates-two-years-significant-business-growth-tech-provider-sees-surge-demand-automated-carbon-risk-wellbeing-data -
The Rise of Platforms in Travel Tech – PhocusWire
https://www.phocuswire.com/The-rise-of-platforms-in-travel-tech -
Green Travel Technology Trends for 2025 – Business Travel News Europe
https://www.businesstravelnewseurope.com/Technology/TripStax-The-platform-aiming-to-change-the-way-TMCs-operate -
Thrust Carbon & Sustainable Travel Reporting – Thrust Carbon
https://www.thrustcarbon.com/ -
Corporate Travel and ESG Compliance – Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)
https://www.gbta.org/blog/esg-in-business-travel-why-it-matters-and-how-to-make-it-work/
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