Kiwi Experience, the hop-on hop-off backpacker bus tour and adventure travel company has tonight won the Auckland Council Mega Efficiency Impact Award at the NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards.
Mega efficiency involves making significant resource saving improvements to operations and Kiwi Experience has scooped the Award with it’s “green not mean” strategy. New Zealand’s original bus adventure company is committed to protecting the environment through a sustainable growth strategy.
Kiwi Experience takes thousands of young travellers around the country each year and recognised the need to address a sustainable tourism future for both the environment and the communities it visits. The company’s commitment to protecting the environment through a sustainable growth strategy has made a tangible difference in their sector, which has been recognised by this award.
In addition to switching to a digital travel guide, eco-friendly welcome packs and changing supplier contracts, Kiwi Experience’s efficiency impacts come through:
- Fuel and emission efficiencies: All Kiwi Experience driver guides are SAFED trained to create a habit of more fuel efficient and safe driving. As a result, fuel consumption per passenger decreased 23%.
- Product innovation: Kiwi Experience installed glamping tents as an eco-friendly answer to increased demand for accommodation. The tents are powered by solar pods and broken down at the end of season.
- Community projects: Kiwi Experience matches one dollar for every passenger and donates all money to Kiwi Encounter, New Zealand’s largest Kiwi conservation centre. It also encourages passengers to take part in a number of environmental projects as they travel.
Ben Lane, GM Kiwi Experience comments, “The Kiwi Experience team embarked on this ‘green not mean’ philosophy a couple of years ago, and it’s now become a core part of how we operate. To have our efforts recognised by this Mega Efficiency Award is such a thrill for us all. It’s like a great big pat on the back for a job well done, and one that will spur us to continue our environmental improvements. For us it is about a way of life. Along with the bigger projects – simply encouraging passengers to reduce use of plastic bags and coffee cups as they travel makes a positive difference.”
For more information on Kiwi Experience visit: www.kiwiexperience.com