The Travel Foundation

What The Travel Foundation does

The Travel Foundation, operating as "Travel Forward," is a UK-registered non-profit charity (registered charity no. 1065924) founded in 2003 and headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. The organization specializes in sustainable tourism with a specific focus on destination-level climate resilience, serving national and regional tourism organizations, tourism companies, and corporate sponsors across global markets. In 2026, the charity rebranded its operating identity from "The Travel Foundation" to "Travel Forward" to reflect its expanded mission of driving positive change in tourism for the wellbeing of destinations.

The product portfolio is structured around a unified non-profit service model rather than a scalable software platform. Core offerings include the Destination Climate RiskScan initiative (a flagship climate vulnerability assessment campaign), TF Connect Membership (an annual subscription-based community for sustainability-focused tourism professionals), bespoke training solutions (workshops, expert-led coaching, mentoring, and handbooks), planning and strategic support services, Impact Insights analytics and research, and expert speaker engagements. The underlying technology is domain-specialized rather than proprietary software—built around assessment frameworks, methodologies, training toolkits, and a membership community platform—rather than AI/ML infrastructure or enterprise software architecture.

Revenue is generated through four streams: TF Connect Membership (annual recurring subscription), sponsorship and partnership programs (managed services revenue), training and strategic support services (professional services), and expert speaker engagements (professional services). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is primarily community-led with event-driven amplification (including presence at ITB Berlin), supplemented by content marketing via blog posts, case studies, LinkedIn engagement, and email newsletters. Customer concentration skews toward government tourism organizations and corporate sponsors with formal strategic partnerships.

Name

The Travel Foundation

Legal name

The Travel Foundation

Website

https://thetravelfoundation.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Travel Foundation, operating as Travel Forward, is a UK-registered non-profit charity founded in 2003 that helps tourism destinations and travel companies build climate resilience through risk assessment tools, bespoke training, strategic support, and a subscription membership community serving organizations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Tourism Services

NAICS

Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (5615), Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & Carbon Management for Business Travel (THACAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability & ESG Travel Intelligence (Emissions, SAF, impact data) (THALAIAL), Risk Management, Safety & Duty of Care (Insurance, Medical, Security Planning) (THAHADAM), Sustainable Travel Booking & Distribution (Green Filters, Eco-Labels, Verified Listings) (THAAANAM)

Keywords

• Sustainable tourism services
• Tourism climate resilience
• Destination stewardship
• Tourism training consulting
• Sustainability membership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. TF Connect Membership: Annual membership program providing access to a community of sustainability-focused tourism professionals, with benefits including insight, visibility, and access to resources and networks.
2. Sponsorship and Partnership Programs: Organizations can sponsor initiatives and partner with Travel Forward to support sustainable tourism outcomes and gain visibility within the tourism sustainability community.
3. Training and Strategic Support Services: Customized training solutions and strategic planning support for tourism companies and destinations, including workshops, coaching, mentoring, and bespoke tools.
4. Expert Speaker Engagements: Providing expert speakers for events, conferences, and industry forums on climate change, sustainable tourism, and destination resilience topics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Travel Forward (operating name of The Travel Foundation) provides practical sustainability and climate resilience services to the global tourism sector. Core offerings include a paid TF Connect Membership community, the Destination Climate RiskScan initiative for assessing climate vulnerability, customized Training and Planning/Strategic Support engagements, Impact Insights research, and Expert Speaker services for industry events.

Product overview

Travel Forward (formerly The Travel Foundation) is a single unified offering as a global non-profit organization rather than a platform-plus-modules product architecture. The organization provides practical support, partnerships, and membership opportunities centered around its TF Connect Membership community, Destination RiskScan initiative, Training services, Planning and Strategic Support, Impact Insights, and Expert Speakers offerings. All these components work together to help the travel sector respond to climate risk and improve outcomes for destination communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TF Connect: A unique community membership program committed to the wellbeing of destinations, providing insight, visibility and access for members.
• Destination RiskScan

Products and services

• TF Connect Membership Annual membership community providing insight, visibility, and access for organizations committed to destination wellbeing. Includes expert-led coaching and mentoring, bespoke tools and handbooks, group workshops, and customized training solutions for sustainability-focused tourism professionals and organizations.
• Destination RiskScan Flagship campaign initiative that helps tourism destinations around the world better understand and respond to climate change risks, focusing on climate adaptation and resilience strategies for vulnerable destinations.
• Training Customised training solutions for tourism companies and destinations, including group workshops, expert-led coaching and mentoring, and bespoke tools and handbooks. Designed to build organizational capacity in sustainable tourism and climate resilience.
• Planning and Strategic Support Strategic and practical support services for organizations looking to respond to climate risk and improve outcomes for destination communities. Includes climate adaptation planning, sustainability strategy development, and stakeholder engagement support.
• Impact Insights Research and analysis services providing insights into destination stewardship, climate change impacts on tourism, and building resilience through regeneration. Delivers analytics and reporting to measure and communicate the impact of sustainable tourism initiatives.
• Expert Speakers Access to expert speakers for events and conferences focused on sustainable tourism, climate adaptation, and destination wellbeing. Provided for industry events such as ITB Berlin and other tourism forums.
• Sponsorship and Partnership Opportunities Sponsorship and partnership opportunities enabling organizations to support sustainable tourism outcomes and gain visibility within the tourism sustainability community. Includes formal partnership programs with national and regional tourism organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful climate adaptation and resilience strategies implemented across multiple tourism destinations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Partnership renewed to support sustainable, climate-resilient tourism in the Caribbean region. Leaders from both organizations spoke at ITB Berlin 2026 emphasizing practical climate adaptation and resilience strategies to cope with extreme weather and environmental changes affecting tourism in the Caribbean.
• Spanish Tourist Office UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative case study working with the Spanish Tourist Office UK to help the Spanish regions of Asturias and Galicia respond to early signals of environmental change. The partnership demonstrates practical application of climate adaptation strategies at regional destination level.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Travalyst: Travalyst is a sustainability coalition backed by major travel platforms working to make sustainable choices easier for travelers. It is an emerging player in the tourism-sustainability ecosystem, adjacent to Travel Forward's mission of supporting destinations and travel companies in climate action.
• Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency: Tourism Declares is an industry initiative mobilizing tourism organizations to commit to climate action plans. It overlaps with Travel Forward on the climate-advisory and commitment-building side, though it is more coalition-driven than consulting-driven.

Direct peers

• EarthCheck: EarthCheck is a sustainability certification and advisory organization serving tourism operators and destinations. It competes in the same space as Travel Forward by offering standards-based sustainability programs for the travel sector.
• Center for Responsible Travel (CREST): CREST is a research and advocacy non-profit focused on responsible and sustainable tourism policy, producing case studies and destination guidance. It is comparable to Travel Forward in providing destination-level research, policy advice, and thought leadership on tourism sustainability.
• Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC): GSTC is the leading global standards body for sustainable tourism, setting criteria used by destinations and travel businesses worldwide. It is directly comparable to Travel Forward because both operate as mission-driven organizations helping destinations and tourism companies adopt sustainability and resilience practices.
• The Long Run: The Long Run is a membership-based organization supporting nature-based tourism destinations in conservation and sustainability. It is directly comparable to Travel Forward's TF Connect model: a curated community of destinations and partners working on destination wellbeing and resilience.
• Sustainable Travel International: Sustainable Travel International is a non-profit that works with destinations, businesses, and travelers on carbon offsetting, sustainability programs, and climate action. It mirrors Travel Forward's mission of supporting destinations in responding to climate and sustainability challenges.

Broad incumbents

• World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC): WTTC is the global industry council representing the travel and tourism sector, producing widely cited research on sustainability and climate impact. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with Travel Forward on destination-level sustainability research and policy engagement.
• Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA): ATTA is an established trade association promoting sustainable adventure and nature-based tourism. It is a broader incumbent in the sustainable-tourism membership space, sharing Travel Forward's destination-stewardship orientation but with a wider adventure-tourism focus.
• UN Tourism (UNWTO): UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) is the United Nations agency setting global tourism policy, including sustainability frameworks for destinations. It is a broader institutional incumbent in destination sustainability, with overlap to Travel Forward's advisory role with national tourism organizations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/travelforward
• Xx.com/travelTF

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Travel Foundation