Phil Jordan

Most people are familiar with the phrase ‘leave nothing behind but footprints’ when it comes to responsible travel and tourism, but that simply doesn’t cut it in 2024.

While making minimal impact and moving on is laudable, how about making a positive impact as you encounter communities instead?

That ethos is being adopted by Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours which works closely with and funds local projects that help to maintain the natural beauty and improve living conditions in the regions it visits. 

From providing clean drinking water in Cambodia to supporting a school in Kenya, Scenic's Cherish the Planet pledge goes beyond sustainability – it's a commitment to creating positive change.

Driving that change is Phil Jordan, Director of Sustainability & Delivery at Scenic, who has seen the company evolve and expand in his 10-year tenure.

The culmination of that progress is the Scenic Eclipse 1 and 2, positioned as the world’s first discovery yachts – “six-star, ultra luxury, all-inclusive experiences”.

These are truly once-in-a-lifetime journeys. Imagine visiting Antarctica on the Scenic Eclipse and following in the footsteps of famous explorers in the last great wilderness.

Of course, all of this luxury comes with sustainability credentials.

“Our Cherish the Planet manifesto outlines everything we're doing and is based on UN Sustainable Development Goals,” explains Jordan.

“We focus on six pillars – reducing our waste-print, addressing our CO2 emissions, sourcing sustainably, growing with communities, value diversity, and advocate health, safety, and security.”

From all but eliminating single-use guest plastics, to measuring and mitigating emissions, and sourcing local produce to support communities, Scenic sets out to be as good as it can be.

“There's no such thing as a perfect product,” admits Jordan. “To be completely transparent, we are a provider of luxury holidays and tours and first and foremost, that is what we will always be. 

“What we try to do is make sure we provide inclusions that are going to elevate the guest experience, but are also more sustainable and beneficial to the community.”

Jordan points to helping cultural interaction and learning, the positive social impacts of tourism, and engagement and consultation with community leaders and representatives as some of the achievements of Scenic’s sustainability programme. It is important to  see how those communities can benefit – not just in the tourism season but also in the future. 

“We believe that if we can create great, meaningful inclusions that the guests love, but also follow our ESG goals, then it's a win-win for everyone,” says Jordan. “It’s better for the communities, better for our guests, and better for the planet.”

Jordan believes that understanding and education, not just across sustainability and ESG, but a range of topics in society, presents both the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity.

“I think a lot of people expect that they know what sustainability is, but the reality is it's all-encompassing and very complicated and fluid, and it evolves,” he says. 

“One of the biggest challenges is that fundamental misunderstanding or misconception of sustainability, but I think that represents an opportunity.

“It doesn't mean a company is going to be less profitable, in fact, probably the opposite. It doesn't mean that it’s going to be less enjoyable if it's sustainable. When you start to have the masses all pulling in the same direction for a common goal and understanding why, that's when you start seeing real progress.”

Read the full story HERE.

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