From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Whole Travel
is a
travel search engine
website based in
United States
. Launched in 2008, it
aggregates
information from thousands of other travel sites and evaluates each destination's sustainability in order to help users find and book sustainable vacations. The service combines search results from hotel websites, online travel agencies, local consolidators and other sources such as larger hotel chains.
It does not sell directly to the consumer; rather, it aggregates results from other sites then redirects the visitor to one of these sites to complete their bookings. Thus, it makes money from pay per click advertising, when the consumer clicks-through to one of the supplier websites. In addition, it offers hotels and resorts the option to use a
subscription model
that provides entry into the online travel market.
The company was established in September 2006 by a group of recent college graduates from
Stanford University
. It is headquartered in
Palo Alto, California
and works with partners in every region of the world.
Whole Ranking
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Whole Ranking is a metric for comparing the sustainability of multiple hotels. The system was developed by Whole Travel in conjunction with non-profit organizations such as
Rainforest Alliance
and academics at
Stanford University
. Each hotel receives a Level 1-5 ranking based on their sustainability practices in four key areas:
- Environmental Management
- Economic Management
- Customer Interaction
- Social and Cultural Support
Whole Travel Foundation
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During the summer of 2008, Whole Travel Foundation was formed in order to actively improve sustainability in travel and tourism worldwide. Instead of being constrained by Whole Travel's growth, the foundation was set up as a 501(c)(3) organization and actively seeks funds in order to complete sustainability projects around the world.
[
citation needed
]
References
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External links
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