What is Travelife?
Travelife (www.travelife.info) is an international certification body based in the Netherlands that assesses sustainability performance for tour operators and travel agencies. Co-developed with European and national tour operator associations (such as ABTA in the UK and ANVR in the Netherlands), Travelife provides training, tools, and instruments for tour operators and travel agencies to enhance sustainability within their business operations.
The system is based on international standards and guidelines, including ISO 26000 evaluation criteria. By becoming a member and taking on the challenge of meeting these internationally recognized sustainability standards, tour operators and travel agencies can boost their social credibility, increase staff motivation, and simultaneously improve local resident and customer satisfaction.
Travelife provides various training materials online, making it possible to work on the requirements regardless of time or location. Furthermore, if you encounter difficulties in addressing specific challenges, a coaching system is in place to guide you through the necessary steps to comply with the criteria.. Rather than just offering philosophies, we support practical sustainability initiatives and the improvement of business operations.
By promoting practical initiativescentered around global standards for sustainable tourism, Travelife has grown toinclude participation from over 3,000 companies across more than 100 countries worldwide currently.
Member companies can steadily step up their own sustainability through three sequential stages based on their progress: "Engaged" (Registration & Training), "Partner" (Achieving over 100 rigorous criteria), and "Certified" (Attaining the highest level of international certification). It is widely recognized in the global travel market as a premier tool for gaining world-class reliability.
JARTA and Travelife
JARTA entered into a business partnership with Travelife in May 2019 and began operating as the service window within Japan. The evaluation criteria that serve as the certification standards have been translated into Japanese, and translation work on Travelife's web content is also progressing sequentially. We are establishing an environment that delivers a user-friendly tool for Japanese-speaking users as well.
We are also moving forward with hosting domestic training seminars and training Japanese-speaking auditors and coaches. Based on Japan's domestic tourism climate and through close communication with the Netherlands headquarters, we strive to provide better services to our members, promote and popularize sustainable tourism in Japan, and contribute to achieving the SDGs.
Travelife Membership Types
There are three types of membership status available under Travelife, and the annual membership fee varies depending on each stage.
In this stage, each business office appoints a dedicated staff member as a Sustainability Coordinator (SC) to learn about the facility's sustainability and the specific steps required. You will evaluate your company based on best practices and create an improvement plan.
In Stage 2, which is the implementation phase, the SC formalizes and documents the company's core operational policies. This includes mission statements, sustainability policies, and action plans. You are also required to present brief examples of practice (evidence).
Members who have completed all the mandatory fields of the Travelife certification criteria notify the JARTA secretariat. An assigned coach will then be allocated, and you can undergo an online assessment. Only after clearing this assessment can you become a Partner member.
To achieve Travelife Certified status, the final stage requires full compliance with all evaluation criteria. Following an evaluation through a third-party on-site audit conducted by a Travelife-accredited auditor, you will receive the Travelife Certified status as proof once compliance is verified.
Travelife Annual Membership Fees (April – March)
The annual membership fee now includes the coaching fees (38,000 yen for general businesses / 30,000 yen for JARTA members) that previously incurred as an additional cost during the initial application or biennial renewal for Travelife Partner or Certified status.
Furthermore, as a new service from the JARTA secretariat, we host a free online study session once a month to strengthen support for participating operators toward their understanding and acquisition.
(1) General Members (Travelife Engaged) & Partner Members (Travelife Partner)
| Number of Full-time Staff | General Business Operators | JARTA Members |
| ① 5 or fewer | 84,200 JPY | 79,100 JPY |
| ② 6 – 25 | 84,200 JPY | 79,100 JPY |
| ③ 26 – 100 | 126,300 JPY | 118,600 JPY |
| ④ 101 – 250 | 168,300 JPY | 158,100 JPY |
| ⑤ More than 250 | 168,300 JPY | 158,100 JPY |
(2) 認証会員(Travelife Certified)
| Number of Full-time Staff | General Business Operators | JARTA Members |
| ① 5 or fewer | 154,300 JPY | 145,000 JPY |
| ② 6 – 25 | 266,500 JPY | 250,400 JPY |
| ③ 26 – 100 | 420,800 JPY | 395,300 JPY |
| ④ 101 – 250 | 561,000 JPY | 527,000 JPY |
| ⑤ More than 250 | 729,300 JPY | 685,100 JPY |
Revised in March 2025
Coaching Fees and Monthly Study Sessions
The coaching fees (38,000 yen for general businesses / 30,000 yen for JARTA members) that previously incurred as an additional cost during the initial application or biennial renewal for Travelife Partner or Certified status are now included in the annual membership fee.
Additionally, to strengthen support for participating operators toward their understanding and acquisition, the JARTA secretariat hosts an online study session once a month. We provide explanations on the criteria, introduce good practices, and cover general mindsets and methodologies regarding sustainability. Any staff member from registered operators can attend these sessions free of charge. Instead of coordinators struggling alone, let us work together as a group while sharing challenges among participating businesses.
◆◆ Travelife Study Session:
Date & Time:Every fourth Friday of the month,starting at 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM (60 minutes)
Method: Online. A link will be sent to you by the day before. No prior registration procedures are required (Free).
Target Audience: Restricted to operators registered in the Travelife system through JARTA (This is an opportunity for learning and information sharing among peers working across the nation). Any staff member of a registered operator is welcome to join.
Mailing List Registration: If you wish to participate, please inform us of your company name, participant name, and email address.
About Travelife Training Seminars
We are currently seeking host locations for our 2-day training seminar to learn the foundations of Travelife. Host locations are expected to provide a venue equipped with a Wi-Fi environment, cover the lecturer's travel and accommodation expenses, provide a lecturer fee of 160,000 yen (excluding tax), and recruit participants.
Please contact us for more details.
Please contact JARTA for inquiries. Although our fiscal year runs from April to the end of March, if you join mid-year, the annual membership fee will be calculated on a pro-rated monthly basis.
