Llama welcomes travel sustainable travel strategist Rachel McCaffrey to the herd

Llama has expanded its herd by welcoming Rachel McCaffery, a sustainable travel strategist with over 20 years experience advising destinations, governments and businesses.  

Rachel began her career in eco tourism development in Kibale National Park, Uganda, before gaining a Masters degree in International Sustainable Tourism Policy at London Metropolitan University. From there she took a variety of commercial roles for tour operators including Airtours, Thomas Cook, and Virgin Holidays, for which she developed and drove the sustainability strategy from 2004-2012, before leaving to work as an independent consultant.

She has since advised and assisted destinations including England, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Portugal, Micronesia and many others on sustainable tourism strategy. Her strong commercial background and practical, implementation-focused approach has also seen her develop sustainable tourism initiatives for brands including IHG Hotels, G Adventures, Six Senses, dnata travel Group and Virgin Atlantic. She is chair of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Destinations Working Group and has worked with the The European Commission, United Nations Environment Programme,  the Inter American Development Bank, World Wildlife Fund and Travel Without Plastic on sustainable tourism. 

An international expert on sustainable tourism, Rachel  has played a key role in the creation of a number of industry tools in use worldwide, including the European Tourism Indicator System, The European Travel Commission’s Handbook on Sustainable Tourism Implementation for National Tourism Organisations, the Travelife Certification for Accommodations and ABTA’s Global Guidance on both Voluntourism and Animal Welfare in Tourism. 

Llama co-Founder, Andrew Shelton, comments: “I’m excited to be working to be working with Rachel again following our time at Virgin Holidays, where, among many innovative responsible business initiatives, she played a pivotal role in the delivery of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in Montego Bay. The overlap between sustainability and marketing strategy for travel brands is obvious so bringing Rachel in, with her vast experience and knowledge, is a natural step for us. We’re really looking forward to bringing her expertise to bear for our clients as they consider questions around their impact, purpose, values and sustainable growth.”