Angelique grew up close to nature in the small village of Thorn in the Netherlands. Her father inspired a love and respect for the environment, often taking her on walks in the wetlands where he would explain to her about nature and wildlife. She remembers that even as a child she was a ‘little activist’, always trying to protect insects and animals and often organising water clean-ups with her friends. A passion for travel was added when she began playing in the village orchestra that would often perform concerts outside the Netherlands.

Knowing she wanted to pursue a more global career path, Angelique first studied international relations. It was through this that she learned about the human and social side of being a responsible custodian of the planet. After several years working with various EU institutions, she helped establish the Dutch National Youth Council that helped her understand the importance of involving youth in creating a better world, and the importance of involving people about what needs to change, and how to influence those changes.

Angelique has been auditing for Travelife since 2011. Most of her audits are carried out in Turkey, a country she now calls home, but her impressive language ability has seen her sent further afield to hotels in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

Her favourite part of auditing is being onsite at the property and providing staff with constructive ideas that will help them go one or two steps further than the Travelife minimum requirements. She finds that most hotels really welcome this feedback and often finds out later that they have implemented her suggestions. Angelique says this makes the challenge and intensity of conducting an audit worthwhile because she knows she has really helped to make a difference.

Keeping in mind her passion for conservation that began in childhood, it is not surprising that some of her favourite things she has seen hotels do are relating to biodiversity. She tells us about Reethi Beach, a Travelife Gold Certified property in the Maldives, who have made some real achievements in this area. “They do not use any artificial pesticides against mosquitos or other insects, and have been successful at controlling insects using these natural methods, ideally sourced locally. One really simple way they do this is not clearing up fallen leaves in their grounds. The leaves provide a good hiding place for lizards who eat the insects, helping to keep the numbers down whilst keeping the guests happy!”.

She goes on to explain that the whole ethos at Reethi Beach is using local conditions and endemic species in their grounds wherever possible, avoiding over-stylised landscaping so that nature can get on with doing its own thing. Guests also enjoy hearing about these types of initiatives, giving them ideas for improving biodiversity in their own gardens at home.

Angelique believes that authenticity and being able to back up sustainability claims with real actions is an essential part of being a more responsible business. She emphasises the importance of using influence to affect positive changes in the supply chain too, such as only working with a pension fund or bank that can demonstrate they respect human rights and the environment, asking direct questions about what they are doing before signing any contracts.

Overuse of harmful pesticides is something she believes needs a stronger focus from businesses who can affect real change in this area by collaborating with pest control companies on more environmentally friendly solutions, perhaps offering to trial these at their own business. She cautions businesses to also think about pesticides in food by questioning suppliers and opting for reputable organic labels.