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OTA launches lilo initiative
Holiday Hypermarket has teamed up with sustainable designer Wyatt and Jack to encourage customers to turn their unwanted lilos into one-of-a-kind bags.
The online travel agent is paying for customers to send their inflatables to the company, who will unpick the product and redesign it as a ‘stylish pouch or tote bag’ that can be used for life.
It comes after research of 2,000 British holidaymakers by Holiday Hypermarket found 25% leave their lilo at the hotel at the end of their holiday, 9% throw their lilo into the bin before heading home, and 57% of holidaymakers won’t reuse a lilo left behind by someone else.
Craig Duncan of Holiday Hypermarket said: "We were astounded by how many British holidaymakers say they abandon their lilos after their holidays. Plastic pollution is a real problem and we all have to think about the decisions we take and the impact they have on the destinations we visit.
"During our research, we spoke to hotels and they described lilos as an awful problem that is getting worse. When a holidaymaker leaves a lilo behind, hotels have little choice but to store them or send them to the local landfill.
"We asked holidaymakers if they would use free lilos and inflatables provided by their hotel, but more than half said no. This means that even if people think their left-behind-lilo will be used by someone else, the chances are it won’t, as most holidaymakers prefer to buy their own.
"This plastic problem needs smart solutions, and we are delighted to team up with Wyatt and Jack to give holidaymakers the opportunity to do something useful with their lilo after their holiday."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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