Sustainable tourism is rubbish says Thomas Cook

Make Holidays Greener Month and hundreds of reps and customers collect tonnes of refuse SEE VIDEO: 

Thomas Cook has supported the Make Holidays Greener campaign since it was first launched in 2010, making it an integral part of the annual sustainability calendar. 

Overseas based representatives use the campaign as an opportunity to step up their sustainability activity and encourage  holidaymakers, suppliers and local organisations to join in.

Over the years, hundreds of reps, customers and suppliers have taken part in clean-up activities at  beaches, in forests and even underwater, collecting tonnes of bottles, cans, plastics, tyres and even toilet seats!  TC have even introduced new excursions into their programme as a result of inspiration taken from the campaign.

‘This year, TC  were delighted to find that the overall campaign theme was ‘cleaner beaches’ – a core Cook competency!

Throughout the course of the month, over 1000 representatives, suppliers and holidaymakers joined in with activities across sixteen destinations from Cuba to Cyprus, collecting almost two tonnes of rubbish, most of which was recycled.  The activities were promoted to over 20,000 customers on holiday in resorts.

Make Holidays Greener activity doesn’t stop once July is over;  for many it is about making a lasting change that puts destinations and customer experiences at the heart of what we do. 

A new excursion in Corfu will now consistently feature a beach clean, which is proving immensely popular, with over 400 customers choosing the excursion since July. 

In Egypt, some of Thomas Cook children’s club activities now involve regularly collecting plastic water bottles from the beaches and up-cycling them into all manner of innovative creations before they are recycled by the hotel.

In Benidorm,  where many hotels are far from the beaches, Thomas Cook teams have introduced ‘swap shops’,  giving customers the opportunity to re-use suncreams, cosmetics and even lilos, with empties being recycled by the hotels.

In 2012, Thomas Cook launched its ‘Local Label’ excursion programme, which  to date offers customers over 50 sustainable excursions across 25 destinations.  These excursions are not only designed to create authentic experiences and lasting memories for our customers, but also to contribute in a positive way to local societies and economies.

 In Antalya, Turkey, Thomas Cook resort teams were shocked to find a significant amount of waste at an ancient site that was due to be included as part of a Local Label excursion, making this the focus of their Make Holidays Greener campaign this year.  Not content with one individual activity, our management team contacted the local authorities and – after a meeting with the Mayor – were able to secure waste receptacles at the site and regular collection, leaving a lasting positive legacy for years to come.

Said Jo Hendrickx Sustainable Destination Manager at Thomas Cook: "Make Holidays Greener is a hugely inspirational event and we are proud to be one of the biggest supporters of the campaign.  The team are already looking forward to next year’s challenge."

Valere Tjolle

@valeretjolle

[email protected]