Travel firms pledge to make holidays greener

Going the extra mile

Travel companies are going the extra mile to go greener in July by making pledges to inspire staff and customers about sustainable holidays.   This year’s Make Holidays Greener campaign kicked off on Saturday, 1 July.

The Travel Foundation has had 18 pledges so far from companies including AITO, Cosmos, Hilton Worldwide, Holiday Extras, Kuoni, Thomas Cook, Travel Matters and TUI UK & Ireland.  

Examples of pledges include Thomas Cook’s commitment to use the Travel Foundation’s Greener Excursions tool to assess the sustainability of excursions in its charter destinations, and Cosmos getting all staff involved in the campaign by taking the Go Greener Holidays Quiz.

AITO has pledged to help holidaymakers ‘link to what’s local’ by collecting top tips from their members about enriching holiday experiences, such as local food, culture and history, to be displayed on www.makeholidaysgreener.org.uk

 Kuoni will be raising awareness of greener holidays through social media, with tips and travel inspiration on tweets, blogs and facebook posts throughout the month.

 Salli Felton, acting chief executive said: "We’ve been impressed with the ideas that travel companies of all shapes and sizes have come up with this year – it really has captured people’s imagination and they are having fun with the campaign."

"There is still time for other travel agents, tour operators, destinations, attractions, hotels, airlines or car hire firms to get involved as Make Holidays Greener runs throughout July and firms can pledge at any time."

"This year, we want to raise awareness about the things that make holidays special – local culture, local delicacies and souvenirs, local history, the environment and above all, local people."

And it’s got backing from world-famous author Louis de Bernieres of Captain Corelli fame.

He is backing the "link with what’s local" theme of this year’s Make Holidays Greener campaign. The bestselling author was first introduced to the Travel Foundation when he was in Turkey and sampled fresh fruit and vegetables from the Taste of Fethiye project, which supports local farmers and encourages hotels and local businesses to purchase from them. Mr de Bernieres, best known for his book Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, has a close affinity with the Fethiye region of Turkey which inspired his 2004 novel Birds without Wings.

 "The local food, culture and people of Fethiye do more than inspire great authors to write, they inspire the rest of us to have a great holiday. If you are staying in a hotel that sources local produce, such as Lykia World, Montana Pine or Karbel, you can eat the freshest-of-fresh fruit and veg and then go and visit the people and places that helped it to grow. That’s the real Turkey for you, on a plate."

"It makes no sense to bring in food from miles away, when the local produce is just as good, and often even better. When tourists buy local, it makes their holiday doubly beneficial to the region they are enjoying!’

Ideas and inspiration for pledges are listed on the Travel Foundation’s website at www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk/greenerhols/find_out_more

From displaying posters in offices and shops to running training workshops for staff and promoting competitions for customers, the site has resources and information to download.

To find out more about getting involved visit the website, tweet @travelTF using the hashtag #greenerhols or email [email protected]

Valere Tjolle

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