TUI Group have recently conducted a YouGov survey which suggests 51% of UK holidaymakers would book more environmentally sustainable holidays if they were more readily available.
Tui Care Foundation
Tui Group operates the Tui Care Foundation which with the help of their holidaymakers sets out to build on the potential of tourism as a force for good. They aim to support and initiate partnerships that create new opportunities for the younger generations, help with their education and contribute to the thriving of communities, whilst also protecting the natural environment of destinations across the world.
Jane Ashton, Tui Group sustainability director praised the results of their recent YouGov survey regarding sustainable holidays and said “There has been a significant shift. I don’t think we would have seen these figures five or 10 years ago, and I’m pleased it goes hand in hand with high customer satisfaction rates and business benefits.”
Tui sustainable excursions
Tui Group currently have many excursions available in various resorts which are connected to suppliers involved in this programme. Named TUI Collection Excursions, customers can now choose to go on trips which still aim to take you to amazing destinations but also help to protect the natural surroundings and local communities thrive in the process.
These excursions are authentic and responsible experiences. Whilst you will certainly be having fun, you can also be proud of the fact you’ll be giving back to the local community of which you’d be visiting!
TUI’s Jane Ashton has spoken of an example in Crete which allows holidaymakers to visit local food suppliers. “Ten out of 10 customers who go on the excursion say they would recommend it to others. It gets an overall 9.7 out of 10 satisfaction rating. That is an incredible rating.”
From research TUI have found that an impressive 62% of UK holiday makers feel better when they know their holiday was organised with respect to nature and the local community.(TUI.co.uk, 2018)
TUI Collection excursions attracted 1.2 million customers last year alone! All of TUI’s excursions operate with core sustainability in mind, but those excursions within the Collection category which heavily involve local communities have been very popular with TUI’s customers.
Sustainability with hotels and cruise
TUI collection excursions aren’t the beginning or end for sustainability within their holidays. TUI also have a core hotel certification programme. With a target of sending 10 million customers a year to sustainability-certified hotels by 2020, Ashton has said she hopes to hit that target before the end of 2019. She said “We sent 9.2 million people to certified hotels in 2018, this year numbers could reach 10 million.”
The TUI Care Foundation and TUI Hotels and Resorts have long had sustainability as a key focus area. Since 2015, TUI has delivered 29 million “greener and fairer” holidays which is measured by the number of customers they take to hotels with credible sustainability certifications.
These hotels demonstrate 10% lower CO2 emissions, 24% lower waste volume, 19% less fresh water per guest night, 23% higher use of green energy and overall higher customer satisfaction scores. Of all of TUI’s hotels, a total of 81% of them held sustainability certifications in 2018! (TUI Group Sustainability Report, June 2019)
The TUI Care Foundation has also been researching on behalf of TUI’s cruise line, to help come up with solutions for reducing food waste on cruise ships.
It became apparent than an average of 50% of TUI Cruise’s food waste was generated through overproduction. Once determined, the line have now been able to implement concrete guidelines through help of a waste analysis tool, developed by United Against Waste e.V. This should help reduce waste by up to 17% per year!
Single use plastic reduction
This year TUI have also put great effort into reducing their use of single-use plastic. To date, a total of 140 million pieces of single-use plastic have been removed from TUI operations, with the aim to now raise this number to 250 million pieces by 2020!
Kanittha Boon/ Shutterstock.com
In 2018 the European Parliament voted for a ban on a range of single-use plastics including straws, drink stirrers, cutlery and cotton buds. This law should be in effect by 2021 but TUI have already began acting now.
Change is now happening among each operational unit – airlines, cruise, hotels and destinations.
Around 60% of TUI own hotels have already removed plastic straws and have taken steps to reduce other plastic materials such as cups, cutlery, stirrers, bathroom amenities and packaging which has helped removed 112 million pieces overall!
More than 26 million single-use plastics have been removed by TUI Group airlines and the Group now has a target to abolish 40 million items by 2020! Examples include plastic stirrers being replaced with wooden alternatives, reducing the plastic cable length on headsets and eliminating plastic packaging for blankets.
TUI sustainability strategy
TUI Group have a plan of action aptly named “Better Holidays, Better World” which is committed to making the tourism sector more sustainable. With four core pillars, TUI aim to make a positive impact to create change at scale!
For your next holiday, how would you like to stay at one of TUI’s most sustainable hotels or experience a collection excursion for yourself! Get started by browsing some of our best deals below.
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