Better holidays, better world

We want to keep sending you to top-notch destinations across the globe, so we’ve brought in a lengthy plan of action to work with the locals, and keep the natural charm of their towns in tip-top condition.

How are you going to do it then, you ask? As part of the world’s top travel company, we’re all about experiences that are both buckets of fun and responsible. The TUI Group is a known leader in sustainable tourism. We’ve also been listed on the FTSE4Good Index for measuring up to strict social, environmental and governance standards.

Below are just a few of the ways we’re reducing the environmental impact of our holidays.

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  We’re flying the flag for eco-friendly hotels by promoting properties that we know are doing things in a greener and fairer way. And now, over 60% of the hotels that TUI and our partners run have been given a pat on the back for their efforts by way of a sustainability certification. We’re working with our hotels to make sure they manage their environmental and social impacts, like by using less energy and water, and we’re spurring them on to support local people, businesses and culture. Look out for the Travelife Sustainability Certification logo when you book your next holiday to see if your hotel makes the grade.

   

  The El Dorado Royale Spa Resort by Karisma, in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, is a shining example. It has a Rainforest Alliance Certified greenhouse on site, where they grow a mammoth 14 tonnes of veg every month. The vegetables then get chopped up and cooked in the hotel’s kitchens, so they couldn’t be fresher – or more local. The staff have also set up a sea turtle conservation programme to protect the eggs that are laid on their beach each year. Since 2012, more than 50,000 hatchling turtles have been released into the Caribbean Sea outside the hotel.

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  Flying accounts for over 80% of our carbon emissions, but we’re working to improve this by bringing in up-to-the-minute, carbon-efficient planes – including some brand spanking new Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts. These top-notch planes will be arriving in our hangars in 2018. They’re more aerodynamic and use an impressive 14% less fuel than the 737 NG model that TUI currently takes to the skies. We’re also operating our current flights as efficiently as possible. As a result, our airlines have been crowned the most carbon-efficient in Europe, with our UK and German airlines claiming the top two spots on the esteemed 2016 Global Atmosfair Index.
  
  We want you to know that your lower-emissions flight is helping to reduce the environmental impact of your holidays. So, in a bid to cut down our environmental impact, we partnered with Boeing to test some nifty ways of reducing carbon emissions and noise in commercial aviation. This project included trialling a biofuel that combines jet fuel with fuel made from waste animal fats and used cooking oil. As part of the TUI Group, we’ve also made a promise to keep up the good work and reduce the carbon intensity of our operations by another 10% by 2020. So watch this space.

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  These days, holidaymakers are becoming more and more fixed on seeing what it’s really like in the places they visit. And we’ve been all ears. We’ve put our heads together and have thought up heaps of authentic experiences. They’re all across the globe and put the spotlight on activities that tread carefully and are different to the norm. Sounds good, right? Just pick one of the trips marked with the TUI Collection logo and you can get involved. They’ve been pretty popular so far, with over 846,000 holidaymakers getting in on the action each year.

  
  If you’re bound for Lanzarote, don’t miss the Lanzarote Grand Tour, where you’ll say bye bye to the beaches and explore the island’s craggy, volcanic coastline. There’s a visit to the famous Fire Mountain – an active volcano that towers above Timanfaya National Park – on the cards. You’ll also get to learn a bit about local wines at a bodega, with a few tasters thrown into the mix.  

  
  Head across to Cyprus, meanwhile, and you could be adventuring through the mountains on the Troodos and Kykkos Select trip, which rolls out a visit to the labyrinthine Kykkos Monastery and a traditional Cypriot breakfast in a local coffee shop, so you can start your day just like a local.

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  TUI's independent charity – the TUI Care Foundation – scouts out opportunities to support projects that’ll use tourism as a force for good. Their knowledge, combined with the help of TUI’s global family of travel experts, can turn our shared love of travel into something that makes a lasting difference.
  
  The TUI Care Foundation is getting involved with over 20 projects in 14 different locations. They’re putting the positive power of tourism to work – improving the lives of young people, looking after nature and helping local communities grow. The charity is busy supporting lots of different projects – these include everything from elephant protection schemes in Asia, to traditional farming preservation in Crete.
  
  None of this would be possible without our customers – so thanks a million! Every time you book a holiday with us, you have the option to donate to the TUI Care Foundation, which means we’re able to put more money in the pot to fund projects in countries that need our help. By working together, we’re keeping holiday destinations spick and span and making sure local traditions don’t get forgotten, both now and for years to come.
  
  One of the foundation’s most recent projects involved joining forces with World Animal Protection to make Southeast Asia more elephant-friendly, and they’ve set their targets high. The TUI Care Foundation is aiming to protect around 1,500 Asian elephants in captivity by 2020. The hope is that, in the future, tourists will be able to experience wildlife in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka, while also looking out for these majestic four-legged giants.
  
  Helping local communities is also right at the top of the TUI Care Foundation’s to-do list. And the proof is in the pudding – they’ve been working with vendors at artisan markets in Jamaica, helping them brush up on their sales techniques and teaching them valuable business know-how. Going forward, we’re hoping this will support local craftsmen, so they can continue doing what they love by making a decent career out of it.

  
  To find out more about TUI’s sustainability strategy and initiatives, pop over to www.tui-sustainability.com.