The call comes during Make Holidays Greener Month, a national campaign backed by leading tour operators and travel agents, including First Choice Holidays, Thomas Cook, Thomson Holidays and Virgin Holidays, as well as experts from the world of travel and showbusiness, including Simon Reeve, Kate Humble and Raymond Blanc, who are sharing their own tips to help make holidays greener at www.makeholidaysgreener.org.uk
The website also hosts a range of resources aimed at helping holidaymakers to get the most out of their trip in the most sustainable way possible, including the fun ‘Hatch the Turtle’ children’s activity sheets and ‘insider guides’ to popular destinations, as well as a chance to win a family holiday for four to Gozo, which aims to be an eco island by 2020.
Some Make Holidays Greener tips:
- Buy locally-made souvenirs and eat and drink at local cafes and restaurants - these are great ways to get into the holiday spirit, and benefit the local community too
- Turn your trip into an experience; learn a few local words, enjoy haggling at the market and treat people you meet with respect. You will find a little effort goes a long way and can help turn a simple break into a holiday of a lifetime
- Do you need to hire a car? It is much more environmentally-friendly to use public transport, cycle or walk to explore the area you are visiting, and you’ll get a new perspective too. If you do hire one, use it to explore rather than just for the supermarket and airport run
Sue Hurdle, chief executive of the Travel Foundation (the organisation behind the awareness month) says: “Make Holidays Greener Month is about opening our eyes to the impacts of travel and making sure when we go on holiday we’re having a positive effect on the place we go, and above all having a great time.”
The Travel Foundation
An independent UK charity, the Travel Foundation funds and manages over 30 projects in 16 destinations around the world, showcasing best practice in efforts which improve the well-being of destination communities, protect the environment, and enrich the tourism experience, now and into the future.
The Travel Foundation is based at the CREATE Centre in Bristol.
