Working with communities
Each year, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Unite and Virgin Holidays, along with the support of their passengers and staff, collectively invest millions of pounds in community projects within the destinations they travel to and work in. Under the Change is in the Air programme, Virgin Atlantic and its passengers will be supporting two organisations, The Travel Foundation and Free the Children, which both work towards sustainable futures for young people in its destinations.
Virgin Blue’s “Red Jet” charity foundation is currently focusing on “Indigenous Communities and Natural Environments” in Australia. The foundation has provided assistance to several projects including a residential energy efficiency programme in Alice Springs and a savannah fire management project in Arnhem Land.
Virgin America works with the California State Parks Foundation and selects California-based carbon offset projects via its partnership with Carbonfund.org. Virgin America also hosts regular e-waste collection events to clean-up local beaches and parks.
Sustainable tourism
Aviation has played a key role in expanding tourism, which has in turn boosted air travel. Over 40% of international tourists now travel by plane17
driven by an increase in international leisure flights18
.
Tourism can be a catalyst for positive social and economic development, but it is becoming increasingly evident that some aspects of tourism are currently unsustainable . The Virgin airlines, along with Virgin Holidays and Virgin Limited Edition, are working towards gaining a greater understand of their impacts and promoting sustainable tourism. To find out more go to ‘We’re all going on a Summer Holiday’ on
page 24.
and in the UK growth in air travel is being
There are now five holiday flights to every business flight made overseas by a UK
resident.
Source: Cairns, S., Newson, C., Boardman, B. and Anable, J. Predict and decide Aviation, climate change and UK policy. Environmental Change Institute Oxford University.
Air tourism accounts for 8 million direct jobs and 18 million indirect jobs as well as $396
billion US in global GDP.
Source: Oxford Exonomics. Aviation: The Real World Wide Web
17. Air Transport Action Group. Air transport drives eco- nomic and social progress. The economic and social benefits of air transport 2008. (http://www.atag.org/ files/ATAG%20brochure- 124015A.pdf)
18. Cairns, S., Newson, C., Boardman, B. and Anable, J. Predict and decide Avia- tion, climate change and UK policy. Environmental Change Institute Oxford University.
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