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news travel gives back campaign
ttglive.com
This week Chris Gray highlights some more projects as TTG continues to show how Travel Gives Back
Cook helps villages in Cyprus
TWO Thomas Cook-backed projects in Cyprus are
spreading the benefits of tourism to isolated
villages and helping mainstream hotels to cut
water consumption.
One project offers visitors self-drive routes
taking in rural settlements and is designed to
provide local people with an income to stop them
abandoning the villages to migrate to popular
tourist areas.
The other gives hotel managers advice on
how to reduce water and energy consumption,
and is said to have achieved an average
cut of 10% in a quarter of the island’s
properties within six months.
Both projects, which are being extended
next year, were visited this summer by
Ruth Holroyd, Cook head of corporate
social responsibility, and responsible tourism
manager Jo Baddeley. Thomas Cook and The Travel Foundation are promoting self-drive tours to help remote villages in Cyprus. Inset: Thomas
They followed the three self-drive routes, from Cook’s Ruth Holroyd (left) and Jo Baddeley, with Philippos Drousiotis, chairman of the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative
Paphos, Limassol and Larnarca, in booklets sold
to hotel guests this year, and saw how tourists Holroyd also visited about 15 hoteliers taking sprinklers during the hottest parts of the day.
starting to visit the villages had benefited local part in the water and energy saving campaign, “We wanted to show them that small things
restaurants, cafes and shops selling local goods. which she said was crucial because Cyprus had can make a big difference,” she said.
Three more routes will be offered next to import water due to drought this summer. The Travel Foundation is extending the project
summer, and the project is on course to become She encouraged hoteliers to adopt measures to 50 hotels in Marrakech, Morocco, and could
self-funding, after starting with support from The such as reducing the amount of water used in extend it on to properties in Sri Lanka, St Lucia
Travel Foundation. showers, fixing broken cisterns, and not using and the Dominican Republic.
Give wisely Stanyer’s carbon call to agents
CHRISTMAS is just six days away and HOLIDAY Taxis founder Paul Stanyer is urging He added: “The fact that so many direct
we’re sure TTG readers are well on the way agents to support his firm’s carbon offsetting customers are doing this unprompted suggests
with their shopping. But for those stuck for scheme after reporting low conversion rates. there is a real desire to give a little back. It is con-
a last-minute stocking filler for that relative Stanyer said 46% of his direct customers fusing, so few agents’ clients are following suit.
or loved one, we have just the answer. took up the chance to pay to offset their carbon “I really want to urge agents to do their bit and
Why not buy a present that won’t be emissions, compared with just 5.6% of agents’ simply make sure they ask the customer if they
chucked away on Boxing Day, such as a bee clients who chose to do so. want to offset. I think there are far more people
colony, a tree, or training for a fisherman. Stanyer is convinced more customers could be out there who would happily spend the small
TTG has teamed up with globalgiving.co.uk persuaded to spend the 50p offsetting charge. amount of money.”
to offer you the chance to buy a present
that will help improve the lives of people
in tourist destinations such as Mexico,
Europcar extends lifeboat support
Jamaica, Tobago, St Lucia and Sri Lanka.
So go on, make two people happy with Europcar has signed a three-year extension Europcar, said: “This contract is a mark of the
one present – your recipient and someone to its deal with the Royal National Lifeboats confidence RNLI has in our ability to support
who will benefit from it abroad. Go to Institution to provide volunteers with daily rental their volunteers round the clock.”
cars at a discount whenever they need them to Europcar has also helped the RNLI raise funds
travelgivesback.co.uk reach lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland. for a memorial to volunteers who have died at
David McNeill, regional sales director for sea since the charity was founded in 1824.
18 19.12.2008
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