OPERATORS ON BOARD
Companies that have said they will sign up to the foundation’s pledge are: l Thomas Cook l Tui l Saga Group (Saga, Titan, Destinology)
l Hotelplan (Inghams, Esprit, Ski Total, Inntravel, Santa’s Lapland and Explore but not Regaldive)
wide support for STF
and comes to the STF with more than 20 years’ experience in the charity sector. Ian Ailles has been appointed as non-executive chairman of the charity. Currently director-general of
the House of Commons, Ailles was the managing director of Thomas Cook’s specialist businesses at the time of the tragedy. He said: “There’s an element
of unfinished business as I left Cook within a month of Bobby and Christi’s deaths, so my moral com- pass has brought me back to this. “I have always been a big supporter of The Travel Foundation, Travelife and Abta, and I’ve been the director of the Federation of Tour Operators. “To get this charity moving, it needed someone who could work with Cook, but also relate to the children’s mother Sharon. It helps that I have a background close to this. “This is a charity that crosses
the divide between tour operators, agents, hoteliers, ground handlers, governments, tourism bodies, trade associations, gas providers and fitters, construction companies – anyone connected to the provision of holidays. “The aim of the STF is to
“We have to do things that add value, are practical and make tangible differences”
promote the creation of the right infrastructure and the right approach to health and safety so that everyone is working to a common theme – cross-industry and cross-nations.” He said the STF’s initial aims include getting as many companies to sign up to the pledge to support the charity. This includes cruise lines, land holiday providers, domestic operators and those selling holidays overseas.
Customer care
Another key focus is to improve travellers’ sense of risk while on holiday by making them aware of the dangers and boosting their ability to make sensible decisions. Ailles said this would be done by
providing better information that consumers and agents can access for advice before they travel. “The internet has made it
even harder as there’s too much
information and rules are different in every destination. We will provide much more directional and informed advice in one place.” Ailles underlined the importance of building an ‘evidence database’ of incidents that can be shared with all members to help them make better decisions about who they partner and work with. “A more mid-term aim is to
possibly introduce a system like the Travelife one for sustainable hotels that would identify those properties that have undertaken all health and safety checks.” He added that agents could
play their part by particularly supporting those suppliers which have signed up to the STF. Ailles concluded: “For nearly 10
years, Sharon has been pushing for something like this, so if I have one short-term goal, it’s that we create a charity that is meaningful and does some good quickly. “Given what Sharon’s been
through, I don’t want to sit on grey policy proposals. We have to do things that add value, are practical and make tangible differences. “We have to keep more people safer on holiday.”
SHARON’S STORY: Mother’s fight for a lasting legacy
My children died of carbon monoxide
poisoning from a gas boiler that had not been correctly installed, serviced or maintained. They died needlessly,
due to systemic failings within the travel industry. Their tragic story is
well-documented, as is the ‘David v Goliath’ decade-long legal battle that ensued. I fought for justice with a passion and determination like only a grieving mother could. Robbed of my children
and the following 10 years of my life, perseverance came at a personal price, but it has also done so much to raise the profile of the dangers of carbon monoxide and encouraged holidaymakers to think more carefully about their safety when travelling abroad. The Safer Tourism
Foundation was born of some very frank conversations between myself and current Thomas Cook chief executive Peter Fankhauser. We couldn’t change
what had happened but together we could be influential in making tourism safer for the future – a lasting legacy for Christi and Bobby. I am very proud to be a
trustee of the charity and pledge my commitment to ensuring it will help in educating travellers about the dangers they may face, promoting safer tourism and ensuring that the travel industry is transparent, honest and respectful.
14 September 2017
travelweekly.co.uk 13
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