THOMSON AND FIRST CHOICE JOIN FORCES IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

For all Summer 2009 bookings, Thomson will join forces with First Choice and introduce the ‘World Care Fund’. The scheme gives customers the opportunity to donate £1 per adult and fifty pence per child on an opt-out basis – a donation that is matched by the company.
Originally launched by First Choice in 2007, the scheme has so far raised over £1,000,000 for The Travel Foundation, who organise projects benefiting local environments and communities overseas, and Climate Care, one of the UK’s leading offsetting providers.

In the past 12 months, more than 30% of First Choice customers contributed to the scheme. Payment is automatically added to the bill, and explained so the customer knows exactly what it is. With other industry schemes traditionally having an uptake of around 15%, the opt-out system has proven to be a winning formula.

Sarah Perry, Sustainable Development Manager, TUI Travel PLC, said: “We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to help combat climate change – Thomson, First Choice and those travelling on their holidays can lead by example and make a genuine difference.

“Our success to date clearly shows that when you introduce an opt-out scheme at an amount that most customers find acceptable, you will get far greater results. If Thomson customers contribute to the fund at the same level we’ve seen with First Choice, once matched, we could be looking at a total of over £2.5 million in donations next year.

“While we know that off-setting and donation schemes cannot work in isolation – which is why the World Care Fund is supported by a robust carbon reduction programme, including fuel efficiency measures – the £2.5 million in is not an insignificant amount.

Our experience with the World Care Fund dispels the myth that sustainability is only for the well-off. When we analysed the contributions that First Choice customers made to the scheme in its first year, we found that young families with children were most likely to contribute – and that less well-off families were more likely to contribute than their more “affluent” counterparts. The projected £2.5m we’re looking to raise next year could be exceeded if all of our customers, from all walks of life, contribute towards the new, joint initiative.”

The Travel Foundation, which receives funding from the World Care Fund, is the first organisation of its type in the world. Its role is to ensure that local people get a fair deal from tourism, and it will receive twenty percent of monies raised from Thompon First Choice summer 2009 bookings.

Donations will support projects in many destinations worldwide similar to those that have helped 500 farmers in the Gambia supply their produce to 70% of the country’s tourist businesses, and village families in the Masai Mara in Kenya to increase their income from tourism by 800% and have access to clean water and sanitation, and giving 300 children the opportunity to go to school.

Climate Care is a leading carbon offset organisation, channelling money into carbon reduction and renewable energy projects in the developing world. It will receive eighty percent of the monies raised from Summer 2009 bookings. TUI UK estimates that the money raised will offset up to 20% of the carbon emissions from customers’ flights.

The projects supported through Climate Care are Gold Standard, meaning that they are assessed to ensure that they’re not only good for the environment but also for local communities.

For example, in Zambia a hydro-electric project is providing a new reliable source of electricity to local schools and hospitals. This will help local people – in hospitals operations can be undertaken at all times, local school children will have greater access to computers in schools and households will have access to electric light, on demand, for the first time.

Other initiatives supported by First Choice/Thompson are:

Blue Flag: Since 2000, First Choice has supported the Blue Flag Campaign, run by the Federation for Environmental Education. The organisation awards a Blue Flag to beaches that meet its high standards of cleanliness and environmental management, which is indicated in our brochures.

NSPCC: First Choice has supported the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) since 2004, raising over £130,000 in the past four years through charity days in our destinations. Our overseas teams also support local charities where they can: last year we raised over £48,000 for charities in our destinations.

Family Holiday Association: First Choice supports the Family Holiday Association, a UK charity helping families take a much-needed holiday they would otherwise be unable to afford. Many First Choice employees run the London Marathon to raise money, and customers can donate on their flight.

Born Free: Thomsonfly has supported the Born Free Foundation since 1995, raising over £2.5 million through in-flight collections and staff fundraising. This has provided vital support for polar bear rehabilitation in Canada, a wildlife ambulance in Scotland, an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka, a chimpanzee sanctuary in Uganda, and elephant relocation in Kenya.

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