As a business, we encourage people to travel in a sustainable way, using tourism as a force for good. Our Make Travel Matter campaign creates awareness and teaches people to travel more responsibly. But, it is not enough. How could we then, at the start of 2020 continue business as usual? How can we continue to ignore the fate of the planet? We can’t. We want to reflect our genuine concern for the environment, recognising that all of us have to act now in order to minimise carbon emissions and their associated climate impact. We hope to inspire urgent action among our travel industry partners.

We have joined others to declare a climate emergency and will challenge ourselves to set own targets and actions and be the behaviour change required. We are not claiming to be perfect. We are on a journey. We hope to use our voice to advocate for change that would help our industry speed up progress towards a low-carbon future. We are therefore very pleased to announce our founding signatory with Tourism Declares as part of our first initiative of 2020 to become a more responsible business.

1. We are currently developing our own Climate Emergency Plan to be adopted within the following year.

2. On a yearly basis we are planning to share our commitment and progress publicly under the shape of an infographic, through our Make Travel Matter campaign as well as our social media channels and newsletter.

3. Cut carbon emissions and accept current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) advice stating the need to cut global carbon emissions to 55% below 2017 levels by 2030 in order to keep the planet within 1.5 degrees of warming.

4. Work together and encourage suppliers and partners to make the same declaration; share best practice amongst clients as well as peers; and actively participate in the Tourism Declares community.

5. Advocate for change by recognising the need for system change across the industry, and call for urgent regulatory action to accelerate the transition towards zero carbon air travel.

Charities and partners with whom we work and support

Since the Travel Foundation’s inception in 2003, we have helped to ensure tourism brings greater benefits for people and environments in tourism destinations around the world. When managed well, tourism can bring significant socio-economic benefits for people living in destinations and funds for conservation.

For every trip booked with us we make a small contribution to this amazing charity that’s been helping local communities to flourish for the past 15 years.

If you would like to show your support towards this cause, you can always donate directly or get involved as a business or alternatively as a travel destination.

The Galapagos Conservation Trust have been our dear partners for over three years. The history of the Galapagos Islands is fascinating, whether from a natural, geological or human perspective. GCT is dedicated to ensure that the 240,000 people visiting the Galapagos Islands every year are not damaging the natural habitats of some of the world’s most treasure animal species.

We encourage you to also help this amazing organisation by adopting an animal or by donating towards saving Galapagos’ Land Birds.

You can also show your support by becoming a member or by simply having a read through their magazine, Galapagos Matters.

Since 1993, Trees for Cities has been the only UK charity working on an international scale to improve general quality of life by planting urban trees and recreating cities in a much greener manner. Over 1 million trees have been planted by volunteers in parks, streets, woodlands, schools, hospitals and housing estates.

Given the nature of our industry, we have a responsibility to actively play our part in protecting the environment. We’re very pleased to be working alongside with Trees for Cities. We have pledged that for every trip that you book with us, we will plant a tree. We also encourage you to match our donation and plant a tree for yourself. Other ways to support this fantastic charity is by volunteering or by fundraising.

Climate Perks is a fantastic new scheme for employers who want to contribute to a better, more environmentally friendly approach to travel.

Employers are empowering employees to travel by land or sea by offering paid journey days. This concept is designed to inspire people to think of alternative routes of travelling to a holiday destination. There are numerous benefits to using trains or boats as means of transportation. Travellers can get to explore their surroundings up close, not missing out on beautiful landscapes and sometimes even getting to socialise by making new connections with other passengers.

Interested in implementing this scheme in your workplace? Find out more on www.climateperks.com/employers.

If you feel like your values are reflected in our ideas and intentions, we’d love to talk to you about a potential collaboration or even just a simple chat. If you’re someone looking for help in organising a perfect tailor-made holiday, please don’t hesitate to reach us!