The Travel Foundation campaign to transform the industry`s understanding of sustainable tourism looks set to beat the target set for it just days after the launch on Monday.
The sustainable tourism charity wants members of the trade to complete an online training programme and test their knowledge to make travel greener. The scheme began with the aim of getting 10,000 to take the quiz by the end of the year.
But that total appears conservative after TUI Travel signed up this week and pledged close to 6,000 First Choice and Thomson agents would complete the questionnaire by June 29.
The Make Travel Greener programme will form part of the regular training for agents in 873 shops on June 15 and the group hopes all will complete it within two weeks. TUI Travel UK head office staff will also be encouraged to take the training and share their scores with colleagues.
The Co-operative Travel group has already signed up to the campaign, as Travel Weekly reported last week, and ABTA and Advantage have agreed to promote Make Travel Greener to their members. The training now forms part of the accredited travel professional (ATP) programme.
Travel Foundation chief executive Sue Hurdle hailed TUI Travel`s participation as “fantastic news” and said: “We are thrilled with the response from the trade.
“Anyone in travel can get involved. The quiz has been created with travel professionals in mind. It is simple and fun to do and only takes 30 minutes.”
TUI Travel managing director Dermot Blastland said: “Sustainable tourism is a vital part of the way we do business. It is essential we educate our frontline staff on its importance so we build a team of sustainability advocates who can pass on their knowledge to customers. With our 870 shops we have an opportunity to make a real difference.”
The training is divided into six sections covering climate change, responsible travel, care of destinations, the business case for sustainability, talking to customers and how people can help.
You can break off at any time and resume when you have time. And if you are among the first 200 people to score 95% or above, you are eligible for a prize.
Just go to maketravelgreener.com and enter your name and email.