The heads of Tui Travel and Thomas Cook in Germany pledged their commitment to sustainable tourism at trade show ITB in Berlin on Thursday.
Both groups are members of German sustainable tourism campaign Futouris. Tui Germany chief executive Volker Boettcher said: “I am a Futourist. I’m happy Tui is engaged with Futouris. I believe the campaign will make sustainability increasingly important.
“Tui is for securing a good environment. The environment is a prerequisite for a good holiday. We do have an impact. We can make a difference.”
Thomas Cook German chief executive Peter Fankhauser also said: “I am a Futourist. We work in an industry that depends on nature. We want to protect the climate and minimise our impact on the environment.”
Futouris is a non-profit organisation launched in 2009 to run projects in destinations similar to those undertaken by UK industry charity the Travel Foundation. Tui Germany was a founding member and Thomas Cook joined soon after. Futouris operates under the German travel association, the DRV.
Boettcher referred to the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, saying: “We want to support the democratic process. We will see how democracy can improve sustainability in Tunisia and Egypt.”
Fankhauser agreed, saying: “We are responsible for the livelihoods of many people and see what happens when a sector collapses. Democracy can be improved by what we do.”
However, Fankhauser told a conference on corporate social responsibility at ITB that there remains limited consumer demand for sustainable tourism. He said: “Travellers want to flee from everyday life. We have seen no concrete impact [of consumer concern] on travel behaviour.”
He referred to a study of 6,000 destinations which he said showed little or no move towards sustainability in resorts, and he said:“There is evidence that clients are unwilling to spend more [for sustainable options]. The more expensive a holiday, the more interest there is in sustainable aspects.”
Earlier, Sabre Holdings sustainability initiatives director Leilani Latimer said: “Trends show people want to spend money with responsible companies. She argued there is demand, but sustainable options have to be easy to find and choose.
STA Travel chief executive Peter Liney said: “There is a specific demand for product – demand for responsible volunteering, and demand to attach some element of responsibility to trips people are already taking.”