Kuoni unveils customer donations initiative to ‘give back’ to destinations

Kuoni will start inviting customers to make a donation at the time of booking a holiday in a bid to support projects in destinations.

 

The initiative comes as the Dertour Foundation launches as a UK-registered charity this week.

 

Donations from £5 can be made through Kuoni’s network of 25 stores, via the operator’s call centre or through travel agents, with the funding set to help projects in the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

 

Kuoni managing director Mark Duguid said: “We did a trial customer donation project last year and it’s clear that customers want to be involved and are more than happy to make a contribution.”

 

Duguid has become a trustee for Dertour Foundation UK, alongside CV Villas managing director Pete Brudenell and Dertour UK sustainability director Claire Ross.

 

Kuoni’s chosen projects are: ‘Connecting people and reefs in the Maldives’, ‘Empowering women as rickshaw drivers in India’, ‘Mangrove conservation in Sri Lanka’ and the ‘“Her Turn” women in hospitality programme in Vietnam’.

 

Duguid said: “The Dertour Foundation embodies the essence of sustainable travel by championing impactful projects that protect environmental ecosystems, promote animal welfare, and empower communities worldwide, creating lasting change.

 

“We have a real opportunity to amplify our impact by inviting our customers to contribute via their holiday booking, enabling us to expand beyond our current corporate donations and support.

 

“I am truly proud to lead a brand that makes such a significant difference.”

He noted many travel agents are also enthusiastic about “giving back” to destinations, adding: “We are helping them to have confident conversations with customers and make it easy to add the donation onto the booking.”

 

Ross said: “The Foundation was set up 10 years ago and, as the group has grown internationally, we’ve been looking at how our UK businesses can make a bigger contribution so we can expand the scope of our work.

 

“Becoming a registered UK charity strengthens the link between the global Dertour Foundation and our UK businesses.

 

“It means customers and staff here can donate in sterling, with the added benefit of Gift Aid for UK taxpayers, making every donation go further.

 

“It also reassures donors that we meet the highest standards of governance, transparency and charitable oversight. Importantly, it enables us to bring the Foundation’s inspiring global work closer to UK travellers by embedding it in our brands’ customer journeys.

 

“Every small donation helps fund carefully chosen projects in destinations our travellers love to visit.

 

“This creates a virtuous circle: the holidays we sell contribute positively to local communities and ecosystems, helping to preserve what makes those destinations so special for future generations.”

 

Jules Verne already runs a customer donations scheme and CV Villas plans to launch its own.