Make Travel Greener gets backing from travel diploma head

Agency staff at The Co-operative Travel Group, TUI UK and Thomas Cook will be at the forefront of The Travel Foundation’s campaign to Make Travel Greener this summer.

Over the coming weeks, they will tackle the charity’s online training and quiz, which is aimed at developing understanding of responsible tourism and sustainability.

ABTA and Advantage have also signed up, and are recommending the programme to their members. This week, Diploma in Travel and Tourism project leader John Humphreys added his support.

He said: “We will be encouraging all travel and tourism teachers to take the Make Travel Greener training and test.”

The principle of responsible tourism is simple – travel should benefit the people and environment in destinations.

Tourism can provide the income and incentive to protect environments and wildlife, culture and heritage, offer a better income to local people, and help keep destinations special.

But much depends on tourism products and services being sourced locally – companies using local guides and staff, hotels supplying local food, and clients using local businesses such as restaurants – and that requires changes in business practice by many firms, and in behaviour by many holidaymakers.

Make Travel Greener includes examples of people whose livelihoods have improved as a result of green initiatives such as the Maya women in Mexico, who produce jam from jungle fruit.

It also explains how to pass on understanding to customers and respond to their questions, telling agents: “You can help by informing clients how they can make a positive difference when they travel.”

The programme directs you to where you can find out more about what is happening in destinations and offers advice to give to customers.

It does not shy away from the threat of climate change, explaining: “Higher temperatures will have a dramatic impact on holidays. [Global] warming is already affecting the ski industry.

“In the Mediterranean, sizzling temperatures could make it too hot and bring disease. Sea levels will rise and threaten small islands.”

But the overall message is upbeat, emphasising what can be done to make tourism more sustainable.

• Go to maketravelgreener.com, take the test and read the additional information on policies and activities of leading travel companies.
• Diploma in Travel and Tourism courses begin from September 2010 under the auspices of People 1st – the sector skills council for hospitality, travel and tourism.

About the quiz

Have you tried The Travel Foundation’s Make Travel Greener quiz and training? It is time well spent. 

• Some of the multiple-choice answers should be obvious. Others make you think. This is not one of those quizzes with all the answers in the text next to the question. However, read the explanations carefully and you will be on the right lines.
• Enter your name and email address at make travelgreener.com to start.
• The programme is in six sections, explaining what responsible tourism and sustainability is about, what makes destinations special and how to maintain them, the business case for sustainability, how to talk to customers, the science of climate change and what individuals can do.
• The quiz is worthwhile whether you think you know a lot or little about responsible tourism. The language is simple, the training quick, and you will come away with greater understanding.
• It is impossible to condense such a vast subject into half an hour and not raise a few quibbles. The training does not deal with the pros and cons of carbon offsetting. But it does stress the point that carbon offsetting cannot be an alternative to cutting emissions.