Destination communities

Whole communities, regions and nations rely on tourism for economic development and even survival. When tourism is managed sustainably, it is a power for good: for education, understanding, relief from poverty, sustainable development and positive social change.

It is one of the best ways to distribute wealth from richer to poorer communities – to help bring people out of poverty and enable them to make a living for themselves and their families.

It provides a reason and an incentive to preserve the world’s precious natural attractions and cultural heritage.

But we also recognise that tourism has another face. If managed irresponsibly it can harm communities and damage the human and natural heritage that tourists have come to see. We have an absolute responsibility to ensure that our operations do not foster these negative consequences of tourism.

Our long term mission is that everything we do should be sustainable and responsible. For us, responsible tourism is not a specialist market, an opportunity to develop sustainable, ethical, green or eco tourism products. It’s the way we do business, in all product areas and markets. Our aim is to keep doing more to understand our impacts on destinations, and to ensure they are favourable.

It has become one of our key partners: its work dovetails with our approach to corporate responsibility, because we share the same values and passion for the protection of destination environments and cultures. We support it as an active partner and as a leading fundraiser: in 2007 alone we raised over £500,000 towards its projects in destination communities.

In 2007 we selected a hotel in Turkey for a makeover commissioned by the Travel Foundation, using recommendations being developed by the FTO. We hope the hotel will become a showcase for responsible tourism, providing pointers for other interested properties. Out of this project arose a series of case studies which the Travel Foundation were able to develop into a toolkit for hoteliers to help them run their businesses more sustainably. This kit was produced in English, Spanish, Greek and Turkish and was distributed to all accommodation suppliers with the relevant languages.

As a market leader in travel to Turkey, we worked with the Travel Foundation to set up a /scholarship scheme enabling teenaged girls from impoverished backgrounds in Turkey to go to university. It is funding five students on a four-year degree course in tourism management at Mugla University near Bodrum. After their second year of study, they’ll take up summer positions with us.

The Travel Foundation published a case study featuring Thomas Cook as an example of an excellent partnership relationship. It describes how the Travel Foundation fits within our corporate social responsibility strategy.

We’ve been working closely with the Travel Foundation on other projects in destinations around the world. For example, in the Gambia, the Foundation set up a demonstration farm to grow fresh, local vegetables for hotels and restaurants. It opened to visitors in December 2006 and holidaymakers can now take a Thomas Cook excursion to see the vegetables being grown and harvested – helping them to learn more about the benefits of the project and giving them the opportunity to sample a range of jams and juices produced on-site. As a result of this project, the farmers involved have increased their incomes by 300%.

• For information on other projects, visit the Travel Foundation website www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk

They have just completed a one-year course in English and all passed with high marks. The degree covers management, economics, communication, marketing, tourism, geography, airline management, ticketing and tour operations. Here’s what two of them say about it:

“If I hadn’t got this scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to go to university. It means I can concentrate on my classes and don’t have to worry about how to pay for them.” – Cigdem Gummussoy

“Last year I went to hospital suffering from anaemia but didn’t have enough money to complete the course of treatment. With the help of the scholarship I am able to go to hospital again. I’m doing well in my exams and am grateful for the contribution to my education.” – Gulsah Boztepe

To achieve a Travelife Bronze, Silver or Gold Award, suppliers must submit to independent auditing of their performance across a wide range of sustainability criteria including areas such as environmental management, employment issues and involvement with local communities.

Travel customers can now look out for the Travelife Award logos in brochures and on websites and know that award holders are working towards sustainability. We’re already featuring these awards in our own brochures.

The Travelife Awards provide an attractive and robust solution to the introduction of sustainability into our supply chains, offering rewards to our suppliers for their achievements and transparency for all our stakeholders.

Sustainability System

The awards are a further development of the Travelife Sustainability System, a one-stop online resource for Europe’s tourism businesses. It links businesses with providers of specific advice and solutions to help them improve their sustainability performance and contains downloadable guidelines and information for all suppliers

We’re promoting the Travelife Sustainability System and the Travelife Awards to all our suppliers, encouraging them to register on the site and start assessing their sustainability. In 2007 we trained more than 50 employees to conduct Travelife audits and seconded a senior manager to the project. We also audited over 150 properties – resulting in more than 40 awards.

Marque of Excellence awards

Two suppliers won citations for their sustainability work in the 2007 Thomas Cook Marque of Excellence awards.

• Port Aventura in Spain received an award for its high score and Gold award in the Travelife audit.
• The Sandals hotel group was recognised for its overall commitment to sustainability and the environment. All its hotels have won Travelife Awards and it features this achievement in its marketing.

This work started in Thailand, Dominican Republic and Cuba – and now includes all destinations in South America, Africa and Asia. All hotel owners must comply with the code of conduct. Support for children and ECPAT is described in hotel information folders, brochures, price lists and websites. Overseas staff and everyone who attends one of our guidance schools receive special training.

• Read our policy on commercial sexual exploitation of children.

This work has resulted in guidelines for suppliers of excursions involving animals and a checklist that allows tour operators to assess suppliers. Further work has now been done to create additional guidelines for aquatic animals and dolphinaria.

We operate excursions in many destinations to see dolphins – some wild and some in captivity. Demand for these trips comes from customers, born of a genuine love of the animals, desire to learn more about them and wish to experience them first hand. We hope our work with industry partners can help to influence the quality of care and conditions for these animals. We’re also working with a recognised NGO to develop further ways to train staff and educate customers who are visiting dolphin experiences.

We want to stop tourists buying products such as ivory or coral. Our customer guides to responsible travel include information and warnings about the slaughter of animals and exploitation of nature to provide 'souvenirs'. We’ll soon be expanding our website to give customers more information.

In April 2007 the Travel Foundation launched a short animated film, Turtles in Trouble, narrated by BBC Springwatch presenter Kate Humble. Made in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society, it explains how UK tour operator practice can help the conservation of endangered loggerhead and green turtles in destinations like Greece, Crete and Turkey. We sent DVDs of the film and training packs to resort teams in Zante, Crete and Kefalonia in Greece and Fethiye and Belek in Turkey. Local experts were invited to join the training sessions and feedback from all involved was very positive.

Max Havelaar is an international fair trade labelling organisation. When you enjoy a Max Havelaar label product, you are helping to get positive development underway in some of the world’s poorest countries.

The Max Havelaar label guarantees that:

• Farmers receive a fair price for their quality products
• Workers are assured of proper work conditions
• Consideration is shown for the environment

All Max Havelaar products are made with respect for nature, and an extra bonus is also paid for ecological products. The environmental requirements vary for individual products, but in general manufacturers must:

• Cut down on the use of artificial fertiliser and crop sprays
• Protect water courses
• Protect forests, etc
• Counteract soil erosion
• Reduce discharges

The large amounts of coffee served on board our flights come from farmers’ cooperatives in Latin America.

Together with Dizzy and Shades, Hatch has been encouraging children to learn more about sustainability while having fun on holiday.

We aim to tell all our customers about sustainable tourism, in brochures, inflight magazines and on our websites. Last year we also worked with the Travel Foundation to create the Make a Difference While You Party Insider Guide, targeting holidaymakers aged 18 to 30. It’s our first piece of communication aimed at this age group, and shows the simple things partygoers can do to make a difference to their favourite destinations.

We support a wide range of local social or environmental projects, and aim to create opportunities for our guests to contribute – for example by donating spare currency or buying project-related goods. These are just a few examples:

Building confidence in Croatia

LANTERNA is a counselling centre in Makarska, Croatia. It helps young people, parents and teachers to address communication problems in the family, learning difficulties, violence in the home – and life’s everyday challenges. It offers workshops, discussion groups, lectures and a range of sports and creative activities that help build confidence and self-esteem. Most activities are shared by children and parents.

Thomas Cook support is based on collection of any change guests can spare during their return transfer to the airport. With money collected so far we have been able to provide a computer and day-to-day props for their activities.

Providing a home for orphans in Egypt

Sunshine Project International in Luxor helps children who have been abandoned on the streets. Most of them come to the orphanage as babies. Its dedicated team of workers and trustees become their extended family for the rest of their lives. We collect items such as clothes, toiletries, pens and paper for the project, and our guests contribute money through collection boxes provided by our agent, Bright Sky and Sunrise Hotels.

Making school cooler in Dominican Republic

The Dominican Discovery Megatrucks 6*6 is by far our most popular local trip, attracting up to 6,000 Thomas Cook guests each year. Last Christmas we joined the Megatruck as it brought Christmas presents to children at the local school. Most had never received presents before and the look on their faces was unbelievable. The teacher and most of the children walk miles every day to get to school. Until recently there was no proper ceiling, and it was unbearably hot inside.This is a very different aspect of the island from the golden beaches the tourists see.

Last summer we and Megatrucks sold baseball caps to guests to raise money to build a ceiling with a fan. We now plan to extend help to other schools around the island.

Teaching capoeira in Brazil

In Brazil, children born in poor families have few opportunities to make something of their lives. Many start working at a young age, others go into begging or get involved in crime. So we’re supporting a project called Cana Caiana which teaches capoeira– a once-banned Afro-Brazilian art form combining martial arts, music and dance.

It keeps the children out of trouble – and because it’s very popular in Brazil, those who become good at it can become capoeira performers. The children respect their instructors, who also tell them how important it is to go to school and look after their health.

The instructors perform at our welcome meetings and Brazilian evenings, and we sell their t-shirts to our guests. The profits buy food, toiletries and writing materials for the children.

Helping mentally handicapped kids in the Gambia

In the Gambia we support Hart House, which gives protection and education to mentally handicapped children. It aims to take the pressure off families, increase understanding in local society and encourage the children’s development. It’s based in Sinchu Alhagi, 20km from Banjul, and was founded in 2001 by Englishman Geoff Hunwicks, together with a local charitable society. Hunwicks’ involvement arose from his own childhood experiences. Today he lives in the Gambia, where he has made Hart House his life’s work.

Supporting tsunami victims in Sri Lanka

In various places including Galle in Sri Lanka, SOS Children’s Villages has created disaster camps for children made homeless or orphaned by the tsunami disaster on 26 December 2004.

The children live wherever they can be provided with a roof over their heads – including temples, schools and warehouses. To begin with, they were helped with essentials such as food, clothing and medicines. Now activities are being organised to keep them busy and start them with school. Psychological help is provided by games and storytelling.

Children who cannot be reunited with their families or relatives will be accommodated in an SOS children's village, where they will be given a family and education. At least one new children’s village will be built in Sri Lanka, to add to the five already there.

Fighting HIV/AIDS and homelessness in Thailand

In Chiang Mai in northern Thailand we sponsor the Sangha Metta project supporting Buddhist monks and nuns in their work with HIV/AIDS.

They teach the local populace how to prevent HIV/AIDS and visit victims of the disease; they give financial support to poor families, for instance to bury relatives who die of AIDS; and they look after orphaned children, who are given work in the temple. Our contribution comes from a proportion of sales income from our two-day tour to the River Kwai.

In Phuket, we’re sponsoring construction of an orphans’ village which will provide a new home, school and care to 100 children aged 5-15 who lost their parents in the 2004 tsunami. We’re building two of the village’s 30 houses: one is paid for by the company, and employees are contributing to the other one. Once we’ve paid for the buildings, we’ll support the operation of the orphanage.