07 Jun
2018

Make Holidays Greener 2018 launches

Our annual sustainability campaign, Make Holidays Greener (MHG), launches today with a ‘Say no to plastic’ theme.

Working in partnership with Travelife for Hotels & Accommodations, the campaign encourages the travel industry and holidaymakers to make sustainable holiday pledges.

This past year has seen plastics placed at the forefront of the news agenda, which has raised public awareness on the damage plastics can cause to the environment.

ABTA Members have been looking at plastics as part of their wider sustainability strategy, alongside water and carbon, for some time now – working with destinations to improve their waste management and recycling, as well as looking at the use of plastics by suppliers.

Having plastics as the theme for MHG offers holidaymakers and travel companies the opportunity to take action on an important issue, as well as shining a spotlight on some of the existing work the industry is doing on this issue.

We are encouraging the travel industry to inspire customers to make a commitment to help the environment, no matter how small. For example holidaymakers can reduce plastic usage by using reusable bags on their next trip, or they can do without plastic straws in drinks, or take part in a beach clean. As well as the ‘Say no to plastic’ pledge, they will be able to choose from a further 14 sustainable holiday pledges which will cover all aspects of a holiday from eating local food to reducing their water usage in destination.

Travel businesses can also take action themselves – for example, taking part in plastic free initiatives, organising a clean-up activity, or encouraging hoteliers and suppliers to consider alternatives to plastics wherever possible.

Last year, almost 1,000 sustainable holiday pledges were made and an estimated 2,500 people took part in 79 clean-up activities. We are looking forward to making a positive environmental impact once again this year.

Please do share what you are doing for Make Holidays Greener on social media by using #MHG18 and tagging @ABTAtravel, or by contacting sustainabletourism@abta.co.uk.

The campaign will run until the end of September. You can visit makeholidaysgreener.org.uk for more information and to make a pledge, or contact sustainabletourism@abta.co.uk to sign up and for a support pack.

Finally, if you’re looking for practical guidance on how to implement sustainable approaches across your travel business, you can register for our Delivering Sustainable Travel seminar in London on 26 June.

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive