Thomson and First Choice are joining forces to introduce ‘World Care Fund’.For all Summer 2009 bookings the scheme gives customers the opportunity to donate £1 per adult and fifty pence per child on an opt out basis – a donation that is matched by the company. First Choice initially launched the scheme in 2007 and has so far raised £1,000,000 for the Travel Foundation and Climate Care.
The Travel Foundation organise projects that benefit local environments and communities abroad and Climate Care are one of the
More than one third of First Choice customers contributed to the scheme in the past 12 months, with the payment automatically being added to the bill. This is explained to the customer so that they know exactly what the amount is for and it can easily be removed if the customer does not want to contribute. The opt out scheme is proving to be an excellent system, whilst other industry schemes traditionally only have an uptake of around 15%.
Sarah Perry, Sustainable Development Manager, TUI Travel PLC, said: “We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to help combat climate change - Thomson, First Choice and those traveling on their holidays can lead by example and make a genuine difference.
“Our success to date clearly shows that when you introduce an opt-out scheme at an amount that most customers find acceptable, you will get far greater results. If Thomson customers contribute to the fund at the same level we’ve seen with First Choice, once matched, we could be looking at a total of over £2.5 million in donations next year.
“While we know that off-setting and donation schemes cannot work in isolation – which is why the World Care Fund is supported by a robust carbon reduction programme, including fuel efficiency measures, the £2.5 million in is not an insignificant amount.
Our experience with the World Care Fund dispels the myth that sustainability is only for the well-off. When we analysed the contributions that First Choice customers made to the scheme in its first year, we found that young families with children were most likely to contribute – and that less well-off families were more likely to contribute than their more “affluent” counterparts. Therefore, the projected £2.5m we’re looking to raise next year could be exceeded if all of our customers, from all walks of life, contribute towards the new, joint initiative.”
The Travel Foundation is the first organisation of its type in the world and also receives funding from the World Care Fund. They help to care for the travel destinations that we love to visit and it ensures that local people get a fair share from tourism generated.
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